Gulf - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Gulf

The PwC Tower, or Libeskind Tower, Milan, March 12, 2021.

Analysis

Can Gulf states slash costly reliance on Western consultancies?

A one-year ban on PwC acquiring work in Saudi Arabia has highlighted the Gulf states' dependency on Western firms and the need to develop local consultancies and talent.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Employees of Aramco oil company work in Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq oil processing plant on September 20, 2019.

Analysis

Can Saudi Arabia afford giga-projects with oil prices under $75 per barrel?

Riyadh could soon run a current account deficit as oil revenue declines amid huge spending commitments toward ambitious Vision 2030 projects. Saudi-led OPEC has also deferred an output increase plan to allow more time to reach desired oil prices.

Jennifer Gnana

Samuel Wendel

By Jennifer Gnana , Samuel Wendel

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

UAE's final unit of Barakah nuclear reactor hooked to grid: What we know

The Emirates is the only Gulf country with a nuclear power program, though neighboring Saudi Arabia also has atomic power ambitions.

United Arab Emirates

A cargo ship is docked at the port of Yemen's Huthi-held city of Hodeida on July 28, 2024. Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi entity denies its ship hit as Houthis claim attack on Greek tanker

Saudi Arabia's national shipping company Bahri denied reports that its tanker Amjad came under attack by the Houthis, the Yemeni armed group that has stepped up attacks on oil tankers in the Red Sea.

Latest News

Analysis

Telegram CEO's arrest spotlights UAE’s investment-based citizenship laws

MUNICH, GERMANY - JANUARY 24: Pavel Durov of Vkontakte speaks during the Digital Life Design conference (DLD) at HVB Forum on January 24, 2012 in Munich, Germany. ence and culture which connects business, creative and social leaders, opinion-formers and investors for crossover conversation and inspiration. (Photo by Nadine Rupp/Getty Images)

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Heavy floods hit Dubai, airport as Oman toll rises to 18

Dubai's roads were badly hit by the heavy downpours

Agence France-Presse

Oman launches $5 billion 'Future Fund' in sign of economic progress

HAITHAM AL-SHUKAIRI/AFP via Getty Images

Al-Qaeda attack in Yemen kills 2 members of southern forces

Security forces deploy near Aden International Airport in Yemen's southern city on April 14, 2023 during a prisoner exchange between the internationally recognised-government and the Sanaa-based Huthi rebels.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

UAE’s AD Ports to develop Egypt Red Sea cruise terminals despite instability

Attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis on international ships have prompted some firms to steer clear of the waterway.

Yemen's Houthi rebels on the Galaxy Leader cargo ship.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 4, 2024, 12:33 pm

US, allies put Houthis on notice over shipping attacks after Pentagon readies strike options

Washington and a dozen other nations issued their clearest warning yet since the Pentagon has readied plans to strike Houthi targets in response to the Yemeni faction's brazen attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 8, 2022.

2023 in review: China pulls a Middle East coup, but can it sustain expectations?

From Saudi Arabia to Egypt, China saw its diplomatic and technology clout significantly grow in the region but still faces limitations in delivering on defense and security arrangements.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 13: Activists stage a protest on day thirteen of the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference on December 13, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The conference has gone into an extra day as delegations continue to negotiate over the wording of the final agreement. The COP28, which was originally scheduled to run from November 30 through December 12, has brought together stakeholders, including international heads of state and other leaders, scientists, environmentalists, indi

How 2023 shaped the Middle East’s post-oil future amid Gulf energy transitions laden with controversy

An employee of the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) is pictured in this undated image.

Saudi mining firm Ma’aden announces gold discovery

Saudi Arabia seeks to boost its mining sector, including via investment at home and abroad.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

What does Saudi Arabia's CICA membership mean for its Asia pivot?

The kingdom’s achievement of observer status in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia follows similar moves with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS.

A man works in a vegetable field in Fujairah on November 28, 2023. (Photo by Karim SAHIB / AFP) (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

Global food demand to give Gulf’s liquids-to-chemicals strategy a leg up

Sebastian Castelier

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

The Container ship Maersk Bratan" is discharged at the terminals of HHLA (Hamburg Port Logistics Inc) in Hamburg on June 22, 2022.

Explainer: Major shipping giants resume Red Sea routes amid Houthi attacks

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have fired on international ships and Israel’s port in the Red Sea since the Gaza war began, wreaking havoc on the global shipping industry.

Jared Kushner (R), adviser to former US president Donald Trump, and Italy's former prime minister Matteo Renzi (L) participate in a panel at the annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh on Oct. 25, 2023.

2023 in review: Gaza war tests Gulf economic overhauls at pivotal moment

Amid a year of headlines and hype in Gulf dealmaking, the eruption of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7 complicates the GCC's economic overhauls.

Saudi Arabia sets art ambitions with Noor Riyadh Festival

A tour of this year’s Noor Riyadh Festival sheds light on Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a cultural hub and, consequently, a tourism hub in the region.

collage 2023

2023 in review: Al-Monitor's special coverage from across Middle East

An Asian farmer harvests wheat in a field in the Tabuk region, some 1500 kilometers northwest of the Saudi capital Riyadh, on April 7, 2016. Agriculture remains as problematic economic activity due to the high cost of the suppling water in a desert kingdom suffering shortage of water sources. (Photo by MOHAMED HWAITY / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMED HWAITY/AFP via Getty Images)

Can artificial intelligence aid climate solutions in the Middle East?

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy