DUBAI: The clock is ticking down on the introduction of a piece of regulation that — if not managed properly — threatens to bring turmoil to global trade and energy markets.
By the end of the year, the world’s maritime industry is expected to have put in place new anti-pollution measures imposed by the International Maritime Organization, the regulator for the global shipping industry. Known as IMO 2020, the new regulations aim to reduce the amount of high-sulfur ingredients in “bunker” fuels — the low-quality oil products on which most of the 80,000 commercial vessels that ply international trade routes run.
The proposed measures and the deadline have been looming since they were first proposed 10 years ago, but the industry is only slowly waking up to the repercussions. The world’s shippers have to either move to new cleaner fuels — with a maximum 0.5 percent sulfur mix — or install scrubbers onto each vessel in the world.
With an estimated cost of $2 million to $5 million per vessel, the cost to the shipping industry will be immense. For the Arabian Gulf oil industry, the change threatens to add to refining costs for its traditional high-sulfur product.
Some oil analysts reckon that could add $7 to the price of a barrel of oil. Taken together with the price of installing scrubbers, the total cost of IMO 2020 could be as much as $1 trillion over five years, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics, the energy experts.
The price of oil is always a sensitive issue. The US President Donald Trump has made cheap gasoline a central policy requirement for his populist supporters. In Europe, much of the recent street protests in France was prompted by government-imposed increases to the cost of oil products. Policymakers are learning that they tinker with the oil price at their peril.
Environmental lobbyists say the air quality around ports and refineries is among the dirtiest on the planet, so the new measures make sound environmental sense. But there is another challenge to global trade patterns associated with IMO 2020.
Some of the biggest ports in the world, like Singapore, have signaled that they will impose the new measures stringently. But there is no guarantee others will be so conscientious. Bunkering charges are a large element of shippers’ costs, and less meticulous operators might use the new regime to try to win market share. There are any number of ports in Asia that would like to take top spot from Singapore, and might not really care about how they do that.
There are question marks too over how effectively the new rules will be policed. Big Oil, the world’s leading energy companies, is increasingly under pressure from ethical investors determined to enforce new environmental standards.
Others, like Saudi Aramco, the biggest oil company in the world, have voluntarily introduced new environmental measures. Saudi oil is already one of the cleanest forms of hydrocarbon product in the world, according to recent scientific studies.
But the same cannot be said for all the operators in the energy and maritime business. There is a suspicion in the industry that less scrupulous operators will avoid the new measures and seek to unfairly take business from their more ethical rivals. The ability of the IMO to enforce the new rules even-handedly is also in doubt.
It is not all gloom. Experts in the refining business believe the industry can pretty quickly adapt plants to turn out the new low-sulfur fuel. Ports like Fujairah, on the Indian Ocean shoreline of the UAE, are already offering low-sulfur fuels, and expect to see a big increase in business in the course of the year.
There has been a recent surge in the installation of scrubbers, especially on very large container vessels and tankers. Much of the work of converting them to cleaner standards can be done by on-board engineers while the vessel is at sea, minimizing the disruption to normal business.
The industry may also find it has more time than it thinks. Trump, opposed to climate change theory and environmental regulation, is reported to be considering requesting a delay in implementing the changes. If the US refuses to play ball in IMO 2020, the new regulations could well be stillborn.
New maritime measures threaten to rock oil industry’s boat
New maritime measures threaten to rock oil industry’s boat
‘Not a commodity’: UN staff rally over deep cuts
- Carrying signs reading “We stand for humanity” and “Protect the protectors,” protesters poured into the square in front of the UN European headquarters
- “We’re supposed to stand for workers’ rights, so this is really tough,” Lena, an ILO staff member said
GENEVA: Hundreds of UN staff rallied in Geneva Thursday over deep funding cuts, especially from key donor the United States, which have led to mass-layoffs and threatened life-saving services around the world.
The demonstration, called by UN staff unions and associations, brought together workers from a wide range of Geneva-based agencies, along with their families and supporters under a blazing sun.
Carrying signs reading “UN staff are not a commodity,” “We stand for humanity,” “Stop firing UN staff now” and “Protect the protectors,” protesters poured into the square in front of the United Nations European headquarters.
“We’re supposed to stand for workers’ rights, so this is really tough,” Lena, a staff member at the International Labour Organization, told AFP, refusing to give her last name.
“You just feel helpless,” she said, standing next to her daughter sound asleep in a baby carriage with a sign reading “We stand for better jobs in the world” propped on top.
Humanitarian organizations worldwide have been reeling since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January, pushing an anti-refugee and anti-migrant agenda and immediately freezing most US foreign aid funding.
The United States has traditionally been by far the top donor to a number of agencies, which have been left scrambling to fill sudden and gaping budget gaps.
A number of agencies have already signalled the dire consequences as austerity measures take hold across the UN system.
According to UN staff unions, the UN refugee agency is preparing to cut up to 30 percent of its staff worldwide, while the International Organization for Migration has said it will need to lay off more than 6,000 staff members, or over a third of its workforce.
The World Food Programme is meanwhile preparing to cut between 25 and 30 percent of its global workforce.
Thousands of jobs are also being cut at the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, the World Health Organization and UNAIDS, with many more hanging in the balance, the staff unions said.
They also noted that nearly one in 10 jobs were being eliminated at the ILO, while the UN children’s agency UNICEF is facing a projected 20-percent budget cut.
“So many people are afraid of losing their jobs,” said Elodie Saban, who works at the main UN Geneva office.
“People who work for the UN are often asked to make extreme sacrifices. It is outrageous to see how they are being treated.”
Ian Richards, head of the UN office in Geneva staff union, stressed in a statement that “our colleagues have worked in some of the most dangerous, difficult and isolated locations in the world.”
“They couldn’t choose when or where they moved. They have sacrificed their personal and family lives, and in some cases paid the ultimate price, to help those in need,” he said, decrying that now “many are being let go without any social or financial support from their employers.”
Lena agreed, pointing out that some workers “are here for 20 years, and then it is basically: ‘goodbye’, you’re gone in two months.”
She highlighted that international UN staff are not granted unemployment benefits in the countries they work in, and their residence permits expire within a month of losing their employment.
Even worse, perhaps, would be the impact on operations in the field where the UN’s humanitarian agencies provide life-saving aid to millions of people, while an agency like the ILO battles against things like child labor, Lena said.
“Now, we just have to tell people we have worked with for years, ‘sorry’.”
Pakistan army chief vows ‘swift, resolute’ response to any Indian military misadventure
- General Syed Asim Munir witnesses Pakistan army’s high-intensity field training exercise drill near Jhelum
- Tensions surged after India blamed Pakistan for Apr. 22 attack on tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir on Thursday vowed that any military misadventure by India would be met with a “swift, resolute” response amid surging tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
These remarks came from Munir while he visited the Tilla Field Firing Ranges (TFFR) near the eastern city of Jhelum to witness “Exercise Hammer Strike,” a high-intensity field training exercise conducted by Pakistan Army’s Mangla Strike Corps. The army continued to hold war exercises on Thursday in a bid to demonstrate its military might to its neighbor.
Pakistan has vowed to give a befitting and “strong” response to any military action by India as tensions surged after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for being involved in an attack on Indian-administered Kashmir on Apr. 22.
Islamabad has denied involvement in the attack, which killed 26 people and prompted both countries to take several hostile measures against each other. These included India suspending a decades-old water-sharing treaty, suspending visas for Pakistani nationals and declaring its military advisers “persona non grata.” Pakistan responded with tit-for-tat measures.
“Let there be no ambiguity: any military misadventure by India will be met with a swift, resolute, and notch-up response,” Munir was quoted as saying by Pakistan military’s media wing. “While Pakistan remains committed to regional peace, our preparedness and resolve to safeguard national interests is absolute.”
Munir lauded the high morale, combat proficiency and warfighting spirit of Pakistan’s officers and troops at the firing ranges, terming them the “embodiment of Pakistan Army’s operational excellence.”
The military said that the exercise was designed to validate combat readiness, battlefield synergy and operational integration of cutting-edge weapon systems under near-battlefield conditions.
“A diverse array of advanced capabilities, including multirole fighter aircraft, combat aviation assets, long-range precision artillery and next-generation field engineering techniques were employed to simulate conventional battlefield scenarios,” it said.
RUBIO CALLS FOR DE-ESCALATION
Separately, US Secretary of State spoke to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday to discuss the regional situation. As per the US State Department, Rubio urged Islamabad to cooperate in the attack’s investigation and de-escalate the situation.
“The Secretary urged Pakistani officials’ cooperation in investigating this unconscionable attack,” the State Department said. “He also encouraged Pakistan to work with India to de-escalate tensions, re-establish direct communications, and maintain peace and security in South Asia.”
According to Sharif’s office, the Pakistani premier asked Washington to impress upon India to “act responsibly” and “dial down the rhetoric.”
“He [Sharif] categorically rejected Indian attempts to link Pakistan to the incident and pointed to his call for a transparent, credible, and neutral investigation to bring out the facts,” the PMO said.
Rubio also spoke to India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Wednesday, expressing sorrow for the loss of lives in the Apr. 22 attack. He also encouraged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions and maintain peace and security in South Asia, the State Department said.
Flintoff proud as Afghan refugee protege plays for Lancashire second team
- The Afghan refugee was the breakout star of Flintoff’s television reality show
- Miakhel scored 25 not out batting at number 10 in the first innings
LONDON: Andrew Flintoff has revealed his pride at seeing ‘Field of Dreams’ protege Adnan Miakhel, a refugee from Afghanistan, make his first appearance for Lancashire’s second team.
The former England cricket captain, who made his name in cricket as a hugely talented all-rounder while playing for Lancashire, his native county, has been back in the public eye lately following the release of a new documentary detailing the painful recovery from his life-changing car crash.
The program sees Flintoff speaking about how returning from show business to cricket has helped him gain fresh meaning in life, with Miakhel’s appearance in a three-day friendly against Yorkshire — the traditional arch-rivals of northwest county Lancashire — uniting the worlds of entertainment and sport.
The Afghan refugee was the breakout star of Flintoff’s television reality show about a scratch team of would-be cricketers based in Preston, Lancashire, and was awarded asylum in the United Kingdom after his mentor wrote to the Home Office (Britain’s interior ministry) supporting his application.
Flintoff, reflecting on Miakhel’s elevation from Lancashire’s Under-18s last season to the second string this year, posted on X: “Some journeys are longer and harder, I’m so proud of this fine young man.”
Miakhel scored 25 not out batting at number 10 in the first innings and dismissed first-teamers Jonny Tattersall and Matt Revis as he claimed figures of 2-72 from 13 overs.
The game at Liverpool’s Northern Cricket Club is a friendly match which does not restrict teams to the usual standard 11 players and Miakhel is not listed to bat in the second innings.
Rossall School, which awarded Miakhel a scholarship, paid its own tribute, adding on X: “Amazing to see current Y13 and 1XI (first team) cricket Captain Adnan M being presented with his 2XI (2nd XI) cap as he made his debut against Yorkshire.
“It is fantastic to see all of the hard work Adnan has put in paying off and we wish him all the success in the future with @lancscricket,” added the message from Rossall, whose former pupils include Liam Botham, the son of England cricket great Ian Botham, who also played cricket and both codes of rugby at a professional level in his own right.
Bangladesh holds mass political rallies in anticipation of first vote since Hasina ouster
- Thousands of people gathered for a May Day rally organized by Bangladesh Nationalist Party
- Chief of Bangladesh’s interim administration earlier said election could take place end of 2025
DHAKA: Three days of mass rallies began in Bangladesh on Thursday as political parties seek to drum up support ahead of the anticipated first vote since the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year.
The country’s interim government, headed by Nobel prize winner Prof. Muhammad Yunus, has been implementing a series of reforms. And preparing for elections since taking charge in August, after Hasina fled Dhaka amid student-led protests that called for her resignation.
Yunus has said that Bangladesh could hold elections by the end of 2025 or in the first half of 2026, provided that electoral reforms take place first.
As thousands of people gathered in Dhaka for a May Day rally organized by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Thursday, its leaders seek to highlight the rights of Bangladeshis to a free and fair election.
The BNP’s Vice Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu told Arab News: “People were deprived of their voting rights in the last three general elections due to a fraudulent environment.
“Considering the present context, people are optimistic that they would get the chance to exercise voting rights and eventually hand over power to their trusted political party.
“In this way, a democratic government will be reinstated in the country.”
He added: “These expectations and dreams of the countrymen will be represented through our mass demonstration today.”
“We want to see a Bangladesh, which is run through a democratic system, where people would be able to exercise and enjoy all of their due rights.”
The country’s largest Islamic political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, also held a rally on Thursday.
They will be followed on Friday by a mass demonstration organized by the National Citizens Party, which was formed by the students who spearheaded the youth-led protests that overthrew Hasina.
On Saturday, Hefazat-e-Islam, a powerful Islamic organization in the country, is also expected to hold a “grand rally.”
The series of political rallies are taking place a little over a year since Bangladesh’s last elections in January 2024, when Hasina won a fourth term in polls that were boycotted by the main opposition parties.
Following 15 years of uninterrupted rule, Hasina and her Awami League party had allegedly politicized key government institutions, including the Election Commission.
Bangladesh is going through a “transitional moment,” said NCP Joint Member Secretary Saleh Uddin Sifat, highlighting that the interim government’s ongoing work is crucial to secure a better future for the country.
“If we can’t reform or overhaul the other machineries of the state, like (the) judiciary, police, constitution etc., before the election, then the next government might also be an authoritarian one because of the existence of the authoritarian elements within the state machineries,” Sifat told Arab News.
Sifat is expecting a good turnout at the NCP rally on Friday, which will urge for reforms in various state institutions and demand justice for alleged crimes committed by members of the Awami League.
“We believe our next general election will not simply serve as a medium of transferring power,” he said. “Rather, it will pave the way for a permanent and effective reformation of the structural issues of the country.”
Photography competition winners celebrate Saudi landscapes and stories
- More than 1,300 people submitted their work to the Kingdom Photography Awards
- Total of SR400,000 given to winners of the competition
JEDDAH: Two new photography exhibitions in Jeddah are celebrating the work of the winners of a competition that awarded a total of SR400,000 in prize money to participants.
“Hayy Aynak — In a New Light” and “When the Fog Whispers” were opened by the Visual Arts Commission at Hayy Jameel on Wednesday.
The exhibitions will run until May 25 in conjunction with the third Kingdom Photography Award, which began earlier this year.
The award has become a prominent platform for capturing the spirit of Saudi Arabia through the lens of its creative talents.
This exhibition celebrates the Kingdom’s natural beauty, cultural richness and artistic innovation through photography.
The competition invites artists to explore a specific region of the Kingdom through their work.
Dina Amin, CEO of the Visual Arts Commission, told Arab News: “The idea is to start to create through the lens of different photographers and their creative process, a body of work that captures the richness of the landscapes of Saudi Arabia through different languages of expression, different creative processes, different types of photography and storytelling to really create a visual odyssey almost through the landscape, the people and the environment of Saudi Arabia today.”
She added: “If you look in today’s exhibition, you’ll see some of the photographers have chosen to look at natural environment, landscape. Others have chosen to look at population and populated environments, so to speak, whereas others are really looking at tradition and history. So, with each engagement, we start to have this beautiful journey.”
The “Hayy Aynak” exhibition presents the winning works from the third running of the award, which received more than 1,300 submissions and awarded a total of SR400,000 in prizes.
The exhibition celebrates the aesthetics and diverse landscapes of the Kingdom — from the buzz of urban life to the stillness of the desert.
An international jury evaluated the submissions and selected the most compelling and meaningful stories based on creativity, technical proficiency and the narrative power of visual storytelling.
The second exhibition, “When the Fog Whispers,” takes visitors on a personal and emotional journey to the Asir region, long a source of artistic inspiration thanks to its mist-covered mountains and deep-rooted cultural heritage.
Five artists were selected to create special photography projects that reflected their relationships with the Asir landscape. The resulting works are visually captivating and rich in reflection, documentation and human connection.
Mohammed Sumji, the curator of the third outing of the award, told Arab News about the experience of bringing photographers together to explore the distinctive landscape of Asir.
“We selected the region of Asir, and the five photographers that we selected were known to me, and I basically selected them based on their potential to make works especially around Asir because they practice dealing with either stories of people’s lived experiences or landscapes. I’m very happy with how it’s come out.”
Saudi photographer, Abdulmajeed Al-Ruwaidan, chose the theme “Roadside Stations” for his submission, documenting the architecture of old Saudi gas stations before they disappeared under modern development.
Elham Al-Dossary, also from Saudi Arabia, chose the theme “Crossing Asir,” blending her late father’s archive as a photographer with contemporary images to create a visual narrative that meditates on memory and transformation.
For the past two years, Ilham has been helping her father archive his work, and a small part of that archive is dedicated to his time in Asir.
“He has an archive at home that dates back to the 1960s and ’70s,” she told Arab News.
She continued: “The archive became a way to view Asir through a personal and familial lens.
“There’s a connection between me and my father — through the land, through the people — and I also wanted to explore more stories, not just about him, but about life there and the areas we photographed, like Al-Habla and others.”
Mohamed Mahdy, from Egypt, titled his collection “When the Land Loves You.” It is a poignant portrayal of the emotional connection between the people of Asir and their land, captured through nostalgic and heartfelt imagery.
Lina Geoushy, also from Egypt, called her collection “Daughters of Al-Qatt.” Hers is a colorful celebration of the women who sustain the traditional Al-Qatt Al-Asiri artform, recognized by UNESCO. Her photographs honor this living tradition.
She told Arab News: “This photo is especially important to me because it’s in this very rich village, Rijal Almaa … it plays on the idea of the inside and the outside, the internal spaces or imaginaries and the landscape; the lady in the photo is Sharifa Mahdy, who’s been practicing this art for 25 years, and she learnt it from the famous Fatima Abou Gahas.
“Apart from it being a life tradition, Qatt art has healing powers … it gives them confidence and positivity and it’s sort of like a refuge for them.”
Hicham Gardaf, from Morocco, created a collection titled “The Road to the Juniper.” It is a meticulously crafted visual journey through juniper forests, where nature becomes a silent cultural archive filled with untold stories.
He told Arab News: “I imagined this massive juniper tree with roots spreading across Asir — like routes we travel, all leading back to this one tree that connects the land, the people and their stories.”
Throughout the exhibition period, the Visual Arts Commission will also host a series of interactive workshops and panel discussions featuring local and international experts.
These sessions aim to create space for dialogue, skill development and knowledge exchange, enriching visitors’ experience and fostering artistic and professional growth across various fields of the visual arts.
