Gas leak caused Pemex blast: Mexico

Updated 05 February 2013
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Gas leak caused Pemex blast: Mexico

MEXICO CITY: The Mexican government said on Monday that a gas leak caused a blast that killed at least 37 people at the offices of state oil monopoly Pemex in Mexico City, raising fresh questions about the firm’s safety record.
Attorney General Jesus Murillo said no trace of explosives was found at the site of the explosion, the latest in a string of disasters to hit the lumbering oil giant.
New President Enrique Pena Nieto is seeking to overhaul Pemex as part of a raft of economic reforms aimed at boosting growth in Latin America’s No. 2 economy.
“We have been able to determine that the explosion was caused by an accumulation of gas in the basement of the building,” Murillo told a news conference in Mexico City. He said the gas was believed to be methane.
Murillo said the gas may have leaked from containers in a storage facility connected to where the explosion took place by a tunnel. Or it could have leaked from an aging pipeline that passed through the building.
Another possibility is that it emanated from sewage in the ground under the building, he said.
Mexico City is built on a dried-out lake bed, and the stench of sewage often hangs over parts of the downtown.
Murillo said contractors working on supports under the building needed electricity and used an extension cord, which could have caused a spark that ignited the gas.
Thursday afternoon’s blast at a building at the Pemex headquarters complex in downtown Mexico City prompted speculation the incident could have been an act of sabotage.
That raised fears that drug war violence that has killed an estimated 70,000 people in the past six years could have entered a new, more sinister phase, and rattled investors.
The explosion next to Pemex’s flagship tower block prompted renewed criticism of the oil giant’s safety record.
For years a source of national pride, Pemex has proven stubbornly resistant to change. The firm has become a touchstone for Mexico’s capacity for economic reform since oil output began to fall behind the performance of other major producers.
A symbol of Mexican self-sufficiency since President Lazaro Cardenas expropriated US and British oil companies in 1938 and nationalized the oil industry, Pemex has also become a byword for inefficiency and graft.
Pena Nieto, who took office in December, has made passing an energy reform to boost crude production a priority this year.
Geoffrey Pazzanese, who co-manages Federated Investors’ $523 million Federated InterContinental Fund, said an accident would help the government push its energy reform.
“It’s probably going to be positive for the reform. It underlines the need for Pemex to invest in its own capital spending,” he said before Murillo spoke. “You have a big explosion in a building that’s right in the middle of the city.
“Conspiracy theories aside, people are probably outraged about the situation and that tends to spur action,” he added.
There were mixed responses on the streets of the Mexican capital to the government’s news conference about the blast.
Fernando Chapa, 61, a university administrator, said the evidence seemed credible and that it looked like an accident.
“It doesn’t suit anyone having an attack there. These are old buildings that have leaks. It’s like in the mines,” he said.
But supermarket worker Jorge Lopez was not convinced.
“I don’t believe it. What a coincidence that there was a gas buildup,” said Lopez, 28. “These are the results they give us after all these days? I don’t know...”
Mexico is the world’s No. 7 oil producer and a top exporter to the United States. But output has slumped from a peak of 3.4 million barrels per day in 2004 to under 2.6 million bpd now.
While the company had said it improved safety prior to the blast, fires, explosions and other safety breaches that are regular occurrences.
Mexico loses hundreds of millions of dollars a year to theft of oil carried out by drug gangs, petty criminals and corrupt workers. The Mexican government relies on oil revenues to fund nearly a third of the federal budget.
The heavy tax burden has limited Pemex’s ability to fund new projects and lift crude output. The government has warned that Mexico could become a net oil importer as early as 2018 if major new oil finds cannot be developed.
The company had pinned its long-term hopes of boosting production on the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where the government estimates there are significant oilfields.
The last conservative administration had helped Pemex by drawing more outside investment into mature oilfields via the auction of private contracts.


Trump signs ‘big, beautiful’ bill on US Independence Day

Updated 18 min 24 sec ago
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Trump signs ‘big, beautiful’ bill on US Independence Day

  • The passage of the unpopular bill caps two weeks of significant wins for Trump

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump signed his flagship tax and spending bill into law Friday, capping a pomp-laden White House Independence Day ceremony featuring a stealth bomber fly-by.
“America is winning, winning, winning like never before,” Trump said at the event where he signed the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” flanked by Republican lawmakers.
The party fell into line and pushed the bill through a reluctant Congress on Thursday, in time for Trump to sign the bill as he had hoped on the Fourth of July holiday marking America’s 249th birthday.
Two B-2 bombers of the type that recently struck Iranian nuclear sites roared over the White House at the start of the ceremony, accompanied by fighter jets on their wingtips.
Pilots who carried out the bombing on Iran were among those invited to the White House event.
The passage of the unpopular bill caps two weeks of significant wins for Trump, including an Iran-Israel ceasefire that was sealed after what he called the “flawless” US air strikes on Iran.
Ever the showman, Trump melded his various victory laps into one piece of political theater at the ceremony marking 249 years of independence from Britain.
The sprawling mega-bill honors many of Trump’s campaign promises: extending tax cuts from his first term, boosting military spending and providing massive new funding for Trump’s migrant deportation drive.
Trump glossed over deep concerns from his own party and voters that it will balloon the national debt, while simultaneously gutting health and welfare support.
“The largest spending cut,” Trump said with First Lady Melania Trump at his side, “and yet you won’t even notice it.”
Trump forced through the “big beautiful bill” despite deep misgivings in the Republican Party — and the vocal opposition of his billionaire former ally, Elon Musk.
It squeezed past a final vote in the House of Representatives 218-214 after Republican Speaker Mike Johnson worked through the night to corral the final group of dissenters.
Trump thanked Johnson at the White House event.
The legislation is the latest in a series of big wins for Trump that also included a Supreme Court ruling last week that curbed lone federal judges from blocking his policies, and a NATO deal to increase spending.
But the bill is expected to pile an extra $3.4 trillion over a decade onto the US deficit.
At the same time it will shrink the federal food assistance program and force through the largest cuts to the Medicaid health insurance scheme for low-income Americans since its 1960s launch.
Up to 17 million people could lose their insurance coverage under the bill, according to some estimates. Scores of rural hospitals are expected to close as a result.
Democrats hope public opposition to the bill will help them flip the House in the 2026 midterm election, pointing to data showing that it represents a huge redistribution of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest.


Settlers and Palestinians clash in West Bank village

Updated 53 min 43 sec ago
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Settlers and Palestinians clash in West Bank village

  • Several Israeli military jeeps arrived at the scene and soldiers fired a few shots in the air, causing Palestinians to withdraw back to the village

SINJIL, Palestinian Territories: Dozens of Israeli settlers and Palestinians clashed Friday in the occupied West Bank village of Sinjil, where a march against recent settler attacks on nearby farmland was due to take place.
AFP journalists saw local residents and activists begin their march before locals reported that settlers had appeared on a hill belonging to the village.
Palestinian youths marched toward the hill to drive away the settlers, setting a fire at its base while the settlers threw rocks from the high ground.
Local Palestinians told AFP that settlers also started a fire.
Several Israeli military jeeps arrived at the scene and soldiers fired a few shots in the air, causing Palestinians to withdraw back to the village.
Anwar Al-Ghafri, a lawyer and member of Sinjil’s city council, told AFP that such incidents are not new, but have intensified in recent days in the area, just north of the West Bank city of Ramallah.
“A group of settlers, with support and approval from the Israeli army, are carrying out organized attacks on citizens’ land,” he told AFP.
“They assault farmers, destroy crops, and prevent people from reaching or trying to reach their land,” he said, describing the events that had prompted Friday’s march.
The settlers involved in Friday’s clashes could not be reached for comment.

Israeli authorities recently erected a high fence cutting off parts of Sinjil from Road 60, which runs through the entire West Bank from north to south, and which both settlers and Palestinians use.
Mohammad Asfour, a 52-year-old resident, told AFP that the fence was isolating his community, like other Palestinian cities and towns that recently had gates erected by Israel to control access to the outside.
“Sinjil is suffering greatly because of this wall. My house is near it, and so are my brothers’ homes. The settler has the right to come to Sinjil — but the sons of Sinjil aren’t allowed to climb up this hill,” Asfour said.
Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has soared since the Hamas attack of October 2023 triggered the Gaza war.
Since then, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 947 Palestinians, including many militants, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Over the same period, at least 35 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to Israeli figures.
 

 


Syrian authorities evacuate citizens amid major forest fires

Updated 05 July 2025
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Syrian authorities evacuate citizens amid major forest fires

  • “Our teams recorded losses in the orchards due to the widespread spread of the forest fire in several areas of the Latakia countryside,” the civil defense added, calling on citizens to report anyone they suspect of starting fires

DAMASCUS: Syrian rescuers evacuated residential areas in Latakia province because of major forest fires, authorities said on Friday.
Fires have spreading across large parts of Syria, particularly on the coast, for several days, with firefighters struggling to control them due to strong winds and a drought.
Abdulkafi Kayyal, director of the Directorate of Disasters and Emergencies in Latakia province, told the state SANA news agency that fires in the Qastal Maaf area had moved close to several villages, prompting the evacuations.
Syria’s civil defense warned residents of “the spread of rising smoke emissions to the northern section of the coastal mountains, the city of Hama, its countryside, and southern Idlib areas.”
“Our teams recorded losses in the orchards due to the widespread spread of the forest fire in several areas of the Latakia countryside,” the civil defense added, calling on citizens to report anyone they suspect of starting fires.
Syrian minister of emergency situations and disasters Raed Al-Saleh said on X that he was following events and “we will exert our utmost efforts to combat these fires.”
With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has been battered by heatwaves, low rainfall and major forest fires.
In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization told AFP that Syria had “not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years,” noting that an unprecedented drought was on course to push more than 16 million people into food insecurity.
The country is also reeling from more than a decade of civil war leading up to the end of the iron-fisted rule of Bashar Assad in December.
Kayyal said the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance was hindering the work of rescuers, along with strong winds spreading the fires.

 


How Saudi Arabia is using innovation, research, and regulation to turn waste into a circular economy success

Updated 05 July 2025
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How Saudi Arabia is using innovation, research, and regulation to turn waste into a circular economy success

  • Engineering, AI and cross-sector partnerships are driving sustainable solutions to manage 110 million tons of waste annually
  • New laws, financial incentives and rising investor interest are reshaping the Kingdom’s waste management and recycling landscape

RIYADH: As Saudi Arabia accelerates toward a circular economy under Vision 2030, experts say universities, research institutions, and business leaders are playing a crucial role in developing innovative waste management solutions that align with national sustainability goals.

In early 2024, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced a waste management plan aiming to recycle up to 95 percent of waste and add SR120 billion ($31.99 billion) to the Kingdom’s gross domestic product.

Saudi Arabia generates more than 110 million tons of waste each year, much of it originating from cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. Its waste management market is projected to grow from $5.97 billion in 2025 to $8.72 billion by 2030, according to Mordor Intelligence.

To meet this challenge, academic partnerships, regulatory reforms and emerging technologies are coming together to reshape the sector, Sultan Al-Muaythir, chairman of the civil engineering department at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, told Arab News.

Forming knowledge-sharing agreements with leading countries in waste management, he said, is a strategic step toward building a sustainable, locally adapted system that draws on global best practices and aligns with Saudi Arabia’s circular economy ambitions.

To drive innovation in the sector, Al-Muaythir emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary support. Fields like civil engineering, landfill and waste management, geotechnical engineering, and soil sciences all contribute to the design and development of critical infrastructure.

Sultan Al-Muaythir, chairman of the civil engineering department at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University. (Supplied)

Mechanical engineering plays a key role in advancing collection and treatment equipment, while chemical, agricultural and biotechnology engineering disciplines help analyze waste composition and develop transformation processes.

Electrical engineering, he added, is essential for operating smart systems and managing energy generated through treatment.

Al-Muaythir also pointed to the Kingdom’s updated regulatory landscape, particularly the introduction of the Waste Management Law and its executive regulations, as a strong foundation for encouraging innovation and investment in sustainable practices.

He explained that the next phase calls for faster plan implementation, broader international research collaboration and direct incentives for advanced processing technologies — steps that would speed up the Kingdom’s progress toward its environmental and development goals.

While government action is essential, Al-Muaythir said innovation in waste management is not a luxury, but a necessity for building a clean environment and a functioning circular economy.

He added that individual responsibility plays an equally important role. “Adopting conscious behaviors towards waste and committing to sorting and reuse/recycling constitute the first building blocks in creating a more sustainable future,” he said.

Expanding on this vision, Abdullah Alakel, chairman of the Saudi Scientific Research and Innovation Association, said waste management innovation is a cornerstone of Vision 2030’s broader goal to build a circular and sustainable economy.

Abdullah Alakel, chairman of the Saudi Scientific Research and Innovation Association. (Supplied)

He told Arab News that scientific research is a key driver in tackling environmental challenges — from recycling and waste-to-energy technologies to the use of artificial intelligence to improve sorting and collection processes — ultimately boosting operational efficiency and reducing environmental harm.

To support this ecosystem, the association provides business incubators and innovation accelerators, offering technical and financial assistance. It also facilitates connections between researchers, donors and investors to help turn ideas into market-ready solutions.

Alakel noted that several joint initiatives with academic and industrial partners are already underway, including efforts to convert organic waste into economic products such as fertilizers and biofuels.

DID YOU KNOW?

 

• Saudi Arabia aims to recycle up to 95 percent of its waste by 2040. Waste management sector is projected to contribute $32bn to GDP by 2040.

• Half of the Kingdom’s waste comes from Riyadh (21 percent), Jeddah (14 percent) and Dammam (8 percent).

(Sources: Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the National Center for Waste Management)

Other projects aim to develop scalable recycling technologies and improve overall waste management efficiency.

Beyond research, the association works to foster a culture of sustainability across society. Alakel said it organizes public awareness campaigns, educational workshops in schools and universities, and national competitions that encourage creative, environmentally responsible solutions.

He added that the association plays a critical role in bridging academia and implementation by hosting scientific conferences, building strategic partnerships and supporting national innovation deployment in alignment with Vision 2030’s environmental goals.

Farah Al-Gharib, CEO of Precision & Choice Environmental Solutions, echoed those views, underscoring the opportunity to enhance coordination between stakeholders as Saudi Arabia moves toward a circular economy.

Farah Al-Gharib, CEO of Precision & Choice Environmental Solutions. (Supplied)

She told Arab News that aligning regulations, expanding infrastructure for sorting and collection, and stimulating private investment remain key challenges. Raising public awareness and promoting innovation are also essential to achieving sector-wide transformation.

To accelerate progress, Al-Gharib called for a more integrated and flexible system that encourages public-private partnerships. Activating source-level sorting and offering financial incentives to investors, she said, would help drive growth in the sector.

Clear metrics, such as waste reduction, cost savings and job creation, should be used to measure success.

KAUST's waste collection fleet is equipped with technology that supports efficient operations, from online vehicle tracking to waste bin management. (Photo courtesy of KAUST)

Looking ahead, she expects more companies to invest in smart technologies and expand their collection and treatment networks. Seamless integration across the entire waste value chain — from source to processing and redistribution — is essential, she said, to avoid bottlenecks and uphold the core principles of the circular economy.

“Based on our experience in the sector, we believe that unifying and updating regulations under a single, clear, and transparent regulatory framework would directly contribute to attracting investors, reducing the complexity of procedures and the classification of recyclable products, thereby accelerating regulatory processes and stimulating production,” said Al-Gharib.

She concluded that clear legislation and coordinated responsibilities across authorities are key to scaling up circular economy initiatives effectively and sustainably.
 

 


Fluminense beat Al Hilal 2-1 to reach Club World Cup semis

Updated 9 min 3 sec ago
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Fluminense beat Al Hilal 2-1 to reach Club World Cup semis

ORLANDO: Substitute Hercules struck a 70th-minute winner as Brazil’s Fluminense defeated Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal 2-1 on Friday to reach the semifinals of the Club World Cup.
A fine left-foot finish from Matheus Martinelli had put the Rio club ahead in the 40th minute but Al Hilal’s Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo levelled six minutes into the second half before Hercules stole the show to the delight of the vast majority of the 43,091 crowd.
Fluminense could yet face an all-Brazilian semifinal if their rivals from Sao Paulo, Palmeiras, are able to overcome Premier League outfit Chelsea in Friday’s other quarter-final.
Al Hilal had pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament, beating Manchester City 4-3, to reach the last eight and Simone Inzaghi’s side fought hard until the end to keep their adventure alive.
They bow out of the tournament having been unbeaten through the group stage, including holding Real Madrid to a draw, and having truly made their mark on the world stage.
There was a moment’s silence before the kick-off in memory of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his younger brother Andre Silva, who died in the early hours of Thursday after their car veered off a motorway in Spain and burst into flames.
Al Hilal’s line-up featured two of Jota’s Portugal team-mates in Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo.
The first half was a tight and tactical affair with few chances until Martinelli opened the scoring when he picked the ball up from Gabriel Fuentes inside the box and span out to give himself space for a left-foot shot that rocketed past Yassine Bounou.
Al Hilal went close to a quick response when Kalidou Koulibaly’s header forced Fluminense’s 44-year-old goalkeeper Fabio into a fine save.
The Saudi side were awarded a penalty when Samuel Xavier was ruled to have brought down Marcos Leonardo in the box but Dutch referee Danny Makkelie was eventually sent to the monitor where he overturned his own decision after seeing there had been no contact between the two players.
After going in at the break trailing by a goal, Al Hilal came out strongly for the second half and drew level when Koulibaly headed a Neves corner down to Marcos Leonardo who poked home.
Al Hilal’s Brazilian full back Renan Lodi had a let off when his poor backpass fell straight at the feet of German Cano but the Fluminense striker’s attempt to round Bounou was denied by the smart work of the Moroccan keeper.
But the outcome was settled with 20 minutes remaining when half-time sub Hercules saw a shot from distance blocked but from the loose ball Samuel headed the ball back to the forward who raced into the box and fired past Bounou to make it 2-1.
Al Hilal produced a flurry of corners and some intense pressure in the final minutes as they desperately sought a way to keep their dream alive but the Brazilians were good value for their victory.
“We didn’t have many chances but we made the most of them, the entire group worked and were committed,” said Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho.
“Our fans here in the USA and those in Brazil, they can be proud and I ask them to wear a jersey, in the mall, street, beach, wherever, wear that shirt — they should all be proud to wear that jersey,” he said.
The Fluminense coach was full of praise for the performance of his 40-year-old central defender Thiago Silva who ensured the Brazilians were able to withstand the second half pressure from Al Hilal.
“Thiago Silva is huge for us, I worked with him 15 years ago, he is a coach on the pitch, very helpful and conveys calm and experience to the others. He is our captain and a leader and in hard matches like these against big clubs, its important to have people like him. He is key and fundamental,” he said.
Al Hilal coach Inzaghi said his side had been unfortunate to end on the losing side.
“It has been a good World Cup for us but clearly we leave with a little bit of a bitter taste in our mouth because after what happened in that second half, we deserved much more,” he said.
“It was a tight match, decided by episodes, as happens in football. Fluminense are very well organized team that are having an excellent tournament,” he added.