Gas Outlook • 11th March 2024

Middle East tensions rise after Iran gas pipelines burst

Iran’s natural gas pipelines were attacked last month, disrupting flows to the provinces of Chaharmaha-Bakhtiari and Fars, according to reports in Iranian news media. Although Iran is not a significant international gas player, owing to its embargoed status in Europe and further afield, it does export gas to neighbouring countries including Turkey. The pipelines are connected to the domestic Iranian market, primarily supplying homes with gas for cooking and heating purposes. The attack points

Gas Outlook • 11th March 2024

Shipping markets shrug at Houthi attacks in Red Sea

Despite numerous reports of serious disruptions to commercial shipping, commodities markets have not responded significantly to increased violence in the Red Sea, shipping analysts told Gas Outlook. “The shipping market has responded with indifference,” Andres Rojas, Associate Director of LNG at S&P Global Commodities Insights, told Gas Outlook. Shipping prices have been on a downwards trajectory since December, which has continued even despite the attacks in the Red Sea, according to the analy

Gas Outlook • 11th March 2024

Israel Gaza war: Middle East diplomacy a mixed bag

The first three quarters of 2023 were characterised by easing tensions and more constructive diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa, but as 2024 opens, the diplomacy picture is a mixed bag that some analysts view as fraught with risk. Israel’s retaliation on Gaza after the October 7 attack by Hamas has killed over 24,000 people in Gaza and displaced 2.3 million people, destroying more than half of the infrastructure and housing. There are scant signs that the destruction is coming to an

Gas Outlook • 24th January 2024

Uncertainties over gas development amid ongoing Gaza war

Amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, one of the most devastating conflicts in recent history, rumours have been circulating on social media that Israel is eyeing the development of offshore reserves located in waters close to the Gaza Strip.

Telekom Electronic Beats • 23rd April 2020

Amid Censorship, Tehrani Dance Music Emerges From the Shadows

Tehran is a city where you can get thrown in jail for listening to Pharrell Williams yet have all manner of drugs delivered to your doorstep in less than 30 minutes. But Tehran is slowly redefining its image through the medium of sound.

Vice • 17th April 2020

People in Berlin Are Ignoring the Lockdown and Going to Sex Parties

How do a group of people whose lives revolve around the physically intimate and mentally liberating world of almost non-stop clubbing deal with being told to stay indoors in tiny apartments? VICE spoke to some of Berlin’s professional clubbers about how they are coping with lockdown life.

Huck Magazine • 31st March 2020

Higher planes: when rave culture and spiritualism collide

Some ardent ravers view the practice as a vessel to connect with something larger than themselves. But can a night at Berghain ever result in genuine transcendence – or are efforts to link modern raving with ancient ritualism way off the mark?

Mixmag • 25th March 2020

"More intimacy": How Nene H is powering connections through techno

“Let’s talk real shit!” Beste Aydin laughed as we sat down with a freshly-brewed coffee and tea. It was a grey Thursday in Berlin, but inside her apartment the energy was warm and welcoming when we settled in to philosophise about the future of techno.

Mixmag • 21st February 2020

Sonic resistance: Adab’s afrofuturism inspires hope for a better future

The child of a pastor in Midwest America, Miah Benton was born in 1990, raised on a musical diet of Christian house and techno music. It was 17 years later in Istanbul that the artist, Adab, blossomed into existence - a gentle champion of heady, mystical, and psychedelic afrofuturism.

Red Bull • 5th February 2020

The story of Beirut's fresh, new electronic scene.

Beirut has long been the backbone of club culture in the Arab world. In tandem with huge socio-economic turbulence, Lebanon and the wider Middle East region has rocketed through a period of intense musical progression, with new audiences being drawn to fresh, experimental sounds – music that was once a niche preserve.

Petroleum Economist • 30th January 2020

Iraq’s bounty risks bitter taste

After US-led mission helped to largely banish Islamic State from Iraq in 2018, the country has fast become a battleground for power in the region

Crack Magazine • 28th January 2020

No Limit: How Eurodance shaped modern dance music

Melodic synths, pianos and empowering, life-affirming lyrics: these aren’t qualities you’d typically associate with techno, but increasingly tracks fitting this description are going side-by-side into sets from some of the underground’s most relentless stalwarts, from Steffi to Herrensauna’s Cem. It’s all thanks to the return of Eurodance.

Petroleum Economist • 9th January 2020

Iran-US conflict: more to come?

With the US’s killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, the risk of attacks on Mena oil infrastructure is likely to increase The Gulf region is wondering if General Soleimani’s assassination and the subsequent Iranian missile attacks on US bases in Iraq is the end of a chapter—or just the start. Despite US president Donald Trump’s more conciliatory remarks on Wednesday, analysts still favour the pessimistic view.

Mixmag • 20th June 2019

"Never confined to one space": How Jessika Khazrik is fixing the future through techno

As the world tumbles towards dystopia, multi-disciplinary artist Jessika Khazrik believes in the power of music to tackle global oppression

Platts • 7th May 2019

Analysis: Iraq becomes Middle East energy investment hotspot

Iraq is again becoming a viable destination for energy investment in the Middle East after the final defeat of Islamic State and the election of a new government revived interest in the region's second-largest oil producer. The US, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and even Iran are now vying for a share in the spoils.

Mixmag • 12th March 2019

“Determined for change”: Lilith. is driving Georgia’s rave revolution

As Bassiani’s notoriety grows, people like Lilith. and other Bassiani residents, such as HVL and Zitto, are having a greater impact on the industry and on how we consume music from this part of the world.

Platts • 5th March 2019

Yemen's energy revival plan leaves analysts skeptical

Yemen is caught in a war that has left its 28 million people struggling to survive in what the United Nations calls the worst man-made humanitarian disaster. But that hasn't stopped the government from projecting new investment in energy this year, helping ports and airports to run more smoothly and swelling state coffers. But analysts are skeptical about the country's goal of enticing more foreign investors to help boost exports and generate vital cash needed for the Middle East's poorest and war-torn country.

i-D • 21st January 2019

in beirut, clubbing is its own kind of democracy

Beirut is a city long synonymous with the idea of progressiveness in the Middle East. But 30 years on from a devastating civil war that lasted fifteen years, maintaining that reputation is still a constant battle, and the city's nightlife scene is on the frontline.

Platts • 14th January 2019

Interview - 'No reason' Iran sanctions will lead to higher oil prices: US' Brian Hook

Thanks to booming US output, as well as increased supplies from Saudi Arabia, Russia and other major producers, oil prices have eased despite the Trump administration's reimposition of sanctions on Iran in November. But as OPEC and its allies implement production cuts to bolster prices, US officials say they will be closely monitoring the market in considering whether to extend waivers that allow eight countries to continue buying Iranian oil.

Platts • 13th January 2019

Saudi Aramco to issue about $10 billion in bonds for Sabic purchase: Falih

Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil giant Aramco will seek to sell around $10 billion in bonds to help fund the purchase of petrochemicals firm Sabic, Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih said Sunday.