Turkey launches $11bn energy efficiency plan
Turkey aims for clean energy projects to amount to 30 percent of its total installed capacity by 2023.
Middle East
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.
Qatar introduces minimum wage for first time
Qatar has committed to a range of labour law reforms, including the introduction of a minimum wage.
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.
Qatar’s largest solar project to begin construction in 2017
A joint venture between Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) and Qatar Petroleum will begin construction on a 200 megawatt (MW) solar project this year.
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.
Shari Arison launches first ‘Good Deeds Day’
Launched 15 years ago in Israel as a small local event, the project has since expanded to include participants in 108 countries unifying for a day of good.
Oman outlaws slavery
After deposing his father in 1970, Sultan Qaboos opened up the country, embarked on economic reforms, and followed a policy of modernization marked by increased spending on health, education and welfare. Slavery, once a cornerstone of the country’s trade and development, was outlawed in 1970.
Iranian women win the right to vote
Iranian women did not obtain this right easily, either. They earned voting rights in 1963, on the heels of 56 years of protest and persistence.
The Iraqi Republic is established
The Iraqi Republic colloquially known as the First Iraqi Republic was a state forged in 1958 under the rule of President Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba’i and Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim.