Gulf
EUROPE
Curse or Blessing? The Complex Impact of Gulf Investment in the Balkans
From the gleaming skyscrapers of Belgrade Waterfront in Serbia to the ambitious marina projects in Albania and luxury tourism proposals in Montenegro, Gulf-backed investments have reshaped the economic narrative in the Balkans, prompting public backlash over transparency, governance, and who truly benefits.
BUSINESS
Healthy Competition: A New Challenger to the Gulf’s Aviation Titans
Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air is throwing a dose of healthy competition in the Gulf’s aviation “Big Three”: Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad.
EXCLUSIVE
Smuggled and Forged: The Houthis’ Shadow Economy
In 2025, the U.S. re-designated the Houthis as terrorists, but their shadow economy of forged passports and smuggled money endures.
BUSINESS
EU-UAE Trade Talks: Small Steps Before Big Leaps
Europe's UAE trade talks might succeed where American bluster and Chinese pressure tactics have repeatedly failed.
BUSINESS
Geopolitics in the Skies, New Airport in Socotra
Yemen's remote Abd al Kuri island opened its first airport, in the Socotra archipelago, positioning the strategic outpost amid regional rivalries.
Popular
LVMH, War and the Luxury of Trees
As war dents luxury sales and Europe's tree cover grows more unequal, an old truth is returning: comfort is becoming easier to buy than to share.
UAE Quits OPEC to Define New Energy Order
After missile strikes on Gulf ports and thousands of flight cancellations, the UAE's exit from OPEC shatters the old oil order, exposing a ruthless energy future.
After the Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting, Trump Changes Tone
After gunfire erupted at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this weekend, Donald Trump responded with less fury than after earlier political attacks, and that change matters.
West Overlooks Russian Grain and Borders in Ukraine
As stolen grain enters Israeli docks and Berlin hints at regional trade-offs, a quiet consensus forms around the permanence of Russia's seized Ukrainian areas.
Deraa First Trial Puts Syrian Justice on the Stand
This week's public trial of Atef Najib returned Deraa to the centre of Syrian politics, with the first courtroom reckoning for the crackdown that helped ignite the uprising.
