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Industrial decarbonization-focused private equity investor Ara Partners announced that it has raised more than $800 million at the closing of the debut fund of its Ara Infrastructure strategy, and associated co-investment vehicles, aimed at investing in in mid-market decarbonization infrastructure assets. The fundraising significantly exceeded the fund’s $500 million target. Launched in 2022, the strategy, led by Ara co-Heads of Infrastructure George Yong and Teresa O’Flynn, focuses on the “overlooked middle” of the low-carbon infrastructure market, targeting critical assets that need to be built, repurposed or rebuilt, to decarbonize the industrial economy, with the firm noting that most market investments…

ESG ratings providers face stricter transparency, conflict-of-interest, and operational structure requirements under new ESMA draft rules. Supervision of sustainability disclosures will be risk-based, with a strong focus on greenwashing and double materiality. EU issuers must prepare for intensified scrutiny and harmonized enforcement across Member States. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has unveiled two major regulatory developments poised to reshape ESG data integrity and sustainability reporting across the EU. ESG Ratings Regulation: From Supervision to Separation Following the adoption of the ESG Rating Regulation in late 2024, ESMA has published its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS), outlining strict new…

As more companies race to automate their warehouses, a new report from MIT says they might be overlooking some major risks that could disrupt the entire supply chain. What’s RelatedThe Warehouse of the Future report, published by researchers at MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics, outlines the top dangers facing highly automated warehouse operations. These include technical failures, cyber threats, new safety issues created by advanced robotics, and the loss of hands-on knowledge due to high employee turnover. “The more interconnected and automated warehouses become, the more exposed they are to disruptions,” said Miguel Rodríguez García, one of the report’s…

Chevron Corp. will reduce share buybacks this quarter after oil prices tumbled, indicating that President Donald Trump’s trade war is hurting a key US industry he pledged to help. The Houston-based company said Friday it will repurchase about $2.75 billion of stock in the second quarter, about 30% less than it bought in the first three months of the year. It comes despite Chevron beating earnings estimates on more low-cost production from Kazakhstan and the Permian Basin.  Exxon Mobil Corp., which also reported earnings Friday, is sticking to its plan to buy back about $5 billion in shares per quarter.…

Earlier this week, Crude Oil prices plunged to their lowest levels in four years, as recession fears intensified amid a deepening global trade war and reports that Saudi Arabia may tolerate even lower prices to defend market share. But beneath the headlines, a much bigger force could be on the verge of a buying spree – quietly setting a powerful reversal. That buyer? President Donald Trump’s U.S government. A Rare Window of Opportunity for Trump to Strike In his January 2025 inaugural address, President Trump pledged to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) “right to the top”, calling it a…

EU markets regulator the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) announced today the publication of its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) under the EU’s ESG Rating Regulation, setting out its proposed rules for ESG ratings providers. The publication follows the adoption by the European Commission in late 2024 of the ESG Rating Regulation, aimed at improving the reliability, transparency and comparability of ESG ratings and boosting investor confidence in sustainable financial products. The process behind the regulation began in 2021, with the issuance of a letter by ESMA to the European Commission, advising that the current unregulated status of the…

Amazon is investing more than $4 billion to expand its rural delivery network, aiming to bring faster shipping to customers in small towns and less populated areas across the U.S. The company says the move will create over 100,000 new jobs and help speed up deliveries by as much as 50% in these regions. Once complete, the expanded network will cover over 13,000 zip codes and handle over a billion additional packages yearly. What’s RelatedThe plan includes growing Amazon’s rural delivery stations from around 70 at the end of 2023 to more than 200 by the end of 2026. Each…

At nine years old, Patience Nabukalu was devastated when her friend, Kevin, died in severe flooding that hit their Kampala suburb, Nateete, a former wetland. Witnessing deaths and the destruction of homes and livelihoods in floods made worse by extreme rainfall has had a profound impact on her.She decided to try to bring about change – to do what she could to amplify the voices of those in the Ugandan communities worst affected by the climate crisis.Now 27, Nabukalu is one of several young climate activists who travelled to London this week to attend what has been predicted to be…

Indraprastha Gas Limited on Friday announced that Rajkumar Dubey has been appointed as the chairman of the Company, with effect from May 1, 2025. As per the company’s stock exchange filing, Rajkumar Dubey is an alumnus of NIT Allahabad with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the International Centre for Promotion of Enterprises in Slovenia. He has over 36 years of industry experience in Business and Human Capital Development. He has led strategic organizational development initiatives impacting over 400 locations and 7,500 people, working closely with international consultants on organisation restructuring, visioning, and HR planning. The newly…

In April just passed, the Chinese government introduced new electric car battery safety standards that will come into effect from 1 July 2026 onwards. CATL says its products already meet the new safety standards. The new Chinese mandatory national electric car battery standard, GB 38031-2025, is referred to as the “no fire, no explosion” standard, stipulating that batteries must not catch fire or explode during a thermal runaway event. The regulation also mandates that smoke may not be emitted that could harm vehicle occupants. Until this new standard, batteries were only required to emit warning signals to warn of fire…