Saudi Arabia planning 2.6 gigawatt solar project near Mecca
Middle Eastern oil giant Saudi Arabia is set to develop a mammoth 2.6 gigawatt (GW) solar park in the Makkah Region, providing enough energy for nearly 2 million homes.
Middle East
This archive covers progress stories and milestones from across the Middle East, spanning countries from Egypt and Jordan to the Gulf states and beyond. Readers will find reporting on health, education, environment, and civic life — moments where communities and institutions are moving in a positive direction.
Kuwait inaugurates Persian Gulf’s largest renewable energy project
The first phase of the Shagaya Renewable Energy Park has now been completed with 70 MW of new capacity. Government officials said the project to establish a 1,500-MW solar energy station will be the largest in the Persian Gulf.
First-of-its-kind study finds cannabis oil ‘significantly’ improves the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease
In a randomized, placebo-controlled study, researchers from Israel have shown that cannabis can produce clinical remission in up to 65% of individuals after 8 weeks of treatment.
Bids open for first utility-scale wind farm in Saudi Arabia
$500m Dumat Al Jandal wind project forms part of Saudi goal to have 10% renewable energy by 2023.
Iraq’s civilian death toll drops by nearly 80 percent
Iraq saw an 80% drop in civilian deaths in the first 5 months of 2018 compared to the same period last year, according to reports by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Iraq Body Count database.
Saudi Arabia issues driving licences to women for first time in decades
Saudi Arabia has issued driving licences to women for the first time in decades just weeks before a ban on female drivers is lifted.
Dubai has the world’s most ambitious plan to turn waste into energy
It is expected to process up to two million tons of solid waste every year this is about 60 percent of the waste produced in the city.
Syria signs Paris climate agreement
Syria’s decision brings to 197 the number of nations signed up to the landmark 2015 pact on global warming, the first in more than 20 years of UN negotiations to bind both developed and developing countries to a clear limit on temperature rises.
Saudi government says it will allow women to drive
Women in Saudi Arabia will be permitted to drive in the kingdom, according to a royal decree issued in Riyadh on Tuesday that overturned one of the most widely criticized restrictions on human rights.
Saudis kick off $50 billion renewable energy plan to cut oil use
Bidders seeking to qualify to build 700 megawatts of wind and solar power plants should submit documents by March 20, and those selected will be announced by April 10, Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry said Monday in an e-mailed statement.