Shopie Georgiou

     O n Thursday   Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi and his Jordanian counterpart laid the cornerstone for an electricity grid interconnection project aimed at tackling Iraq's chronic power shortage. The project is part of a larger plan to establish a pan-Arab power market by connecting the Gulf Co-operation Council, comprising Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, with Egypt, Jordan and Iraq. Mr Al Kadhimi said the project on the Iraq-Jordan border in western Anbar province was a reflection of "the policy of openness and co-operation" adopted by his government, according to a statement released by the prime minister's office. Mr Al Kadhimi and Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh also discussed "ways to develop bilateral relations and regional co-operation", it added.

    On Wednesday    Kuwait 's Emiri Diwan issued an Emiri order appointing Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as Prime Minister and assigning him to nominate members of the new ministry. The Emiri order said that "The Prime Minister should implement this order and submit it to the National Assembly.  

  Official visit aims to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries, the official Jordanian state news agency said. The king and Sultan Haitham will discuss "established brotherly relations" and regional developments , according to the report. Queen Rania is accompanying the king on the two-day visit. The royal couple were met at the at a private airport in Muscat by Sultan Haitham, both nations' state news agencies confirmed. Jordan and Oman are close US allies, and both have military pacts with Washington. Oman also has friendly ties with Tehran. Jordan, despite its reservations about the expansion of Iranian proxies in Syria, steers away from directly criticising Iran Over the past decade, security ties between Jordan and Oman have strengthened, with King Abdullah praising the Sultanate for mediating disputes in the region. Jordan has military advisers in Oman, while Omani troops have participated in US supervised military drills in the kingdom.

    The Middle East economies are stepping up their efforts to become major players in the global technology scene, with several initiatives rolled out in the direction. Localising the manufacture of  high-technology products   presents a $125 billion economic opportunity for countries in the region, a new study from Strategy& Middle East found. Three major product areas — advanced materials, advanced components and advanced products — are expected to drive investments and economic growth and diversification, said Strategy&, which is part of global consultancy PwC. Three products, in particular — semiconductors, sensors and robots for industrial or general-purpose use, could provide an estimated $25bn in revenue by 2025, it added.

    Rainfall in Lebanon decreased in recent years, straining even the most water-rich country in the Middle East as it deals with an unprecedented economic crisis The combination of climate change and economic freefall now threatens to. As rain declines and temperatures warm, farmers adapt, growing less water-demanding produce like tomatoes, cucumber, and drought-resistant tobacco.  f there isn’t rain, you use whatever you have left stored and work with a deficit,” Sabra explained. “You can’t even afford to farm anymore.” 

    27 EU member states agreed to several proposals previously made by the European Commission, such as a voluntary overall 10 per cent reduction target for electricity consumption in addition to a mandatory cut of 5 per cent of power consumption during peak hours. “This won’t be an easy winter for us and next winter will be even more difficult,” said the European Commission’ s Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson during a press conference. Renewable energy producers will see their revenue capped at €180 per megawatt hour due to their unexpectedly high revenue in the past months. The EU’s system of pricing allows for all electricity producers to be paid the same price for the power they are selling despite differences in running costs. The commission hopes to raise €117 billion with this levy.

    Economists agree that the Abraham Accords will lead to a substantial increase in trade between Israel and the  UAE “Some of the MOUs [memorandum of understanding, or outline agreements] signed [between the two countries] include those in agriculture, clean energy, cybersecurity and smart cities,” says Ms Sharma. “A free trade agreement was also signed between the two countries in early 2022 that has led to the removal of tariffs on 96% of goods traded between the nations.” Israel is already said to have broken records in arms sales following the Abraham Accords. According to the Israeli Ministry of Defence, arms sales in 2021 peaked at $11.3bn, with 7% of those going to the UAE and Bahrain.