Washington’s expanding economic offensive against Tehran is threatening to squeeze China’s access to discounted Iranian crude after war, blockades and maritime attacks sharply reduced flows through the Middle East’s main energy chokepoints. Chinese imports of Iranian crude moving through the Strait of Hormuz averaged about 530,000 barrels a day in July and August, down roughly 36 per cent from the first half of 2026 and 72 per […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Iran and Oman have moved towards a temporary arrangement to restore safer commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, proposing a jointly managed navigation corridor and mine-clearing operation while negotiations continue on a permanent system for the strategic waterway. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi discussed the phased framework during talks in Tehran on Tuesday, August 25. The proposal […]
By TN Ashok The much-awaited political reunion between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal appears to have hit the rocks even before the two former allies could formally sit down to negotiate a seat-sharing formula for the 2027 Punjab Assembly election. The problem is not ideology. Nor is it the bitter history […]
The article BJP-SAD alliance shaky as BJP claims big brother role appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai France and Saudi Arabia have unveiled a €6 billion leisure development near Paris that is expected to include three theme parks, with a flagship attraction built around the Dragon Ball manga and anime universe. The project will be developed around Cergy-Pontoise, about 30 kilometres northwest of the French capital, and is expected to create about 22,000 direct jobs. Qiddiya Investment Company, the Saudi […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi Aramco has signed agreements with French companies carrying a potential combined value of more than $3.7 billion, expanding cooperation in drilling equipment, specialised oilfield products and industrial artificial intelligence. The agreements were announced during a Saudi-French investment roundtable in Paris on Monday, August 24, attended by Aramco president and chief executive Amin H. Nasser. They form part of a broader push by […]
Arjavi Indraneesh Iraq’s proposal for a joint security council bringing Saudi Arabia and Iran into a formal mechanism is more than another attempt at regional mediation. It reflects Baghdad’s growing conviction that diplomatic contact between the two powers, while valuable, is no longer sufficient to prevent security crises from spilling across borders. National Security Adviser […]
The article Iraq tests new security formula for Saudi-Iran rivalry appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
Iran’s rial plunged through the psychologically important barrier of two million to the US dollar on Monday, setting a record low as tighter sanctions, accelerating inflation and dwindling access to foreign currency intensified pressure on the economy. The currency traded at about 2.02 million rials per dollar on the open market, extending a sharp sell-off that has gathered pace during August. The fall marks another milestone in […]
Iran is preparing for a sharp escalation in US economic pressure as President Masoud Pezeshkian says the country is fighting an “all-out economic, military and security war” and Washington readies another sanctions package. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to outline the measures on Monday, with the Trump administration signalling that the campaign will seek to isolate Tehran from international trade and financial networks. The measures […]
NASA has released detailed images of a new crater carved into the Moon after a discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage struck the lunar surface on 5 August, giving scientists an unusually precise view of the effects of a large human-made object hitting another world. The crater measures about 60 feet, or 18 metres, across and is less than 10 feet deep. Images taken by the Lunar […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Six armed men have seized control of a product tanker in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen and diverted the vessel towards Somalia, raising fresh concern over a resurgence of piracy along one of the world’s most important shipping corridors. The tanker, identified as Sibu 1 and also known by its former name Seamull, was travelling west when it reported that an unauthorised […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Galva Hub Metal Coating is moving towards commissioning one of the UAE’s biggest hot-dip galvanising facilities after receiving 825 tonnes of zinc at its plant within Metal Park in Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi. The zinc delivery represents a key step before the large galvanising kettle can enter commercial operation. The metal will be melted inside the facility’s main processing bath, allowing Galva […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has launched its ninth spot crude tender since the beginning of June, extending an unusually active sales campaign as the company seeks to keep supplies moving despite severe disruption around the Strait of Hormuz. The latest tender offers Upper Zakum, Umm Lulu and Das crude for loading in October and November. Bids are due by August 24 and […]
Azad Mirza Nearly six months into the US-Israel war on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has become less a shipping lane than a rhetorical battlefield. This week that theatre reached a new pitch: Donald Trump posted an AI-generated map on Truth Social labelling the waterway “NEW US Territory,” insisting the strait is “open and operating” […]
The article Hormuz: Trump’s territorial bravado and Iran defiance appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
The rupee weakened to around 95.76 against the US dollar on Wednesday as rising crude oil prices, persistent tensions in West Asia and losses in domestic equities renewed pressure on the currency. The currency touched a three-week low during the session and finished near 95.75 to the dollar, extending its decline from Tuesday’s close of 95.68. Dollar demand from importers remained firm, while the sharp increase in […]
Oil prices extended gains on Wednesday as fading prospects for a settlement in the Iran war intensified concerns over supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz, keeping Brent crude above $91 a barrel. Brent crude futures rose 26 cents to $91.28 a barrel in early trading, marking a fourth consecutive session of gains, while US West Texas Intermediate crude advanced 37 cents to $85.31. Brent had settled […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The UAE has halted all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran until further notice as escalating security tensions deepen economic disruption across the Gulf. Afra Al Hameli, Director of the Strategic Communications Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced the decision while rejecting allegations about the status of economic relations between the UAE and Iran. She said regional escalations were […]
By Suryamurthy Energy security often becomes a national priority only when a crisis erupts. The current conflict spreading across West Asia has once again reminded India how fragile global energy supply chains can be — and how deeply its own economy remains tied to them. The disruption of tanker routes through the Strait of Hormuz, […]
The article India pushes coal gasification to reduce import risks appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained severely restricted on Tuesday as vessel movements stayed in single digits, while another ship was struck by an unidentified projectile and diplomatic efforts to ease the US-Iran confrontation remained deadlocked. Preliminary ship-tracking data showed six commodity vessels crossed the waterway on Monday, three entering the Gulf and three leaving. That was only a modest increase from the weekend and remained […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai US emergency crude holdings have fallen below 300 million barrels for the first time in more than four decades as Washington continues drawing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to cushion energy markets from Middle East supply disruptions. Stocks in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve dropped by about 5.3 million barrels during the week ended August 14 to 293.4 million barrels. That was the […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Prospects for a broader Middle East settlement have deteriorated after US President Donald Trump ruled out extending a temporary agreement with Iran, while renewed Israeli-Hezbollah violence placed Lebanon’s fragile ceasefire under mounting pressure. Asked whether Washington would seek more time under the memorandum of understanding signed with Tehran in June, Trump gave a categorical response: “No.” The agreement provided a 60-day window to […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi Aramco is offering crude to selected Asian refiners from outside the Strait of Hormuz, opening another supply route as prolonged disruption at the strategic waterway reshapes Gulf energy exports. The company is negotiating privately with buyers for Arab Medium and Arab Heavy crude to be transferred between vessels off Fujairah in the UAE. Some of the cargoes are intended for September loading. […]
The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve has fallen below 300 million barrels, deepening concerns over Washington’s emergency oil cushion as prolonged Middle East supply disruptions force further withdrawals from government stockpiles. Federal inventory data for the week ended August 7 put the reserve at about 298.7 million barrels after a weekly draw of roughly 6.1 million barrels. That was the lowest level since 1983 and extended a sharp […]
The Malaysian Palm Oil Board has developed Sawit EcoTherm, a non-conductive dielectric fluid made largely from palm-derived materials that allows servers and other computing components to be immersed directly in coolant. The technology eliminates the need for conventional evaporative cooling towers and is being positioned for AI and hyperscale facilities where rising processor densities are producing substantially more heat.
Sawit EcoTherm remains at the pre-commercial stage, with pilot projects, technical validation and partnerships with data centre operators among the steps required before widespread deployment. Researchers say the fluid could reduce cooling-related energy consumption by about 30% to 50%, largely by removing server fans and transferring heat directly from electronic components.
MPOB estimates that conventional water-based cooling across Malaysia’s expanding data centre industry could eventually require as much as 876 million litres of water a day. Other projections based on currently identified developments are lower, illustrating the uncertainty surrounding future capacity and cooling configurations. Data centres planned across Selangor, Johor and Negeri Sembilan have been estimated to require more than 445 million litres daily if projected demand materialises.
The pressure is particularly acute in Johor, which has become one of Asia’s fastest-growing data centre clusters because of its proximity to Singapore, available industrial land and established power and connectivity infrastructure. Water availability and grid capacity have increasingly become constraints as developers seek to commission large AI facilities.
Malaysia’s data centre and cloud computing investment approvals reached RM144.4 billion between 2021 and the middle of 2025. Global technology and infrastructure groups including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, ByteDance, Equinix and AirTrunk have committed billions of dollars to expanding computing capacity in the country.
AirTrunk announced plans this year to invest about $3 billion in two additional hyperscale campuses in Johor, adding more than 280 megawatts of capacity. Equinix separately unveiled an investment exceeding $190 million for another Kuala Lumpur facility designed to support more than 2,200 cabinets and equipped for advanced liquid cooling.
Those developments are accelerating interest in alternatives to traditional air and water cooling. AI servers can generate several times more heat than conventional computing equipment, making direct liquid cooling and immersion systems increasingly attractive as rack power densities rise.
Sawit EcoTherm uses palm-derived ester formulations engineered to provide electrical insulation while absorbing heat from processors, memory, power supplies and graphics processing units. MPOB has developed two formulations, EcoTherm 5s and EcoTherm 8s, both with dielectric breakdown strength exceeding 75 kilovolts.
The fluids are designed for single-phase immersion systems, where coolant remains liquid while circulating through a closed loop. The 8s formulation has a minimum flash point of 200 degrees Celsius, while the 5s version has a minimum of 160 degrees. Their characteristics are intended to combine thermal performance with relatively low pumping requirements.
Palm-derived material can also offer a cost advantage. Commercial synthetic and petroleum-based immersion fluids can cost about RM50 to RM80 per kilogram, while the raw-material cost for producing the palm formulation has been estimated at roughly RM20 to RM25 per kilogram. Final commercial pricing has not been announced.
MPOB says up to 95% of the material used in Sawit EcoTherm can come from renewable bio-based sources. The formulations are biodegradable and free from PFAS, a class of persistent chemicals that has attracted growing regulatory scrutiny because of its resistance to environmental degradation.
The technology nevertheless carries broader sustainability questions because expansion of oil-palm cultivation has historically been associated with deforestation, biodiversity loss and pressure on wildlife habitats. The environmental case for palm-based coolant will therefore depend partly on traceable sourcing, lifecycle emissions and whether demand can be met without encouraging additional land conversion.
Immersion cooling itself is not new. Vegetable-derived, mineral-oil and synthetic dielectric fluids are already available, while many operators developing AI facilities favour direct-to-chip liquid cooling because it can be integrated into server architectures without fully submerging equipment. Commercial success for Sawit EcoTherm will depend on compatibility with hardware, long-term fluid stability, maintenance requirements and acceptance by server manufacturers.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The United States and Iran had not confirmed an extension of their 60-day peace framework on Monday, despite reports that the two sides had agreed to prolong the arrangement as its August 17 deadline arrived. Current reporting instead indicated that the negotiating period had expired without a broader settlement. The conflicting accounts injected fresh uncertainty into efforts to contain the conflict and restore […]
