Infrastructure

People walk on the platform of the Haramain High Speed Rail Network at the airport station in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, on Dec. 12, 2019.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar ink high-speed rail deal advancing Gulf integration

Saudi Arabia is seeking to boost its railway infrastructure, and longstanding efforts to connect Gulf states by train are finally gaining momentum.

This picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency shows a view of the fire in the forests of Chalus on Nov. 21, 2025.

Analysis

Iran’s mismanagement in focus as fires ravage 25-million-year-old forests

Prolonged wildfires are raging across Iran's northern Hyrcanian forests, highlighting mismanagement, insufficient resources and climate stress, and forcing volunteers and foreign aid to intervene.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A man stands atop the kasbah of Ait-Ben-Haddou.

Culture

From Hollywood set to heritage hub: Morocco’s $75M bet on Ouarzazate

Once the Hollywood of the Sahara, Morocco’s desert city is betting on sustainable tourism to reclaim its place on the map.

A train moves during the inauguration of a 140-kilometres line running from eastern Iran into western Afghanistan, at a railroad station in Khaf, on Dec. 10, 2020.

Analysis

Iran revives cross-border rail projects in bid to anchor Eurasian trade routes

Iran aims to turn its rail network into a strategic lever across Eurasia, despite risks from sanctions and regional instability.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Latest News

Analysis

Water for influence: Turkey moves to ease Iraq's water shortages ahead of elections

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani review honor guards during the latter's official visit to Ankara, May 8, 2025.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

FIFA, Arab League, World Bank: Who's pledging what toward Gaza’s $70B reconstruction?

ABDELRAHMAN RASHAD/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Jordan’s water security caught between $5B megaproject, frayed Israel ties

A general view shows the Samra Waste Water Treatment Plant, Zarqa, Jordan, March 13, 2018.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Egypt steps up alarm on Ethiopia megadam as Sudan battles floods: What to know

A resident stands by belongings to salvage in a pool of water due to the flooding of the Nile river in the Sudanese village of Wad Ramli north of Khartoum on Oct. 1, 2025.

A car is blocked by garbage piled up along a street in Dekwaneh area, Mount Lebanon August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - S1AETYGHNHAA

Trash situation still stinks as Lebanon leans on 'temporary' landfills

The Lebanese Cabinet has requested a study on the possibility of expanding the Costa Brava and Bourj Hammoud landfills, which were intended to be temporary but filled before their time.

A construction crane is seen behind residential buildings in Istanbul, Turkey May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1178F41100

Istanbul’s housing sector in turmoil

The increase in housing prices in Istanbul has fallen below both the inflation rate and the increase in construction costs, signaling serous trouble for a sector that has long been a driving force of the Turkish economy.

The business of war: Egypt, others eye reconstruction bids

Despite lingering security concerns, Egypt is seeking a substantial, lucrative role in rebuilding Syria and Iraq.

Boys stand amidst rubble of damaged buildings in the northern Syrian city of al-Bab, Syria March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTX30UWO

Why is Turkey so invested in rehabilitating Syrian city of al-Bab?

After Turkey and allied rebel forces ousted the Islamic State from the northern Syrian city of al-Bab, Ankara is now doubling down on efforts to rebuild infrastructure and boost education in the area.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) shakes hands with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry during a joint press conference following their meeting in Moscow, on March 16, 2016. AFP PHOTO / VASILY MAXIMOV / AFP / VASILY MAXIMOV (Photo credit should read VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Moscow, Cairo discuss boosting ties

Representatives of Russia and Egypt seemed pleased with the outcome of their meetings this week, as they touched base on current regional developments and talked through their perspectives.

Egyptians look at the crash of two trains that collided near the Khorshid station in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Osama Nageb - RTS1BDQ4

Deadly crash sparks calls for railway reform in Egypt

After a train crash earlier this month left over 40 Egyptians dead, many are calling for a new approach to addressing the chronic problems facing the country's rail system.

A general view shows the damaged Grand mosque in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, Syria, February 28, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTS10UF0

Turkish foundation helps Syrians recover from devastation of war

The Turkiye Diyanet Foundation is restoring mosques in the Syrian province of Aleppo, recruiting preachers and teachers and providing hundreds of job opportunities.

JARABLUS, SYRIA - AUGUST 31: Members of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) patrol in the border town of Jarablus, August 31, 2016, Syria. Turkish troops and Turkey-backed rebels have been fighting Kurdish-led forces and IS since Turkey's incursion into Syria on Aug. 24. with the swift capture of Jarablus, a town a few km inside Syria that was held by Islamic State.(Photo by Defne Karadeniz/Getty Images)

Turkey might seek more than mere reconstruction in northern Syria

Turkey’s ambitious and costly reconstruction projects in the Jarablus/al-Rai/al-Bab triangle of northern Syria suggest comprehensive society-building.

Japan comes to the rescue of Gaza's hospitals

With funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and in collaboration with the Palestinian Ministry of Health, solar panels will be installed in Gaza's hospitals to provide electricity to vital care units.

Workers pass art work by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei titled "Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn" (2016) which is made with Lego bricks on the eve of the opening of his new exhibition "Maybe, Maybe Not" at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on June 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

Ai Weiwei highlights survival in Jerusalem exhibition

Ai Weiwei’s first exhibition at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, “Maybe, Maybe Not,” features iron trees, hand-painted seeds and a tribute to a tiger who was in the Khan Yunis zoo.

FILE PHOTO: Labourers work at the construction site of a building in Tehran, Iran January 20, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA/File Photo ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX38OJS

Iran needs new development vision

The failures produced over the last three decades by divergent views on the definition of a "development plan" for Iran necessitates a new development paradigm.

Al-Hadba minaret at the Grand Mosque is seen among destroyed buildings during combats between Iraqi forces and Islamic State in Mosul, Iraq, April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares - RTX340VF

Iraq outlines plans to rebuild country, inspire tolerance

Iraqi officials say they are ready to reconstruct the country and heal the populace devastated by the Islamic State.