KHOBAR / AFP Sadara Chemical, a $20 billion petrochemical joint venture between national oil giant Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical, has signed a 20-year agreement with Saudi Rufayah Chemicals Co (RCC), Sadara said on Sunday. Under the deal, RCC, a Saudi downstream firm will use the aromatics concentrate (Pygas) and Pyoil supplied by Sadara for its new chemical complex …

  Washington / AFP Republicans rejected reports of a secret CIA assessment finding that Russia sought to tip the US presidential election in Donald Trump’s favor, as a Democratic Senate leader called for an investigation. “The intelligence is wrong,” Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer told CNN. “It didn’t happen.” He was referring to a New York Times report saying …

  Tokyo / AFP Russia has turned down Tokyo’s latest attempt at dog diplomacy ahead of a summit between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe later this month, an aide said, as the two leaders look to end a decades-old territorial row. Japan had planned to give the Russian president—who is known for being a canine lover—a male Akita …