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Saudi Airports Handle 141 Million Passengers in 2025 as Aircraft Fleet Expands

Business Travelers move through stanchion lines at the departure terminal of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. (AFP)

Saudi Airports Handle 141 Million Passengers in 2025 as Aircraft Fleet Expands

Saudi Arabia’s airports handled 140.9 million passengers in 2025, marking another year of strong growth for the Kingdom’s aviation sector as the national…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Tankers are seen off the coast of the Fujairah, as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, March 3, 2026. (Reuters)

Supertanker with Iraqi Oil Heads for Vietnam After Hold-up in US Blockade

Supertanker Agios Fanourios I is heading for Vietnam to discharge its Iraqi crude oil cargo after it was held by the US Navy for five days in the Gulf of Oman,…

Business Vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026. AFP

Asian Markets Cautious, Oil Dips after Trump Holds Off on Iran Attack

Asian markets were mixed Tuesday as oil prices eased on hopes of a US-Iran deal, though elevated crude levels capped investor appetite for risk. Energy…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  13 May 2026, Australia, Canberra: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is interviewed on morning television after delivering the 2026-27 Federal Budget in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra. (dpa)

Australia Secures Jet Fuel from China to Keep Flying in Energy Squeeze

Australia has secured three shipments of jet fuel from China totaling 600,000 barrels, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday, doubling the national…

Business Oil/Chemical Tanker "Bald Man" at the Port of Fujairah, as the US-Israel conflict with Iran limits marine traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, May 6, 2026. (Reuters)

Hormuz Crisis Saddles Global Companies with $25 Billion Bill

The US-Israeli war with Iran has already cost companies around the world at least $25 billion - and the bill is climbing, according to a Reuters analysis. A…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)

Business US President Donald Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen sealed the deal in Turnberry, Scotland last year. Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP/File

Under Trump Pressure, EU Eyes Deal to End Trade Standoff

The EU hopes Tuesday to strike a deal towards implementing its nearly year-old trade pact with the United States -- with an increasingly impatient Donald Trump…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent arrives at meeting of G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in preparation for the summit of heads of State and government to be held in June 2026 in Evian, in Paris on May 18, 2026. (AFP)

US Extends Sanctions Waiver on Russian at-Sea Oil by 30 Days

The US Treasury secretary on Monday said Washington was extending by 30 days its sanctions waiver for Russian oil cargoes already at sea, as global energy…

Business Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Secretary-General Mathias Cormann and International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol talk on the day of a G7 finance ministers' and central bank governors' meeting in Paris, France, May 18, 2026. (Reuters)

IEA Chief Warns Commercial Oil Inventories Are Depleting Rapidly, Only Weeks Left

Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, said on Monday that commercial oil inventories were depleting rapidly with only a few weeks' worth left…

Business SABIC’s manufacturing facility in Jubail (company website) 

Operating Profits Drive Saudi Petrochemical Firms to Record 111% Jump in Earnings

Saudi-listed petrochemical companies posted a sharp improvement in financial performance during the first quarter of 2026, driven by a strong recovery in…

Mohammed al-Mutairi (Riyadh)
Business French Finance Minister Roland Lescure admits the discussions facing G7 leaders 'are not easy'. Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP

G7 Finance Chiefs Meet to Seek Common Stance on Unstable Ground

Finance chiefs from the G7 industrialized nations gather in Paris on Monday for two days of talks aimed at forging a united front as the Middle East war roils…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  People walk on a street decorated with lanterns at Qianmen area, ahead of US President Donald Trump's state visit to China, in Beijing, China, May 12, 2026. (Reuters)

China’s Economy Slows in April as Output, Retail Sales Sharply Undershoot Forecasts

China's economic growth lost steam in ‌April as industrial output and retail sales growth sharply missed expectations as the Asian powerhouse grappled…

Business  A man counts US dollar currency notes at a foreign exchange office in Amritsar on May 16, 2026. (AFP)

Dollar Steady as Oil Climbs, Bond Selloff Deepens

The dollar was on the defensive against most major currencies on Monday as fresh Middle East tensions lifted oil prices and a global bond selloff stoked rate…

Business A worker drives a forklift to transport aluminum bars at a factory in Anshun, Guizhou province, China, in this July 1, 2013. (Reuters)

China’s Aluminium Output Rises in April, Driven by Strong Profit

China's aluminium output remained strong in April, according to official data released on Monday, supported by strong margins. The country's aluminium…

Business Traffic moves along the A14 motorway near Leipzig, Germany, 12 May 2026. (EPA)

European Shares Fall as Inflation Worries Grip Markets

European shares sank on Monday, with oil prices rising and bonds extending their sell-off, as inflation worries continued with no signs of a deal between the…

Business The Middle East war has sent energy prices climbing. Shammi MEHRA / AFP

Asian Stocks Sink, Oil Rises on US-Iran Deadlock

Most Asian shares were lower in morning trade on Monday, extending slides in global markets, as the impasse in the Middle East drove oil prices more than two…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business An investor monitors a stock screen at the Saudi financial market in Riyadh (AFP)

Saudi Stock Market Edges Lower in First Session of the Week

Saudi Arabia’s stock market index ended trading slightly lower, falling 0.25 percent to close at 10,968 points, amid trading turnover of around SAR2.9 billion,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Shoppers at a food and beverage store in Oman. (Reuters)

Oman Inflation Rises 3.2% in April

Oman’s consumer price index (CPI) rose 3.2 percent in April compared with the same month in 2025, based on 2018 as the reference year. The National Center for…

Asharq Al Awsat

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Business A previous meeting of the Federation of GCC Chambers in Riyadh. (SPA)

Gulf, International Initiative to Assess War’s Impact on Private Sector

Asharq Al-Awsat has learned of a joint initiative by the Federation of GCC Chambers and the International Labor Organization to conduct a rapid assessment of…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business A woman stands in front of an information screen at the LEAP tech exhibition in Saudi Arabia (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Builds its Own Digital Sovereignty Model

In a world where digital borders are blurring and countries are racing to control data and build technological power, Saudi Arabia has chosen to carve out its…

Zeinab Ali (Riyadh)
Business An aerial view of newly imported cars parked at the automobile terminal at the Port of Los Angeles on May 08, 2026 in Wilmington, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

China Signals Tariff Cuts, Advances in Farm Market Access After Trump-Xi Summit

China and the United States have agreed to expand agricultural trade through tariff reductions and tackle non-tariff barriers and market access issues, China's…

Business President of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) Ola Kallenius attends a press point in the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, 13 May 2026. (EPA)

Mercedes Benz Mulls Diversification into Defense

The CEO of German automaking giant Mercedes-Benz has said he has not ruled out entering the defense industry. "The world has become more unpredictable, and I…

Business  Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 15, 2026. (Reuters)

Iraq Exported 10 Million Barrels of Oil Through Strait of Hormuz in April

Iraq exported 10 million barrels of oil via the Strait of Hormuz in April, down from about 93 million barrels monthly before the Iran war, the country's new…

Business Turkish Airlines’ celebration on Friday marking 75 years since its first flights to Cairo. (Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation)

Egypt, Türkiye Boost Cooperation Through Air Travel, Tourism

Egypt and Türkiye are strengthening their cooperation and “strategic partnership” by boosting air traffic and tourism as the two countries mark 75 years since…

Waleed Abdulrahman (Cairo)
Business US Secretary of Energy Christopher Wright testifies during a US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, May 13, 2026. (Reuters)

US Will Replenish Every Barrel of Oil It Releases from Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Energy Secretary Says

The US will replenish every barrel of oil it releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Energy Secretary Chris Wright ‌said Friday ‌at an event…

Business Shipping containers are piled at the Port of Los Angeles, California, on May 9, 2026. (AFP)

Trump Says Did Not Discuss Tariffs During Summit with Xi

US President Donald Trump said Friday he did not bring up the issue of tariffs during a landmark summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Returning to…

Business A view of 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL

Britain's Pound, Stocks and Bonds Fall on Political Uncertainty, Global Inflation Angst

British government bonds, stocks and sterling fell on Friday, as domestic political uncertainty clashed with global worries about an inflationary shock,…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business The current price of gasoline is shown at a gas station in Encinitas, California, US, May 11, 2026.  REUTERS/Mike Blake

Oil Gains after Trump Says Xi Agrees Iran Cannot Have Nuclear Weapons

Oil prices gained about 2% after US President Donald Trump said he and China's Xi Jinping agree Iran cannot have nuclear weapons and as concerns persisted over…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  President Donald Trump talks with China's President Xi Jinping at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound, Friday, May 15, 2026, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)

China Stocks Drift as Trump-Xi Summit Offers Little to Excite Investors

China stocks wavered on Friday as a summit between US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping entered its last day, having produced few deals between the…

Business The skyline with the banking district is seen during sunset in Frankfurt, Germany, February 27, 2024. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

German Economy to Take Hit from Iran War during Q2, Ministry Says

Economic growth in Germany, which was just 0.3% in the ‌first quarter, ‌will likely take ‌a ⁠significant hit from ⁠the effects of the Iran war …

Asharq Al Awsat