Tag: uae

Attacking Gulf oil routes exposes alternatives to Hormuz

by Omar Hasan DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Attacks on Saudi and UAE oil assets built to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important waterway in the Gulf, have raised fears that alternative routes could be vulnerable. Four ships including two Saudi oil tankers were damaged in mysterious sabotage attacks Sunday off Fujairah, an emirate located at the crucial entrance to the Gulf. That incident was followed by drone strikes Tuesday by Yemen’s […]

UAE seeks Gulf ‘de-escalation’ after ship attacks

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — The UAE said Wednesday it was “committed to de-escalation” after a spike in tensions in the Gulf but warned it would retaliate hard against Yemen rebel attacks on civilian facilities in the region. The UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, was speaking after the mysterious sabotage at the weekend of four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, and after Yemen’s Huthi rebels claimed drone attacks Tuesday […]

Riyadh says oil facility attacks target world supplies

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia said Wednesday that attacks on two of its oil tankers and a major pipeline targeted not only its own security but that of the world’s supplies. Drone attacks claimed by Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels shut down one of the kingdom’s main oil pipelines on Tuesday, further ratcheting up Gulf tensions after the mysterious sabotage of four ships, two of them Saudi tankers, just outside the Gulf on Sunday. “The […]

Oil tankers hit by ‘sabotage attacks’ as Gulf tensions soar

by Mumen Khatib with Dana Moukhallati in Dubai FUJAIRAH, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, were damaged in mysterious “sabotage attacks” that further inflamed Gulf tensions on Monday amid a standoff between the United States and Iran. In the face of growing international concern, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo scrapped a planned visit to Moscow to head to Brussels instead for talks with European officials on Iran. Tehran […]

Two Saudi tankers came under ‘sabotage attack’ off UAE

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Two Saudi oil tankers came under “sabotage attack” off the United Arab Emirates coast, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday, quoting the Saudi energy minister. “Two Saudi oil tankers were subjected to a sabotage attack in the exclusive economic zone of the United Arab Emirates, off the coast of the Emirate of Fujairah, while on their way to cross into the Arabian Gulf,” SPA cited Khalid al-Falih as […]

UAE regrets inclusion in EU tax blacklist

The United Arab Emirates has slammed a European Union decision to add it to a tax haven blacklist despite the Gulf state’s efforts to meet EU requirements. The EU on Tuesday added 10 countries to the list, created in 2017 as part of efforts to battle tax evasion by the wealthy. The UAE was among the new countries included. “This inclusion was made despite the UAE’s close cooperation with the EU on this issue and […]

Drone disrupts flights from Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Suspected drone activity briefly disrupted flight departures Friday from Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic, the airport said. It said in a statement that departures were suspended between 10:13 (0613 GMT) and 10:45 am (0645 GMT) “due to suspected drone activity”. “Dubai Airports has worked closely with the appropriate authorities to ensure that the safety of airport operations is maintained at all times and to minimize […]

UAE reopens Damascus embassy after seven years

by Maher al-Mounes with Rouba El Husseini in Beirut Agence France Presse DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) — The United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus Thursday, the latest sign of efforts to bring the Syrian government back into the Arab fold. The UAE broke ties with Syria in February 2012, as the repression of nationwide protests demanding regime change was escalating into a devastating war. Nearly seven years later, the Emirati flag was raised again […]

Oil producers to review production cuts’ impact in April: UAE

  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Oil producers who agreed last week to trim production to boost prices will meet in April to review the impact and sign a long-term pact, the UAE minister said Wednesday. OPEC and some non-OPEC producers decided to cut output by 1.2 million barrels per day for six months from January after world prices shed a quarter of their value in just a few weeks. Prices currently hover around […]

Abu Dhabi prince targeted by French lawsuits over Yemen war

PARIS, France (AFP) — Rights activists filed two complaints in France against a visiting Abu Dhabi prince on Wednesday, accusing him of being complicit in torture as well as in war crimes in Yemen. Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who is a close ally of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was in Paris for a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron. The October 2 killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi loomed large […]

DFA gives P100,000 financial assistance to Jennifer Dalquez

  (Eagle News)–The Department of Foreign Affairs has extended P100,000 in financial assistance to acquitted murder suspect Jennifer Dalquez. In a statement, the DFA said the amount was to help her start anew in the Philippines, following her acquittal from the charge of murdering her employer, who she said had tried to rape her at knifepoint in the United Arab Emirates. Dalquez had been sentenced to death row until her lawyer moved for her acquittal […]

DFA to Filipinos illegally staying in UAE: Regularize your stay by end of the month or face repatriation

(Eagle News)–Filipinos illegally staying in the United Arab Emirates only have until the end of the month to regularize their stay or face repatriation. This was the reminder issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs a day before the arrival in Manila of 150 Filipinos from Dubai who availed of the UAE amnesty program. The 14th batch of repatriates is expected to arrive at Terminal 2 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 8:45 a.m. […]