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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 1 November 2022
Saudi, UAE back OPEC cuts as US envoy warns of 'uncertainty'

(AP) — Saudi Arabia and hail al-Mazrouei echoed and Saudi Arabia appear
the United Arab Emirates that defense. While saying to have reached a nadir"
defended on Monday a that OPEC and its allies are amid the dispute.
decision by OPEC and its "only a phone call away if "The U.S.-Saudi relationship
allies to cut oil production, the requirements are there" could fundamentally shift
even as an American en- to raise production, he of- to an almost purely trans-
voy warned of "economic fered no suggestion such a actional one, character-
uncertainty" ahead for the boost would be on its way ized by 'strategic drift,' as
world. anytime soon. Riyadh continues to act
against its own self-interest,
While cordial, the com- OPEC and a loose confed- a move borne of spite, not
ments at the Abu Dhabi eration of other countries strategy," the center said.
International Petroleum Ex- led by Russia agreed in "If Saudi Arabia again votes
hibition and Conference early October to cut its pro- to cut production, it will
showed the stark divide duction by 2 million barrels lead to a further rift with the
between the United States of oil a day, beginning in "And we have to under- Saudi Arabia lashed back, United States and will signal
and Gulf Arab countries November. stand that that is a very dif- publicly claiming the Biden Riyadh's growing drift closer
it supports militarily in the ficult place for them to be." administration sought a to Moscow," it added.
wider Middle East. Already, OPEC, led by Saudi Ara- one-month delay in the Meanwhile, the world's thirst
American politicians have bia, has insisted its decision American politicians, OPEC cuts that could for oil only will increase. An
threatened arms deals came from concerns about meanwhile, have reacted helped reduce the risk of a OPEC outlook published
with the kingdom and de- the global economy. angrily to a decision likely spike in gas prices ahead Monday estimates by 2045,
scribed it as siding with Rus- to keep gasoline prices el- of the U.S. midterm elec- global demand for oil will
sian President Vladimir Putin Analysts in the U.S. and evated. An average gal- tions Nov. 8. reach 101 million barrels a
amid his war on Ukraine. Europe warn a recession lon of regular gasoline in The back-and-forth be- day — up from 88 million
looms in the West from in- the U.S. now costs $3.76 — tween Riyadh and Wash- barrels a day in 2021.
Saudi Arabia's energy min- flation and subsequent in- down from a record $5 a ington shows how tense Oil will remain the world's
ister, Prince Abdulaziz bin terest rate hikes, as well as gallon in June but still high relations remain between No. 1 energy source, even
Salman, hinted at that in food and oil supplies being enough to bite into con- the two countries since the with the growing con-
brief remarks at the event. affected by Russia's war on sumers' wallets. Benchmark 2018 gruesome killing of cerns with global climate
"We don't owe it to any- Ukraine. Brent crude oil sat at $95 a Washington Post columnist change, OPEC said.
body but us," the prince Natural gas as well has barrel Monday. Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi
said to applause, noting been affected. by the war, security forces. American "The reality globally, as
that upcoming U.N. cli- sending energy bills spiking President Joe Biden, who intelligence agencies be- we know, is that there is
mate change summits will across Europe. traveled to Saudi Arabia lieve the slaying came at a huge shortfall in invest-
be held in Egypt and the "We have to realize that a in July and fist-bumped Prince Mohammed's order. ments to meet this expect-
United Arab Emirates. "It lot of people ... are facing a Crown Prince Mohammed ed future demand growth,"
was done for us, by us, for very difficult winter ahead bin Salman before a meet- The Soufan Center, a New OPEC Secretary-General
our future, and we need to in the U.K., in Europe and ing, recently warned the York-based think tank, said Haitham Al Ghais said. "The
commit ourselves to that." right across the world," BP kingdom that "there's going Monday that it appeared sustainability of the global
CEO Bernard Looney said to be some consequences "trust and mutual respect energy system is actually at
Emirati Energy Minister Su- at the event in Abu Dhabi. for what they've done." between the United States stake."q

Sedition trial begins for closed Hong Kong news site editors

(AP) — A sedition trial 2020. Ahead of the open- and Lam were charged Hong Kong dollars (about the company were not
opened in Hong Kong on ing statements, the judge under a colonial-era se- $640) for a first offense, charged under the security
Monday for two former top heard arguments from both dition law that has been and three years for a sub- law. Months earlier, police
editors of a shuttered on- sides about which articles used increasingly to snuff sequent offense. The trial is raided the offices of Apple
line media outlet who have could be included as part out critical voices in the expected to last 20 days. Daily and seized boxes of
been detained without bail of the prosecution's case semi-autonomous Chinese Stand News shut down in materials and computer
for 10 months. and whether it was neces- city. Hong Kong was a Brit- December after the arrests hard drives.
sary to prove the defen- ish colony until its return to and a high-profile police Hong Kong fell more than
Stand News editor-in-chief dants had seditious intent. China in 1997. raid at its office. Armed 60 places to 148th place in
Chung Pui-kuen and acting The defense argued that Best Pencil (Hong Kong) with a warrant to seize rel- Reporters Without Borders'
editor-in-chief Patrick Lam the law requires prosecu- Ltd., the holding company evant journalistic materials latest World Press Freedom
were arrested last Decem- tors to bring charges within for Stand News, faces the under the National Security Index released in May. The
ber during a crackdown six months after any alleg- same charge of conspiracy Law, more than 200 officers global media watchdog
on dissent following wide- edly seditious articles are to publish seditious materi- participated in the search. cited the closure of the two
spread anti-government published, and that 10 out als. It had no representa- But Chung and Lam and outlets in its rating.q
protests in 2019. of the 17 articles which the tives at the trial.
Stand News was one of the prosecution referred to Former Stand News re-
city's last news media that did not fall under that time porters and veteran local
openly criticized the gov- frame. journalists were among
ernment after the closure of But the prosecution insisted the spectators at the trial.
the pro-democracy Apple the case was about con- Chung and Lam waved
Daily newspaper, whose spiracy so the time limit at their friends in the court-
jailed founder Jimmy Lai was not applicable. The room.
faces collusion charges un- judge said he would issue Sedition is punishable by a
der a sweeping National a decision in the dispute on maximum jail term of two
Security Law enacted in Tuesday. Unlike Lai, Chung years and a fine of 5,000