DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ The US is bracing for civil unrest around the election. But just how high is the risk?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-03 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The United States is preparing for civil unrest surrounding the election. Election Day itself isn't as high of a risk as the postelection period, analysts say. AdvertisementThe turmoil that took place after the last US presidential election has left its mark. In the final stretch before Election Day, it seems like everyone — from voter advocacy groups and election officials to risk management and security companies — is preparing for civil unrest. The company said the peaceful 2022 midterm elections showed that the threat of civil violence remained comparatively low.

Persons: midterms, —, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Glen, Kucera, Rachel Brown, Brown, Jenny Kane, Chris Crawford, Verisk, Maplecroft, Robert Munks, Munks, Trump, Harris Organizations: Service, Allied Universal, National Task Force, Protect Democracy, United Locations: States, Washington and Oregon, Clark County , Washington, Portland , Oregon, Portland, United States, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, France, Greece, Spain, Europe, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Americas

☆ Middle East on knife-edge after killing of Hamas leader in Iran; Israel's opponents vow retaliation
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh attending an exclusive interview with Anadolu in Istanbul, Turkiye on April 20, 2024. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesThe Middle East is on edge after a dramatic escalation that saw top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in a strike in the Iranian capital of Tehran early Wednesday. Coming hours after the killing of Fuad Shukr in Beirut, the Middle East is on an absolute knife-edge now." Iran's leadership meanwhile has said that the alleged Israeli strike is grounds for "severe punishment" and that the country must "pay a heavy price." An all-out war between Israel and Iran — and Iran's proxies such as Hezbollah — would be devastating to all sides involved.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Charles Lister, Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah's, Haniyeh, Hamas, Torbjorn, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar, Victor Tricaud, Tricaud, Antony Blinken, Will, Yoav Gallant, Iran's, Atta Kenare Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Middle East Institute, Hezbollah, politburo, Verisk, Qatari, Foreign, CNBC, U.S . State Department, Israel, Israeli, Israel Defense Forces, AFP Locations: Istanbul, Turkiye, Tehran, Israel, Washington, Doha, Beirut, Golan, Iranian, Lebanese, Gaza, Iran, Qatar, Singapore, Palestine Square

☆ Neom's push for foreign investment is getting trickier after allegations of Saudi brutality
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Saudi Arabia needs foreign businesses to help it realize its Neom megacity project. The BBC reported that Saudi officials were given a license to use lethal force to clear land. But underneath the image is a far darker reality, say campaigners, which could threaten the foreign cash and expertise Saudi Arabia needs to realize its ambitions. Though his decision took place in 2022, it was given new urgency by a whistleblower giving more detail on how Saudi officials may have acted. Amnesty International said businesses ought to be wary of doing deals in Saudi Arabia and called for UK officials to push for an independent investigation into the Neom land clearances.

Persons: —, Malcolm Aw, Col Rabih Alenezi, Dana Ahmed, Mohammed bin Salman, Jamal al, Neom Organizations: BBC, Saudi, Service, UN, Telegraph, Amnesty International, Amnesty, Politico, The Atlantic Council, Business Locations: Saudi Arabia, Saudi

LONDON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Foreign investors pulled a record amount of money from U.S. equity funds tracking Saudi Arabia in October as the Middle East's worst violence in decades shook the region's business-friendly narrative. The iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF saw record net outflows in October of more than $200 million, LSEG data shows, cutting 20% from what it held at the beginning of the month. "Capital flight can be quite indiscriminate," said Torbjorn Soltvedt, principal analyst for the Middle East and North Africa with Verisk Maplecroft. The iShares MSCI Qatar ETF (QAT.O) lost $7.7 million in funds in October, while the iShares MSCI UAE ETF (UAE.O) suffered outflows of $2.75 million. Nearly all the region's main economies are strong enough to weather some turmoil, investors say.

Persons: Torbjorn Soltvedt, Verisk, Natalia Gurushina, Israel, Gurushina, Bonds, Sergey Dergachev, Maplecroft, Dergachev, Libby George, Alexander Smith Organizations: Saudi Arabia ETF, . Exchange, Exchange, ARK Israel Innovative Technology, BlueStar, BlueStar Israel Technology, Hamas, Union Investment, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Israel, East, North Africa, BlueStar Israel, outflows, Saudi, London, Bengaluru

☆ Water wars: Afghanistan and Iran's deadly border flare-up spotlights scarcity crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Kajaki Hydroelectric Dam in Kajaki, Afghanistan in the Helmand province on June 4, 2018 in Kajaki, Afghanistan. Iranian and Afghan border guards clashed on May 27, exchanging heavy gunfire that killed two Iranian guards and one Taliban soldier and wounded several others. A dangerous borderThe 580-mile border between Afghanistan and Iran is porous and crawling with crime, predominantly coming from the Afghan side into Iran. "Iran's Afghan border has always been its most vulnerable," said Kamal Alam, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center. In the 1950s, Afghanistan built two major dams that limited the flow of water from the Helmand river into Iran.

Persons: Maplecroft, Wakil Kohsar, Soltvedt, Kamal Alam, Alam, Ryan Bohl, Rane, Ebrahim Raisi, Yamil Lage Organizations: Orbital, Copernicus Sentinel, Getty Images, CNBC, Taliban, Afp, Getty, Asia Center, East Locations: Kajaki, Afghanistan, Helmand, Getty Images Iran, Iran, Tehran, destabilization, East, North Africa, Afghan, Zaranj, Iran's, Khuzestan, Nimruz, Helmand Province, Sistan, Baluchistan, Havana, Cuba

☆ The China-brokered Saudi-Iran deal has big repercussions for the Middle East — and the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Taking up a specific role that the U.S. could not have fulfilled, this was Beijing's first foray into Middle East mediation, an area that for the past few decades was largely occupied by Washington. "I think China was a good partner to do this. I think they're the right people," he said, noting that China invests heavily in Saudi Arabia and is its top trading partner. Chinese President, Xi Jinping (L) is welcomed by Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (R) at the Palace of Yamamah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 8, 2022. And not just economically, as it already exports an immense amount of goods to the Middle East and is the largest importer of Saudi oil – but politically.

☆ Iran blamed for a drone attack on an Israel-linked oil tanker off the coast of Oman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A drone armed with a bomb hit an oil tanker off the coast of Oman on Tuesday evening. An Israeli government official has said that they believe Iran is responsible for the strike. The company said there had been "minor damage to the vessel's hull," but there was no "spillage of cargo," referring to the gas oil the tanker was carrying. However, no one has claimed responsibility for the Oman drone attack. Due to tensions between Iran and Israel, Tehran's possible involvement in the attack is suspected.

☆ Biden threatens 'consequences' for Saudi Arabia after OPEC cut, but his options are limited
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Washington has since the 1940s provided billions of dollars in military and security aid to Saudi Arabia. A file photo of cannisters containing Patriot missiles to intercept missiles fired at Saudi Arabia or its neighboring countries. We must pull all US troops out of Saudi Arabia, stop selling them weapons & end its price-fixing oil cartel." "The White House has few good options despite Biden's warning of 'consequences' after the cut," he said, noting U.S. lawmakers' threats of anti-trust legislation and removal of U.S. military assets from Saudi Arabia. While both courses of action would send a clear message, this could backfire for both the U.S. and for crude prices.

Search resuls for: "Torbjorn Soltvedt"

8 mentions found