The MV Al Marzoqah oil tanker was attacked on May 12, 2019 off the coast of Fujairah port. EPA
The MV Al Marzoqah oil tanker was attacked on May 12, 2019 off the coast of Fujairah port. EPA
The MV Al Marzoqah oil tanker was attacked on May 12, 2019 off the coast of Fujairah port. EPA
The MV Al Marzoqah oil tanker was attacked on May 12, 2019 off the coast of Fujairah port. EPA

Qatar's silence on Iran's ship attacks ‘devastating at all levels'


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A western intelligence report showing Qatar knew of Iranian plans to attack four ships off the coast of the UAE could have “devastating” legal implications for Doha, an international relations expert said.

Ghanem Nuseibeh, founder of the London consultancy Cornerstone Global Associates, also told The National the intelligence report, which detailed how Qatar failed to warn its western allies of the May attack, showed Doha was "clearly not a trusted ally" of the West.

“The intelligence is very serious and has very serious implications for Qatar,” Mr Nuseibeh said.

“It could not have come at a worse time for Qatar, after a serious of allegations of Qatar’s associations with extremists around the world.

"If proven, those allegations could have devastating legal implications against Qatar on all political, economic and military levels."

The report, Fox News, detailed how the international wing of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Quds Force, targeted two Saudi tankers, a Norwegian tanker and a UAE vessel near the port of Fujairah on May 12.

The attack came amid rising tension between the US and Iran over American sanctions seeking to block Iranian oil exports.

“Elements of civilian government of Iran, as well as the state of Qatar, were aware of the IRGC’s activities,” the report said.

French and British politicians have raised alarm over Qatar’s failure to alert its western allies.

French Senator Nathalie Goulet said she would send the report on to France’s security department and its minister of defence.

British member of parliament Ian Paisley Jr, now campaigning for re-election, said he intended to call on the UK government to investigate the claims in the report.

But former UK government minister Alan Duncan told The National that other politicians were unlikely to follow Mr Paisley's lead on Qatar and declined to comment further.

Sanam Vakil, a senior research fellow for the Mena Programme at Chatham House, said she was surprised by the report, adding that it was “strange” given that Qatar needed to appear at a distance from Iran.

“The Iranians are quite pragmatic and realise that Qatar can't overly embrace Iran," Ms Vakil said. "They understand that.

"The Qataris don't want to emerge from this crisis as part of the axis of resistance. Being seen to be too close to Iran is not in Qatar's interest either.”

David Reaboi, adviser at the Security Studies Group think tank, said: “It’s no surprise to see Qatar play both sides, the United States and Iran, but it’s unusual for a state like this to be as ideological as Qatar.

___________

A look back at the tanker attacks

___________

Since 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have enforced a boycott on Qatar, calling on Doha to meet a list of 13 demands, including downgrading its relations with Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which one sixth of the world’s oil passes each year, has become a principal flash point for increased tensions between the West and Iran after the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018.

In the months since, it has been the site of commercial shipping seizures and Iranian attacks.

Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

The biog

Name: Sari Al Zubaidi

Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati

Age: 42

Marital status: single

Favourite drink: drip coffee V60

Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia 

Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude 

Company%20profile
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Innotech Profile

Date started: 2013

Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari

Based: Muscat, Oman

Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies

Size: 15 full-time employees

Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing 

Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now. 

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
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  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Votes

Total votes: 1.8 million

Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes

Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes 

What's in the deal?

Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024

India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.

India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.

Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments

India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.