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In a significant step for Oman’s research sector, Eng Najat al Fadhili of the Industrial Innovation Academy has contributed to an international peer-reviewed study examining the effects of environmental changes on ancient marine organisms.
The study, published on the European Geosciences Union (EGU) platform, was conducted in collaboration with Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Utrecht University, and Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.
Researchers analysed marine species dating back more than 60 million years to understand their response to climate shifts over geological time. Fieldwork was carried out at the Saiwan geological site in Al Wusta, internationally recognised for its scientific importance.
The project aligns with national efforts to strengthen the research ecosystem and support the objectives of Oman Vision 2040, particularly in innovation and sustainability.
According to the Industrial Innovation Academy, the study contributes critical insights into the long-term impact of climate change on marine ecosystems. It also demonstrates Oman’s capacity to support advanced research through local expertise in geosciences and climate science.
Such initiatives are seen as strategic to enhancing scientific output, informing sustainable resource management, and reinforcing Oman’s role as a regional player in environmental research.
This year’s commemoration is especially significant, coming just a week after a UNSC resolution placed Morocco’s autonomy plan at the heart of efforts to resolve the Sahara dispute.
The Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Green March with a new exhibition titled “50 Years of the Green March: A Memory in Motion.”
The exhibition pays homage to one of Morocco’s most defining moments and invites visitors to reflect on the enduring values of peace, unity, and loyalty that continue to shape the nation’s identity five decades after the historic march.
Opened this week, the exhibition combines historical documentation with contemporary artistic interpretation. The exhibition includes an evocative collection of photographs that aims to reaffirm the strength of visual memory and its role in preserving national heritage. This is a key element in Morocco’s ongoing narrative of sovereignty and unity.
A tribute to a defining moment
Organized by the National Foundation of Museums (FNM), the exhibition brings together works by renowned Moroccan photographer Daoud Oulad-Syad and a selection from the Rencontres de la Photographie de Marrakech (RPM). Together, they offer a visual journey that captures both the emotion and symbolism of the Green March, which represents a cornerstone of Morocco’s modern history.
Nadia Sabri, Director of the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, emphasized the exhibition’s importance as a bridge between generations.
“What we can really emphasize is that this exhibition provides both visual and historical archives for the public,” she told Morocco World News.
“It caters to a wide audience, including younger visitors as well as older ones who may have experienced this historic event but do not necessarily remember its key moments, particularly during the march,” Sabri added.
She noted that the exhibition spotlights major figures in the Moroccan photography scene, like Daoud Oulad-Syad, with a photographic series dedicated to the Sahara and the beauty of the desert.
Through Oulad-Syad’s lens, the exhibition moves beyond mere documentation to celebrate the spirit of a nation united under a shared cause. His photographic series dedicated to the Sahara, showcased in the museum’s second gallery, highlights the region’s natural beauty and its deep cultural and emotional connection to the Moroccan people.
The Green March, which took place on November 6, 1975, was a peaceful mass demonstration that changed the course of Moroccan history. Called for by the late King Hassan II, it saw over 350,000 unarmed volunteers, men and women, from all regions of Morocco march southward to reclaim the territory of Western Sahara, then under Spanish occupation.
Carrying Qurans and Moroccan flags instead of weapons, the marchers symbolized Morocco’s unity and commitment to recovering its southern provinces through peaceful means. The event came shortly after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion affirming that Western Sahara was not “terra nullius” (empty land or unclaimed territory) before colonization and that it had historical and legal ties to Morocco.
The enduring significance of the Green March for Morocco
This year’s commemoration carries added significance, as it comes just a week after the United Nations Security Council adopted a new resolution embracing Morocco’s autonomy plan as the most “serious and credible” framework for achieving a lasting and realistic political solution to the regional dispute over the Sahara.
The resolution is widely seen as a diplomatic success for Morocco, as it reinforces international support for its initiative and paves the way for renewed efforts toward a peaceful settlement.
Mehdi Qotbi, artist and President of the National Foundation of Museums, highlighted this connection in his remarks to MWN at the exhibition.
“We are very happy to be celebrating this anniversary today, here at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art … is not only an occasion to mark the anniversary itself, but also to celebrate the diplomatic success achieved thanks to the foresight of His Majesty King Mohammed VI,” Qotbi said.
For him, this success “paves the way for a definitive resolution of the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara and for a better future for the entire region.” The Moroccan artist added that the Foundation and the Museum are proud to take part in this “popular enthusiasm for this cause, for this victory at the United Nations.”
Beyond commemoration, the “Memory in Motion” exhibition aims to spark dialogue about the meaning of the Green March in contemporary Morocco. For many visitors, especially younger ones, the exhibition is an opportunity to connect with a pivotal chapter in Morocco’s collective memory.
The exhibition includes an evocative collection of photographs that aims to reaffirm the strength of visual memory and its role in preserving national heritage
The United Arab Emirates University announced that it has obtained a new patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office in the field of environmental science and renewable energy, which is the invention of a carbon nitride graphite compound supported by date syrup.
This patent represents an important step in the development of photocatalytic technologies for converting water into hydrogen using light, which represents a significant advance in sustainable energy technology.
The innovative compound, developed by a team of researchers at the United Arab Emirates University, including PhD student Malath Sulaiman, under the supervision of Dr. Mohammed Taher, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, uses date syrup as an aid to accelerate the photocatalytic process. The compound is manufactured by mixing carbon nitride graphite with date syrup at high temperatures, which improves the efficiency of converting water into hydrogen.
Dr. Mohammed Taher, the project’s principal investigator, explained: “We are proud of this invention, which reflects the United Arab Emirates University’s commitment to innovation in the field of renewable energy. By combining date syrup with carbon nitride graphite, we were able to develop an effective material that can greatly enhance the photocatalytic process, helping to address the challenges of climate change and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.”
This discovery is the result of ongoing efforts by researchers at the United Arab Emirates University, who are working on developing innovative solutions to environmental and energy challenges. Initial studies have confirmed that the new compound is capable of generating hydrogen with high efficiency, opening up new and wide-ranging applications in the field of clean energy and green hydrogen production, and represents a promising step towards enhancing the UAE’s position in the renewable energy sector globally.
Experts at Frankfurt Book Fair bring to light evidence that writing never faded after Abbasid period.
Arabic literature is still partly shaped by a story written in Europe more than a century ago.
It begins in the eighth century, when Baghdad under the Abbasid caliphs became a centre of science, philosophy and poetry – a period regarded as the golden age of Islamic civilisation.
At the heart of that era were poets such as Abu Nuwas and Al Mutanabbi, alongside polymath philosophers Al Farabi and Avicenna, who came to represent the height of an Arabic intellectual culture that illuminated the world.
This framing emerged from 19th century European scholars, including France’s Ernest Renan and the Netherlands’ Reinhart Dozy, who argued that Arabic intellectual life then declined after the 11th century, leading to an 800-year lull before Europe’s Renaissance.
It is a view steeped in Orientalist bias and historical oversimplification, current scholars say, as the Arabic literature never fell silent.
Speaking at a panel organised by the Sheikh Zayed Book Award at the Frankfurt International Book Fair, linguists and literary historians noted that Arabic writing continued to evolve in that it was copied, performed and translated, even when not formally acknowledged.
These reassessments underpin the work of modern researchers such as Germany’s Beatrice Gruendler, German–Turkish scholar Hakan Ozkan and American academic Maurice Pomerantz of NYU Abu Dhabi, who argue that Arabic literature developed unabated.
Gruendler describes the idea of a “lost century” in Arabic literature as a myth. Her non-fiction work The Rise of the Arabic Book, recently shortlisted for 2025 Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Arab Culture in Other Languages, recalls the thriving and competitive literature and publishing industry in ninth century Baghdad that echoes in book fairs today.
“You had professional copyists, bookshops and reading public,” she says. “If you walked through Baghdad, you would have seen scribes taking commissions, arguing over punctuation, advertising their handwriting. It was noisy, competitive and entirely familiar.”
That fact alone, she says, challenges the idea that formal publishing began in the 15th century in Germany with the arrival of Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press.
A reason behind the Western narrative about Arabic literature, she says, lies in the way European Orientalists thought of a civilisation’s trajectory.
“They wanted Arab history to look like theirs, with a beginning, a peak and a fall,” she says. “But Arabic literature doesn’t fit that pattern. It never stopped moving.
“The centres changed from Baghdad to Cairo to Damascus to Andalusia, but the conversation continued. The same poems were copied and reinterpreted, new genres appeared and older ones were reshaped. The language adapted to every place it went.”
That continuity can also be traced through poetry. Ozkan, professor of Arabic literature at France’s Aix–Marseille University, explores the topic in his study The History of the Eastern Zajal: Dialectal Arabic Strophic Verse from the East of the Arab World, shortlisted this year for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the category of Arabic Language and Literature.
The research shows how zajal, a rhythmic, dialect–based form of poetry long dismissed by both European and Arab academics as uncouth, continued to evolve long after the Abbasid period.
“These poets broke rules because they could,” he says. “They mixed registers, played with rhyme, mocked scholars and praised saints. Some of it reads like early rap. It’s the sound of a culture that’s alive.”
Further restoration is also happening at New York University Abu Dhabi with its Library of Arabic Literature, a series that helps bring back works from the supposedly lost centuries after the Abbasid period. Published in Arabic and English, it has already produced more than 60 volumes of prose, poetry and philosophy since its launch in 2010.
“Editing these books is like joining a conversation that never stopped,” said Maurice Pomerantz, one of the series editors and a professor of literature at NYU Abu Dhabi. “You can see generations of writers answering one another, authors, commentators, translators, all adding layers. The manuscripts are alive with argument.”
As for why the idea of Arabic literature’s decline took shape over the years, Pomerantz says it has less to do with history than with access. “If a text isn’t translated, it doesn’t exist globally,” he says.
“That’s why awards and institutions matter. The Sheikh Zayed Book Award, for example, recognises scholarship about Arabic culture written in any language. It brings visibility to research that might otherwise stay inside the academy.”
He adds that the real challenge now is ensuring these works live beyond academic circles. “We need to make them part of the public imagination again, taught in schools, read in translation, performed on stage. Otherwise the myth will just grow back.”
A young Libyan scientist has secured a bronze medal at the International Festival of Science and Technology (I-FEST) 2025 in Tunisia after developing a patented natural antibiotic.
Halima Al-Khazali, 18, from Bayda, claimed third place among 800 international competitors for her invention of an antibiotic derived from wormwood and other herbs. Her achievement adds to Libya’s growing reputation in scientific innovation.
The breakthrough came after five months of rigorous research into a traditional Libyan remedy for dental infections, culminating in Al-Khazali obtaining a patent for her discovery.
This latest success follows her previous gold medal at the Bosnia and Herzegovina Science Olympiad (BOSEPO) 2025, where she finished first among 300 participants.
Al-Khazali’s accomplishments highlight both her exceptional scientific talent and Libya’s potential contributions to global scientific research, making her an inspirational figure for young people across Libya and the broader Arab world.
While the world is hailing New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for his win, his artist wife, Rama Duwaji is now also in the spotlight.
With Zohran Mamdani making history on 4 November after being elected New York’s first Indian-American and Muslim mayor, attention has turned to his wife, First Lady Rama Duwaji.
Duwaji was born in Houston, Texas, in the US but her parents are originally from Damascus, Syria, and she spent most of her childhood in Dubai after relocating there. She returned to the US in 2016.
Dubbed a “modern-day Princess Diana”, the 28-year-old works as an illustrator and animator in Brooklyn, New York, graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, then moving to New York City in 2021 to pursue a career in art.
Her work has been featured by Spotify, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, the BBC, Apple, and the Tate Modern in London.
After meeting on dating app Hinge in 2021, while the now-mayor was a member of the state assembly, Duwaji and Mamdani tied the knot in a private Muslim religious ceremony in 2024, followed by a civil ceremony in New York City Hall the following year.
While the illustrator has kept a low profile, reportedly turning down interviews and mostly sharing her work across social media, she paid tribute to Mamdani on Instagram after winning the primary in July.
Mamdani has previously praised his wife as “an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms”.
Pro-Palestine art
Along with Arabic culture and feminist themes, Duwaji frequently uses her art to speak out about current events and politics, including Israel’s war on Gaza and immigration issues, such as the heavy-handed activities of ICE, which has been conducting mass deportation raids in the US since Trump’s appointment.
In May, Duwaji created an animation of a young Palestinian girl holding a large empty pot with the words “not a hunger crisis”, followed by a transition into drawings of several people also holding empty vessels with texts reading “it is deliberate starvation”.
“As I was making this, Israel has been bombing Gaza nonstop with consecutive airstrikes. Keep your eyes on Gaza and support”, the artist said in the caption.
Duwaji had also created an illustration in support of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained by ICE over his activism. She called it “an attack on freedom of speech, and sets a scary f**king precedent for anyone who speaks up for what’s right”.
Following her husband’s win, the artist wore a black top made by Palestinian-Jordanian designer Zeid Hijazi on stage as he delivered his winning speech. Hijazi’s designs fuse ancient folklore with Arab futurism.
MAGA supporters were also quick to target Duwaji after she publicly mourned the death of Palestinian influencer Saleh al-Jafarawi, who was accused of “celebrating” the 7 October attacks.
Mandani has been quick to defend his wife against “right-wing trolls”, who are “trying to make this race – which should be about [the people] – about her”.
Attacks by right-wingers
Like her partner, Duwaji has also been subjected to attacks from American right-wing personalities and the media, particularly the New York Post, which described the illustrator as “aloof”, claiming she “quietly steered” her husband’s campaign from behind the scenes.
MAGA supporters were also quick to target the artist after publicly mourning the death of Palestinian influencer Saleh al-Jafarawi, who was accused of “celebrating” the 7 October attacks.
Mandani has been quick to defend his wife against “right-wing trolls”, who are “trying to make this race – which should be about [the people] – about her”.
In an evening that blended history, culture and global celebration, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and First Lady Entissar Al-Sisi presided over the official inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on Saturday, marking a milestone in the modern cultural landscape of Egypt and the world. The ceremony was attended by nearly 80 high-level delegations, including kings, presidents, princes, heads of government, and representatives of regional and international organisations.
Among them was German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Spain’s King Felipe VI, Queen Rania of Jordan, Prince Albert II of Monaco, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Also present were Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture Badr bin Abdullah, and the crown princes of Oman and Bahrain.
Held at the GEM’s open-air court overlooking the Giza Plateau, the celebration unfolded as a multisensory homage to Egypt’s timeless civilisation. Performances combining music, light, laser projection, and drone choreography traced the evolution of Egyptian architectural genius, from the Giza Pyramids to the modern era, and highlighted the message that civilisations thrive in times of peace.
The façade of the museum became a canvas for immersive light and projection displays, with vast screens illuminating Egypt’s ancient monuments and artistic heritage. Dancers in Pharaonic-inspired costumes, adorned with gold crowns and sceptres, performed to a live international orchestra, while fireworks and synchronised drone formations traced the silhouettes of ancient deities across the night sky.
President Al-Sisi welcomed the distinguished guests and emphasised that the GEM, now the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilisation, stands not merely as a showcase of ancient treasures, but as a testament to the creative spirit and enduring legacy of the Egyptian people.
He also described the museum as a new chapter in Egypt’s cultural story, affirming that it stands as a testament to the creativity and legacy of the Egyptian people and as a space for dialogue, knowledge, and exchange.
The ceremony began with the performance “The World Plays One Melody”. The programme featured a laser and drone show illustrating the Orion Belt alignment and its symbolic connection between the museum and the Giza Pyramids, followed by a performance titled “A Journey of Peace in the Land of Peace”.
The sequence highlighted the evolution of Egyptian architectural ingenuity, from the Step Pyramid of Djoser to modern Egyptian design, accompanied by a Coptic hymn of Sufi spiritual singing, and a drone message reading: “Civilisations Flourish in Times of Peace.”
The evening’s performances brought together some of Egypt’s most celebrated voices. Soprano Fatma Said and tenor Ragaaeddin delivered stirring pieces composed by Hisham Nazih, whose music blends contemporary orchestration with the tonal motifs of ancient Egypt, a style previously showcased during the Golden Mummies parade.
Sisters Amira and Mariam Abu Zahra, granddaughters of renowned Egyptian actor Abdel-Rahman Abu Zahra, appeared in stylised Pharaonic attire, performing a violin duet accompanied by the Cairo Opera House Orchestra and international ensemble players under the baton of maestro Nayer Nagui.
The celebration also highlighted Egypt’s cultural diversity. Nubian singer Ahmed Ismail performed in the Nubian language, while Haneen Al-Shater sang in Arabic from a floating stage overlooking the Nile, symbolising Egypt’s enduring identity as a crossroads of civilisations.
Iconic Egyptian actress Sherihan delivered an evocative spoken tribute to ancient Egypt’s artistic legacy, set against sky projections of the Pyramids. She was followed by Sherine Ahmed, the first actress of Egyptian descent to play Eliza Doolittle on Broadway, who gave a powerful musical performance before Islamic chanter Ehab Younis offered a spiritual finale.
On giant screens above, scenes from celebrations in countries all over the world played out against the backdrop of Egypt’s ancient monuments.
Dozens of performers dressed in elaborate white costumes, as a symbol of peace, their foreheads crowned with golden wreaths and sceptres in hand, played traditional tunes as a laser show depicting the Pharaohs and fireworks lit up the night sky above the museum.
As the night drew to a close, a drone light show mapped the sky with hieroglyphs, Pharaonic figures, and the golden mask of Tutankhamun, shimmering above the Giza Plateau, an image that captured both the grandeur of the past and the cultural confidence of the present.
Among the many moments that captured global attention during the GEM’s opening ceremony was the appearance of 12-year-old Asser Ahmed Hamdi, whose poised and expressive performance resonated with viewers across Egypt and beyond. The young performer quickly became one of the most talked about faces of the event, representing a new generation engaging with the country’s cultural narrative.
Asser described his participation in the ceremony as a defining moment in his life. “I was very happy to be there, and proud that my effort represented Egypt in front of the world,” he said, explaining that his preparation for the role involved months of rehearsals and that he had been training in performance and acting for seven years. “When the opportunity came, I felt like a dream had been achieved.”
Performing before President Al-Sisi and dozens of world leaders brought initial nerves, he admitted, but the atmosphere on stage quickly shifted those feelings. “I was nervous backstage, but once I stepped onto the stage, I felt calm,” he said. After the performance, he exchanged a few words with the president, who praised his portrayal linked to the story of Tutankhamun.
Asser spoke with pride about standing before the golden mask of Tutankhamun and the monumental statue of Ramses II inside the museum. “I had seen them only in books and on TV, but standing in front of them at the GEM was something completely different,” he said. “I felt proud to be representing Egypt.”
Reflecting on the journey, he said, “All the effort in rehearsals was worth it. I’m grateful I could present something worthy of Egypt. I will always be proud that I was part of the opening of the GEM.”
Among the creative figures behind the opening night spectacle was Ahmed Essam, the artist and designer responsible for the fireworks and pyrotechnic displays that illuminated the GEM during the ceremony. Speaking about the experience, Essam described it as one of the defining moments of his career, noting that the preparations took several months of planning, rehearsal and technical coordination.
“It was an honour to be part of an event of this scale,” he said, explaining that the ceremony’s postponements provided valuable time to refine the visual narrative and ensure that the display matched the cultural weight of the occasion. Essam highlighted that working in a field he is passionate about has been central to his development. “I travel constantly to learn and experiment with new ideas. When you love what you do, you invest your whole self into it.”
Creating the fireworks show for the GEM opening, he noted, required an approach tailored to the museum’s identity as a celebration of ancient Egyptian civilisation. Colours, rhythms, and sequences were chosen to complement the architectural setting and underscore the narrative themes of heritage and renewal.
He was also quick to highlight the scale of teamwork behind the scenes. “What viewers saw was the result of a coordinated effort involving more than 150 people, from designers and technicians to support staff. Everyone worked with passion and commitment to present Egypt in the best possible light.
“The opening of the GEM is a landmark in Egypt’s cultural journey. The presence of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and world leaders underscored its importance. We are proud to have contributed to an event that showcased Egypt’s ability to inspire and captivate the world,” Essam added.
Soprano Said, who took the stage as one of the evening’s principal performers, revealed that the concert marked a deeply personal milestone for her as it was her first since becoming a mother.
“I recently gave birth to twins,” she said, “and I wasn’t sure I would be able to perform because the concert came so soon after the delivery. I was a little anxious. But my children gave me the strength and energy to take part in this extraordinary occasion.”
Her appearance added an intimate emotional layer to the celebration, reflecting both the resilience of artists and the symbolic continuity between generations that the museum itself seeks to embody.
Most of the international state leaders expressed their enthusiasm over the grand opening. In a diplomatic gesture that blended cultural appreciation with a touch of modern creativity, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen presented Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty with a LEGO replica of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, a symbolic gesture marking Denmark’s participation in the GEM’s opening and celebrating Egypt’s architectural heritage.
Zambian Minister of Tourism Rodney Sikumba noted his country’s appreciation for the commemorative gift presented to Zambia on the occasion of the GEM’s opening, a piece representing part of the GEM’s architectural model. He pointed out that the artefact will be placed on a temporary display in one of Zambia’s national museums, accompanied by an explanatory panel narrating its significance. The gesture, he said, reflects Zambia’s pride in taking part in this historic cultural moment and serves as a testament to the growing cultural ties between the two nations.
As with any major cultural event, public reaction to the GEM’s opening ceremony was not uniform. Such occasions naturally invite a spectrum of opinions, shaped by personal taste, expectations, and aesthetic preferences. While some critics viewed the event as more modest than anticipated, others praised its scale and artistic ambition, seeing in it a carefully curated blend of ancient symbolism and modern cultural expression. Supporters argue that the ceremony succeeded in presenting Egypt as both a guardian of a timeless civilisation and a dynamic cultural force in the present day — a duality at the heart of the museum’s identity.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 November, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Saudi-American citizen Omar Yaghi, along with scientists Susumu Kitagawa and Richard Robson, has won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for the development of metal–organic frameworks”, the award-giving body said on Wednesday.
Born in Jordan to Palestinian parents, Yaghi was granted Saudi citizenship in 2021 through a royal approval that had been issued to grant Saudi citizenship to several prominent specialists from different fields.
The move was in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, including encouraging talented individuals to relocate to the Kingdom, localizing foreign investment, and “creating an appropriate social and investment environment,” according to a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency at the time.
The more than a century-old prize is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the winners share 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million), as well as the fame of winning arguably the world’s most prestigious science award.
“Through the development of metal-organic frameworks, the laureates have provided chemists with new opportunities for solving some of the challenges we face,” the award-giving body said in a statement.
The Chemistry Nobel was the third prize announced in this year’s crop of awards, in keeping with tradition, following those for medicine and physics announced earlier this week.
Established in the will of Swedish inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel, the prizes for achievements in science, literature and peace have been awarded since 1901, with a few interruptions mostly due to the world wars.
Nobel was himself a chemist and his developments in that field helped underpin the wealth he amassed from his invention of dynamite in the 19th century. The economics prize is a later addition funded by the Swedish central bank.
Sometimes overshadowed by more famous laureates in the fields of physics, literature and peace, the chemistry awards have still recognized many influential discoveries such as nuclear fission, DNA sequencing techniques, and yeast.
Last year’s chemistry award went to US scientists David Baker and John Jumper and Briton Demis Hassabis for work on decoding the structure of proteins and creating new ones, yielding advances in areas such as drug development.
Saudi-American citizen Omar Yaghi, along with scientists Susumu Kitagawa and Richard Robson, has won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for the development of metal–organic frameworks”, the award-giving body said on Wednesday. (X @SPAregions)
The power plant is a major step in the country’s ambitions to achieve the Net Zero 2060 target.
Bahrain-based industrial giant Foulath Holding has partnered with Yellow Door Energy, a leading sustainable energy developer in the Middle East and Africa, to launch a record-breaking 123 megawatt-peak (MWp) solar project.
The project marks the construction of the world’s largest single-site rooftop solar power plant, signaling a crucial step in Bahrain’s pursuit to achieve its Net Zero 2060 target.
Developed under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), 77,000 solar panels will be installed across a newly built 262,000-square-meter stockyard shed, capable of generating a total rooftop capacity of 50 MWp.
The announcement was made at the Four Seasons Hotel in Bahrain Bay on November 2, during the third edition of the premium investment forum Gateway Gulf.
It was hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board, with global investors, business leaders, policymakers, and government officials from multiple regions in attendance.
A transformative step towards clean energy vision
As a small island nation, Bahrain faces unique constraints in developing large-scale solar farms on the ground. Rooftop installations provide a space-efficient and scalable solution to harness clean energy without compromising valuable land resources.
In total, the site will consist of ten rooftop and four on-ground photovoltaic systems, producing an estimated 200 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity in its first year.
The overall initiative of the project is to reduce carbon emissions by 90,000 metric tons annually.
“Today, the island nation of Bahrain stands at the forefront of sustainable global innovation. We are incredibly proud of this transformative project – marking the largest rooftop solar plant in the world,” said Noor bint Ali Alkhulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development.
“This milestone not only strengthens our position as a regional leader in clean energy, but embodies our dedication to build a resilience, sustainable future in line with our national vision of elevating Bahrain’s international competitiveness,” she continued.
A $250M commitment to sustainability
For Foulath Holding, the project represents the continuation of a long-term environmental strategy.
Meshary Al-Judaimi, Chairman of Foulath Holding, revealed that the company has already invested approximately $250 million in sustainability projects over recent years.
“Over the past several years, Foulath has invested approximately $250 million in various sustainability projects,” he said.
“These investments are a testament to our commitment to responsible operations, environmental stewardship, and protecting the health and well-being of our community, thereby ensuring industrial development goes hand-in-hand with environmental care. The solar project serves as a continuation of that commitment,” Al-Judaimi added further.
Powering a sustainable industrial future
The solar plant project will be developed in partnership with Yellow Door Energy, known for its large-scale renewable infrastructure in the region.
“I think this project proves how cost-competitive, clean energy can drive forward industry and set a new global benchmark for decarbonizing steel production,” said Sherif ElKholy , Managing Director at Actis and Chairman of Yellow Door Energy.
“As a leading investor in sustainable infrastructure and majority shareholder of Yellow Door Energy, we are proud to witness this signing and look forward to seeing this transformative project come to life,” he continued, emphasizing the significance of the partnership.
With over 189,900 high-efficiency solar panels spanning 707,000 square meters, this initiative will power a new chapter in Bahrain’s energy transition.
