NATO chief urges Turkey to stop stalling Sweden, Finland accession Both Turkey's president and foreign minister tell the NATO secretary-general that steps from Sweden and Finland will determine the pace of Ankara’s ratification of the Nordic accession. Turkey
Saudi crown prince launches electric car company Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants the oil-rich kingdom to focus more on green technology as he seeks to diversify the economy. Gulf
Iran arrests dissident rapper amid anti-government protests Toomaj Salehi was active on social media regarding the protests in Iran that began in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s death in the custody of the morality police on Sept. 16. Iran
Lapid concedes defeat, congratulates Netanyahu on winning Israeli election Prime Minister Yair Lapid broke his two-day silence and called opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu to congratulate him for winning the elections. Israel
Breaking | Last Updated: November 17, 2022, 12:36 pm US sanctions oil shipping network supporting Hezbollah, Quds Force The Treasury Department accused a Gulf-based group of individuals and front companies of concealing the Iranian origins of oil shipments. Iran
Libya differences stall Turkey-Egypt fence-mending Turkey’s moves in Libya have undermined its fledgling dialogue with Egypt, even as Ankara took a number of measures to restrict Brotherhood exiles to please Cairo. Turkey
Saudi Arabia establishes open banking framework Saudi Arabia wants to grow its fintech sector in line with its diversification plan, but finding the right talent could be a challenge. Gulf
Religious leaders talk climate action in Israel ahead of COP27 At the initiative of the foreign ministry, Jewish, Christian, Druze, Bahai and Muslim leaders gathered in Jerusalem, in a joint call to act against climate change. Israel
Gulf banks raise interest rates in response to the Fed, Kuwait stays put Saudi Arabia could be in store for a liquidity crunch, according to a leading credit rating agency. Kuwait has a history of not following the trend on interest rates. Gulf
Ex-intel chief Talabany warns Iraqi Kurds risk civil conflict leaving Turkey, Iran room to meddle Ousted Iraqi Kurdish Intel Chief Lahur Talabany warns of civil conflict amid escalating tensions between the main Iraqi Kurdish factions, and insists that Kurds' future lies in Iraq. Iraq
