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Norway Says Plans to Raise Financial Support for Ukraine

Ukrainian rescuers evacuate patients from a damaged clinic following a drone attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 01 March 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV
Ukrainian rescuers evacuate patients from a damaged clinic following a drone attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 01 March 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV
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Norway Says Plans to Raise Financial Support for Ukraine

Ukrainian rescuers evacuate patients from a damaged clinic following a drone attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 01 March 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV
Ukrainian rescuers evacuate patients from a damaged clinic following a drone attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 01 March 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV

The Norwegian government will soon ask that parliament increases its financial backing for Ukraine, Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told public broadcaster NRK on Saturday.

"I can say today that we will go back to parliament in the near future with a proposal to increase the support," Stoere told NRK, according to Reuters.

Norway's parliament late last year agreed to spend a total of 35 billion Norwegian crowns ($3.12 billion) on military and civilian support for Ukraine in 2025 and a total of 155 billion crowns in the years from 2023 to 2030.

Stoere will meet with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in London on Sunday.

Zelenskiy's meeting with US President Donald Trump ended in disaster on Friday, after the two leaders clashed in an extraordinary exchange before the world's media at the White House over the war with Russia.

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Business

Container Traffic at Morocco's Tanger Med Port Rises 8% in 2025

Cars, made in Morocco and intended for export, wait to be shipped at Tanger Med Port, on the Strait of Gibraltar, east of Tangier, Morocco June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Abdelhak Balhaki
Cars, made in Morocco and intended for export, wait to be shipped at Tanger Med Port, on the Strait of Gibraltar, east of Tangier, Morocco June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Abdelhak Balhaki
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Container Traffic at Morocco's Tanger Med Port Rises 8% in 2025

Cars, made in Morocco and intended for export, wait to be shipped at Tanger Med Port, on the Strait of Gibraltar, east of Tangier, Morocco June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Abdelhak Balhaki
Cars, made in Morocco and intended for export, wait to be shipped at Tanger Med Port, on the Strait of Gibraltar, east of Tangier, Morocco June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Abdelhak Balhaki

Morocco's Tanger Med Port said on Monday it maintained its position as the Mediterranean and Africa's leading port, handling 11.1 million containers in 2025, up 8.4% from a year earlier.

The growth was partly driven by the expansion of a terminal operated by APM Terminals, the port authority said in a statement.

The port saw truck traffic grow 3.6% to 535,203 units, driven by higher exports of industrial products and agri-food goods.

Passenger traffic totalled 3,220,422 in 2025, up 5.7%, while cars using the port to cross into or out of Morocco reached 895,341 vehicles in 2025, up 5%, it said, Reuters reported.

The number of vehicles exported through the port dropped 12% to 526,862, mostly produced by Renault and Stellantis plants in the country, the port authority said.

Morocco’s automotive exports fell 2% last year to $17 billion but remained the country's biggest export, according to official trade data.

Overall, the port handled a total of 161 million tons of cargo in 2025, up 13.3% from 2024, it said.

Last week, Morocco said it will start operating Nador West Med, its second Mediterranean deep sea port, in the fourth quarter of this year.

The $5.6 billion facility will open with an annual capacity of 5 million containers, expandable to 12 million.

Further south on the Atlantic coast, Morocco is building a $1 billion deepwater port in Dakhla, in Western Sahara.

Business

Gold, Silver Fall as CME Margin Hike Stokes Selling

(FILES) A jeweler shows gold and silver bars at his shop in downtown Kuwait City on January 12, 2026. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
(FILES) A jeweler shows gold and silver bars at his shop in downtown Kuwait City on January 12, 2026. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
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Gold, Silver Fall as CME Margin Hike Stokes Selling

(FILES) A jeweler shows gold and silver bars at his shop in downtown Kuwait City on January 12, 2026. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
(FILES) A jeweler shows gold and silver bars at his shop in downtown Kuwait City on January 12, 2026. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)

Gold and silver prices pared some losses but remained under pressure on Monday, after increased CME margin requirements added to the selling pressure following last week's selloff sparked by Kevin Warsh's nomination as the incoming Federal Reserve chair. Spot gold was 2.3% lower at $4,754.51 per ounce by 1319 GMT, trimming losses from a near 10% fall earlier in the session. Bullion shed more than 9.8% on January 30, in its sharpest one-day drop since 1983, Reuters reported.

Gold has lost about $900 since hitting an all-time-high of $5,594.82 on January 29, erasing most of this year's gains.

US gold futures for April delivery were up 0.7% at $4,777.70/oz. Spot silver lost 3.8% to $81.41, recovering from a fall of 15% earlier on Monday. It has shed about 33% since notching an all-time-peak of $121.64 last week.

Prices have regained from lows earlier in the session as investors buy the dip and cover short positions, said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and FOREX.com.

"But that doesn't mean that the downward trend that started at the back end of last week is over, so this could just be a temporary bounce before we see more volatility," Razaqzada added. The CME announced hikes in margins on its precious metal futures on January 30 and said the changes were set to take effect after market close on Monday.

"The increase in margin requirements makes holding speculative positions less appealing now and will also force a lot on the retail side of the market who do not have the extra liquidity to sell positions," said Zain Vawda, analyst at MarketPulse by OANDA. The dollar index edged higher last week after US President Donald Trump named former Federal Reserve Governor Warsh as his Fed chair pick, making dollar-priced bullion more expensive for buyers overseas.

While investors expect Warsh to favor rate cuts, they anticipate he will tighten the Fed's balance sheet, a move typically supportive of the dollar.

Barclays said in a note on Monday it expects rate cuts, fiscal expansion, quantitative easing, fiat debasement and de-dollarisation to likely keep investment demand firm for gold. Spot platinum fell by 0.6% to $2,145.03 per ounce after hitting a record $2,918.80 on January 26, while palladium rose 1.2% to $1,719.25.

Business

Cluster2 Airports Achieves Growth in Operational Traffic During 2025

The cluster reported that its airports welcomed over 19.9 million passengers in 2025 - SPA
The cluster reported that its airports welcomed over 19.9 million passengers in 2025 - SPA
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Cluster2 Airports Achieves Growth in Operational Traffic During 2025

The cluster reported that its airports welcomed over 19.9 million passengers in 2025 - SPA
The cluster reported that its airports welcomed over 19.9 million passengers in 2025 - SPA

Cluster2 Airports, which operates 22 airports across the Kingdom, achieved remarkable performance in 2025, recording significant growth in both air traffic and passenger numbers.

The cluster reported that its airports welcomed over 19.9 million passengers in 2025, an 11% increase from the previous year. They also handled more than 164,000 flights, a 7% rise, with 87.9% of departures and 87.4% of arrivals operating on schedule.

As part of its network expansion, the cluster announced service to 25 international and domestic destinations across 124 air routes, further strengthening air connectivity between the Kingdom and the rest of the world, SPA reported.

In the area of air cargo and logistics, Cluster2 Airports exceeded its 2025 cargo volume targets by 7%, handling 1,634 tons—a 44% increase compared to 2024.

The cluster continued to achieve significant milestones, reflecting its commitment to enhancing the passenger experience and improving service quality as 18 airports received Level 2 Customer Experience certification from the Airports Council International (ACI).

To reinforce its commitment to the highest safety and security standards, the cluster conducted 278 drills at its airports during 2025 to enhance operational readiness and improve emergency response efficiency.