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Saudi Arabia Establishes New Railway to Reduce Carbon Emissions, Increase Carrying Capacity

The signing ceremony of a new railway service linking the north and east networks in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The signing ceremony of a new railway service linking the north and east networks in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Establishes New Railway to Reduce Carbon Emissions, Increase Carrying Capacity

The signing ceremony of a new railway service linking the north and east networks in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The signing ceremony of a new railway service linking the north and east networks in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) launched on Sunday a new railway service linking the north and east networks, passing through Jubail Industrial City to ship industrial materials and goods.

The Emir of Eastern Province, Prince Saud bin Naif inaugurated the railway project in the presence of the Minister of Transport and Logistics and SAR Chairman of the Board of Directors, Saleh al-Jasser, and Deputy Minister of Transport and Logistics Rumaih al-Rumaih.

SAR said that the new network aims to reduce carbon emissions, increase the carrying capacity of the freight train, support exports and the competitiveness of Saudi products.

The Railways added that this connection would contribute to providing integrated solutions and complete logistical services by linking the commercial and industrial ports in Dammam and Jubail with the train network.

SAR also said that the internal Jubail network would serve the industrial facilities in Jubail Industrial City that link it to the King Fahd Industrial Port and Jubail Commercial Port in Jubail.

It aims to promote traffic safety, reduce carbon emissions of other means of transportation, and increase the attractiveness of the local market through regional and international connectivity.

The Public Transport Authority indicated that the new project in Jubail will replace more than 200,000 trucks annually, which supports the logistic sector and preserves the environment and infrastructure.

The railway stimulates national industries and raises railway transport rates while integrating with other means of transport and improving the quality of life.

Meanwhile, Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) signed two contracts worth $170 million with PC Marine Services and Modern Building Leaders (MBL) to deepen and build new berths at Jeddah Islamic Port

It comes within the framework of Mawani's initiatives to enhance the maritime transport and logistics sector and upgrade port operations by implementing over 160 projects in line with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS).

The contract with MBL, in association with Huta Hegerfeld Saudia, will develop Jeddah Islamic Port's deepening of harbor approach channels, turning basins, waterways, and the south terminal basin.

These upgrades will enable the arrival of giant vessels with a capacity of up to 24,000 TEUs, besides attracting new global shipping lines to local shores.

Under the contract, PC Marine Services will build new berths (26 to 31) measuring 16 meters deep and 1,100 meters long at the multi-cargo terminals to receive large bulk grain carriers and accommodate larger vessels to cover the local market demand.

It also aims to secure the Kingdom's strategic reserve by increasing the amount of imported grain and enhancing the food security system through Jeddah Islamic Port.

Saudi ports are one of the most important economic and commercial tributaries and play a pivotal role in developing local, regional, and international trade.

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Business

Iraq in Talks with Gulf States on Pipeline Exports beyond Hormuz

Workers carry out maintenance on a pipeline at a gas separation station in the Zubair oil field near Basra (AP). 
Workers carry out maintenance on a pipeline at a gas separation station in the Zubair oil field near Basra (AP). 
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Iraq in Talks with Gulf States on Pipeline Exports beyond Hormuz

Workers carry out maintenance on a pipeline at a gas separation station in the Zubair oil field near Basra (AP). 
Workers carry out maintenance on a pipeline at a gas separation station in the Zubair oil field near Basra (AP). 

Iraq is in talks with Gulf countries to use their pipeline networks to secure alternative oil export routes beyond the Strait of Hormuz, the state oil marketer SOMO said Thursday.

The move is part of an emergency strategy by the oil ministry to tap regional infrastructure and bypass maritime chokepoints, ensuring Iraqi crude continues to reach global markets while offsetting higher transport costs linked to the current crisis.

Ali Nizar al-Shatari, head of the State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO), said the ministry is prioritizing negotiations to access Gulf pipeline systems extending beyond the Strait of Hormuz and into the Arabian Sea, allowing exports to avoid areas of military tension.

“The goal is to secure stable routes that guarantee efficient flows of Iraqi oil at lower transport costs,” Shatari said, adding that Iraq generated about $2 billion in oil revenues in March, up 28 percent from February.

He said SOMO exported around 18 million barrels of crude from Basra, Kirkuk and the Kurdistan region by using all available outlets, including southern ports that operated until early March and northern routes to Türkiye’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.

As part of efforts to diversify export options, Shatari revealed that the first shipments of fuel oil and Basra Medium crude successfully reached Syrian ports.

He noted that Iraq had signed a deal to export 50,000 barrels per day via this route, describing cooperation with Syria as “very significant,” with storage and security provided to ensure safe delivery to the port of Baniyas.

The route has proven effective and could become a permanent option after the crisis, he added.

Shatari further noted that the oil ministry is close to completing repairs on the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline, which suffered extensive damage in previous years.

Technical teams have inspected the most difficult terrain, with about 200 kilometers (125 miles) still to be assessed in the coming days before full pumping of Kirkuk crude resumes.

In a notable logistical move, Iraq has begun pumping Basra crude northwards for export via Ceyhan.

Flows started at 170,000 barrels per day and are expected to stabilize between 200,000 and 250,000 bpd, helping offset disrupted southern exports and supply energy-hungry markets in Europe and the Americas.

Shatari said Iraq has benefited from rising global prices by selling Kirkuk crude — a medium-grade oil — at strong premiums.

He also confirmed the reactivation of an agreement with the Kurdistan region to reuse the pipeline through the region to Ceyhan, helping lift total exports to 18 million barrels in March.

This came despite a drop in production in Kurdistan fields to about 200,000 bpd due to security threats, he added.

 

 

Business

World Food Prices Rose in March as Iran War Lifted Energy Costs, FAO Says

A farmer carries harvested rice at a paddy field in Samahani, Aceh province on April 2, 2026. (AFP)
A farmer carries harvested rice at a paddy field in Samahani, Aceh province on April 2, 2026. (AFP)
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World Food Prices Rose in March as Iran War Lifted Energy Costs, FAO Says

A farmer carries harvested rice at a paddy field in Samahani, Aceh province on April 2, 2026. (AFP)
A farmer carries harvested rice at a paddy field in Samahani, Aceh province on April 2, 2026. (AFP)

The war in the Middle East has pushed food commodity prices higher due to higher energy and fertilizer costs, the UN's food agency said Friday. 

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said its Food Price Index, which measures the monthly changes in international prices of a basket of food commodities, had increased 2.4 percent in March from February. 

It was the second rise in a row, which the agency said was largely due to higher energy prices linked to conflict in the Middle East. 

Within the index, the category of vegetable oil saw the sharpest rise, of 5.1 percent over February, as palm oil prices reached their highest point since the middle of 2022, due to effects from spiking crude oil prices, FAO said. 

However, a "broadly comfortable" supply of cereal has cushioned the damaged from the conflict, FAO said. 

"Price rises since the conflict began have been modest, driven mainly by higher oil prices and cushioned by ample global cereal supplies," said FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero in a statement. 

But he warned that if the conflict goes on beyond 40 days and the high prices on fertilizer continue, "farmers will have to choose: farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops". 

"Those choices will hit future yields and shape our food supply and commodity prices for the rest of this year and all of the next." 

Disruptions to production and supply chain routes had also introduced "additional uncertainty" into the outlook for wheat and maize, FAO found. 

Business

Turkish Inflation Near 2% Monthly in March, Below Forecasts

A full moon rises behind Galata Tower, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP)
A full moon rises behind Galata Tower, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP)
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Turkish Inflation Near 2% Monthly in March, Below Forecasts

A full moon rises behind Galata Tower, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP)
A full moon rises behind Galata Tower, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP)

Turkish consumer price inflation was 1.94% month-on-month in March, while the annual figure fell to 30.87%, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute showed ‌on Friday.

In ‌a Reuters ‌poll, ⁠monthly inflation was ⁠forecast to be 2.32%, with the annual rate seen at 31.4%, driven by ⁠a rise in ‌fuel prices ‌and weather-related pressures ‌on food inflation.

In ‌February, consumer prices rose 2.96% month-on-month and 31.53% year-on-year, broadly in ‌line with estimates and reinforcing expectations that ⁠the ⁠disinflation process may be stalling.

The data also showed the domestic producer index rose 2.30% month-on-month in March for an annual increase of 28.08%.