HEADLINES:

• Gulf States Review Global Investments as War Strains Budgets: FT Report

• UAE Weighs Freezing Iranian Assets as Conflict With Tehran Escalates

• David Ellison Pledges CNN Editorial Independence as Gulf-backed Paramount Wins $111B Warner Bros. Deal

Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModr

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HEADLINES:

• UK Media Divided Over Who Should Pay to Evacuate Britons From Middle East

• Abu Dhabi-Backed RedBird IMI to Merge All 3 Media With Banijay in €4.4B TV Production Giant

• Qatar Halts LNG Exports After Iranian Strikes, Declares Force Majeure

• Kalshi Refuses to Pay Out Khamenei Bets, Reimburses Traders Instead

As geopolitical tensions grip the Middle East, markets swing violently and evacuation flights scramble to extract 300,000 British expats from the UAE. But back in Westminster, a political firestorm erupts: Should these "tax exiles" be taxed by the UK government? Meanwhile, the entertainment industry undergoes seismic consolidation as Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. clears regulatory hurdles, promising a unified streaming giant. And in a stunning act of defiance, bootstrapped AI startup Thaura—founded by Syrian refugee brothers—publicly exposes and rejects a suspicious acquisition bid from an Israeli company, declaring its mission to the people is non-negotiable. Markets, money, and morality collide.

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Smashi Business Show (Mon-Friday): aug.us/3BTU2MY

In today's Smashi Business Show, we cover three major stories shaking the region. Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura refinery — processing 550,000 barrels a day — has been shut down after a drone strike, as Qatar simultaneously halts LNG production following Iranian attacks on key energy facilities. Brent crude is already surging past $79. Amazon Web Services confirms drone strikes have damaged data centres in the UAE and Bahrain, disrupting cloud services and forcing warehouse closures across the Gulf. And on a lighter note, the UAE dirham is set to get its own Unicode symbol — coming to keyboards worldwide this September. Stay informed with us.

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Smashi Business Show (Mon-Friday): aug.us/3BTU2MY

In today's episode of the Smashi Business Show, we break down three stories defining the Gulf crisis in real time. Telegram founder Pavel Durov calls Iranian missiles "free fireworks" and insists Dubai is safer than Europe — even as the UAE intercepts hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones. Gulf stock markets take a battering, with the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar shutting down entirely while Saudi Arabia and Egypt bleed in open trading. And Amazon Web Services confirms its Dubai data center was struck by mysterious "objects," triggering fires and a major cloud outage.

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Smashi Business Show (Mon-Friday): aug.us/3BTU2MY

HEADLINES:

• Gulf-Backed Paramount Emerges as Frontrunner in $111 Billion Warner Bros. Discovery Takeover

• Al Nassr Star Cristiano Ronaldo Enters Club Ownership With 25% Stake in Saudi-Owned Almeria

• DoorDash Exits Qatar and Three Other Markets in Global Profitability Push

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Three stories today, all pointing in the same direction. The UAE is too wealthy to stay on JPMorgan's emerging market list — a milestone that reflects decades of economic transformation. Abu Dhabi's G42 is pioneering an AI chip monitoring system so impressive that Washington is calling it a model for the world. And Saudi Arabia is channeling billions into data centers as the kingdom positions itself as the region's AI infrastructure capital. From bond indexes to Nvidia chips to megawatt data centers, the Gulf is playing at a completely different level.

Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dAkTDhJ6

WhatsApp: aug.us/40FdYLU

Instagram: aug.us/4ihltzQ

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Smashi Business Show (Mon-Friday): aug.us/3BTU2MY

HEADLINES:

• UpScrolled Hits 5 Million Users Amid Growth, Controversy and a Brief Google Play Ban

• Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has reported a record annual profit in 2025

• Former WWE head Vince McMahon is NOT trying a buyback with Saudi backing

Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModr

WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU

Instagram: https://aug.us/4ihltzQ

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Smashi Business Show (Mon-Friday): https://aug.us/3BTU2MY