MUST-READS

• Saudi Arabia unveils new F1 circuit with 20-storey-high first corner

  Saudi Arabia has formally announced its new Qiddiya racing circuit, which features a 20-storey-high opening corner and is due to host the country’s Formula 1 grand prix.

• Saudi PIF, Bahrain’s Mumtalakat to boost cooperation, investment

  The sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost cooperation and investment in strategic sectors, Saudi state TV reported. Saudi Arabia's PIF said the MoU will enhance its investment opportunities in Bahrain and will provide others for the private sector in the two countries, Tuesday's TV report added.

• Iran’s Switch to Highly Sought Civil Nuclear Fuel Seen as a Ploy

  Iran’s decision to reduce its stockpile of near bomb-grade uranium in favor of producing a specialized fuel for advanced civil nuclear reactors may be a negotiating tactic, according to western officials. Under most circumstances, a move by Tehran to scale back its inventory of highly-enriched uranium would be welcomed by diplomats at the International Atomic Energy Agency, who gather for their quarterly meeting on March 4 in Vienna. But escalating tensions in the Middle East — including military clashes between US and Iranian proxy groups — has raised suspicions about what’s really happening in the Islamic Republic.

• Saudi Arabian private capital increasingly focused on domestic growth in 2024 and beyond

  The report finds two key themes are driving the future of Saudi Arabia’s position in the private capital landscape: The first theme is Saudi Arabia’s government, investors, and corporates are fostering partnerships with fund managers to bring further knowledge, infrastructure development, and co-investment to the country. From fund managers’ perspectives, Saudi Arabia is now more than just a location for raising investor capital. The second theme is Saudi Arabian appetite for domestic investment through private markets, which continues to swell as home-grown entrepreneurialism, and so investment opportunities, burgeon.

• How the EV Transition Is Reshaping the Global Auto Industry

  The biggest transformation of the auto industry in a century is underway, as governments offer massive subsidies to speed up the shift to electric vehicles. In the past year, several surprises have emerged. One is the size of the lead Chinese automakers have opened, and just how difficult it will be for the rest of the field to compete with the lower cost and advanced technology of made-in-China cars. Another is the extent of the country’s dominance of the EV supply chain. And just as automakers have begun scrambling to catch up, the growth in demand for EVs has slowed globally. This combination could mean big losses for Western automakers and endanger ambitious goals for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that come from road transportation.

• Hydrogen Wildcatters Still Need to Find Their First Gusher

  Right now, the absence of a gas gusher is the main factor holding back geological hydrogen, a promising fuel that few had given any thought to 12 months ago. For decades, chemists and engineers have argued the simplest molecule, with the formula H2, might supplant the role of oil and gas in providing the heat, energy, and chemical feedstocks on which modern society depends. Only recently have geologists realized the earth’s crust might hold vast quantities of the stuff.

• Becoming “Neutral”: Addressing the Increasing Stakes of Qatar’s Hamas Mediation

  In Israel’s war in Gaza, Qatar has played an integral role as a mediator, leveraging its long-term contacts with Hamas. Playing a role procuring hostages from a warzone and trying to broker a cease-fire might seem like unalloyed positives. Yet, beyond its catastrophic humanitarian consequences, the Gaza conflict is proving to be poisonous in exacerbating ideological tensions within the Arab world and well beyond, deeply dividing people into diametrically opposed camps, or at least reinforcing existing political and ideological divisions.

• VP Harris urges ‘immediate ceasefire,’ says Gaza ‘humanitarian catastrophe’

  In the toughest remarks by the U.S. administration to date on Israeli restrictions that have contributed to a famine in Gaza, Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday said there must be an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks, called the humanitarian situation in Gaza a “catastrophe,” and said there should be no more excuses from Israel for unnecessary restrictions on humanitarian aid.

• Americans’ Views of Both Israel, Palestinian Authority Down

  Americans’ opinions of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have worsened in the past year amid escalating tensions between the two sides since last fall. Fifty-eight percent of Americans, down from 68% last year, have a “very” or “mostly favorable” view of Israel. This is the lowest favorable rating for Israel in over two decades. At the same time, positive opinions of the Palestinian Authority have dropped from 26% to 18%, the lowest since 2015.

• Scientists reveal secrets of Earth’s magnificent desert star dunes

  They are among the wonders of our deserts: star dunes, the vaguely pyramid-shaped sand formations up to about 1,000 feet (300 meters) tall with arms stretching out from a central peak to give them a star-like appearance when viewed from above. Scientists on Monday unveiled the first in-depth study of a star dune, revealing the internal structure of these geological features and showing how long it took for one of them to form - more quickly than expected but still a process unfolding over many centuries.

• 10 of 60071 results<< 1 … 356 357 358 … 6,008 >>