Egypt’s Sisi, Putin meet as Russia steps up Africa push: What to know Wednesday’s meeting comes on the sidelines of the third Russia-Africa Summit, a two-day gathering in Moscow bringing together African leaders and officials. Egypt
Canada, UAE sign trade pact as Ottawa seeks to diversify beyond US The agreement is set to broadly lift tariffs on key products as Canadian officials hope to boost bilateral trade to $7 billion within a decade. United Arab Emirates
Macron secures Gulf diesel supplies as France grapples with fuel costs, unrest France now has commitments for 295,000 metric tons of diesel per month from the Gulf, accounting for just over 10% of the European country’s consumption. Bahrain
Saudi Arabia postpones 'Davos in the Desert' until 2027 amid Houthi attacks The Future Investment Initiative, which typically attracts the CEOs of some of the biggest companies in business, finance, and technology to Riyadh, will now be held next year. Saudi Arabia
Analysis How Hormuz crisis is reshaping economic ties between Iraq and Syria By Shelly Kittleson In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics
Iran’s supreme leader urges people to support national products In his annual Nowruz speech, Ayatollah Khamenei called on Iranians to support domestic industry by buying locally made products. Iran
Blindsided Bahrain lobbies against Trump tariffs The major aluminum exporter and US Navy host has been blindsided by President Donald Trump’s 10% tariffs on aluminum. Bahrain
Protests in Tunisia's phosphate regions threaten economy The recurrent disruption of phosphate production puts Tunisia's economy in the face of new challenges. Tunisia
Tunisia hopes boost in Chinese investment can ease economic woes After years of placing investments elsewhere in the African continent, China is increasingly looking to Tunisia to serve as an ideal middleman to control passageways between North Africa and Europe. Egypt
Can European business and technology save the Iran deal? Far from being a passive bystander as the Trump administration moves to tear up the Iran nuclear deal, Europe has plenty of options to save the accord. United States
Economic gloom fuels flight from Turkish lira The Turkish government slammed Moody’s for downgrading Turkey’s credit rating, but its own citizens are increasingly fleeing the Turkish lira for the safety of hard currencies. Turkey
Iran's break with dollar easier said than done The Iranian authorities’ move to ban import orders registered in US dollars presents yet another challenge for the private sector. Iran
Saudi Arabia looks to expand its footprint in Iraq Following decades of setbacks and years of a rift, Saudi Arabia's rapprochement with Iraq and its support for stability there is accelerating, in what is deemed to be a fundamental change in the relations between the two countries. Saudi Arabia
Foreign ministers set stage for Putin-Erdogan meeting in April Expect to see an effort to boost Russian-Turkish collaboration when the presidents of both countries meet in two weeks. Turkey
Sisi pitches Sinai development to business world Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has called on the country’s business leaders to help develop Sinai, but interest has been underwhelming so far. Egypt
Iran's poorest citizens still waiting for some semblance of parity after 39 years Iranian authorities need to muster the courage and will to tackle fundamental tax and subsidy reforms to remedy the gaping wealth inequality in the country. Iran
Was Egypt's bond sale a sign of hope or desperation? Egypt raised $4 billion in a debt sale to help finance its budget deficit, but some economists emphasize that the government must ultimately find ways to generate income if it is to successfully deal with its economic problems and settle its debt. Egypt
