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☆ Listen: Israel Prepared for the Wrong War. Will It Matter?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

After years spent focusing on high-tech defenses and intelligence capabilities, Israel is now contending with a relatively low-tech ground assault. In the latest What's News podcast, WSJ reporter Rory Jones explains how that could test the Israeli military’s plans in the coming days and weeks.

Persons: Rory Jones Locations: Israel

☆ Israel Was Prepared for a Different War
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Rory Jones | Dion Nissenbaum | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-military-preparedness-gaza-west-bank-ad1a6313

Persons: Dow Jones Locations: israel, gaza

☆ Billions of Dollars in Loans to Board Members Draw Spotlight to Gulf Banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Rory Jones | Eliot Brown | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/finance/banking/billions-of-dollars-in-loans-to-board-members-draw-spotlight-to-gulf-banks-3f503a83

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ The Middle East Becomes the World’s ATM
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Eliot Brown | Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/western-officials-plan-to-warn-u-a-e-over-trade-with-russia-686ab06c

Persons: Dow Jones, 686ab06c Locations: russia

☆ U.A.E. Cashes In on Russia’s Economic Woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Benoit Faucon | Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/u-a-e-cashes-in-on-russias-economic-woes-52700157

Persons: Dow Jones Locations: russia

☆ Persian Gulf States Boom With Billionaires, Beyoncé and Bling
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Rory Jones | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/dubai-uae-saudi-arabia-oil-ukraine-qatar-aa72c59

ABU DHABI—Last year, the United Arab Emirates became a hub for Russian money and cut oil production, boosting Moscow’s war chest and drawing protests from Washington. The country’s leader skipped a call from President Biden as the U.S. rallied support for Ukraine. Now, Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has been invited for a state visit to Washington, and the U.S. and U.A.E. are hammering out a formal agreement on defense and commerce after jointly committing $100 billion for clean-energy projects—a major Biden administration goal. All the while, the Emiratis have expanded ties with Russia and another U.S. rival, China.

GAZIANTEP, Turkey—Aid poured into Turkey Friday, the fifth day after earthquakes killed more than 22,000 people, as Turks and Syrians gathered for traditional prayers, buried the dead, and reflected on their loss. In the Turkish capital, Ankara, one of the country’s most senior clerics, Ali Erbaş, led prayer, as rescue teams continued to find survivors in the rubble and aid agencies sheltered thousands of displaced people on both sides of the Turkish-Syrian border.

☆ Turkey, Syria Mourn Losses as Earthquake Death Toll Climbs Above 21,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Vildan Ay Döşlüoğlu | Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ISTANBUL—Five days after earthquakes killed more than 21,700 people and left tens of thousands injured and homeless, Turks and Syrians prepared to gather for traditional Friday prayers, where sermons are expected to reflect on the nations’ loss and grief. In the Turkish capital, Ankara, one of the country’s most senior clerics, Ali Erbaş, will lead prayer, as rescue teams continue to sift through rubble and aid agencies begin feeding and sheltering thousands of displaced people across both sides of the Turkish-Syrian border.

☆ Hopes of Finding Earthquake Survivors in Turkey and Syria Fade as Aid Arrives
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Hopes dwindled Thursday of finding people still alive under collapsed buildings caused by earthquakes that rocked Turkey and Syria, with rescuers now focusing on recovering bodies and finding shelter for survivors. Rescuers continued to dig through the tangled mess of concrete, steel and wires of collapsed structures after Monday’s earthquakes—magnitude 7.8 and 7.5—that hit the Syrian-Turkish border. But the number of survivors found has slowed to a trickle as efforts passed the crucial 72 hours that most disaster experts say is the most likely window to save lives.

ADANA, Turkey—Rescue efforts turned grim Thursday as fewer survivors were found amid the rubble four days after two devastating earthquakes rocked Turkey and Syria and people turned instead to burying the dead, now more than 21,000 people across both countries. In Turkey, the death toll was 17,674 by late Thursday evening local time, according to figures provided by Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay to the country’s state news agency. This surpasses the toll of a devastating 1999 earthquake that traumatized the nation and changed Turkish politics for decades. Authorities in Syria reported 3,377 deaths. Thousands more people were injured as thousands of buildings collapsed when Monday’s earthquakes—magnitude 7.8 and 7.5—hit the Syrian-Turkish border.

☆ Death Toll in Turkey and Syria Tops 20,000 as Hope Dwindles for Finding Quake Survivors
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Thomas Grove | Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ELBISTAN, Turkey—The death toll in the earthquakes that rocked Turkey and Syria passed 20,000, as hopes dwindled of finding people still alive under collapsed buildings and rescuers focused on recovering bodies and finding shelter for survivors. Late Thursday, Turkey’s disaster agency increased its tally of the dead to 17,134, surpassing a traumatic 1999 earthquake that is seared into the memory of millions of Turks and helped reshape Turkish politics for decades. Authorities in Syria have reported 3,317 deaths, taking the total toll across the two countries to 20,451.

☆ Rescue Teams Race to Find Earthquake Survivors in Turkey, Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Jared Malsin | Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ISKENDERUN, Turkey—Rescue teams were in a race against time Wednesday to find survivors of the twin earthquakes that killed more than 8,700 people in Turkey and Syria, as freezing temperatures continued to complicate humanitarian efforts. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in affected areas, describing the quake as the worst disaster in a century. The first earthquake that hit Monday was a magnitude 7.8 and the second, adjacent quake a magnitude 7.5, wreaking havoc along the Turkish border with Syria. The quakes so far have left at least 6,234 dead in Turkey and 2,470 in Syria, and the numbers are expected to keep rising.

ANTAKYA, Turkey—The death toll in Turkey and Syria from powerful earthquakes surged Wednesday to more than 11,700 people as rescue teams’ hopes diminished and bad weather left survivors stranded in freezing temperatures. The scale of the devastation came into focus across cities and towns along the Turkey-Syria border regions where earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 left apartment blocks, office towers and hospitals in twisted ruins. A sense of dread spread among rescuers and families with missing loved ones as it became clear that the thousands of people trapped in the wreckage couldn’t survive much longer.

☆ AMC Leaves Saudi Arabia After Falling Behind Local Competitors
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

AMC’s exit from Saudi Arabia illustrates how the kingdom remains a difficult place for international companies to operate. AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. will exit its equity partnership in Saudi Arabia, the cinema giant said Tuesday, leaving a market that was once considered the world’s final frontier for cinema but proved hard to dominate. A subsidiary of the Saudi sovereign-wealth fund will acquire AMC’s equity stake in their joint venture, giving it 100% ownership, according to a joint statement from the subsidiary, Saudi Entertainment Ventures, and the American movie-theater chain. The Saudi firm will take over AMC’s operation in the kingdom and franchise it.

☆ One of the World’s Priciest Drinking Destinations Tackles the $22 Beer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI—The United Arab Emirates, where Dubai is located, has in recent years tried to position itself as a playground for the rich, offering longer-term visas, zero income taxes and plenty of night life. More than 80% of the population is expatriate. These days, in another notable move, one of the world’s most expensive cities to drink just made booze cheaper.

☆ ‘The Real Housewives of Dubai’ Are Supposed to Get Cheaper Booze Now
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

As the Covid-19 pandemic sent global markets swooning in early 2020, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, sensing opportunity, pressed the country’s sovereign-wealth fund to go on an international stock-buying spree. The board of the Public Investment Fund, or PIF, resisted the move as too risky, but soon found itself overruled by an even higher authority, Prince Mohammed’s father, King Salman, according to an October podcast by the PIF governor, Yasir al-Rumayyan.

WASHINGTON—Women’s basketball star Brittney Griner has been released from a Russian penal colony and is being returned to the U.S. through a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, which culminated on Thursday with a Cold War-style handover on an airport runway in Abu Dhabi. The swap capped a drama that began in February, when Ms. Griner—a 32-year-old two-time Olympian and center for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury—was on her way to a high-paying professional basketball job in Russia during the U.S. offseason. She was detained after landing in Moscow with less than a gram of hashish oil in her luggage, days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ms. Griner was later convicted of drug smuggling and possession and sentenced to nine years in a penal colony.

☆ High Oil Prices Lift Saudi Arabia, Bolster Prince’s Economic Plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Stephen Kalin | Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s fastest-growing economies thanks to higher crude sales; the Khurais oil field. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—The Saudi government posted a $27 billion budget surplus Wednesday, as this year’s high oil prices accelerate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ’s ambitious plans and boost resource-rich economies across the Persian Gulf. Buoyant crude prices helped the kingdom’s economy expand at one of the fastest rates globally, with the government spending $47 billion more than planned. In a year when global growth is pegged at 3.2%, the International Monetary Fund predicts growth of 7.6% this year in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom’s output is expected to reach $1 trillion for the first time, cementing its place among the world’s biggest economies.

☆ U.A.E. President Visits Qatar in Sign of Regional Thaw
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI—United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan on Monday visited Qatar for the first time since launching a three-year boycott of its Gulf neighbor, a sign of thawing regional tensions as the FIFA World Cup is held there. spearheaded a yearslong effort economically and physically to isolate Qatar beginning in 2017 and ending last year. Sheikh Mohammed’s visit illustrates how the U.A.E. has pioneered a series of moves to mend ties across the region and chart a neutral foreign policy after mixed success intervening in regional conflicts.

☆ Israeli Far-Right Leader Ben-Gvir to Take Important Security Role in New Government
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Benjamin Netanyahu is tasked with forming Israel’s next government since his right-wing and religious bloc won a narrow majority in Parliament. Benjamin Netanyahu ’s Likud party signed a coalition deal with Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party that gives the latter control of the police ministry and a seat in the security cabinet. Mr. Netanyahu was tasked with forming Israel’s next government after his right-wing and religious bloc won 64 seats in the 120-member Parliament in elections this month. Friday’s agreement doesn’t account for a full new government but marks a step toward that end, and the potential establishment of Israel’s most right-wing administration.

☆ A Big Winner From Qatar’s World Cup: Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Rory Jones | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI—The Middle East capital of bling isn’t hosting the FIFA World Cup, but Dubai is still reaping the benefits of an influx of tourists into the region—its bars are buzzing and its hotels are teeming with soccer fans. While neighboring Qatar grapples with an epic culture clash and the logistics of running the event, this relatively more liberal city-state is awash with supporters wanting easy access to a beer, cheaper accommodation and a setting more accustomed to Western tourism.

DOHA—With days to go, Qatar is bracing for a soccer World Cup unlike any global event before it, as a crowd of rowdy soccer fans two-thirds the size of its entire population descends on a capital with scant Western tourism experience. The multibillion-dollar extravaganza, which begins Nov. 20, will be the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East, the first in a conservative Muslim country and the first hosted in and around a single city, Doha.

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