2+ hour, 39+ min ago   (795+ words) Iraq’s new government hopes an unprecedented crackdown on corruption will cut the cost of projects and lure foreign investors back, according to an aide to the recently appointed prime minister, Ali Al Zaidi. Project costs in Opec’s second-largest oil exporter…...

4+ day, 16+ hour ago   (731+ words) The Russian opposite me lowered his voice and leaned across the table, over his glass of Dos Equis beer. “We need another Prigozhin,” he whispered. He was being deliberately provocative, but the sentiment was heartfelt. Yevgeny Prigozhin was the Wagner…...

1+ week, 14+ hour ago   (634+ words) The US’s decision to rescind Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism will remove one of the last remaining legal hurdles to doing business in the country. It may ultimately spur Gulf investors – motivated by regional dynamics – rather than…...

1+ week, 16+ hour ago   (789+ words) When missiles and drones began flying on February 28, Bahrain’s economy and finances were already the most strained in the GCC. What has followed has been a slow-motion car crash for the alliance’s smallest member. Whatever the status of the faltering…...

1+ week, 21+ hour ago   (727+ words) Oil prices rose to a one-month high on Tuesday after President Donald Trump said the US would reinstate a blockade of Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and both sides renewed strikes in a fresh escalation of tensions. Brent…...

2+ week, 22+ hour ago   (816+ words) When the UAE ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, said in May that his country had received the first batch of advanced Nvidia chips, it marked the culmination of a years-long campaign to secure access to the American technology powering…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago   (234+ words) Kuwait has set up an emergency response fund with initial capital of KD100 million ($322 million) to repair national infrastructure damaged during the Iran war. The Kuwait Emergency Response Fund aims to strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to emergencies, the state-run…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago   (445+ words) Gulf Arab states have backed Iraq’s anti-corruption drive, with GCC secretary-general Jassim Al-Budaiwi signalling in Baghdad this week that reforms under prime minister Ali Al-Zaidi could pave the way for deeper investment and economic cooperation. “Al-Budaiwi praised the steps initiated…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago   (434+ words) The UK’s sanctions enforcement body is looking to take action against businesses that have unlawfully traded with Iran. The pledge from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of the UK Treasury, comes as UK lawmakers consider proposals to…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago   (744+ words) The World Happiness Report is a snapshot of GCC countries before the Iran conflict The World Happiness Report is usually read as a soft ranking: who is “happy”, who is not, and who moved up or down. For the Gulf,…...