In 2023, Caoimhe Robinson bought a 20,569-square-foot villa, still under construction, for about $2.1 million in an upscale section of Dubai, close to Zayed University. Even unfinished, the structure’s white walls, arched doorways and red roof call to mind an elegant Mediterranean retreat, one befitting an area that one real estate website describes as “a...
Climate change threatens Africa’s rhinos. Extreme heat, poaching, and habitat loss are pushing the animals closer to extinction. In the grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa, few animals are as instantly recognizable as the rhinoceros. But both black and white rhinos have been under intense pressure from poaching and habitat loss, which have pushed these species close...
MEPs in the European Parliament have drafted a motion for a resolution rejecting the European Commission’s proposal to remove the United Arab Emirates, Gibraltar and Panama from the list of high-risk third countries with strategic deficiencies in their Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regimes. As previously reported, the European Commission published a proposed...
Cockroach infestations are up by a third in Spain: Is climate change to blame? Rising temperatures across Spain are thought to be responsible for growing numbers of insecticide-resistant Germanic cockroaches. Climate change could be causing a concerning uptick in the number of cockroach infestations in Spain – as well as alterations to their genetic makeup....
Eswatini’s king professed to have a bold plan for a thriving economic zone. ICIJ uncovered two phantom gold refineries channeling millions of dollars to Dubai through it. Against a backdrop of rolling hills and sugar cane fields, a generous stretch of cleared land borders the small industrial town of Matsapha in central Eswatini, a tiny...
The international community should hold it accountable. In November of this year, COP29, the United Nations Climate Conference, will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. This marks the third year in a row that the event will be hosted by a government with significant fossil fuel reserves and a poor human rights record — notably for...
Since the outbreak of the civil war in Sudan, there have been allegations that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been providing support and weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. The RSF has been accused of perpetrating a multitude of atrocities and crimes against the Sudanese population during this ongoing conflict. The details...
As the clean energy transition takes off, the region’s biggest players are making sure they have a seat at the table. Oil may be the lifeblood of many Middle Eastern economies, but some of the region’s biggest players are now setting their sights on another booming energy sector: critical minerals. Minerals such as lithium, cobalt,...
Scientists just discovered an ‘astonishing’ way to create energy out of thin air: ‘The sky is quite literally the limit’. It’s a magical time for clean energy production. Methods like wind and solar power are leading the way, but they may soon have competition because — similar to a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat — scientists in Australia...
There are more than 16,000 sanctions imposed against Russia. Yet the Russian economy and war machine grew by 3.6 per cent in 2023 and is projected to grow another 2.6 per cent in 2024. Nearly six per cent of Russia’s gross domestic product goes towards military spending. At a time when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is...