Newsletter: City Pulse Riyadh Saudi Arabia awards $490m contract for museum in Diriyah Also this week: Smash burgers in Riyadh and Saudi maps in Venice By Rebecca Anne Proctor In Dubai, reporting on culture
Analysis UAE’s OPEC exit rattles cartel as Gulf alliances shift OPEC's fourth-largest producer will leave the cartel on May 1, marking the most significant departure in the group’s history as the war changes Abu Dhabi's relationship priorities. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Why UAE's decision to leave OPEC is major shift for cartel The UAE accounts for 12% of OPEC's output, but tensions had been simmering over intragroup rivalries and the country wanting to export more oil. United Arab Emirates
Analysis Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan The proposed framework faces major hurdles and fault lines, ranging from NATO constraints to Israeli opposition and weak military integration. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: City Pulse Riyadh Ithra brings MENA design to Milan By Rebecca Anne Proctor In Dubai, reporting on culture
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
Pakistan seeks to mitigate US-Iran tensions Pakistan, wary in part of tensions between Washington and Tehran negatively affecting the reconciliation process in Afghanistan, has offered to mediate between the United States and Iran after the recent round of violence between them. Saudi Arabia
Intel: How a new report bolsters US case that Iran attacked Saudi Arabia A confidential United Nations report rebutted claims from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels that they were responsible for a missile attack on two Saudi oil facilities in September. Saudi Arabia
Saudi-led attacks on civilians threaten fragile Yemen truce Escalation seems to be looming in Yemen in the wake of numerous artillery shellings of a local market, despite a supposed truce between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition. Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s warring parties conflicted over Soleimani’s killing Yemen’s warring parties had differing reactions to the killing of Qasem Soleimani, pointing to Yemen's deepening sectarian schism. Saudi Arabia
Pompeo mocks claim Soleimani was part of Iraq-brokered Iran-Saudi indirect talks The US secretary of state discounted the Iraqi prime minister's claim that on the day Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in Baghdad, he was going to pass on an Iranian message as part of indirect Iranian-Saudi communications. Saudi Arabia
Oman’s humanitarian aid to Yemen also pragmatic Providing assistance to Yemenis requires Oman to maintain a low profile and strike a political balance with its giant neighbor to the northwest, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Yemeni local tribal mediation succeeds in releasing 135 prisoners Hopes rise for a tribal role to be played in negotiating a cease-fire in Yemen, after local mediation succeeded in achieving several prisoner swap deals between the warring sides. Saudi Arabia
Intel: Saudi court hands out death sentences in Khashoggi killing A Saudi court handed down death sentences today to five people linked to the 2018 slaying of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while others will serve long jail sentences or be acquitted. Saudi Arabia
Potential oil spill disaster looms off Yemen's coast, but who’s to blame? Calls are rising to separate the politics of the military conflict in Yemen from the issue of an abandoned oil tanker in the Red Sea, in light of a looming ecological disaster that could affect the entire region. Saudi Arabia
Intel: How Congress is putting Saudi fugitives on notice Congress is forcing the Donald Trump administration to disclose Riyadh’s alleged role in whisking Saudi fugitives out of the United States, some of whom are wanted for charges as severe as manslaughter, rape and possession of child pornography. Saudi Arabia
How Malaysia is becoming Hamas' gateway to Asia Hamas will participate in Malaysia’s Islamic Summit, another indication of the growing ties between the two. Saudi Arabia
Mideast rivalries plague fledgling Muslim summit in Malaysia Tensions between Riyadh and Tehran are dogging a summit set to debut this week in Kuala Lumpur. Saudi Arabia