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Oil gains on Saudi supply disruption, Mideast tensions

Agencies
September 23, 2019

Singapore, Sept 23: Oil prices rose to their highest in two sessions on Monday amid concerns about oil supply disruptions from Saudi Arabia and elevated tensions in the Middle East.

Brent crude futures increased to as much as $65.50 a barrel. The front-month contract was at $64.84, up 57 cents, or 0.9% at 0224 GMT.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $58.61 a barrel, up 52 cents, or 0.9%, after earlier hitting a high of $59.39.

Despite efforts by the world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia to reassure global markets that it can resume full production by the end of this month after an attack on its largest oil processing facility in mid-September, buyers and traders remained sceptical.

State oil company Saudi Aramco has switched crude grades and pushed back crude and oil products deliveries to customers by days following the attack.

"The fund community faded the attack last week on the assumption that supply would return very quickly, but the reality is likely to be different," said Energy Aspects analyst Virendra Chauhan in Singapore.

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated after the attack. The Pentagon has ordered additional troops to be deployed in the Gulf region to strengthen Saudi Arabia's air and missile defences following an attack on Saudi oil facilities.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that the troops are for "deterrence and defence" and Washington aimed to avoid war with Iran.

In the United States, the impact of Tropical Storm Imelda on refineries in Texas has eased as Exxon Mobil Corp and Valero Corp restarted their crude processing units over the weekend.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Makkah, Jul 31: Organising this year's scaled-down hajj required "double efforts" by Saudi authorities amid the coronavirus pandemic, King Salman said Friday after being discharged from hospital following gall bladder surgery.

Only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom are participating in this year's pilgrimage, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.

"Holding the ritual in the shadow of this pandemic... required reducing the numbers of pilgrims, but it obliged various official agencies to put in double efforts," 84-year-old King Salman said in a speech read out on state television by acting media minister Majid Al-Qasabi.

"The hajj this year was restricted to a very limited number of people from multiple nationalities, ensuring the ritual was completed despite the difficult circumstances," he said.

The speech came on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, a day after the king left hospital following a 10-day stay for surgery to remove his gall bladder.

The hajj, which began on Wednesday, is one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime.

Authorities implemented the "highest health precautions" during the rituals, the king said.

Pilgrims, who were all tested for the virus, are required to wear masks and observe social distancing.

For Friday's "stoning of the devil", the last major ritual of the hajj, Saudi authorities offered the pilgrims pebbles that were sanitised to protect against the pandemic.

In a sign that its strict measures were working, the health ministry reported no coronavirus cases in the holy sites on Wednesday or Thursday.

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Agencies
May 14,2020

Dubai, May 14: As many as 242 beggars of different nationalities have been nabbed by the Dubai Police since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

Among those arrested, 143 were men, 21 were women and 78 were hawkers, said the police. "An anti-begging campaign was launched, especially to find beggar hotspots, to combat the negative phenomenon," said Colonel Ali Salem Al Shamsi, director of the anti-infiltrators department at the Dubai Police.

"Strict warnings have been issued to beggars to refrain from exploiting the sentiments of people during Ramadan," he added.

Col Al Shamsi also called on the public to stop helping them with money. "The public must direct those in dire straits through proper channels in order to get support from charitable institutions."

Col Al Shamsi also urged residents to report begging activities by calling 901 or through the Dubai Police app's 'Police Eye' feature.

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News Network
May 6,2020

A massive fire engulfed a residential tower in UAE's Sharjah last night. The building has been identified as one Abbco Tower in Al Nahda.

According to the latest inputs, Sharjah Civil Defence teams rushed to the spot and evacuated all residents. 

Firefighters managed to douse the blaze after several hours. The building in question is reportedly a 48-storey structure. Officials are yet to reveal the cause of the fire.

All residents of the building were evacuated while seven incurred minor injuries during the evacuation and were treated at local hospitals, reported the United Arab Emirates' local media.

More details are awaited as this is a developing story.

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