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☆ Earthquake Recovery Takes Center Stage in Turkey, Syria as Chances of Finding Survivors Narrow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Benoit Faucon | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ADIYAMAN, Turkey—Officials in northern Syria and parts of Turkey have shifted their focus to clearing rubble and sheltering the tens of thousands of people left homeless by two earthquakes that shook the region Monday, as the death toll rose to more than 24,000. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan —whose government is facing anger at the slowness of rescue efforts—pledged a large-scale effort to rebuild.

☆ After Earthquake, Turkey Arrests Dozens Connected to Collapsed Buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Benoit Faucon | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ADIYAMAN, Turkey—Authorities arrested dozens of contractors, architects and engineers connected to buildings that collapsed in this week’s earthquakes, Turkish state media reported Saturday, as a top United Nations official warned the death toll could double from the current tally of over 24,000 in Turkey and Syria. The arrests came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces growing public anger at the pace of rescue efforts. One of the detained was Mehmet Yasar Coskun, the contractor who built Ronesans Residence, a destroyed building in the southern Turkish province of Hatay, state media reported.

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.

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.

☆ Turkey-Syria earthquake: It'll be a challenge to get aid into Syria, WSJ journalist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | 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 EmailTurkey-Syria earthquake: It'll be a challenge to get aid into Syria, WSJ journalist saysStephen Kalin, foreign correspondent at The Wall Street Journal, speaks to CNBC's Hadley Gamble about the earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey.

☆ Response to the earthquake will be a challenge for Turkish government, WSJ journalist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | 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 EmailResponse to the earthquake will be a challenge for Turkish government, WSJ journalist saysStephen Kalin, foreign correspondent at The Wall Street Journal, speaks to CNBC's Hadley Gamble about Turkish President Recep Erdogan President's declaration of a state of emergency for regions hit by the earthquake and the country's upcoming elections.

ISTANBUL—Snow, freezing temperatures and blocked roads hindered efforts to rescue survivors trapped under collapsed buildings across southern Turkey and northern Syria after two powerful earthquakes killed more than 5,000 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Aid workers from around the world poured into Turkey on Tuesday to support local rescue efforts after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Monday morning was followed by a 7.5-magnitude quake in the afternoon.

☆ Turkey's foreign minister to discuss F-16s and NATO during U.S. visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

For its part, Turkey demands Washington not support the Syrian Kurdish militia that it sees as terrorists. Turkey now hopes to buy F-16 jets from the United States, a sale that some top members of Congress oppose despite support from the Biden administration. But recently, Ankara's refusal to ratify NATO membership of Sweden and Finland is emerging as a more central reason in their opposition. The two Nordic states applied for NATO membership last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine but their bids need approval from all 30 NATO member states. He added he hoped the F-16 deal would not become "hostage" to the NATO memberships of Sweden and Finland.

☆ Sweden, Finland must send up to 130 "terrorists" to Turkey for NATO bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Sweden and Finland must deport or extradite up to 130 "terrorists" to Turkey before the Turkish parliament will approve their bids to join NATO, President Tayyip Erdogan said. The two Nordic states applied last year to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine but their bids must be approved by all 30 NATO member states. Turkey has said Sweden in particular must first take a clearer stance against what it sees as terrorists, mainly Kurdish militants and a group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt. "For this to pass the parliament, first of all you have to hand more than 100, around 130 of these terrorists to us," Erdogan said. Separately on Monday Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson said that his country was in a "good position" to secure Turkey's ratification of its NATO bid.

☆ Erdogan aide says time running out to ratify Sweden, Finland NATO bids
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Turkish flag flies next to NATO logo at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, November 26, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File PhotoANKARA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Turkey is running out of time to ratify NATO membership bids by Sweden and Finland before it holds elections expected in May, a Turkish presidential spokesman said on Saturday. President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said Turkish ratification of the countries' bids depended on how quickly Stockholm fulfils counter-terrorism promises made as part of a deal with Ankara, warning that could take months. Along with Finland, Sweden signed an agreement with Turkey last year aimed at overcoming Ankara's objections to their NATO bids, which were made in May last year and require the approval of all 30 NATO member states. "We have a time issue if they want to join NATO before the NATO summit in June," Kalin added, referring to the Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections, expected in May.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday that Sweden "cannot escape its responsibilities" by only condemning the incident. Turkish state-owned Anadolu news agency said an investigation into the incident was opened after Erdogan's lawyer filed a legal petition. "It is aimed, I would say, as a sabotage against the Swedish NATO application," he said. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said relations with Turkey were important and condemned the incident as shameless. On Sunday, Kristersson said Sweden was confident Turkey would approve its NATO bid but it would not meet all the conditions Ankara has set.

☆ Saudi Arabia Seeks to Lure Global Miners in Bid to Overhaul Its Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Saudi Arabia is pushing to become a significant player in the $2 trillion global mining industry. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Saudi officials are wooing top mining companies to help exploit untapped mineral deposits in the kingdom that could be worth hundreds of billions of dollars, as the world’s biggest exporter of oil accelerates plans to build new industries away from hydrocarbons. The fourth-largest net importer of minerals globally has a small domestic mining industry despite unverified estimates putting its mineral wealth at over $1.3 trillion, including deposits of copper, zinc, phosphates, uranium and gold. The results of a new survey are expected by 2027.

The Biden administration has dropped threats to retaliate against Saudi Arabia for an oil-production cut last year and is moving to step up security coordination to counter Iran in 2023, U.S. and Saudi officials said, three months after ties hit a historic low point. Officials pointed to signs of improved U.S.-Saudi cooperation in recent weeks as falling U.S. gasoline prices, better-than-expected midterm election results for Democrats, and heightened concerns about Iran take the edge off a long-simmering spat that spilled into the open in October when the Saudis rebuffed White House requests to delay the production cut. The output decision fueled inflation fears just a month before the midterms, and President Biden vowed to work with Congress to impose unspecified “consequences” on Saudi Arabia.

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.

☆ American Avoids Extradition to Egypt After Release From Dubai Detention
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Sherif Osman and his partner, Saija Virta, in September, before Mr. Osman traveled to Dubai to see family. An American citizen who was detained in Dubai for seven weeks and faced possible extradition to his native Egypt over criticizing the government there and calling on Egyptians to protest is back home after he was freed. Sherif Osman , an Egyptian-American dual national, landed in Boston on Wednesday afternoon in what he called “a miracle” he believes was linked to high-level intervention. He was released soon after three unidentified Emirati officials visited him in Dubai’s central prison on Dec. 22, he said Thursday.

☆ It's 'really good' if the ESM isn't used, CFO says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | 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 EmailIt's 'really good' if the ESM isn't used, CFO saysKalin Anev Janse, chief financial officer at the European Stability Mechanism, discusses the intergovernmental organization's role in creating financial stability in the euro zone.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping to Meet Arab Leaders in Milestone for Middle East Ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday will attend a summit of Arab leaders billed as a milestone for relations with the Middle East, an energy-rich region riven by conflict that is witnessing growing competition between Beijing and Washington—long the region’s dominant security force. After meeting Saudi leaders on Thursday and elevating bilateral relations to the highest level, Mr. Xi will now gather with the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the broader 22-member League of Arab States. The meetings are expected to produce broad agreements but few big policy shifts. A free-trade agreement with the Gulf, talked about for years, could make progress.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping Meets Arab Leaders in Milestone for Middle East Ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday attended a pair of summits with Arab leaders billed as a milestone for relations with the Middle East, an energy-rich region witnessing growing competition between Beijing and Washington—long the region’s dominant security force. In a gathering with the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Mr. Xi said China would set up a nuclear security center with the Gulf and a joint investment council. Beijing will continue to import large quantities of oil from the Gulf and support regional security, he said.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping Pledges More Energy Deals With Gulf Producers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Chinese leader Xi Jinping used the last day of a visit to Saudi Arabia to pledge more energy deals with big Gulf oil producers, promising to buy more crude and start paying for some of it with Chinese currency. Using the Chinese currency, the yuan, for oil deals would chip away at the supremacy of the U.S. dollar, which used in most oil contracts around the world and underpins most Gulf state currencies. The Saudis and the Chinese accelerated talks around yuan purchases earlier this year as ties between Washington and Riyadh came under strain, The Wall Street Journal has reported. The Saudis on Friday declined to confirm they would carry out yuan oil deals.

☆ There Is Beer at the World Cup—if You Can Find It
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Stephen Kalin | Donna Abdulaziz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DOHA, Qatar—Duncan Farr, a stockbroker from Scotland, arrived at his five-star hotel here for the World Cup only to learn the establishment was dry. So he set out to build his schedule not only around soccer, but also around finding cold beer. “There’s no spontaneity,” Mr. Farr concedes. By his fourth day in the country, he was downing Stella Artois at the Irish Pub on the 14th floor of a Best Western hotel. “You’ve got to plan it,” he adds.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping to Meet Saudi Crown Prince in Pivotal Visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping, here arriving in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, is set to meet Thursday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who runs the kingdom’s daily affairs. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Saudi leaders Thursday and sign agreements worth more than $29 billion as this desert kingdom deepens ties with global partners, including U.S. rivals, amid doubts about Washington’s commitment to the Middle East. No details about the deals were made available, but progress in talks about pricing some Saudi oil sales in yuan, which The Wall Street Journal reported accelerated this year, would draw intense U.S. scrutiny as would any new weapons deals or further cooperation on 5G and 6G telecommunications networks.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping Meets Saudi Crown Prince in Pivotal Visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a visit set to strengthen ties between the two countries. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Saudi leaders Thursday at the start of a multiday state visit, as the oil-rich desert kingdom strengthens ties with U.S. rivals amid doubts about Washington’s commitment to the Middle East. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman , who runs the kingdom’s daily affairs, greeted the Chinese leader with a handshake on arrival at Al Yamamah Palace, the seat of the Saudi monarchy. A Saudi honor guard welcomed Mr. Xi before Prince Mohammed accompanied him inside to meet his father, King Salman . The two sides are expected to sign some 20 initial agreements worth more than $29 billion total before attending a large gathering of Gulf and Arab leaders on Friday.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping Deepens Saudi Ties in Pivotal Trip
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Chinese leader Xi Jinping met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a pivotal visit to the Middle East, where the world’s top oil importer deepened relations with the top exporter, in commercial agreements that included energy and technology deals but stopped short of explicitly expanding military cooperation. An honor guard welcomed the Chinese leader and Prince Mohammed greeted him with a handshake at the Saudi Royal Court on Thursday. Mr. Xi then met King Salman , and the two men signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement affording Riyadh top-tier status in China’s foreign relations. They pledged to visit each other every two years.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping Visits Saudi Arabia Amid Strained U.S. Ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping, pictured wearing a tie, is set to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also pictured, later this week. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Chinese leader Xi Jinping is headed to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a visit that could deepen the relationship between the world’s top oil importer and top oil exporter amid strained U.S.-Saudi ties and a global reshuffling of power accelerated by the Ukraine war. Both sides say their relations remain primarily economic. China is Saudi Arabia’s top trading partner and the biggest buyer of its oil, a trend that is only expected to accelerate. But growing military and geopolitical aspects of their interactions alarm Washington, long the dominant security force in an energy-rich region that is now seeking additional partners including U.S. rivals.

☆ 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.

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