SUSTG.com / Research

Discover stories, topics, and more about Saudi Arebia faster.

Recent stories from sustg

MUST-READS

  • Will US-Iran prisoner exchange jumpstart diplomacy at UNGA?

    While the exchange of prisoners — five will be freed by each side, as Elizabeth Hagedorn reported — seems straightforward, as far as these types of exchanges go, the Biden administration is being pilloried by Republican critics for the release of $6 billion owed to Iran from South Korean banks, as Adam Lucente reports. Those funds were frozen under US sanctions in 2018, when the Trump administration withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). They have now been transferred to a restricted account overseen by Qatar.

  • Middle East extremely vulnerable to climate change: Video

    The Middle East is one of the world's most affected and most exposed regions to climate change. CNN's Becky Anderson has more from Abu Dhabi.

  • Saudi, Iran exchange ambassadors after years-long rupture

    Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Iran arrived Tuesday in the Islamic Republic, and his counterpart landed in Riyadh, cementing a restoration of ties between the Gulf rivals after a seven-year rupture in ties. Shiite-dominated Iran and Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their respective embassies following a China-brokered deal announced in March. Riyadh and Tehran severed ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were attacked during protests over Riyadh's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

  • Saudi, Iran exchange ambassadors after years-long rupture

    Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Iran arrived Tuesday in the Islamic Republic, and his counterpart landed in Riyadh, cementing a restoration of ties between the Gulf rivals after a seven-year rupture in ties. Shiite-dominated Iran and Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their respective embassies following a China-brokered deal announced in March. Riyadh and Tehran severed ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were attacked during protests over Riyadh's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

  • Saudi Arabia: UN experts challenge oil giant Aramco over risks to climate change goals

    According to the letter, the experts are concerned over the company's expansion of fossil fuel production, which they say could threaten human rights if continued. The letter was sent to the company's chief executive, Amin Nasser, on 26 August, and says that Aramco's activities have negative consequences on the rights to a healthy environment. Aramco has previously said it aims to achieve zero net emissions from its operations by 2050. However, the experts say that the organisation's activities could be undermining the 2015 Paris Agreement, which set a target of limiting the world to a temperature increase of 1.5C.

  • Gulf Countries Explore Water Solutions to Mitigate Impacts of Climate Change

    Around 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and 40% of the world’s population is affected by water scarcity, the United Nations reported at the conclusion of its 2023 Water Conference in March. Due to rising demand, pressure on freshwater supplies is projected to increase by more than 40% by 2050, the U.N. stated. Moreover, only 0.5% of the water on Earth is usable for human consumption, and climate change threatens this scarce supply.

  • How climate change will affect Middle East heatwaves and crops

    Rainfall will decrease markedly in the Middle East by 2040, sparking worsening food security, Oxfam warned on Wednesday, as it published a report warning of the humanitarian cost of increased water scarcity. The report, Water Dilemmas, describes how a water security crisis, in large part driven by global heating from greenhouse gas emissions, will fuel hunger and disease and force more people to leave their homes.

  • Saudi Arabia set to announce major change in labour law: Report

    Among the infringements, employers could be fined for employing foreign workers without a permit, on-site accidents, hiring minors, insufficient childcare support, withholding passports and failure to pay wages.

  • Qatar to host Iran-US prisoner exchange, foot bill for asset conversion

    After more than a year of indirect talks, Iran and the United States have agreed on a new prisoner swap. The deal entails Iran’s release of five Iranian-Americans held on security-related charges in exchange for the freeing of four Iranians detained by the US. Washington has also committed to allowing approximately 6B USD worth of Iranian assets held in South Korean banks to be made accessible to Tehran.

  • Biden’s New ‘DAC’ Hubs Could Drive Climate Change-Fighting Innovation

    The Biden administration awarded $1.2 billion in support of companies looking to pull carbon from the ambient air on Friday. It did so endorsing a specific strategy: that grouping like-minded companies and researchers in hubs is the most effective way to scale the nascent technology.