DUBAI: Saudi Arabia said on Monday (May 13) that two Saudi oil tankers were among vessels targeted by a "sabotage attack" off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), condemning it as an attempt to undermine security of global crude supplies.The UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were hit by sabotage near the emirate of Fujairah, one of the world's largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.The UAE gave no details on the nature of the sabotage or who was behind it. It said there were no casualties and operations at Fujairah port were normal.The strait, a vital global oil and gas shipping route, separates the Gulf states and Iran, which has been embroiled in an escalating war of words with the United States over sanctions and the US military's presence in the region.Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a statement that one of the two Saudi vessels attacked was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude from Ras Tanura port for delivery to … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia says two Saudi oil tankers attacked near UAE waters
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After Saudi Arabia, Kimia Farma eyes expansion to Vietnam
After acquiring shares in a Saudi Arabian company, state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Kimia Farma has expressed its intention to expand its business to Vietnam by acquiring a local company. Kimia Farma finance director I.G.N Suharta Wijaya said the company was studying the regulations in the country to find out if a foreign company was allowed to control the majority of shares in a local company. “So, it depends on the regulation in the country. It the regulation is okay, we will enter the country this year,” Suharta said in Jakarta on Tuesday as quoted by tempo.co. He stressed that to enter the country, Kimia Farma had to hold majority shares of a local company as otherwise, the investment was not secured. Suharta said Kimia Farma was interested in acquiring a Vietnamese company that had 400 outlets in the country, fewer than the outlets owned by Kimia Farma. “If the sales of each Kimia Farma outlet in the country is Rp 1.5 billion [US$104,877] per month, [the … [Read more...] about After Saudi Arabia, Kimia Farma eyes expansion to Vietnam
Saudi Arabia replaces civil aviation head amid airport delays
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia replaced the head of its civil aviation authority on Wednesday (May 8), after lengthy flight delays at domestic airports disrupted journeys at the start of a busy annual travel season.A royal decree appointed Abdelhadi al-Mansouri president of the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA), which oversees airport operations across the country. His predecessor was sacked in January.Local media reported cancellations and delays of up to 11 hours over the past five days as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began, with many people making pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina or visiting family in other cities.Disgruntled travellers took to social media to complain. A photo of an information board at Riyadh airport showed delays on almost every domestic route, and a video showed scores of people crowded outside a state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) ticket office.One passenger told Reuters that delays on Saudia had forced him to re-book on a different airline two days … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia replaces civil aviation head amid airport delays
Myanmar to resume fish exports to Saudi Arabia after inspections
After inspections are carried out by Saudi Arabia, Myanmar will be able to resume its fish export which had been suspended. Saudi Arabia has sent the necessary checklists to Myanmar Fisheries Department on April to allow farmed fishes export from Myanmar said U Thet Naing, deputy director of the Quality Control and Research Division of Fisheries Department. "They sent some question based on our fact. We resent the question to the responsible department, collect the answer and report to our superior. If the department head accepts then we will provide the result to Saudi Arabia. They will then come and inspect our fishery system after everything is completed so we can resume exports,." said U Thet Naing. Saudi Arabia, which imports about 20,000 tonnes of marine products from Myanmar annually, had stopped buying rohu fish since April last year after bacteria was found on the same fish species imported from Vietnam. Before the suspension, Myanmar exported 60 percent of river catfish … [Read more...] about Myanmar to resume fish exports to Saudi Arabia after inspections
Trump is backing the crack-down by MBS in Saudi Arabia
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By Rashid Husain Syed Opinion Wed., May 1, 2019 The ongoing tirade by President Donald Trump against Iran and his unwavering support for the “embattled” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) has emboldened the brash young prince to persevere with his crusade against dissent in the kingdom. On April 23 Riyadh executed 37 nationals. Thirty-four of them were identified as Shiites. The Saudi government defends such executions as a powerful tool for deterrence. A Saudi interior ministry statement said those executed were found guilty of attacking security installations with explosives, killing a number of security officers and cooperating with enemy organizations against the interests of the country. However, Amnesty International said 11 of the men were convicted of spying for Iran and sentenced to death after a “grossly unfair trial.” At least 14 others were convicted of violent offences related to their participation in anti-government … [Read more...] about Trump is backing the crack-down by MBS in Saudi Arabia