Author: Adham Jafari

NEW DELHI (AP) — President Joe Biden and his allies on Saturday announced plans to build a rail and shipping corridor linking India with the Middle East and Europe, an ambitious project aimed at fostering economic growth and political cooperation. “This is a big deal,” said Biden. “This is a really big deal.” The corridor, outlined at the annual Group of 20 summit of the world’s top economies, would help boost trade, deliver energy resources and improve digital connectivity. It would include India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Israel and the European Union, said Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser. Sullivan said the network…

Iran on Wednesday announced that it has the technology to build supersonic cruise missiles, leading to some wondering if Israel, and even some US Middle East interests, might now be in greater danger. Before dissecting what exactly the Islamic Republic really presented and how game-changing or not it is, the first thing we need to notice is that the key phrase here is “cruise missile” as opposed to “supersonic.” Supersonic is about reaching mach one, something a large number of missiles have been able to do for many decades. In terms of speech, supersonic is not all that special, and the…

The Wall Street firm has received a number of requests for proposals for offerings as the region continues its run as a hot spot for share sales, Rudy Saadi, head of Middle East and North Africa equity capital markets, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday. “We expect to launch a number of IPOs in Dubai and in Saudi Arabia post the summer,” he said, without giving a number of deals. “The pipeline is solid, it’s promising for post the summer and 2024.” IPOs in the Middle East have fetched $5.1 billion so far this year, exceeding volumes…

Maersk is “seeing significant value” in raising its India-Gulf network profile, as cargo volumes steadily grow on the strength of a government-to-government free trade agreement. The India-UAE FTA, inked in May 2022, aims to boost two-way trade to $100bn in five years. The Danish carrier has expanded the market reach of its regional loop, the Shaheen Express, with a direct call at Sohar Port in Oman. The upgraded port rotation is Jebel Ali (UAE), Mundra and Pipavav (India), Jebel Ali and Sohar. The weekly connection began in November, using two vessels of 2,800 teu capacity. “Oman is an extremely important…

Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday in a drive by Beijing to elevate relations and increase its overall presence in the Middle East. Li, who took office just this spring with little foreign policy experience, called Abbas “an old friend of the Chinese people” who has made “important contributions to the promotion of China-Palestinian relations.” The meeting came a day after Abbas was greeted with full military honors by Xi Jinping, China’s president and head of the ruling Communist Party. The sides then announced the formation of a “strategic partnership,” paving the way to boost…

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday announced the appointment of Hervé Lecoq of France as the new deputy head of mission at the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Lecoq, who succeeds Jack Christofides of South Africa, will also serve as director of political and civil affairs at the UNIFIL, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres, told a regular press briefing. The spokesman said that Lecoq, who will take his new job shortly, brings over 30 years of experience in peace operations, political affairs and development. Most recently, Lecoq has served as deputy director of the Europe and Central…

Lebanon appreciates the pivotal role of Saudi Arabia in supporting ceasefire and prisoner swaps in Yemen, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday. The statement noted that Lebanon appreciates the continuous assistance from Saudi Arabia in reaching a comprehensive and sustainable political solution to the Yemeni crisis which would preserve the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Yemen, free Yemeni people from suffering and insecurity, and fulfill Yemen’s aspiration for development, prosperity, and peace. Last month, Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi militia held direct talks aimed at reviving a ceasefire in the war-torn nation. Yemen has…

The Lebanese government on Wednesday tightened regulations on Syrian refugees as tension between the displaced and the local Lebanese continues to grow. A statement released by the Lebanese Council of Ministers said the “refugee status” will be officially canceled for those who left the Lebanese territory, calling security services to “strictly pursue violators and prevent the illegal entry of Syrians to Lebanon.” The cabinet also asked the Interior Ministry and Social Affairs Ministry to register the newborns of Syrians in Lebanon, and the Labor Ministry was tasked with tightening monitor to make sure that the refugees only work in permitted…

China’s Zhang Shuai and Yang Zhaoxuan advanced to the women’s doubles semifinals with their respective partners at the WTA Qatar Open here on Wednesday. Zhang, who had won her 13th career doubles title at the Abu Dhabi Open with Brazilian Luisa Stefani last Sunday, paired up with Giuliana Olmos of Mexico to defeat Japanese duo Shuko Aoyama and Makoto Ninomiya 6-0, 6-4 in one hour. The tournament’s fourth seeds set up a semifinal clash with top-seeded American pair Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. Yang and her partner, Russian player Vera Zvonareva came back from one set down to outlast Aliaksandra…

Britain’s Royal Navy said on Thursday it had seized Iranian weapons, including anti-tank guided missiles, last month from a smugglers vessel in international waters in the Gulf of Oman. Britain said the vessel was detected travelling south from Iran at high speed during the hours of darkness by an unmanned U.S. intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance plane, and was also tracked by a British helicopter. When hailed by the Royal Navy, the vessel initially attempted to navigate to Iranian territorial waters but was stopped by a team of Royal Marines, who then boarded the small boat and recovered the suspicious packages, Britain’s Ministry of…