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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr speaks during a press conference after declaring a state of national emergency amid rising fuel prices due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, at Malacanang Palace in Manila,
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Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (4th left) poses with members of the Air Force in front of a supersonic aircraft during its unveiling ceremony in Gaviao Peixoto, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Wednesday. (AFP)
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A delivery man transports liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders in Amritsar yesterday. (AFP) Soaring black-market prices of cooking gas in India’s capital are pushing poorer families back to wood and coal, raising health risks and worsening air quality in the highly polluted megacity.India is the world’s second-largest buyer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is used for cooking and predominantly sourced from the Middle East — and supplies have been strangled by the ongoing war. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged states to curb black marketing and avoid panic, stressing that India’s energy supplies remain stable. In the low-income Madanpur Khadar neighbourhood, 36-year-old domestic helper Sheela Kumari says she has been forced to abandon LPG cooking gas cylinders for cooking after prices more than doubled. “We used to buy cylinders for 1,800-2,000 rupees ($19-$21), but now on the black market it has gone up to 5,000 ($53),” she told AFP, nearly as much as she entire monthly salary of 6,000 rupees. “It is unimaginable for us,” she said. “The next best option for us was going back to wood and coal.”Kumari said a 14 kilogramme cylinder lasts only 15-20 days for her family of six, even when they stretch its use out. But she says a 10 kilogramme bundle of firewood, lasting several days, costs 30 rupees ($0.30).“There are health repercussions, and my children cough,” she said. “But tell me a way out?” Her neighbour, 45-year-old Munni Bai, who has asthma, had switched to using an electric cooker as well as biogas from cow dung, to help her breathing. But now she said she was being forced to resume use of alternative fuels. “Gas is too expensive,” she said. “We cannot depend on it — we moved from coal and wood, due to my health issue, but now it is difficult to sustain.” But activists say the problem is more about access.Many migrant workers lack documentation needed for subsidised LPG and rely on informal markets, where hoarding has pushed up prices. “There is no major shortage yet, but hoarding has increased,” said Deepak, who uses only one name, from the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR). “Many migrants depend on black-market cylinders, and prices have gone up two to three times”. New Delhi, and its wider sprawling metropolitan region of 30mn residents, is regularly ranked among the world’s most polluted capitals, due to a deadly mix of emissions from power plants, heavy traffic, as well as the burning of rubbish and crops. For the past decades, India’s government has pushed its “Ujjwala” or “light” clean-energy scheme, to provide over 100mn LPG connections to poor households. Burning wood, coal and biomass indoors exposes families to high levels of smoke and toxic particles, increasing the risk of respiratory illnesses.Women and children, who spend more time near cooking areas, are especially vulnerable.
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Trump reposts Pakistan talks tweet Iran and Israel traded fresh strikes yesterday even as a fragile diplomatic push gathered pace, with Pakistan emerging as a potential host for talks between Tehran and Washington — and the Pentagon preparing to send thousands of elite American troops to the region. Iran’s atomic energy organisation also accused the US and Israel yesterday of attacking its Bushehr nuclear power plant, saying a projectile had landed within its compound but caused no damage.“The American-Zionist enemy has attacked the Bushehr nuclear power plant site again,” the organisation said in a statement, adding that “a projectile hit inside the enclosure of the Bushehr power plant”. Meanwhile, the US military is expected to deploy soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, currently stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to an unspecified location in the Middle East. The move follows last week’s deployment of thousands of Marines and sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer. Officials, speaking anonymously, stressed that no decision had been taken to send troops into Iran itself, but that the build-up was intended to expand capacity for potential future operations. The three-week-old war, triggered by US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, has convulsed global energy markets and destabilised the wider region. — AFP, Reuters To Page 11Israel conducted a “large wave” of air strikes across Iran, including the central city of Isfahan, while Iranian missile fire wounded four people in Tel Aviv, leaving one three-storey building in ruins. Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia all reported intercepting renewed Iranian drone and missile attacks. Against this backdrop, diplomatic efforts intensified. President Donald Trump said on Monday that his administration had held “productive” talks with an unidentified senior Iranian figure — a claim swiftly denied by Tehran. Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf insisted that “no negotiations” were under way, accusing Trump of seeking to manipulate oil markets.Iran’s foreign ministry, however, acknowledged that messages had been relayed by “friendly countries” conveying a US request for negotiations. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif moved swiftly to position Islamabad as a peacemaker. After speaking with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Sharif announced that Pakistan stood “ready and honoured to host meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the conflict,” subject to agreement by both Washington and Tehran. Sharif’s tweet was later reposted by Trump. A Pakistani government source said discussions on a meeting were at an advanced stage and if it did happen, “a big ‘if’”, it would take place within a week. Pakistan has long-standing ties to neighbouring Iran and has built a steady relationship with Trump. The US outlet Axios reported that American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could meet an Iranian delegation in Pakistan as early as this week, with Vice-President J D Vance potentially joining.Oil prices, which had dipped on Trump’s initial diplomatic signals, rebounded with Brent crude back above $100 a barrel. Analysts remain deeply cautious. “Trust has been completely destroyed and the positions of the warring parties are further apart than ever,” said David Khalfa of the Jean-Jaurès Foundation in Paris. “The margin for manoeuvre on both sides is very limited.”
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Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said yesterday that Islamabad is prepared to host negotiations to stop the US-Israeli war with Iran, after mounting speculation that it could act as a mediator. “Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the WAR in Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in (the) region and beyond,” he wrote on X. “Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict.” Tehran’s foreign ministry suggested on Monday that messages had been received from “some friendly countries indicating a US request for negotiations at ending the war”, according to the official IRNA news agency.Sharif then said he had spoken with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, promising his government’s help in bringing peace to the region. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also said that he had been in touch with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi. Foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Hussain Andrabi told AFP earlier yesterday that Pakistan is “always willing to host talks” and had “consistently advocated for dialogue and diplomacy to promote peace and stability in the region”. Pakistan’s former ambassador to Oman, Imran Ali Chaudhry, told 92 News late on Monday that Pakistan’s army chief recently held talks with US negotiators in the Gulf. “Around two to two-and-a-half weeks ago, Field Marshal Asim Munir went to Oman on a trip that was not disclosed and he held a four-hour meeting with (Steve) Witkoff and (Jared) Kushner,” he said.Iran is a long-standing ally of Pakistan and Islamabad has condemned the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It also sent congratulations to his son and successor, Mojtaba. The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 after saying that they had failed to make enough headway in talks aimed at ending Iran’s nuclear programme, although mediator Oman said significant progress had been made. Since then, Iran has attacked countries that host US bases, struck Gulf energy infrastructure and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, creating the worst energy supply shock in history. A Pakistani government source said that discussions on a meeting were at an advanced stage and that if it did happen, “a big ‘if’”, it would take place within a week. The war is already taking a toll on major economies around the world, according to business surveys yesterday which showed how a surge in energy prices and rising uncertainty were dampening activity and pushing inflation expectations higher.
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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and North Korean leader Kim Jong-unn attend a welcome ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday. (Reuters) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Pyongyang Wednesday with a white-horse cavalry and 21-gun salute, cementing ties between two close allies of Russia's Vladimir Putin. Kim has provided Moscow with millions of rounds of ammunition for its war in Ukraine and sent troops to help Russia expel Ukrainian forces who invaded its western Kursk region. Lukashenko allowed Belarus to be used as a launchpad for Russia's invasion in February 2022, and subsequently agreed to host Russian tactical nuclear missiles on its territory, which borders three Nato alliance countries.Kim greeted Lukashenko with an embrace and laid on a lavish welcome ceremony with ranks of soldiers, cavalry and the gun salute after flag-waving children had cheered his arrival at the airport.Lukashenko's foreign minister, Maxim Ryzhenkov, told Belarusian state media that the two sides would sign a friendship and cooperation treaty during the two-day visit. Current trade was "modest" but there was potential to boost it in sectors including food and pharmaceuticals, he said.Valery Tsepkalo, a prominent exiled opponent of Lukashenko, said there was no substance to the summit beyond a display of solidarity. "There will be no benefit to Belarus from this visit. The same for North Korea. They are just demonstrating that they're not isolated and they can have a meeting. They don't have any normal trade," he told Reuters.North Korea and Belarus have withstood years of external economic pressure: the former is under UN sanctions because of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and the latter is subject to Western sanctions over its human rights record and backing for Putin in Ukraine."The current situation is simply pushing us into each other's arms. We're looking for friends. Friends may be far away, but they are very loyal, reliable, and respectful," Belarusian minister Ryzhenkov was quoted as saying.Despite the isolation of both countries, US President Donald Trump has engaged with their leaders. Trump met Kim three times in 2018 and 2019, during his first term in the White House, but their encounters failed to yield substantive results. Trump said last year he would "love another meeting", which Kim said could happen if the US dropped its "absurd obsession" with getting North Korea to give up nuclear weapons.Trump last year re-established direct contact with Lukashenko, who had been treated as a pariah by his predecessor Joe Biden. In recent months, the US has begun to ease sanctions on Belarus in return for releases of political prisoners. Lukashenko's trip to North Korea comes six days after he met Trump's envoy John Coale and announced the freeing of 250 more detainees. The US side has said Lukashenko may soon visit the White House. Related Story
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The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold an urgent debate Wednesday on Iran's military attacks against Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, which have targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure and resulted in casualties.In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Council said that the urgent debate is being convened following an official request submitted by Bahrain on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Jordan on March 18.It added that the requesting states intend to present a draft resolution during the debate.The move follows a series of attacks launched by Iran since February 28 using ballistic missiles and drones, targeting vital civilian facilities and energy infrastructure in several GCC countries and Jordan, causing civilian casualties and material damage.The attacks have drawn widespread condemnation at both regional and international levels, amid warnings over their serious repercussions for global energy security and the safety of international navigation, as well as the threat they pose to regional stability and vital interests.
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Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan discussed efforts to end the escalation in the Middle East, during a phone call on Tuesday.The two sides reviewed ways to prevent the security, political, and economic repercussions of the escalation from undermining regional security and stability.They also touched on the ongoing efforts to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip as well as the illegal Israeli measures in the West Bank, which together undermine all prospects for achieving a just peace.In this context, Safadi and Fidan reiterated their condemnation of those measures and emphasized the need for a concerted international effort to halt Israeli escalations in the occupied territories immediately.
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The EU and Australia announced a free trade agreement and the adoption of a security and defense partnership to enhance cooperation in the maritime and cyber security fields.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement that after a decade of work, the two sides concluded its trade agreement, considering this step a win for both sides."The EU and Australia may be geographically far apart but we couldn't be closer in terms of how we see the world," von der Leyen said, adding that the two are ready to join forces at a time of global turmoil.She emphasized that the two are long-time allies and stressed that Europe's security and Indo-Pacific stability are not separate conversations.For his part, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, "This is a significant moment for our nation as we secure an agreement with the world's second largest economy."
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The South Korean government is considering imposing restrictions on naphtha exports as the country is facing supply shortages of the material, widely used across petrochemical and other industries, due to persisting geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, Seoul officials said Tuesday."Related ministries are preparing for the implementation of naphtha export restrictions," South Korea's (Yonhap) news agency quoted Deputy Minister for Trade, Industry and Resource Security Yang Ghi-wuk as saying in a daily briefing on resources supplies amid the Mideast crisis.The preparations come as the country is seeing increasing disruptions in naphtha supplies following the US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran late last month, with Yeochun NCC and other companies announcing "force majeure" for some of their products due to naphtha shortages.Force majeure refers to the occurrence of an unforeseeable and uncontrollable event that prevents a company from fulfilling a contract.South Korea imports around half of its naphtha through the Strait of Hormuz, a major Middle Eastern trade route, which has effectively been closed due to the war."In case the (supply shortage) situation prolongs, we are also preparing for an emergency supply adjustment order," Yang said.On Monday, LG Chem Ltd. suspended operations of its ethylene production facility in the southwestern city of Yeosu due to naphtha supply disruptions. Ethylene is produced by cracking naphtha.Last week, the government temporarily designated naphtha as an economic security item to better stabilize the supply and support affected companies.
