ABU DHABI/HOUSTON (Reuters) – BP boss Tony Hayward met with an Abu Dhabi state investment fund on Wednesday, part of a quest for cash to ward off takeovers and help pay for the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

The action on Thursday was set to move back to the courts with the oil drilling industry going head-to-head with the Obama administration over the White House effort to suspend deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico for six months in the wake of the catastrophic well blowout.

ABU DHABI/HOUSTON (Reuters) – BP boss Tony Hayward met officials from an Abu Dhabi state investment fund on Wednesday, the latest stop on a international quest for money to ward off takeovers and help pay the huge costs of the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Hayward, BP's chief executive, was also seen by Reuters with a senior official from another Abu Dhabi fund, and a report said Saudi investors were looking to buy 10 percent to 15 percent of the oil company.

ABU DHABI/HOUSTON (Reuters) – BP boss Tony Hayward met officials from an Abu Dhabi state investment fund on Wednesday, the latest stop on a global quest for money to ward off takeovers and help pay the huge costs of the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Hayward, BP's chief executive, was also seen by Reuters with a senior official from another Abu Dhabi fund, and a report said Saudi investors were looking to buy 10 percent to 15 percent of the oil company.

ABU DHABI (Reuters) – BP (BP.L) Chief Executive Tony Hayward has met with representatives of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, a UAE official source said on Wednesday.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – BP's embattled CEO is in Abu Dhabi to meet business partners amid speculation that the oil giant is looking to drum up cash to cover clean up costs from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Chief Executive Tony Hayward arrived in the Emirati capital Tuesday and would be staying 'a couple of days,' BP spokesman Andrew Gowers said. He would not say whether Hayward planned to sit down with the region's powerful investment funds.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – BP may be looking to sovereign wealth funds in the oil-rich Middle East to fend off takeover bids amid mounting costs from the Gulf of Mexico oil leak disaster, according to reports published Sunday.

The National, an Emirati newspaper, cited unnamed 'informed sources' in the region saying that Mideast financial institutions have submitted proposals to BP advisers and are waiting for a response. Among the options being considered are the acquisition of key assets or a direct cash injection to help strengthen the oil giant's balance sheet, according to the English-language paper.

ABU DHABI (AFP) – A subdued opening to the "Cityscape Abu Dhabi" property show on Sunday underlined the impact of the global financial crisis and a shift in emphasis to the completion of projects already launched.

"All projects are under construction" read a gigantic billboard put up by a major property developer on the road leading into Abu Dhabi -- to give the impression of business as usual.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The body of the director of the world's largest sovereign wealth fund has been found in Morocco after a five day search, the United Arab Emirates State News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The agency declared Sheik Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan dead and his body would be flown home and buried Wednesday. A three day mourning period was declared.

Al Nahyan was a brother of the UAE president and the managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of world's largest sovereign wealth funds.

RABAT, Morocco – Rescue workers were scouring an artificial Moroccan lake Saturday in search of the head of Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund — the world's largest — who went missing after his glider crashed.

Morocco's official MAP news agency said that Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's glider went down in the lake Friday. The pilot of the aircraft was rescued in good condition, but authorities continued the search for Al Nahyan.

Al Nahyan is the managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. He is also the younger brother of Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the leader of the United Arab Emirates.

DUBAI (AFP) – Dubai World proposed Thursday to repay its creditors in full by issuing two tranches of new debt maturing in five and eight years, after months of talks on restructuring sovereign liabilities that had rattled world markets.

The announcement came shortly after the government of Dubai committed to pump up to 9.5 billion dollars in further support for the troubled group, helping the emirate's main stock market index to a 4.5 percent rise by midday (0800 GMT).