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ANTAKYA, Turkey—The Hatay international airport was meant to be a gleaming model for what the government called “the New Turkey,” kicking off one of the biggest building booms of the 21st century. Danger signs were flashing from the start.

☆ Iran Invites Saudi Arabia’s King to Visit as Bitter Rivalry Recedes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( David S. Cloud | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI—Iran has invited Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz to visit the country, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday, a sign of the rapidly improving ties between two longtime regional rivals. The invitation comes after the two governments agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations last month in a deal brokered by China, which ended seven years of estrangement and jolted the geopolitics of the oil-rich region.

☆ The 'Robinhood of passports' says it's a mistake to ban golden visas — make them fund affordable housing and refugee programs instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Portugal and Ireland recently announced they are shutting down their "golden visa" programs. Their less-advantageous siblings, "golden visas," provide temporary residence permits in exchange for investment, as opposed to permanent citizenship. A golden taxInstead of banning golden passports and visas outright, countries should adjust the investment requirements to match their current needs, Arton says. A scandalous historyBut golden passports don't only raise the issue of inequality, the European Commission argues, they also pose a threat to national security. Last year, 282 of Ireland's 306 golden visa applications came from Chinese citizens, The Irish Times reported.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore flights between their countries and resume government and private-sector visits, after their top diplomats met in Beijing on Thursday as a thaw begins in one of the Middle East’s thorniest rivalries. The summit comes weeks after the two governments agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by China, which ended seven years of estrangement and jolted the geopolitics of this oil-rich region.

☆ Saudi Arabia’s Oil Production Cuts Reflect Cost of Reshaping Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Summer Said | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI—An oil production cut by Saudi Arabia and its allies demonstrated how Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is willing to set aside U.S. concerns to pursue a nationalist energy policy aimed at funding an expensive makeover of his kingdom. This weekend’s move came as a surprise after Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told industry analysts privately in February that the kingdom would tolerate oil prices slipping to around $65 or $70 a barrel, according to analysts and Saudi officials familiar with the matter. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was trending downward since late last year on global recession fears, nearing $70 a barrel last month. On Monday, oil prices posted their steepest one-day increase in more than a year, rising 6.3% to $84.93 a barrel.

☆ Gershkovich trial in Moscow could 'stretch out for months,' WSJ correspondent says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGershkovich trial in Moscow could 'stretch out for months,' WSJ correspondent saysStephen Kalin, foreign correspondent at The Wall Street Journal, says Russia's espionage charges against Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich are "ridiculous."

☆ Saudi Arabia Strengthens Relations With China Amid Strained U.S. Ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Stephen Kalin | Summer Said | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI—Saudi Arabia is strengthening its commercial and security ties with China, as U.S. influence wanes in the Middle East region. The Saudi government approved partial membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a political and security bloc that includes China, Russia and India, the Saudi state news agency reported Wednesday. The decision comes ahead of a May meeting of foreign ministers from the regional grouping, where Iran recently gained full member status.

DUBAI—Riding an oil-price boom last year, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed government-backed Saudi National Bank to make a $1.5 billion investment in Credit Suisse Group AG that his financial advisers harbored doubts about, according to people familiar with the matter. Now, the Saudi investment is almost wiped out after Credit Suisse’s emergency merger with UBS Group AG. Credit Suisse’s meltdown also erased billions of dollars in investments made by Qatar’s sovereign fund and the Saudi-based Olayan family, making the Persian Gulf one of the biggest losers from a slide in financial stocks since the collapse of two U.S. banks last week.

☆ Kellogg is giving its Pringles and Cheez-It business a new name with classical Latin twist. It's the latest company name to incorporate the 'dead' language.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kellogg is renaming its snack business "Kellanova" — a combo of Kellogg and a Latin word for "new." Kellogg is naming its snacking division "Kellanova," the latest step in breaking up the company, it said on Wednesday. The name draws inspiration from the Kellogg name and a common Latin word, Kellogg CEO Steve Cahillane said in a statement. Etsy and Mondelez are among other companies with Latin namesKellanova is hardly the first company rebrand to draw inspiration from Latin. Before that, cigarette maker Philip Morris said it would change its name to "Altria" in an allusion to the Latin word for "high," the Journal reported in 2001.

☆ Saudi Crown Prince Test Drives Nonaligned Foreign Policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Stephen Kalin | Summer Said | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman whose decision making has been criticized in the past as erratic. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Flush with cash from an oil boom, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is making foreign-policy and business moves that test whether it is possible not to take sides in the rivalries between the U.S. and Russia and China. Last week’s China-brokered agreement to renew diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia’s rival Iran demonstrated a shrewd pragmatism from the 37-year-old de facto ruler, whose decision making has been criticized in the past as erratic. The deal would cool tensions across the Persian Gulf and bring Saudi Arabia closer to its biggest trading partner, China, without alienating its top security partner in Washington, where officials said they saw the detente as positive.

When Arab leaders met Xi Jinping at a regional summit in Riyadh last December, the Chinese head of state pitched an unprecedented idea: a high-level gathering of Gulf Arab monarchs and Iranian officials in Beijing in 2023, people familiar with the plan said. Days later, Tehran signed on as well. By Friday, China had brokered a deal to restore relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which had gone seven years without ties. The broader summit between Iran and the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which hasn’t previously been reported, is on track for later this year, the people said.

The prospective deal is said to include a mix of Boeing airplanes. A Boeing jetliner at King County International Airport-Boeing Field in Seattle. DUBAI—Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is close to a deal for a large number of Boeing Co. commercial jets that will serve in the fleet of a new national airline, people familiar with the matter said. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund is expected to announce the deal as soon as Sunday during an official launch of the airline, according to some of the people.

The Saudi deal, if completed, would mark another sizable aircraft order for Boeing in recent months. DUBAI—Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is close to a deal for a large number of Boeing Co. commercial jets that will serve in the fleet of a new national airline, people familiar with the matter said. The Saudi sovereign-wealth fund is expected to announce the deal as soon as Sunday during an official launch of the airline, though the timing is still fluid, according to some of the people.

☆ Saudi Arabia, Iran Restore Relations in Deal Brokered by China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Stephen Kalin | Benoit Faucon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Under the agreement, Iran and Saudi Arabia will reopen their embassies within two months. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations Friday in a deal brokered by China, ending seven years of estrangement and jolting the geopolitical alignment of the Middle East. The deal, which comes after other unsuccessful attempts by Iraq and others to mend fences, marks a diplomatic victory for Beijing in a region where the U.S. has long dominated geopolitics.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—This oil rich kingdom unveiled a new international airline called Riyadh Air, aiming to compete with a handful of other Mideast carriers that have used their geography to build world-class airlines and attract business travelers and tourists. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign-wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, is close to committing to a big order of Boeing Co. jets to underpin the new airline, The Wall Street Journal first reported over the weekend. A deal, which could be announced as early as this week, would be a boon for the aircraft maker and a big bet by Riyadh that it can compete in an already-crowded Mideast aviation market.

President Biden in a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last year. Saudi Arabia is asking the U.S. to provide security guarantees and help to develop its civilian nuclear program as Washington tries to broker diplomatic relations between the kingdom and Israel, people involved in discussions between the two countries said. Striking a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia has become a priority for President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid a looming confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program and military aid to Russia during the Ukraine war. The Biden administration is deeply involved in the complex negotiations, the people said, and any deal would reshape the Middle East’s political landscape.

☆ Sweden, Finland and Turkey hold NATO talks, agree to more meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

STOCKHOLM/ISTANBUL, March 9 (Reuters) - Turkey has acknowledged that Sweden and Finland have taken concrete steps to meet Ankara's concerns over their bids to join NATO and the three will hold further meetings, Sweden's chief negotiator in the accession process said on Thursday. Sweden and Finland applied last year to join NATO, but faced unexpected objections from Turkey which says the two countries harbour members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), considered a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies. "We see that Turkey recognized that both Sweden and Finland have taken concrete steps in this agreement, which is a good sign," chief negotiator Oscar Stenstrom told a news conference at NATO headquarters after trilateral talks resumed. President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said steps taken by Sweden and Finland to address Ankara's security concerns were positive, but not enough for Turkey's ratification of their NATO bid. In January, Turkey suspended talks set up as part of a trilateral deal agreed in Madrid last year aimed at smoothing Finland and Sweden's accession process.

☆ Saudi Arabia and U.A.E. Clash Over Oil, Yemen as Rift Grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Summer Said | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Middle East leaders at a regional event in January. DUBAI—When Abu Dhabi hosted a summit of Middle East leaders at a seaside palace in January, there was a glaring absence: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman . Prince Mohammed and U.A.E. President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan steered clear of each other’s events intentionally, Gulf officials said, even as the rulers of Jordan, Egypt, Qatar and others attended. The snubs exposed a growing rift between neighboring U.S. security partners that for years marched in lockstep on Middle East foreign policy.

☆ Blinken to talk aid, Nordic NATO bid in visit to quake-hit Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives for a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, February. Since the earthquake, the United States has sent a search and rescue team to Turkey, medical supplies, concrete-breaking machinery, and additional funding of $85 million in humanitarian aid that also covers Syria. While the United States has praised Turkey for some of its actions during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it remains worried over its close relationship with Moscow, experts say. "There will be no transfer of F-16s if Erdogan continues to deny admission to Finland and Sweden ... Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan's chief foreign policy advisor, said last month he hoped the F-16 deal would not become "hostage" to the NATO memberships of Sweden and Finland.

ANTAKYA, Turkey—Marketed as “a little piece of heaven,” the 12-storey Ronesans Residence apartment complex opened in 2013 and stood until last week as a symbol of this southern city’s rapid urbanization and the two-decade expansion of Turkey’s middle class. Now the 249-unit development is a tomb and a crime scene after toppling over sideways in a devastating earthquake and trapping hundreds of bodies below. Its developer, Mehmet Coskun, is under arrest. Mr. Coskun, who was detained at Istanbul airport en route to Montenegro, said he obtained all necessary permits and inspections and denied that the building collapsed, telling a prosecutor: “Our building just laid on its side.”

GAZIANTEP, Turkey—Turkish authorities widened a crackdown on those allegedly involved in shoddy construction practices and looting in cities across southern Turkey devastated by last week’s earthquakes, making dozens of new arrests as hopes faded of finding many more survivors in collapsed buildings. The death toll from the massive quakes has reached over 35,000, with 31,600 fatalities in Turkey and 3,500 deaths in Syria, according to authorities, who say they expect the casualty numbers to continue to rise sharply.

☆ Turkish Earthquake Rescue Efforts Are Fraught With Risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ADIYAMAN, Turkey—It began with a rescue dog who detected a human scent in a pile of wreckage. Then a soldier said he heard a voice from within. For the next 10 hours, a group of Turkish coal miners picked away at the wreckage with axes, saws and shovels. At 10.41 p.m. on Friday, after nearly five days entombed in the wreckage of her own collapsed apartment building, 33-year-old Ozlem Yulmez was extricated. Rescuers quickly covered her in a silver thermal blanket and whisked her into a waiting ambulance.

GAZIANTEP, Turkey—Aid is now rushing into Turkey since twin earthquakes devastated vast swaths of the country, but anger is growing in destroyed towns over a stuttering government response and allegedly shoddy construction that has led to dozens of arrests of contractors. The death toll across Turkey and Syria has reached over 28,000, with 24,600 dead in Turkey and another 3,500 dead in Syria.

☆ As Chances of Finding Earthquake Survivors Dwindle, Turkey and Syria Focus on Recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Benoit Faucon | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ADIYAMAN, Turkey—Authorities in Turkey and Syria raced on Saturday to provide shelter for tens of thousands of people left homeless by Monday’s massive earthquakes as a top United Nations official warned that the death toll could double from the current count of more than 24,000. Rescue teams continued to pull survivors and bodies from the rubble of destroyed buildings, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan —whose government is facing increasing anger over the pace of relief efforts—pledged a large-scale effort to rebuild.

☆ As Chances of Finding Earthquake Survivors Dwindle, Turkey, Syria Focus on Recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Benoit Faucon | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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