Saudi Arabia
Saudi and British foreign ministers hold talks amid regional escalation
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London on June 13 to discuss bilateral ties and regional developments as Israeli strikes Iran.
Airlines scrap week’s worth of Turkey flights to Iran, Iraq and Jordan as Israel keeps up its bombing of Iranians
To avoid danger zone, aircraft diverted to airports in locations including Istanbul, Baku and Cyprus.
Deloitte EMEA Fast 500 Technology ranking brims with Turkish, CEE and SEE startups
Top entry from Turkey is Novi Robot, a maker of automation systems for manufacturing plants.
Construction bosses turn witness in Turkey’s investigation into “Imamoglu Crime Syndicate”
Prosecution secures confessions from multiple individuals who experience claimed enlightenment in jail. Critics contend probe is entirely political and bogus.
Thousands of Indonesian pilgrims denied Hajj as Saudi Arabia suspends special visa issuance
Thousands of Indonesian pilgrims hoping to perform Hajj using the furoda visa have been left stranded after Saudi Arabia halted the issuance of these special visas for the 2025 pilgrimage season.
BERTRAND: ASEAN, GCC countries and China come together, forming the world’s largest economic bloc
China, the countries of South-East Asia (ASEAN) and the Arab states (GCC) just held a summit in Kuala Lumpur to forge what could become the world's largest economic bloc, covering everything from free trade agreements to de-dollarisation.
Gulf States, China dominate ASEAN Summit with a pledge to strengthen ties
Meeting in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, the GCC, China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations issued a joint declaration committing to “chart a unified and collective path towards a peaceful, prosperous and just future.
Viktor Orban may have lobbied to bring Italian Supercup to Budapest in secret Saudi meeting
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met privately with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh in October 2022, just months after MbS took on the role of prime minister.
Saudi Arabia denies reports of alcohol ban being lifted for World Cup
Saudi official denies reports that the Kingdom will lift its 73-year alcohol ban, contradicting recent media claims about 2026 tourist venue licensing.
Uber and Abdul Latif Jameel sign MoU to develop autonomous vehicle platform in Saudi Arabia
Abdul Latif Jameel and Uber partner to develop autonomous vehicle platform in Saudi Arabia, targeting 30,000 jobs under Vision 2030.
Saudi Arabia launches first cargo and passenger air taxi application
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Transport and FlyNow Arabia, a company specialising in urban air transport, have begun implementing the kingdom's first application for cargo and passenger transport via air taxi.
UK treasury chief says closer to signing trade deal with Gulf Arab states
The UK is closer to finalising a trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said on May 20.
COMMENT: Arabs Inc: The Gulf's grand economic gambit
A significant development has been taking shape: the emergence of an Arab economic bloc with ambitions extending far beyond traditional resource-based cooperation.
Arab League leaders call for Gaza ceasefire at Baghdad summit amid regional crises
Gaza and Lebanon dominated the 34th Arab League Summit as some top brass skipped attendance.
Borsa Istanbul leads world markets in dollar-basis losses
Turkey’s exchange-traded fund down 9.5% in year-to-date. Thai performance second worst at 6.5%.
US President Donald Trump concludes historic meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa
US President Donald Trump met with Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa on May 14, marking the first encounter between leaders of the two nations in 25 years
President Trump and Saudi Arabia sign major defence, economic agreements
US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a Strategic Economic Partnership Document and several other agreements on May 13.
CONFERENCE CALL: Saudi-American Forum sees Riyadh transforming into global investment hub
Saudi Arabia is becoming a significant global centre for attracting investments, according to officials from the Kingdom at an event in Riyadh.
Saudi Crown Prince launches Humain AI company under PIF
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has announced the launch of Humain, a company owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Business only on Trump's first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia
President Donald Trump will arrive in Riyadh on May 13 for a four-day Middle East tour, with business deals and economic partnerships taking precedence over traditional diplomatic priorities.