Infrastructure

People wait for the arrival of relatives at King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on the first commercial flight from Qatar on Jan. 11, 2021.

Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid airport sets record with 3.9M passengers in July

Air travel is a part of the Vision 2030 plan to diversify the economy, though challenges remain in attracting tourists and catching up to other Gulf airports.

Photo depicts the low water level of Latyan Dam, which provides water to Tehran, located near Tehran, Iran, on May 8, 2025.

Analysis

Broken dams, broken trust: How Iran’s water crisis and heatwave have sparked emergency

Water and electricity shortages are reaching crisis levels across Iran, triggering widespread public service disruptions and forcing industrial closures. As reservoirs rapidly deplete and rolling blackouts increase, mismanagement and delayed reforms are being laid bare.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Citing security threats, Sudan blocks WhatsApp calls: What to know

The restriction comes as Sudan's civil war continues to devastate telecommunications infrastructure.

ZAID AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images

Over 10 years after ISIS takeover, Iraq's Mosul Airport reopens: What to know

The airport has been out of operation since the fall of the northern Iraqi city to the Islamic State in 2014.

Latest News

Saudi Arabia's Diriyah awards Chinese firm $1.53B contract: What to know

A picture taken on December 7, 2022 in Riyadh, shows the Chinese and the Saudi flags adorning a street ahead of the Chinese president's visit to the Saudi capital. - Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia this week, meeting the king and de facto ruler of the world's biggest oil exporter. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Drone strike halts operations at Iraqi Kurdistan oil field: What to know

SAFIN HAMID/AFP via Getty Images

China’s premier makes first visit to Egypt as ties grow: What we know

Egypt's Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly (L) welcomes China's Premier Li Qiang upon his arrival at Cairo International Airport in Egypt's capital, on July 9, 2025.

French company revives Syria agreement to rebuild bridges: What we know

An aerial view shows a bridge, destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, in the town of in Qusayr in Syria's central Homs province on December 14, 2024. Islamist-led rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, ousting president Bashar al-Assad and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP) (Photo by AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images)

MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images

Even with MBS absent, Saudi Arabia and UAE poised to make deals at G20

Gulf states will look for agreements and trade deals with partners from South America and elsewhere ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in January.

HOLMES CHAN/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia's NEOM attracts $16B in private financing over 2 years

Saudi Arabia's flagship sustainability project has attracted substantial private investments and is looking for more.

Visitors walk among displays at the UMEX Exhibition showcasing drones, robotics, and unmanned sytems at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi on January 23, 2024. (Photo by Ryan LIM / AFP) (Photo by RYAN LIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

What UAE's Edge expansion into space means for country's military industry

Abu Dhabi has recently seen a significant boost in its domestic defense and aerospace capabilities, thanks to its nation-based conglomerate, EDGE. This month, the group launched its new space company, FADA, marking a milestone in enhancing the Emirati’s status in the strategic space sector.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey to host Iraq, Qatar, UAE officials for Development Road summit

The estimated $20 billion project was formalized during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s official visit in April to Baghdad and will link Basra to Turkey via a rail and road network.

The low-emission container ship Antonia Maersk by Danish shipping company A.P. Moller - Maersk is seen behind containers during its christening at the harbor of Aarhus, Denmark, on August 9, 2024. The ship sails on green methanol. (Photo by Mikkel Berg Pedersen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT (Photo by MIKKEL BERG PEDERSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

What Maersk's $250M logistics park means for Saudi Arabia

Danish logistics company remains invested in the Red Sea despite continued threats to shipping from Yemen's Houthi militants.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures before his speech as he holds a letter by President Droupadi Murmu (not pictured) requesting him to form the country's new government, at the presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on June 7, 2024.

Analysis

Can Modi fast-track India-Mideast-Europe corridor post-reelection?

Ramping up initial phase of the corridor between India and the United Arab Emirates tops the agenda in New Delhi.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on June 11, 2024. (Source: KSAmofaEN/Twitter/X)

Kuwait doubles down on Saudi ties driven by economics, counter-Islamism

Kuwait's newly appointed crown prince, Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al Sabah, is expected to advance the already good ties between his country and Saudi Arabia, as the two seek to further their economic prosperity.

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in the ceremony of signing an agreement on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway.

Russia, Iran inaugurate Rasht-Caspian Railway: What we know

The railway was launched at a ceremony attended by Iran's acting president, Mohammad Mokhber, Minister of Transport and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash, and senior Russian and Azerbaijani officials.

YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

Invest Qatar sees big role for logistics sector, World Cup spurred investments

The Gulf country ranks seventh globally in logistics competence in Agility's Emerging Markets Logistics Index as the Qatar Free Zones Authority brings in top companies in the sector.

The Sudanese (L) and Saudi flag are seeing flying on the tarmac during a joint Sudan and Saudi Arabia air force drill at the Marwa air base, near Meroe some 350 kilometres north of Khartoum, on April 9, 2017.

Analysis

Can Gulf investors outstrip China in Africa as UAE expands reach?

As the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other GCC states boost investments in Africa,Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative could face serious challenges.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the site where dozens were killed in crush at a religious festival, Mount Meron, April 30, 2021.

Analysis

Inquiry finds Netanyahu responsible for 2021 festival stampede

The commission said the 45 deaths in Mount Meron could have been avoided.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Getty

Egypt, UAE sign $35 billion development deal amid foreign currency crunch

The deal could help Egypt’s struggling economy and builds on previous Emirati investment in the North African country.