UAE

DUBAI (Reuters) - A fire broke out at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility but there were no casualties and the site is operating as usual, Iranian officials said on Thursday.

The Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP), covering 100,000 square meters and built eight meters underground, is one of several Iranian facilities monitored by the United Nations nuclear watchdog.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation initially reported that “an incident” had ocurred at the facility.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia extended for an additional period several government initiatives to support the private sector and investors in mitigating the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, state news agency SPA reported on Thursday, citing a decision by King Salman.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An explosion that rattled Iran’s capital came from an area in its eastern mountains that analysts believe hides an underground tunnel system and missile production sites, satellite photographs showed Saturday.

What exploded in the incident early Friday that sent a massive fireball into the sky near Tehran remains unclear, as does the cause of the blast.

DUBAI, June 24 (NNN-WAM) – The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), announced on Tuesday that, it signed an agreement worth 20.7 billion U.S. dollars, with a consortium of investors and funds.

The consortium consists of some of the world’s leading infrastructure investors and operators, as well as, sovereign wealth and pension funds, including Global Infrastructure Partners, GIP; Brookfield Asset Management, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC; Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, Ontario Teachers; NH Investment & Securities and Snam.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that because of the coronavirus only “very limited numbers” of people will be allowed to perform the annual hajj pilgrimage that traditionally draws around 2 million Muslims from around the world.

DUBAI (Reuters) - The lack of global leadership and unity to fight the coronavirus is a bigger threat that the outbreak itself, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday, adding that politicisation of the pandemic had made it worse.

He did not elaborate but the WHO has been criticised by some members states, especially the United States which says it was too weak, too slow and too “China-centric” in tackling the disease.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said on Thursday its navy had successfully fired a new locally made cruise missile during war games in the northern Indian Ocean and near the entrance to the Gulf.

The test-firing comes as the United States is seeking an extension of a U.N.-imposed arms embargo against Iran, which is due to expire in October under Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Washington withdrew from that pact.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has proposed a framework to end the latest standoff in southern Yemen between nominal allies under a Saudi-led coalition, three sources said, as violence escalates with the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in the north of the country.

Previous clashes between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist group, have complicated U.N. efforts to end Yemen’s ruinous conflict and protect its fractured health sector from COVID-19.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — This was supposed to be Saudi Arabia’s year to shine as host of the prestigious G20 gathering of world leaders. The event would have seen Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman share handshakes and wide smiles with presidents and prime ministers.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran on Wednesday called on Russia and China to resist a push by Washington to extend a U.N.-imposed arms embargo due to expire in October under Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six powers.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has been taking a harder line with the United Nations to extend and strengthen the embargo on Iran, warning that its lifting would let Tehran acquire weapons that could fuel conflicts in the Middle East.