In this handout photo provided by the Palestinian Press Office (PPO), Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia on February 23, 2015 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Abbas is on an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Thaer Ghanaim/PPO via Getty Images)
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman pulled out of meetings at the White House and Camp David this week at the last minute. The move is being interpreted as a signal the Saudis are unhappy with United States’ Iranian foreign policy. “Jon Alterman, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said King Salman’s absence was both a blessing and a snub. ‘It holds within it a hidden opportunity,’ he said, ‘because senior U.S. officials will have an unusual opportunity to take the measure of Mohammed bin Salman, the very young Saudi defense minister and deputy crown prince, with whom few have any experience.’” [New York Times]
Noble Energy announced plans to acquire Rosetta Resources for about $2 billion. “Rosetta’s assets include 50,000 acres in the Eagle Ford and 56,000 acres in the Permian. It produced 66,000 barrels a day of oil and gas in the first quarter from the two regions, of which more than 60 percent was liquids.” [Bloomberg]
Retrofitting old buildings with energy efficient and renewable energy systems doesn’t have to break the bank, according to these two examples. “Sustainability doesn’t mean freakishly expensive,” said Justin Doyle, a principal with Modus Engineering. “It doesn’t mean these wild systems. It can be economically justifiable. It just takes the right design.” [Cleantechnica]
