An Iranian tanker with $123 million worth of crude oil that Britain said was intended for the Syrian regime has left Gibraltar after a six-week detention without a whimper from Brussels.
The saga has made clear that European Union's priority is to keep Iran in the 2015 nuclear accord, seen as the bloc’s only major external feat, regardless of misgivings over Tehran’s policies beyond issues related to the deal.
Wherever the tanker formerly known as the Grace I ends up, its interception and release embody the EU's enduring divisions and the toothlessness of its sanctions when it comes to curbing Iranian backing for the regime of President Bashar Al Assad.
Except for US support, London has stood alone since British Royal Marines seized the Grace I off the Gibraltar coast on July 4. Downing Street said its 2.1 million-barrel cargo was headed to Syria in contravention of EU sanctions.
The tanker, renamed the Adrian Darya I a few days ago, left Gibraltar on Sunday night on a course for Greece, but it is free to change direction. Gibraltar, a British territory subject to jurisdiction from London, had rejected US legal moves to keep holding the tanker, saying the territory had fulfilled EU laws.
The last-minute legal drama and the rifts between the US and Europe over Iran overshadowed the reason Britain detained the tanker.
It was a rare instance of a European country challenging Iran’s support for the Syrian regime, a concern the EU has buried despite its aim of stopping the killing of Syrian civilians and finding a solution to the conflict.
Europe has outsourced the Syrian refugee problem to Turkey and finding a solution to Russia, regardless of how Moscow goes about it.
Even when Iran in apparent retaliation seized a British-flagged tanker, the Stena Impero, near the Strait of Hormuz on July 19, there was little in the way of outright European condemnation.
The EU has been more verbal in criticising the Assad regime, imposing sanctions on the regime since 2011 but keeping its mission in Damascus open.
The main member states – Britain, Germany and France – closed their embassies a year after the Syrian regime’s crackdown on a peaceful protest movement escalated into an armed uprising in which it has killed and disappeared thousands of civilians.
In a surprise move in March 2016, the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini met in Geneva with the regime’s main negotiator, Bashar Al Jaafari, without informing Paris or London, despite being in the two capitals just days before. It was the EU's highest-level meeting till date with a regime largely ostracised by the West for its actions.
“Not only had she failed to tell the member states, she gave the Syrian regime a free gift,” said a European diplomat based in Brussels.
Since then meetings between the EU’s External Action Service and Syrian regime officials have been fairly regular, according to EU sources.
Fawaz Tello, a prominent Syrian opposition figure, said the EU's actions regarding the Syrian conflict had been half-hearted.
"Europe has outsourced the refugee problem to Turkey and finding a solution to Russia, regardless of how Moscow goes about it," Mr Tello told The National from Berlin.
Mr Tello said the bloc had in effect stuck by three premises that guided the approach of many member countries towards Syria even before the uprising.
“Many in Europe still believe that this Alawite regime is good for minorities, that the alternative would be what they regard as Sunni terrorism, and that it is the best for keeping the front with Israel stable,” Mr Tello, who is not affiliated with any of the current opposition groups, said.
“On all three counts they are wrong.”
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
MATCH INFO
Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)
Match is live on BeIN Sports
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BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
- Champions League
- English Premier League
- Spanish Primera Liga
- Italian, French and Scottish leagues
- Wimbledon and other tennis majors
- Formula One
- Rugby Union - Six Nations and European Cups
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
BRIEF SCORES
England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23
India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46
England won by nine runs
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)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
Teams
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
Company%20Profile
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Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
