Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, a report on how drought in Panama and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are delaying deliveries and pushing up costs: More than 50 ships queued to cross the Panama Canal on a recent day—from tankers hauling propane to cargo ships packed with food. A prolonged drought has led the canal’s […]
Read more »Via Arab News, a look at how diversification strategies are now paying off for GCC economies: Transport, tourism and logistics are set to help the Gulf Cooperation Council region secure gross domestic product growth far above the lobal average, economists have told Arab News. Experts believe that a focus on non-oil trade by GCC governments […]
Read more »Courtesy of The Financial Times, an article on big companies’ adherence to Saudi Arabia’s demand that they set up regional HQs in the desert kingdom: Scores of multinationals have heeded Riyadh’s ultimatum to establish regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia or face losing out on lucrative government contracts, but leading banks have been conspicuous by their […]
Read more »Courtesy of Noahpinion, an interesting commentary on how Dune helps us understand real-life Middle East and the challenging political economy faced by resource-exporting countries in which more poorly resource-endowed East Asian nations may start out poorer but grow much faster: I recently saw Dune 2, and it’s really good, despite a bit of a rushed […]
Read more »Courtesy of Nikkei Asia, a report on China’s minidrama producers who are using ultra-short episodes and wacky plots help their content flourish on social media and challenge Netflix: A college student from the present time wakes up to find herself transported back to 1980s China, where she meets a pig farmer with two children and […]
Read more »Courtesy of the Washington Post, a report on a new wave of video bloggers under the Taliban, which is seeking to shape a positive narrative about the country: The Taliban-run government is fostering a thriving community of YouTube influencers and video bloggers in Afghanistan, seeking to shape a positive narrative about the country by rewarding […]
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