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النسخة العربية
  • Politics
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  • Business & Economy
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  • Tag
  • mineral wealth

Al Majalla

The six noble gases countries are fighting over

Odourless, colourless gases such as helium, neon, radon, argon, krypton, and xenon power key industries. They are rare, difficult to extract, and hugely valuable, yet largely under the radar.

Abdulfattah Khattab 07 December 2025
US President Donald Trump (L) and Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (R) hold up signed documents on a trade deal during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on 26 October 2025. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP

Will Trump’s critical minerals blitz pay off?

The US president has been on a mission to secure new supply chains—and counter China's grip

Christina Lu 11 November 2025
Shutterstock

Thorium: Egypt’s mineral treasure lying in its black sands

A metal that can be converted into a fissile material for nuclear power is plentiful in the Arab world's most populous country. If science can harness its potential, Egypt has a valuable asset.

Marcelle Nasr 09 September 2025
A worker mining lead sulphide in the border area between Morocco and Algeria. Alamy

Algeria’s mineral wealth gives it a new edge

The country has passed a new minerals law seen by its backers as a catalyst for investment. But critics say it surrenders sovereignty. Which way will the pendulum swing?

Rabia Abdul Salam 04 September 2025
Eduardo Ramon

The rare earths powering industries and fuelling conflicts

From Africa to the Arctic, certain metals and minerals are so highly sought after for today's strategic industries that countries will go to war over them. What are they? Al Majalla digs deeper.

Abdulfattah Khattab 18 August 2025
Al Majalla

China's rare earths edge puts US industry on the back foot

America’s economy heavily depends on imported minerals vital for technology, energy, and defence. In 2024, the US was 100% import-reliant for 12 of the 50 “critical” minerals identified by the US…

Al Majalla - London 12 August 2025
A factory in Egypt Getty

Egypt’s phosphates: a strategic resource being given a boost

The country has the world's second-largest reserves but is only the eighth-largest producer. It hopes to boost production to meet global demand.

Marcelle Nasr 27 March 2025
A miner at work in Al Amar gold mine, southwest of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Credit: Reuters.

Saudi Arabia’s Hidden Wealth for Post-Oil Era

For a long period of time, Saudi Arabia’s wealth has come mainly from oil production in the eastern part of the Kingdom. With proven reserves of oil estimated at 267 billion barrels, Saudi Arabia can…

Motasem Al Felou 25 September 2021
  • Popular
  • Editor's Pick
A man walks past a mural depicting the Venezuelan national flag and reading "Long live the motherland!" in Caracas on 4 January 2026, a day after Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro was abducted by the US. Juan BARRETO / AFP
Politics

After Maduro: what next for Venezuela?

04 January 2026

The US could be secretly negotiating with elements in the government to take charge. The alternative is state and popular resistance, which sets the stage for more military action and insurgency.

Tarek Rashed
Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodríguez speaks during a press conference in Caracas on 8 September 2025. Federico PARRA / AFP
Profiles

Delcy Rodríguez and Venezuela’s politics of survival

05 January 2026

Venezuela's vice president is known for having a diplomatic style that is confrontational in tone but cautious in substance, and pursuing a strategy that marries public defiance with quiet pragmatism

Stefanie Butendieck Hijerra
Richard N. Haass, Senior Counsellor, Centerview Partners, speaks onstage during the Reindustrialise Conference 2025 on 17 July 2025, in Detroit, Michigan. TASOS KATOPODIS / AFP
Politics

Richard Haass on America’s changing global role

31 December 2025

In an interview with Al Majalla, the senior US diplomat says that while the US may no longer play the role of world policeman, it is not isolationist either

Ibrahim Hamidi
Politics

2025 highlights and what to look out for in 2026

30 December 2025

Al Majalla reflects on this year and the first quarter of the 21st century, highlighting standout achievements, events and trends

Al Majalla - London
An aerial view shows pigeons flying over the Marjeh square in Syria's capital Damascus on 12 December 2024. OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP
Culture & Social Affairs

The history of Damascus pulses through Marjeh Square

30 December 2025

If anywhere encapsulates the Syrian capital in recent decades, it is this enigmatic and iconic public space, which has seen more than its fair share of changes

Khalil Sweileh

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OPINIONS

“Shopping Lists”: from Greenland to Yemen

Houssam Itani
Houssam Itani

Maduro gets reverse-ICEd

Fares Garabet
Fares Garabet

Donald Trump is channelling George W. Bush

Christian Caryl
Christian Caryl

5 unanswered questions about Trump’s Venezuela plan

Ravi Agrawal
Ravi Agrawal
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