5 days ago
Argentina Threatens UK With Court Action Over Falklands Oil Drilling
Authored by Charles Kennedy via OilPrice.com, Argentina will sue the UK unless it suspends an oil drilling project off the coast of the Falkland Islands, the BBC has reported, citing an X post by Argentine president Javier Milei. “I instructed the Foreign Ministry and our legal teams to initiate international arbitration against the United Kingdom for the illegal plundering of our resources through the Sea Lion Project in the North Malvinas Basin,” the Argentine president wrote on the social media platform. “If in 2 weeks the United Kingdom does not halt the illegitimate exploitation, we will go to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. THE MALVINAS ARE ARGENTINE, and they are defended with facts, not words,” Milei also wrote. The Sea Lion oil field is operated by Navitas Petroleum Development and Production Ltd (NPDP), a UK-based fully owned subsidiary of Israeli Navitas Petroleum, and its British partner Rockhopper Exploration. The companies earlier this year reached a final investment decision on the Sea Lion Northern Development. This means that all the necessary approvals and funding for full-scale project execution have been secured. First oil is planned for March 2028, Navitas Petroleum says. Oil production is expected to last […]
4 weeks ago
US-Saudi Nuclear Deal Clears Vienna Hurdle As Congress Review Continues
Authored by Michael Kern via OilPrice.com, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi says Saudi Arabia won’t sign the Additional Protocol but will accept oversight powers over enrichment, conversion and reprocessing that closely mirror it. The underlying US-Saudi 123 agreement, signed July 22, opens a path to domestic uranium enrichment after a two-year study, a break from the UAE’s enrichment-free ‘gold standard.’ Congress is 90 days into reviewing the deal, with Democrats and nonproliferation groups pushing back and two side letters still classified. A planned nuclear cooperation deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia won’t include the toughest inspection regime the U.N.’s atomic watchdog has to offer, but it’s going to come close on the activities that matter most. That’s the picture International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi laid out Monday in Vienna, speaking to reporters during the agency’s September Board of Governors meeting. Riyadh isn’t signing the IAEA’s Additional Protocol, the tool that lets inspectors show up unannounced at sites a country hasn’t even declared. But Grossi said Saudi Arabia is preparing to grant the agency verification and monitoring authority over its most sensitive nuclear activities, uranium enrichment, the conversion step that precedes it, and reprocessing, that functions almost the […]
4 weeks ago
Earthquake recorded in the Arabian Sea
An earthquake was recorded in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, said the Earthquake Monitoring Centre (EMC) at Sultan Qaboos University. A statement issued online by the EMC said: “An earthquake in the Arabian Sea with a magnitude of 2.1, at 11.53 pm MCT and at a depth of 7 km has been recorded. The earthquake was recorded 135 km away from Salalah.”
1 month ago
Bahrain Takes Top Spot for Black Carbon Cuts
Bahrain has taken joint first place worldwide for cutting black carbon emissions, scoring a perfect 100 in one of the key measures used by the 2026 Environmental Performance Index. The kingdom shared the top spot with Kuwait in the measure tracking the fall in black carbon emissions, while also ranking among three Gulf states at the head of the table for curbing bottom trawling in national waters. The findings put Bahrain among the strongest Gulf performers in two areas with direct effects on air quality, the climate and marine life. Its gains have also built over time. Bahrain’s overall Environmental Performance Index score rose by 2.26 points between 2016 and 2026, according to the latest weekly bulletin from the GCC Statistical Centre. The six GCC states as a whole scored above the world average. Their mean score stood at 42.12 points, against 39.57 worldwide. Bahrain’s perfect black carbon score tracks the drop in soot-like particles produced by the incomplete burning of fuels. Such emissions harm air quality and warm the atmosphere. At sea, Bahrain was one of three Gulf countries ranked first worldwide for limiting bottom trawling within national waters. The fishing method drags nets across the seabed and can […]
1 month ago
China Halts Tibet Rescue As Mudslide-Formed Dangerous Lake Poses High Flood Risk
China has temporarily suspended rescue operations at the epicentre of the tragic disaster in Tibet after officials warned of a significant risk of flooding from a newly formed barrier lake near the China-Nepal border, according to state media. The lake formed when a major mudslide and debris flow struck the Gyirong district of Tibet on Wednesday, obstructing river routes and trapping large amounts of water. Authorities said the lake already had approximately 2 million cubic meters of water, with another 3 million cubic meters expected to flow into it over the next three days as rainfall continues. Water levels are projected to peak around September 1, raising concerns that the natural barrier would collapse, resulting in a massive flood of water downstream. China’s Ministry of Water Resources expanded monitoring and emergency procedures surrounding the lake, such as forecasts and risk assessments, due to concerns that a breach could bring further flooding in Gyirong Port and other downstream communities. Rescue teams have had to reconsider efforts because accessing the disaster zone could expose them to another flash flood or landslip. The current threat follows disastrous flooding and landslides that devastated towns along the Tibet-Nepal border. Chinese authorities have reported three deaths […]
2 months ago
Oman Says Tanker Salvage, Oil Spill Clean-Up Hampered By Weather And Technical Challenges
Salvage and oil spill clean-up efforts off Oman’s coast are being hampered by rough weather, monsoon conditions and the shallow, rocky seabed, authorities said. Oman is working with risk-management company Ambrey to contain the spill from the Caroline Bezengi, which ran aground on June 30 near a protected marine reserve. The tanker was carrying an estimated 800,000 barrels of Russian crude. The spill has reached Oman’s coastline and spread around the reserve, which is home to humpback whales and Socotra cormorants. Oman’s Environment Authority estimated the affected area at 400 sq km on August 10, while other estimates have reached 2,000 sq km.
2 months ago
Asir Police Arrest A Man For Hunting Endangered Ibex
ABHA — Asir police, in cooperation with the Asir Environmental Security Special Forces, arrested Hussein Dhafer Hussein Al-Qahtani for hunting an endangered wild animal, the ibex. The security authorities seized a pistol, 20 rounds of various types of ammunition, and four trapped wild animals from his possession. The man was referred to the competent authorities after completing the necessary legal procedures. The Public Security emphasized the importance of complying with the Environmental Law and its executive regulations, which prohibit the hunting of wild animals. It noted that hunting an ibex carries a fine of SR60,000, while hunting without a license is subject to a SR10,000 fine, and hunting in prohibited areas carries a SR5,000 fine. Public Security urged the public to report any cases of environmental or wildlife violations by calling 911 in the regions of Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province, and 999 or 996 in other regions of the Kingdom. All reports will be treated with complete confidentiality, with no liability for the whistleblower.
2 months ago
Saudi Arabia Achieves 69% Reduction In Ozone-Depleting Substances, Bolstering Global Environmental Action
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has increased the disposal rate of ozone-depleting substances to 69 percent during the first half of 2026, reinforcing its commitment to implementing the Montreal Protocol and the gradual phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), according to data from the National Center for Environmental Compliance. The center announced that more than 8,000 metric tons of ozone-depleting substances and HFCs have been cleared since the beginning of this year as part of the project to gradually phase out ozone-depleting substances. This ensures that their import and circulation are regulated in accordance with environmental requirements and international commitments. Spokesperson of the National Center for Environmental Compliance Saad Al-Matrafi said the progress coincided with strengthened regulatory oversight of ozone-depleting substances through the environmental clearance system, which regulates their import and circulation. He noted that since 2023, the center has issued more than 3,200 clearance permits for substances subject to the provisions of the Montreal Protocol, enhancing environmental compliance and ensuring adherence to the prescribed quotas and quantities. Al-Matrafi indicated that electronic integration between the National Center for Environmental Compliance and the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority has helped expedite shipment clearance procedures and improve the efficiency of services provided to beneficiaries while […]
2 months ago
Oman Records 332 Perseid Meteors In A Single Night
MUSCAT: Oman’s skies witnessed and documented 332 meteors from the annual Perseid meteor shower during its peak night, under favorable astronomical conditions coinciding with the new moon, which provided dark skies free from moonlight and enabled the observation of meteors over several hours. Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Oman Astronomical Society, said the observation was conducted at a suitable location away from sources of light pollution, with the participation of seven people. The observation began before the official documentation period, during which more than 35 meteors were recorded. Systematic documentation was then carried out from midnight until 4 a.m., during which 297 meteors were recorded. The observations showed a gradual increase in meteor activity throughout the night. A total of 42 meteors were recorded between midnight and 1 a.m., rising to 62 between 1 and 2 a.m., and to 85 between 2 and 3 a.m. Activity peaked between 3 and 4 a.m., when 108 meteors were recorded. Al Mahrouqi said the pattern was consistent with the favorable observing conditions after midnight and before dawn, when the Perseid radiant rises higher in the sky. In a statement to the Oman News Agency […]
2 months ago
India To Climate Cartel: Count Us Out
Sometimes a story gets buried not because editors conspire against it, but because the news cycle has room for only one crisis at a time. This year the big news has been the Iran war. But even accounting for competing headlines, the silence around a genuinely consequential development is telling. And that is the story of India’s explicit rejection of the global net zero movement. India has walked away from its bid to host the COP33 UN climate conference, and the world’s climate press has treated it as a footnote rather than the signal it is. India had spent years projecting a rising voice in the development of climate policy, and hosting a COP33 is the closest thing the bureaucracy has to a coronation. Then, quietly, without public explanation, India withdrew its offer. No press conference. No elaboration. Just a government stepping back from a role for which it auditioned for years. The truth is India has run the numbers on the cost of a net-zero energy transition for a population of 1.4 billion climbing out of poverty, and it does not like what it sees. The notion that India should shackle its economy by adhering to restrictive climate policies, while its […]
