Prashant Rao

Gulf construction contract awards slumped to their lowest level in more than three years, the latest sign that low oil prices and a spending review in Saudi Arabia are affecting the sector. by @MattMartin128 semafor.com/article/07/21/…

🟡 SCOOP: Saudi Arabia’s NEOM is considering significantly cutting its workforce and relocating more than 1,000 employees to Riyadh as the kingdom tries to control costs and improve oversight. semafor.com/article/07/18/…

Huge @semafor hire in Riyadh: @MattMartin128, who has been breaking huge news on one of the world's biggest stories for years

🌍For exclusive reporting and actionable insight from the region, sign up for Semafor Gulf today. semafor.com/newsletters/gu…

🟡We're excited to announce that @MattMartin128 is joining @semafor as Saudi Arabia Bureau Chief and Global Head of Sovereign Wealth Fund Coverage. He is one of the definitive reporters on the region and his hiring represents a major step forward for Semafor's Gulf coverage.

Delighted to have @prashantrao @semafor as an expert judge of the #RoryPeckAwards 2025. Just 9 days to enter your work or nominate a freelance journalist you have worked with or admire rorypecktrust.org/awards/

South Africa’s pay-as-you-go presidency: Ramaphosa’s calculated flex semafor.com/article/06/30/…

🟡 NEW: Climate negotiators meeting at this year’s COP30 in Brazil must “rethink many things” as a result of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the summit’s president tells @prashantrao in an interview. André Corrêa do Lago, a veteran diplomat and economist, said “the…

Tortured activists Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire sue Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda governments semafor.com/article/06/18/…

💥 EXC: For my first edition of the New Statesman as editor, I went on the road with Keir Starmer, discovering a man far more emotional than I expected, struggling to articulate his deepest emotions — and those of the country he leads👇 newstatesman.com/politics/2025/…

New from @prashantrao: US nonprofits, including by @pressfreedom, are quietly seeking legal status in the UK to protect themselves from Trump

US nonprofits seek shelter in the UK, @prashantrao reports semafor.com/article/06/11/…

CPJ is far from alone: UK law firms have reported a surge in US-based nonprofits inquiring about creating legal entities in Britain, either to begin shifting their operations and funds abroad or as a precautionary step. semafor.com/article/06/11/…

🟡 SCOOP: The Committee to Protect Journalists has directed a British law firm to set up a legal entity in the UK, in part as a precautionary measure against potential Trump administration targeting of American nonprofits, @prashantrao reports. semafor.com/article/06/11/…

🟡 SCOOP by me for @semafor @pressfreedom has directed a British law firm to set up a legal entity in the UK, in part as a precautionary measure against potential Trump administration executive orders targeting American nonprofits. semafor.com/article/06/11/…

💬 How do you make climate action funny? “If you can make a joke about climate and not cry, you’re on the right track,” @davidcrosss, co-star of the latest episode of Climate Science Translated, says in One Good Text with @timmcdonnell. Read more in Semafor Net Zero ↓

Smart and fun @jimwaterson piece for @semafor looking at the parallels between Musk-Trump and Cummings-Johnson semafor.com/article/06/06/…

The great @jimwaterson on what Washington can learn from the great Boris-Cummings meltdown semafor.com/article/06/06/…

Some professional news: After an incredible run at Semafor, I'm moving on to cover Congress at The Washington Post. washingtonpost.com/pr/2025/06/02/…