Saudi Arabia
Egypt's Hassan Allam, Saudi Arabia's AlBawani win $490mn Diriyah museum contract
Egypt's Hassan Allam and Saudi Arabia's AlBawani have won a $490mn contract to build the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art in Diriyah, in the latest construction award tied to the Kingdom's flagship cultural and heritage redevelopment programme
Pakistan playing both sides in US-Iran negotiation is a high-risk balancing act
Pakistan is not undertaking the facilitation of negotiations purely as an act of international statecraft, but rather as a nation with a vested interest in avoiding more of the economic fallout from the continuation of hostilities in the Gulf.
Iran war's fertiliser shock sets the stage for a slow-burning food inflation crisis
The Iran war's most insidious economic aftershock may not be measured in oil price spikes or shipping costs, but in the price of the nutrients that grow the world's food.
Trump's blockade of Hormuz fails as dozens of tankers pass through - FT
The Trump administration naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz failed after at least 34 tankers with links to Iran passed through the narrow waterway and exited the Persian Gulf in defiance of the US warships attempts to halt Iran’s oil exports.
China's Alipay launches AI Pay for autonomous agents
China's Alipay has launched an AI Pay service enabling autonomous AI agents to complete purchases and payments on a user's behalf.
COMMENT: Why China is hedging for now in the Middle East
As the US-Israel-Iran war enters its second month, one of the most consequential geopolitical actors has been conspicuous by its silence. China has not intervened, has not condemned, and has not chosen sides in any meaningful public way.
Middle Corridor in play
Squeezed by a sanctioned Russia to the north and a war prone Middle East to the south, the Middle Corridor that runs through Central Asia and the Caucasus is back in play as the main route connecting Europe to Asia by land.
IMF: War Darkens Global Economic Outlook and Reshapes Policy Priorities
The Middle East conflict halted growth momentum. The right policies and stronger global cooperation are needed to contain the damage.
IMF: Middle East to see economic contractions in 2026 - Statista
Several Middle Eastern economies are expected to contract in 2026 in the wake of the war in Iran, which broke out in late February, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook, reports Statista.
Iran rules out resuming US talks while naval blockade remains in place
Iran says no second round of US talks will take place while the naval blockade on Iranian ports remains in place, hardening Tehran's position as Trump claims a deal could be signed in Islamabad within days.
Could it be Goodbye Dubai, Hello Istanbul?
International investors unnerved by events in the Gulf may look to relocate. Turkey might seem a good choice – but things are rather more complicated than that.
Ankara proposes grand rewiring of Middle East energy export map amid Hormuz blockade
Turkey wants to see a slew of Gulf and other pipelines converge on its territory to ensure the world will never again be cut off from sufficient oil and gas.
IMF the first to improve Russia’s growth outlook on Iran war windfall
The International Monetary Fund has become the first institution to raise its forecast for Russia’s economic growth in 2026 in anticipation of the windfall it is expected to earn from the effects of the Iran war related spike in energy prices.
World leaders head to Beijing, as China becomes geopolitical fulcrum
The Trump administration’s being ostracized by the international community for America’s war mongering. That is making China a fulcrum in the East-West clash that now has its centre of gravity in the Middle East.
IMF the first to improve Russia’s growth outlook on Iran war windfall
The International Monetary Fund has become the first institution to raise its forecast for Russia’s economic growth in 2026 in anticipation of the windfall it is expected to earn from the effects of the Iran war related spike in energy prices.
COMMENT: The US and Israel ostracised by the global community
For most of the first year of the Trump administration, America’s so-called western allies spent most of their time flattering, toadying and attempting to manipulate the US President’s ego. That time is over.
Developing countries skip landlines and go straight to mobile phones - OWID
The concept of “leapfrogging” is popular in development. It suggests that, as they develop, lower-income countries can skip intermediate technologies or systems and go straight to the modern equivalent, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.
Kremlin flags Hormuz risk, cautious on Magyar victory in Hungarian elections
The Kremlin has warned that a potential US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would deliver a direct shock to global markets, even as Moscow positions itself as both an energy anchor and a diplomatic intermediary in a rapidly widening crisis.
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Quality matters: how the Hormuz crisis tests refinery flexibility
The disruption highlights a key reality often overlooked in the oil market: while volumes may be globally fungible, crude quality is not.
COMMENT: The US naval blockade of Iran won't work
The US is moving to choke Iran’s oil lifeline. The market is starting to price something much bigger because the Trump administration naval blockade of Iran is not going to work.