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Ooredoo ad in Doha. The company is investing $1bn to increase its data centre capacity

Qatar’s Ooredoo signs AI deal with chipmaker Nvidia

US chipmaker Nvidia has signed a deal with Qatari telecommunications provider Ooredoo Group to bring its artificial intelligence technology to five countries in the Middle East, the companies announced on Sunday.  Ooredoo will be the first company in the region to offer direct access to Nvidia’s AI and computer chips to its customers in Qatar, […]

KBR Iraq

US firm wins $46m contract to boost Iraq infrastructure 

US engineering giant KBR has won a five-year $46 million contract to support Iraq’s infrastructure development and future energy projects, including mega-projects. The company is expanding its presence in Iraq, establishing a new office in Baghdad and said it is also considering the creation of a design centre to enhance local engineering skills. NewsletterGet the […]

A wheel manufacturing workshop in Qingzhou, Shandong province. China is the world's largest importer of crude oil

Upturn for manufacturing tipped to lift oil prices

Rising manufacturing activity worldwide is likely to support higher oil prices in the second half of the year, a supply chain indicator suggests. However, analysts have warned that spare capacity among Opec+ and other oil producers is likely to ease upside pressure on crude prices. The GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index hit 0.21 in […]

Gems operates more than 60 schools with over 130,000 students across the Middle East and North Africa

Brookfield to invest in Dubai’s Gems Education

A consortium led by Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management is to invest in Gems Education, the UAE’s private school operator. Other members of the group include Gulf Islamic Investments, Marathon Asset Management and the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Financial details were not disclosed but the investment is expected to be almost $2 […]

2KEY8G1 Emirates Airline Airbus A380 aircraft landing. Aerial view of Emirates Airlines A380-800 airplane. An Emirates plane coming in to land at LAX; a spokesperson for Emirates said the contraventions were for safety reasons

US fines Emirates for operating in prohibited airspace

Emirates has been fined $1.5 million by the US Transportation Department for operating flights carrying JetBlue Airways’ JBLU.O designator code in prohibited airspace. The transportation department said that between December 2021 and August 2022, Emirates operated a significant number of flights carrying the JetBlue Airways code between the United Arab Emirates and the United States […]

Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio. A US VC fund backed by him plans to invest $50m in Mena climate tech startups

US firm to invest $50m in Mena climate tech

A US venture capital firm backed by Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio plans to invest $50 million in Mena climate tech startups over the next five years. Princeville Capital is targeting mature startups with strong growth potential, facilitating quick exits and a clear path to profitability, its co-founder Joaquin Rodriguez Torres told AGBI. The firm has […]

Amouage's global retail sales have doubled over the last three years Video length: 04:30

Oman’s Amouage outgrows ‘overdeveloped’ GCC market

Amouage, the Omani luxury perfume brand, now counts the United States as its biggest revenue generator after three years of continued growth, says Renaud Salmon, the company’s creative officer. Founded in 1983 by the Albusaidi family, Amouage recorded annual growth of 24 percent in 2023, with global retail sales doubling over the last three years.  […]

John Kirby, the White House national security communications adviser, said Saudi Arabia and the US were 'closer than we’ve ever been' to a deal

Saudi Arabia ‘close’ to US defence pact and arms deal

Saudi Arabia could be close to a security pact with the United States that would enable the kingdom to buy arms, potentially including the sought-after F-35 fighter jet, and obtain some form of US defence guarantee, White House officials said this week.  John Kirby, the president’s national security spokesperson, said on May 20 that the […]

BEIJING, CHINA - APRIL 08: U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on April 8, 2024 in Beijing, China. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visits China from April 4 to 9. (Photo by Jiang Qiming/China News Service/VCG )No Use China.

US treasury holdings high in Saudi Arabia’s estimation

Saudi Arabia’s holdings of US treasuries stayed close to a two-year high in February at $130.5 billion as yields rose in recent months, according to new data. The Saudi central bank’s holdings fell $3.2 million month on month, or 0.3 percent, to $130.5 billion, maintaining Saudi Arabia’s place at number 17 in the list of […]

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan poses with his supporters as he leaves a polling station during the local elections in Istanbul, Turkey March 31, 2024. Murat Kulu/PPO/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

US rate cuts to ease Turkey’s debt and benefit exports

For Turkey, long-anticipated US interest rate cuts could be more significant in terms of stimulating growth in its major export markets than easing the costs of servicing its spiralling foreign currency debt. Turks have faced a deepening cost of living crisis as veteran president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s unorthodox economic policies exacerbated a collapse in the […]

A US M1A2 Abrams tank on exercises. Bahrain's order for 50 tanks has been approved by the US State Department

US approves $2bn military order for Bahrain

The US has approved a $2 billion order from Bahrain for advanced battle tanks and other military equipment as the kingdom continues to ramp up its defence spending. Although the deal is still to be ratified by Congress, the US State Department revealed it is ready to sell 50 M1A2 Abrams tanks to Bahrain, which […]

Investcorp Corsair will continue to focus on transportation, logistics and associated infrastructure subsectors

Investcorp to strengthen US presence with $526m venture

Bahrain’s alternative asset manager, Investcorp, has unveiled a new $526 million venture to acquire industrial real estate assets in the United States. The venture has been set up with two unidentified sovereign wealth funds, mirroring a similar strategy launched in November 2021. The three entities have committed over $1 billion of investment over the past […]

An alfalfa field in Arizona. Fondomonte used land in the state to grow the water-intensive crop for export to Saudi Arabia

Saudi company faces blowback over water use in Arizona

The US state of Arizona has cancelled land lease deals with a subsidiary of the Saudi dairy company Almarai after complaints of groundwater being depleted in the arid region. The cancellation highlights tensions over corporations controlling foreign land for food security.  In 2014 Almarai’s Fondomonte bought and leased thousands of acres in Arizona and California, […]

Masdar's hurricane-resistant solar power plant on the island of Barbuda

Masdar opens solar energy plant in the Caribbean

A hurricane-resistant solar power project developed by Abu Dhabi’s clean energy company Masdar for Antigua and Barbuda is now operational. Situated on Barbuda, the plant is designed to survive 265 km-per-hour winds and provide a safe and sustainable supply of electrical power for the island. The Green Barbuda project is part of the $50 million […]

A man pushes a shopping cart near a screen showing the exchange rate of Lebanese pound to U.S. dollars inside a supermarket in Beirut, Lebanon March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanon’s EDL harnesses the power of ‘dollarisation’

Lebanese citizens will soon be able to pay their electricity bills in US dollars as the unofficial “dollarisation” of the nation’s economy continues. The decision by Électricité du Liban (EDL) to allow customers to choose to pay their bills in USD instead of Lebanese lira was ratified by the electricity provider’s board of governors this […]