Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal? The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years. Saudi Arabia
Which airlines are cutting flights amid Hormuz fuel disruption? European and Asian airlines have been most impacted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is throttling jet fuel supplies. Iran
How are Iran-linked tankers still moving through Hormuz blockade? At least 19 Iran-linked tankers have passed through the US blockade on the strait to exit the Gulf while at least 15 have entered, according to the cargo-tracking group Vortexa. Iran
Iran seizes two cargo ships in Hormuz after Trump extends ceasefire The IRGC Navy’s seizure of two cargo vessels follows US Navy interdictions of two Iran-linked crude oil tankers in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean earlier this week. Iran
Analysis Gulf energy deals face Iran war stress test as global expansion meets oil shock By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis How long can Iran's economy weather US naval blockade? By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Iran says ‘enemy conspiracy’ behind outage at 70% of gas stations The Oil Ministry’s Shana news agency reported that operations will be running again as normal within “a few hours” and until then fuel is being distributed offline. Iran
Middle East transparency on carbon emissions lags behind rest of world Turkey and the UAE led the pack for most transparent countries in the region regarding greenhouse gas emissions. United Arab Emirates
COP28: historic deal agreed for world to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels The summit stretched into prolonged negotiations over the terminology of the final text, after the “phase out” of fossil fuels was omitted from the draft a day before the scheduled end of the event. United Arab Emirates
China-Saudi Investment Conference begins in Beijing China is Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner and biggest customer of its primary commodity: crude oil. Saudi Arabia
After US, India, UAE, World Economic Forum expects Brazil to enter green coalition India, the UAE and the United States are part of the First Movers Coalition, a green alliance that Rob van Riet, senior adviser at the WEF's Center for Nature and Climate, told Al-Monitor he hoped Brazil will be the next to join. United Arab Emirates
With world's eyes on Gaza, Turkey attacks Syria's Kurds again As of the beginning of 2023, at least 32 civilians have died in Turkish attacks in northeast Syria, including seven women and five children, according to local monitoring organizations. Syria
Iran says it seized ships in Gulf for alleged fuel smuggling The seizure and arrest of the foreign crew members occurred south of the disputed Abu Musa island, according to Iranian state media. Iran
Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power to develop green hydrogen project in Indonesia Green hydrogen has potential environmental benefits as well as drawbacks and is being pursued by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states. Legacy: Gulf
What’s on Putin’s agenda on rare trip to Saudi Arabia, UAE? The Russian president's trip comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, where the Hamas-Israel war has threatened to spill into a wider regional conflict. Legacy: Gulf
The COP28 scorecard: US leads methane charge, China to slash emissions COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber also announced a deal to cut methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry, with ExxonMobil and Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil firm Aramco being among the 50 businesses that signed up. United Arab Emirates
Breaking | Last Updated: November 30, 2023, 3:51 pm Brazil to join OPEC+ as Saudi-led bloc agrees to oil cuts Saudi Arabia, which leads the alliance of oil producers, has been instituting voluntary production cuts in an effort to keep prices up. Legacy: Gulf
COP28 opens in UAE amid intense scrutiny over fossil fuel links A breakthrough was made on the first day of the UN climate summit as world leaders established a loss and damage fund to help developing countries adapt to climate change. United Arab Emirates
