US

Mideast war threatens energy crisis worse than 1970s oil shocks

US

Mideast war threatens energy crisis worse than 1970s oil shocks

BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN, WASHINGTON, JERUSALEM, BEIRUT AND DUBAI

  • In a stark warning over what lies ahead unless the fighting ends soon, IEA chief Fatih Birol said the world was losing more oil each day than the combined impact of both 1970s oil shocks and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
  • The world faces an energy crisis worse than both 1970s oil shocks combined if the Middle East war drags on, the head of the International Energy Agency warned Monday, as Israel launched fresh strikes on Tehran and threatened weeks more fighting.
  • In a stark warning over what lies ahead unless the fighting ends soon, IEA chief Fatih Birol said the world was losing more oil each day than the combined impact of both 1970s oil shocks and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The world faces an energy crisis worse than both 1970s oil shocks combined if the Middle East war drags on, the head of the International Energy Agency warned Monday, as Israel launched fresh strikes on Tehran and threatened weeks more fighting.
As the war grinds into its fourth week, US President Donald Trump threatened to "obliterate" Iranian power plants if Iran failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours -- setting an effective deadline of 23:44 GMT Monday.
Tehran has retaliated against US-Israeli assaults by throttling traffic in the vital waterway, conduit for a fifth of global crude oil, hitting energy sites and US embassies across the Gulf as well as firing missiles and drones at Israel.
The Islamic republic issued a firm response to the new ultimatum, with powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf vowing vital infrastructure across the region will be "irreversibly destroyed" if Trump acts on his threat.
In a stark warning over what lies ahead unless the fighting ends soon, IEA chief Fatih Birol said the world was losing more oil each day than the combined impact of both 1970s oil shocks and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"This crisis as things stand is now two oil crises and one gas crash put all together," Birol said. 
"No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues to go in this direction."
At least 40 energy assets across the oil- and gas-exporting region have already been "severely or very severely damaged", Birol said, with oil prices driven above $100 a barrel over supply fears.
In recent days, Iran has allowed a handful of vessels from countries it considers friendly to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but warned it would block ships from nations joining the "aggression" against it.
Oil prices rose again Monday while stocks tumbled after Trump and Iranian leaders traded threats -- and Israel said the Middle East war could last several more weeks.
Further sign of the real-world impact far beyond the region, a major Cambodian energy supplier said it would halt sales of liquefied petroleum gas due to war-linked supply disruptions.

 'Weeks' more fighting

Weighing in from Beijing, China's foreign ministry warned in response to Trump's latest threats that further fighting risks creating an "uncontrollable situation" in the Middle East.
But the US leader has offered varying timelines and objectives for the war, saying Friday he was considering "winding down" the operation -- only to later threaten Iran's power plants.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken of a long-term campaign against Iran's government, a state sponsor of Hamas, which launched the October 7, 2023 attack against Israel, triggering the war in Gaza.
Israel launched fresh strikes Monday at Iran on Monday, with an AFP journalist witnessing a thick column of black smoke rising above Tehran, while Israel's military urged people to take over as it worked to intercept missiles fired from Iran.
Israel has also expanded its ground campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, warning of a "weeks of fighting" in the country.
The violence in Lebanon has killed more than 1,000 people, according to the health ministry, with more than a million displaced.
Israeli forces were given orders to destroy bridges they said were used by Hezbollah to cross the key Litani river, 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the border -- in what Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called "a dangerous escalation" seen as a prelude to a ground invasion.

Iran takes toll in Israel

Israel prides itself on its air defences, and Trump and Netanyahu both claim to have knocked out key Iranian military sites.
But Iranian missiles evaded the defences over the weekend to land in two southern towns, including Dimona, close to Israel's desert nuclear facility, injuring dozens on Saturday.
"We thought we were safe," Galit Amir, a 50-year-old care provider, told AFP in Dimona. "We didn't expect this."
According to rescuers, a missile landed about five kilometres from what is widely believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal -- although Israel has never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, insisting the site is for research.
Iran said it was retaliating against a hit on its own nuclear site at Natanz, but Israel's military said it was "not aware of a strike".
In Iran, at least 3,230 people have died in the war, including 1,406 civilians, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. AFP is not able to access the sites of strikes nor independently verify tolls in Iran.
burs-ec/ser

LaGuardia

Pilot, co-pilot killed in runway collision at New York airport

BY ANGELA WEISS

  • The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the collision, US media including CNN and NBC reported.
  • A plane carrying dozens of people collided with a fire truck late Sunday on a runway at New York's LaGuardia airport, killing the pilot and co-pilot and forcing a halt to flights, authorities and US media reported.
  • The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the collision, US media including CNN and NBC reported.
A plane carrying dozens of people collided with a fire truck late Sunday on a runway at New York's LaGuardia airport, killing the pilot and co-pilot and forcing a halt to flights, authorities and US media reported.
AFP pictures showed the heavily damaged nose and cockpit section of the Air Canada Express plane, which had arrived from Montreal, on the tarmac flanked by emergency vehicles with their lights flashing.
The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the collision, US media including CNN and NBC reported. Another 13 people, including 11 passengers and two first responders, were taken to the hospital with injuries, according to broadcaster ABC.
The aircraft operated by Jazz Aviation, a regional partner of Air Canada, struck a firefighting truck on Runway 4 at around 11:40 pm on Sunday (0340 GMT Monday) as the vehicle drove to a separate incident, New York's port authority said.
A preliminary passenger list showed 76 people on board, including four crew members, Jazz Aviation said in a statement.
US aviation authorities ordered all flights at the airport to be grounded, adding there was a "high" likelihood of an extended suspension.
"The airport is currently closed to facilitate the response and allow for a thorough investigation," the port authority said in a statement to AFP.
Emergency response protocols had been "immediately activated," it said.

Runway crash

The National Transportation Safety Board said it had sent a "go team" to the scene to investigate the collision.
Jazz Aviation said the crash involved a CRJ-900 aircraft that had flown into LaGuardia from Montreal as flight AC8646.
Flight tracking platform FlightRadar24 said the plane "was rolling down the runway when it struck" the rescue vehicle as it crossed its path.
New York's emergency management authority warned people to "expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays & emergency personnel," and use alternate routes near the airport.
LaGuardia had already been suffering from flight disruptions due to poor weather, the airport said Sunday on X.
Passengers were also waiting longer to pass security due to "staffing impacts" from a federal funding lapse, it said last week.
Located in the New York borough of Queens, LaGuardia is New York's third-busiest airport, serving 33.5 million passengers in 2024, according to port authority figures.
It completed an $8 billion redevelopment in 2024, upgrading its aging infrastructure with new terminals and roadways.
Deadly air crashes in the United States in recent years include a collision between a passenger jet and an army helicopter near Washington in January 2025 that killed 67 people.
Other incidents and close calls have taken place while aircraft were on the ground.
bur-mjw-lkd/jm

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • In an interview with the Al Hadath network, Salam once again lashed out at Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into the Middle East war by firing rockets at Israel.
  • Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war on Monday: - 'Uncontrollable situation' - Asked about US President Donald Trump's threats to "obliterate" Iran's power plants, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian warned that "If the war expands further and the situation deteriorates again, the entire region could be plunged into an uncontrollable situation."
  • In an interview with the Al Hadath network, Salam once again lashed out at Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into the Middle East war by firing rockets at Israel.
Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war on Monday:

'Uncontrollable situation'

Asked about US President Donald Trump's threats to "obliterate" Iran's power plants, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian warned that "If the war expands further and the situation deteriorates again, the entire region could be plunged into an uncontrollable situation."

Israel interceptions

Israel's military said defensive systems were working to intercept the latest salvo of missiles fired from Iran and urged people to take cover.
On Saturday Iranian missiles evaded defences and injured dozens when they hit two southern towns close to Israel's desert nuclear facility.

Economic 'crisis'

International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol said "the global economy is facing a major, major threat" and compared the current energy crisis to those of the 1970s and the impact of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
"This crisis as things stand is now two oil crises and one gas crash put all together," Birol said, adding that no country will be immune to its effects.

Gulf nations attacks

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates repelled fresh attacks, while sirens sounded in Bahrain.
Abu Dhabi authorities said an Indian national had been wounded by falling debris from an intercepted ballistic missile. 

'Wide-scale' strikes

Israel's military said it launched "a wide-scale wave of strikes" on Tehran.
Iranian media reported explosions ringing out over the capital, while an AFP journalist saw a thick column of black smoke rising at least an hour later.

France 'solidarity'

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that he spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to express "solidarity" with the kingdom and reiterate France's commitment to contributing to air defences against Iranian missiles and drones.

US embassy attacks pause

Kataeb Hezbollah -- an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq -- says it will extend its five-day pause on attacking the US embassy in Baghdad, announced Thursday.  
Since the start of the war in the Middle East, pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for near-daily attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these groups. 

Lebanon raps Hezbollah

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards are commanding Hezbollah's operations in the group's war against Israel.
In an interview with the Al Hadath network, Salam once again lashed out at Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into the Middle East war by firing rockets at Israel.

Lebanon ground ops

Israel's military will expand its ground operations in Lebanon against Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, its army chief said, warning that the offensive "has only (just) begun".
"We are now preparing to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes according to an organised plan," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement.

'Weeks' more

Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised briefing that the country faces "weeks" more fighting against both Iran and Hezbollah.

Iraq strikes

Three strikes targeted an influential pro-Iranian armed group in its stronghold south of Baghdad, Iraqi authorities said.
The group is a former paramilitary coalition called Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). It is part of Iraq's regular armed forces, but also includes some pro-Iranian groups.
The strikes came after an attack targeted a US diplomatic and logistics centre at Baghdad International Airport, Iraqi officials told AFP.

Israel death probed

Israel's military said it was investigating whether its own fire killed an Israeli civilian near the Lebanese border, in an area where Hezbollah claimed an attack.
Israeli emergency workers said earlier a man was killed in a "direct hit" on his car by a rocket from Lebanon, making him the first fatality in the country's north since the latest round of fighting with Hezbollah broke out.
But the Israeli army later said it was "conducting a comprehensive investigation", including "the possibility that the incident involved fire originating from IDF soldiers".

West Bank arson

Palestinian residents said Israeli settlers had torched buildings and cars in attacks on several villages in the occupied West Bank, the latest violence after a spate of killings of Palestinians by Israelis in the area since the start of the war.
burs/yad/gv

internet

Russia's Max: The unencrypted super-app being forced on citizens

  • Even so, she has ditched Max in favour of IMO, a less popular US-made app that has encryption.
  • Russia is pushing its Max messenger -- a social media platform without encryption -- onto its citizens with a massive promotion campaign and the simultaneous blocking of Whatsapp and Telegram, the country's two most popular messenger apps.
  • Even so, she has ditched Max in favour of IMO, a less popular US-made app that has encryption.
Russia is pushing its Max messenger -- a social media platform without encryption -- onto its citizens with a massive promotion campaign and the simultaneous blocking of Whatsapp and Telegram, the country's two most popular messenger apps.
The rollout has raised concerns among critics and digital rights groups that Moscow will use Max to surveil its citizens and further cut digital links to the West.
"Any data that passes through this application can be considered to be in the hands of its owner, and in this case, the hands of the Russian state," cybersecurity researcher Baptiste Robert, CEO of the French company Predicta Lab, told AFP.
Launched in 2025 by Russian social media giant VK, the app has been compared to China's WeChat, combining social media and messaging functions with access to government services, a digital ID card system, banking and payments.
It is not officially mandatory, but the authorities are making it clear that life without Max will become increasingly hard.
President Vladimir Putin has touted it as a more "secure" platform that meets Russia's demand for "technological sovereignty."
Moscow has been pushing that agenda for years.
"This is the culmination of policies aimed at creating a sovereign internet," Marielle Wijermars, an associate professor of internet governance at Maastricht University told AFP.
"Russia wants to restructure the internet to better control what is published" including "by migrating all Russians to platforms that are more state-controlled," she added.

'Forced' to download

Max has been pre-installed on phones and tablets sold in Russia since September.
The design is familiar and resembles Telegram, offering private messages, public channels and cute stickers.
Unlike Telegram and Whatsapp, it is also on Russia's "white list" of approved digital services that stay online during the increasingly common forced internet blackouts that Moscow says are necessary to thwart Ukrainian retaliatory drone attacks.
Initially only available to users with a Russian or Belarusian SIM card, the app is now available in English and to those with phone numbers from 40 other countries -- only those Russia deems "friendly," like Cuba, Pakistan and ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia.
It is not available in the European Union -- or Ukraine. 
That has not stopped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowing to infiltrate the messenger.
One of the reasons Russia wants to ditch Telegram is because it has become a platform used by Ukraine to recruit Russians for sabotage attacks, including assassinations.
Inside Russia, opinions are split.
"You can send messages, photos and videos. What more do you need?" said Yekaterina, a 35-year-old dance teacher.
Irina, a 45-year-old doctor, however, complained she has been "forced" to use Max for school activities for her children and to access the government's official online portal, Gosuslugi, where her patients make appointments.
She plans to "buy another SIM card to download Max on another phone."
Large businesses have been accused of forcing employees to download the app and schools have migrated all communication with parents to the platform.
At the same time, celebrities and popular bloggers are moving their content to Max.
Dmitry Zakharchenko, founder of the Russian analytics agency GRFN, has compared the "aggressive" campaign with Soviet propaganda billboards.
The carrot-and-stick approach has driven downloads -- more than 100 million users in March, according to the service.

'Being watched'

The launch of Max comes years into Russia's political and technological campaign to develop a "sovereign internet", less reliant on -- and vulnerable to -- foreign services.
Russian telecoms regulator Roskomnadzor and the security services have enjoyed growing powers to monitor and block sites they deem dangerous.
Unlike Telegram and Whatsapp, Max does not use end-to-end encryption and its terms of use state that user data is stored exclusively on services in Russia.
Varvara, a 35-year-old interpreter said she was not worried about that as she was not a "foreign agent" and had nothing to hide -- referring to a label used by the Kremlin to target critics.
Even so, she has ditched Max in favour of IMO, a less popular US-made app that has encryption.
Scientist Alexandra, 32, refuses to download Max "out of contrariness" to its heavy-handed promotion.
"We're already being watched everywhere," she added, dismissing the privacy concerns.
But another resistant user -- Natasha, 48 -- shows the general feeling of resignation when it comes to the future of the app in Russia.
"Sooner or later, there will be no alternative."
bur/gv

trade

EU chief in Australia with eyes on trade deal

  • Von der Leyen is joined by EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic -- sparking speculation the two sides may finally put pen to paper on a long-awaited free trade deal.
  • EU chief Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Australia on Monday, with hopes a free trade deal can be struck after years of negotiations.
  • Von der Leyen is joined by EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic -- sparking speculation the two sides may finally put pen to paper on a long-awaited free trade deal.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Australia on Monday, with hopes a free trade deal can be struck after years of negotiations.
It is the EU chief's first trip to Australia since taking office and comes as the bloc and import-reliant nation navigate renewed energy vulnerability sparked by the war in the Middle East.
She arrived in Sydney on Monday for a meeting with Australia's head of the state, the Governor-General, and a traditional welcoming ceremony.
From Sydney, the EU chief will head to Canberra, where she is expected to meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and address the country's parliament.
Von der Leyen is joined by EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic -- sparking speculation the two sides may finally put pen to paper on a long-awaited free trade deal.
Both are still ironing out the details of the agreement, with improved access to the European market for Australia's lamb and beef a key source of contention.
Australia has previously said it could drop a luxury car tax on European vehicles in return for greater access to the EU agriculture market.
The country's use of geographical indicator names for cheese and wine products was also a sticking point.
Australia's largest export market is China and the United States is its largest source of investment.
But Canberra has redoubled efforts to diversify export markets for farmers since a 2020 dispute with Beijing saw agriculture exports blocked for several years, and then last year's global imposition of US trade tariffs.
The European Union is Australia's third largest two-way trading partner and second largest source of foreign investment.
Trade Minister Don Farrell last week said that an EU deal would add Aus$10 billion (US$7.1 billion) in trade for Australia in the first year.
"They are potentially our second largest trading partner if we can pull this off, and we've just got to get over those last few hurdles," he told Sky News Australia.
Front and centre in meetings will also likely be the war in the Middle East, which has sent oil prices soaring.
In Canberra, International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol said on Monday the world faced an energy crisis not seen in decades if the conflict was not resolved.
And Von der Leyen this month said the conflict had served as a "stark reminder" of the continent's vulnerabilities.
Australia -- which is heavily reliant on fuel from abroad -- has also felt the pressure from the global energy squeeze.
While conceding that some petrol stations had run out of fuel, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Monday the country was a "long way" from rationing.
kln-oho/ane

Israel

Global economy under 'major threat' from Strait of Hormuz crisis: IEA chief

  • "No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues to go in this direction.
  • The global economy is under "major threat" from the energy crisis caused by the Middle East war and "no country will be immune" to its effects, International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol said Monday.
  • "No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues to go in this direction.
The global economy is under "major threat" from the energy crisis caused by the Middle East war and "no country will be immune" to its effects, International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol said Monday.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Australia's capital, Birol compared the current energy crisis to those of the 1970s and the impact of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
"This crisis as things stand is now two oil crises and one gas crash put all together," Birol said.
"The global economy is facing a major, major threat today, and I very much hope that this issue will be resolved as soon as possible. 
"No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues to go in this direction. So there is a need for global efforts."
US President Donald Trump and Tehran have issued tit-for-tat threats as the war entered its fourth week, with the US president demanding the Islamic republic reopen the blocked Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 percent of the world's oil and gas shipments transit. 
The bottleneck has nearly halted all petroleum shipments through the narrow waterway.
Oil prices rose again early Monday, with US benchmark crude briefly touching the $100-per-barrel mark.
Birol told Australian media that at least forty energy assets across the region had been "severely or very severely damaged" in the conflict.
oho/tc

meteorology

Planet trapped record heat in 2025: UN

BY ALEXANDRE GROSBOIS

  • "Ocean heat content reached a new record high in 2025 and its rate of warming more than doubled from 1960-2005 to 2005-2025," the WMO said.
  • The amount of heat trapped by the Earth reached record levels in 2025, with the consequences of such warming feared to last for thousands of years, the UN warned Monday.
  • "Ocean heat content reached a new record high in 2025 and its rate of warming more than doubled from 1960-2005 to 2005-2025," the WMO said.
The amount of heat trapped by the Earth reached record levels in 2025, with the consequences of such warming feared to last for thousands of years, the UN warned Monday.
The 11 hottest years ever recorded were all between 2015 and 2025, the United Nations' WMO weather and climate agency confirmed in its flagship State of the Global Climate annual report.
Last year was the second or third hottest year on record, at about 1.43 Celsius above the 1850-1900 average, the World Meteorological Organization said.
"The global climate is in a state of emergency. Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key climate indicator is flashing red," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
"Humanity has just endured the 11 hottest years on record. When history repeats itself 11 times, it is no longer a coincidence. It is a call to act."
For the first time, the WMO climate report includes the planet's energy imbalance: the rate at which energy enters and leaves the Earth system.
Under a stable climate, incoming energy from the Sun is about the same as the amount of outgoing energy, the Geneva-based agency said.
However the increase in concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases -- carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide -- "to their highest level in at least 800,000 years" has "upset this equilibrium", the WMO said.
"The Earth’s energy imbalance has increased since its observational record began in 1960, particularly in the past 20 years. It reached a new high in 2025."

Ocean heat record

WMO chief Celeste Saulo said scientific advances had improved understanding of the energy imbalance and its implications for the climate.
"Human activities are increasingly disrupting the natural equilibrium and we will live with these consequences for hundreds and thousands of years," she said.
More than 91 percent of the excess heat is stored in the ocean.
"Ocean heat content reached a new record high in 2025 and its rate of warming more than doubled from 1960-2005 to 2005-2025," the WMO said.
Ocean warming has far-reaching consequences, such as degradation of marine ecosystems, biodiversity loss and reduction of the ocean carbon sink, the agency said.
"It fuels tropical and subtropical storms and exacerbates ongoing sea-ice loss in the polar regions."
The Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets have both lost considerable mass, and the annual average extent of Arctic sea ice in 2025 was the lowest or second-lowest ever recorded in the satellite era.
Last year, the global mean sea level was around 11 centimetres higher than when satellite altimetry records began in 1993. 
Ocean warming and sea level rise are projected to continue for centuries.

'Dire picture'

WMO scientific officer John Kennedy said global weather is still under the influence of La Nina, a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that cools surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. It brings changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns.
Conditions oscillate between La Nina and its warming opposite El Nino, with neutral conditions in between.
The warmest year on record, 2024, was around 1.55C above the 1850-1900 average, and started in a strong El Nino.
Forecasts indicate neutral conditions by the middle of 2026 with a possible El Nino developing before the end of the year, said Kennedy.
If so, "then we're likely to see maybe elevated temperatures again in 2027", he told a press conference.
The World Meteorological Organization's deputy chief, Ko Barrett, said the outlook was a "dire picture".
She said the WMO provided the evidence it sees, hoping that the information "will encourage people to take action".
But there was "no denying" that "these indicators are not moving in a direction that provides for a lot of hope", she said.
With war gripping the Middle East and fuel prices soaring, Guterres said the world should heed the alarm call.
"In this age of war, climate stress is also exposing another truth: our addiction to fossil fuels is destabilising both the climate and global security," he said.
"Today's report should come with a warning label: climate chaos is accelerating and delay is deadly," he said.
ag-rjm/rmb

US

Israel launches new strikes on Tehran as Iran takes aim at Gulf sites

BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN, WASHINGTON, JERUSALEM, BEIRUT AND DUBAI

  • More than 1,000 people have died in Lebanon since Israel launched strikes, according to the health ministry, with more than one million people displaced.
  • Israel launched a fresh wave of strikes on Monday at Iran, which threatened retaliation against vital infrastructure across the Middle East in a war that has plunged the world into its worst energy crisis in decades.
  • More than 1,000 people have died in Lebanon since Israel launched strikes, according to the health ministry, with more than one million people displaced.
Israel launched a fresh wave of strikes on Monday at Iran, which threatened retaliation against vital infrastructure across the Middle East in a war that has plunged the world into its worst energy crisis in decades.
Explosions rang out in Tehran, Iranian media reported, while Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they were intercepting missiles and drones.
At least 40 energy assets across the oil- and gas-exporting region have been "severely or very severely damaged" in the conflict, said International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol, as the war ignited by Israel-US attacks on Iran entered its fourth week.
Tehran has met the assaults by firing missiles and drones at Israel and across the Gulf in the last weeks, hitting energy sites and US embassies alike. It has also throttled traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which a fifth of global crude oil transits.
With oil prices hovering above $100 a barrel over supply fears, US President Donald Trump threatened to "obliterate" Iranian power plants if Tehran failed to reopen the strait within 48 hours. 
The deadline, based on the time of his social media posting, would be 23:44 GMT, early morning Tuesday in Iran.
But Iran's response was firm, with its powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf vowing that vital infrastructure across the region would "be considered legitimate targets and will be irreversibly destroyed" if Trump carried out his threat.
Laying out the scale of the crisis before the global economy, IEA chief Fatih Birol said 11 million barrels of oil are currently lost a day -- more than the daily volume eradicated during two consecutive oil crises in the 1970s.
"No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues to go in this direction. So there is a need for global efforts," Birol told journalists in Canberra.

 Iran eyes Hormuz tax

Asian stocks slipped while oil prices rose again early Monday, with US benchmark crude briefly touching the $100-per-barrel mark.
In recent days, Iran has allowed a handful of vessels from countries it considers friendly to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, while warning it would block ships from countries it says have joined the "aggression" against it.
Iran's parliament is mulling imposing tolls on shipping through the strait, with Ghalibaf saying maritime traffic would "not return to its pre-war status". 
Trump has offered varying timelines and objectives for the war, saying Friday he was considering "winding down" the operation, a day before his threat against power plants, which would mark a significant escalation.

Lengthy operation in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken of a long-term campaign against Iran's government, a state sponsor of Hamas, which carried out the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack against Israel, which responded by devastating Gaza.
Israel has also expanded its ground campaign against Iran-allied Hezbollah in Lebanon, warning of a lengthy operation there.
"Citizens of Israel, we face more weeks of fighting against Iran and Hezbollah," Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said.
Israeli forces were given orders to destroy bridges they said were used by Hezbollah to cross the key Litani river, 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the border.
More than 1,000 people have died in Lebanon since Israel launched strikes, according to the health ministry, with more than one million people displaced.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warned that the bridge attacks "represent a dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and are considered a prelude to a ground invasion".
But the country's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also put blame on Hezbollah, which began firing on Israel over the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the war.
"It was declared that this war was in retaliation for the assassination of Khamenei, so this means this war was imposed upon us," Salam told the Al Hadath network.

Iran takes toll in Israel

Israel has prided itself on air defences, and Trump and Netanyahu both claim to have knocked out key Iranian military sites.
But Iranian missiles evaded the defences to land in two southern towns, including Dimona, close to Israel's desert nuclear facility, injuring dozens on Saturday.
"We thought we were safe," Galit Amir, a 50-year-old care provider, told AFP in Dimona. "We didn't expect this."
Netanyahu vowed to pursue senior commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards "personally" as he inspected the damage in Arad, the other town struck by an Iranian missile.
According to rescuers, a missile landed about five kilometres from what is widely believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, although Israel has never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, insisting the site is for research.
Iran said the Dimona strike was in response to an earlier attack on its nuclear site at Natanz.
Asked about Natanz, Israel's military said it was "not aware of a strike".
In Iran, at least 3,230 people have died in the war, including 1,406 civilians, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. AFP is not able to access the sites of strikes nor independently verify tolls in Iran.
burs/hmn/fox

electricity

Cuba restores power grid after latest blackout

BY LAURENT THOMET AND LISANDRA COTS

  • The outage comes as Cuba's communist government has faced growing pressure from US President Donald Trump, who imposed the de facto oil blockade in January and mused this past week about "taking" the Caribbean island.
  • Cuba's power grid was restored Sunday, officials said, a day after the second nationwide blackout in a week as the crisis-hit island struggles under a US oil blockade.
  • The outage comes as Cuba's communist government has faced growing pressure from US President Donald Trump, who imposed the de facto oil blockade in January and mused this past week about "taking" the Caribbean island.
Cuba's power grid was restored Sunday, officials said, a day after the second nationwide blackout in a week as the crisis-hit island struggles under a US oil blockade.
Two-thirds of Havana had power again in the afternoon, the capital's electricity company said, a day after the energy ministry reported a "total disconnection" of the national electric system in the country of 9.6 million people.
"Thanks to the efforts of our electrical workers, the SEN (National Electric System) was restored," Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz said on X late Sunday.
Authorities cautioned, however, that demand would still exceed supply.
The outage comes as Cuba's communist government has faced growing pressure from US President Donald Trump, who imposed the de facto oil blockade in January and mused this past week about "taking" the Caribbean island.
A top Cuban diplomat said the country's military was "preparing these days for the possibility of military aggression."
"We truly hope that it doesn't occur," Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told NBC's "Meet the Press" in an interview taped before the blackout.
He said Havana was willing to continue talking with Washington, but discussing changes to its political system was off the table.
"Cuba has no quarrel with the United States. We do have the need and the right to protect ourselves. But we are willing to sit down," Fernandez de Cossio said in the interview, which aired Sunday.

Restless night

There have been seven nationwide blackouts since 2024, making life more difficult for Cubans who fear food will spoil in refrigerators, among other problems in a country in economic crisis.
"The truth is, it gets harder every day to live with this situation," Alina Quinones, a 48-year-old nurse, told AFP as she headed to the Havana hospital where she works, after barely sleeping.
She had no power, internet or phone connection, making it impossible to reach relatives in Matanzas, a city east of the capital.
Francisco Gonzalez, a 79-year-old retiree, also said he had a sleepless night in the dark, "sitting in an armchair at home, waiting for the power to come back on."
Regular outages, as well as persistent shortages of food, medicine and other basics, are fueling public frustration, with people banging pots at night as a form of protest.
In a rare moment of violence, demonstrators vandalized a provincial office of the Cuban Communist Party last weekend.
The breakdowns have intensified since Cuba's main regional ally and oil supplier, Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolas Maduro, was captured in a US military operation in January.
Trump subsequently threatened to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.
No oil has arrived since January 9, hitting the power sector, while public transport has dwindled and airlines have curtailed flights to the island, a blow to its all-important tourism business.

'Very severe'

The latest grid failure was due to an outage in a generating unit at one of the country's aging thermoelectric plants, triggering a domino effect in the system, according to authorities.
The blackout occurred as an international aid convoy began arriving in Cuba this week, bringing sorely-needed medical supplies, food, water and solar panels to the Caribbean island.
But getting oil to power its decades-old thermoelectric plants is becoming increasingly urgent.
"It is very severe. And we are acting as proactively as we can to cope with the situation," Fernandez de Cossio told NBC.
"We do hope that fuel will reach Cuba one way or the other and that this boycott that the United States has been imposing does not last and cannot be sustained forever," he said.
lt/mlm

immigration

Trump orders immigration agents to airports amid crippling budget standoff

  • However, DHS also oversees the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the agency responsible for airport security screenings, meaning staff around the country have worked for weeks without pay.
  • Immigration agents will be deployed in US airports beginning Monday, aiming to alleviate soaring congestion at security screenings amid a weeks-long budget standoff over President Donald Trump's mass deportation drive, officials said.
  • However, DHS also oversees the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the agency responsible for airport security screenings, meaning staff around the country have worked for weeks without pay.
Immigration agents will be deployed in US airports beginning Monday, aiming to alleviate soaring congestion at security screenings amid a weeks-long budget standoff over President Donald Trump's mass deportation drive, officials said.
Trump announced the extraordinary move in a social media post Sunday morning, sending officials racing to quickly develop a plan.
Tom Homan, the president's senior border aide, confirmed to CNN that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents would be shifted from their normal duties to airports on Monday, but they would not be doing jobs they were untrained for.
"I don't see an ICE agent looking at an x-ray machine, because you're not trained in that," he said on CNN's "State of the Union."
Rather, the agents would help "wherever we can provide extra security," such as monitoring exits.
"We'll put together a plan today and we'll execute tomorrow," he said.
Funding has been lapsed since February 14 for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as Democratic lawmakers demand reforms in the wake of Trump's deadly immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
However, DHS also oversees the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the agency responsible for airport security screenings, meaning staff around the country have worked for weeks without pay.
Many TSA agents have begun calling out from work, prompting soaring wait times at screening lines, sometimes as high as multiple hours.
More than 300 TSA employees have quit since the shutdown began on February 14, according to the DHS, while US media reported that unscheduled absences had more than doubled. 
Some officers are taking on second jobs or relying on donations, union officials say, and several major airports are collecting gift cards and stocking food pantries for TSA staff struggling without pay.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Sunday he thinks the situation is "going to get much worse" in the coming days.
"As it gets worse, I think that puts pressure on the Congress to come to a resolution," he told ABC's "This Week."
Democrats have demanded curtailed patrols, a ban on face masks and a requirement that ICE agents obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property.
While ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security, it has nonetheless been able to maintain operations using funds approved by Congress last year.
des/md

Global Edition

Torrential rains in Kenya kill 81 in March: officials

  • The capital Nairobi has the highest death toll in the floods, with 37 people killed, authorities said.
  • Torrential storms that have triggered flash floods in Kenya have killed at least 81 people this month, authorities said Sunday, as rain continued to pound much of the country.
  • The capital Nairobi has the highest death toll in the floods, with 37 people killed, authorities said.
Torrential storms that have triggered flash floods in Kenya have killed at least 81 people this month, authorities said Sunday, as rain continued to pound much of the country.
In the country's hard-hit west, residents waded through flood waters with their belongings on their heads and evacuated in crowded boats, AFP reporters saw.
Flash floods submerged entire villages in Kisumu county, destroying around 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of farmland and sweeping away crops.
More than 3,000 families have been forced from their homes in the community of Nyakach, with some sheltering in eight evacuation centres, locals said, as rising waters from the overflowing River Mirui continue to threaten the community.
"We have lost quite a number of farmlands with massive erosion, and the farm plants that we had planted ," said the chief of Nyakach, Seth Oluoch Agwanda, 57.
The capital Nairobi has the highest death toll in the floods, with 37 people killed, authorities said.
"The cumulative number of fatalities has unfortunately risen to 81," national police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement.
"Additionally, flash floods have swept through several areas, displacing approximately 2,690 families and causing widespread destruction of infrastructure and property."
On Friday night, authorities called on residents to evacuate several slum neighbourhoods downstream from the Nairobi dam, warning of an imminent risk of flooding as rising water levels threatened to breach the dam embankment, according to local media.
The dam has held so far.

'No house not flooded'

The rain is forecast to continue until Tuesday.
Authorities called for "extreme caution".
Two people drowned overnight in floods in the town of Kiambu, just outside the capital, police told AFP.
Two also died as landslides hit the western village of Kasaka, burying numerous homes, reported private broadcaster Citizen TV.
The March rains have repeatedly turned Nairobi streets to raging rivers, flooding thousands of homes and businesses.
Critics have called for the resignation of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, who had vowed to improve the capital's drainage and road infrastructure when he took office in 2022.
In Nyakach, in the west, children walked through knee-high water and residents scooped water from inundated houses -- though some were submerged up to the roof.
""We are migrating because the place where we were staying is badly flooded. We still don’t know where we are going to get shelter with our animals because there is no house or home that is not flooded," Kennedy Oguta, 50, told AFP.
Scientists say human-caused climate change is increasing the probability, length and severity of extreme weather events.
Studies indicate east Africa has been hit by more extreme rains and droughts over the past two decades.
jcp/jhb/pdw

US

Israel to advance ground operations in Lebanon after striking key bridge

  • Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had earlier warned the bridge attacks "represent a dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, and are considered a prelude to a ground invasion."
  • The Israeli military announced Sunday it was expanding its ground campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, warning of a lengthy operation, after Beirut condemned what it called Israel's flagrant violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
  • Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had earlier warned the bridge attacks "represent a dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, and are considered a prelude to a ground invasion."
The Israeli military announced Sunday it was expanding its ground campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, warning of a lengthy operation, after Beirut condemned what it called Israel's flagrant violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
Israeli forces were ordered earlier Sunday to destroy bridges they said were used by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah to cross the Litani River, and Lebanese official media reported Israeli raids in the south.
An AFP correspondent saw smoke billowing from a bridge that was hit outside the city of Tyre.
"The operation against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation has only begun... This is a prolonged operation," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement.
"We are now preparing to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes according to an organised plan," he added. 
In a separate statement Sunday, military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said the expansion of the ground operation would begin within the coming week.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had earlier warned the bridge attacks "represent a dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, and are considered a prelude to a ground invasion."
Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli-US strike.
Israel's military said it "struck a crossing over the Litani River that was used by Hezbollah terrorists to manoeuvre from north to south of the Litani River in Lebanon".
According to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA), three strikes on the bridge near Tyre "caused extensive damage, rendering it unusable". It later reported a fourth strike occurred. 
The NNA said the strikes caused "damage to the electricity networks, in addition to serious damage to shops, orchards and parks adjacent to the bridge".
Aoun said "targeting bridges over the Litani River... is an attempt to sever the geographical link between the area south of the Litani and the rest of Lebanon's territory".
The NNA also reported that Israeli forces were "blowing up a number of houses in the town of Taybeh" near the border with Israel.
Earlier Sunday, Israel said rocket fire from Lebanon killed a civilian, but later announced it was investigating whether "the incident involved fire originating from IDF soldiers".

Bridges

Two Israeli soldiers had previously been killed in southern Lebanon, according to the military.
Lebanon's health ministry said four people were killed on Sunday in two strikes in the south, while authorities have reported 1,029 dead in three weeks of conflict and more than one million displaced.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for at least 60 attacks mainly against Israeli troops and bases in northern Israel and in southern Lebanon, where Israeli soldiers have been carrying out ground incursions.
The group said it targeted troops in the coastal town of Naqura, near the western side of the border with Israel, as the NNA reported "Israeli incursions" and heavy bombing of the area.
The group also reported fighting in the strategic border town of Khiam, where it has been clashing with soldiers for days, as well as Maroun al-Ras, Marwahin and areas across the border in Israel.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the military "to immediately destroy all the bridges over the Litani River that are used for terrorist activity, in order to prevent Hezbollah terrorists and weapons from moving south".
The Litani River runs around 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the Israeli border.
Earlier this week, Israel attacked two bridges spanning the Litani, also alleging they were being used by Hezbollah.

'Commander' killed

Katz said the military was also instructed to "accelerate the demolition of Lebanese houses in the contact villages in order to thwart threats to Israeli communities".
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency also reported at least one strike on the Bekaa Valley in the country's east.
The Israeli military said it killed a fighter on Saturday who was the "commander of the special forces in Hezbollah's Radwan Force", referring to the group's elite unit.
Israel has warned residents of swathes of south Lebanon to evacuate and has said it wants to create a buffer zone to protect residents of northern Israel.
del-str-lg/nad/dc

Us

US may 'escalate to de-escalate' against Iran: Treasury chief

  • Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" if Trump was winding down or escalating the war, Bessent said: "They're not mutually exclusive.
  • The United States may need to "escalate" its attacks against Iran to be able to wind down the war, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday, after President Donald Trump gave seemingly contradictory trajectories for the US military campaign.
  • Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" if Trump was winding down or escalating the war, Bessent said: "They're not mutually exclusive.
The United States may need to "escalate" its attacks against Iran to be able to wind down the war, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday, after President Donald Trump gave seemingly contradictory trajectories for the US military campaign.
Trump on Saturday threatened to "obliterate" Iranian energy plants if Tehran did not fully open the pivotal Strait of Hormuz, just a day after saying US objectives were "very close" and that he was considering "winding down" the war.
Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" if Trump was winding down or escalating the war, Bessent said: "They're not mutually exclusive. Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate."
"This is the only language the Iranians understand," he argued.
Iran's threats against shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global gas and oil supplies flows, have caused energy prices to soar around the world.
Bessent, as part of efforts to abate market turmoil, has temporarily lifted US sanctions on Iranian and Russian oil that had already been loaded onto ships.
But the move has produced some backlash, with critics saying it will provide funding to Iran at the same time that the US-Israeli conflict is ongoing.
Asked on NBC about the contradiction, Bessent defended the move as helping alleviate pressure on US partners and lower the price Iran can receive for its oil.
"That Iranian oil was always going to be sold to the Chinese. It was going to be sold at a discount... So which is better? If oil prices spiked to $150 and they (Iran) were getting 70 percent of that, or oil prices below 100?"
The spike in crude prices has also seen costs at the pump across the United States quickly rise, creating potential political risks for the president just months before the midterm elections.
Bessent on Sunday refused to put a timeline on when Americans should expect prices to moderate, while arguing that the electorate will agree that removing Iran's nuclear threat will be worth the temporary costs.
"I don't know whether it's going to be 30 days. I don't know whether it's going to be 50 days. I don't know whether it's going to be 100 days," he said.
"But to have 50 years of peace in the Middle East and know that the Iranian regime is defanged," will be worth it.
Meanwhile, the exiled son of Iran's last shah Reza Pahlavi called on Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from targeting Iran's civilian infrastructure, because it "belongs to the Iranian people and to the future of a free Iran."
"Iran must be protected. The regime must be dismantled," US-based Pahlavi, who wields influence among the diaspora but holds no official position, said in a post on X Sunday.
des/md

unrest

Nepali youth demand release of govt report into deadly September uprising

  • His upset victory and rapid rise from Kathmandu mayor to expected prime minister mark one of the most dramatic shifts in recent Nepali politics. aoj/pm/pzb/ane/abs
  • Nepali youth staged a demonstration in Kathmandu Sunday, demanding the release of findings into the deadly 2025 uprising, which forced the previous government to collapse.
  • His upset victory and rapid rise from Kathmandu mayor to expected prime minister mark one of the most dramatic shifts in recent Nepali politics. aoj/pm/pzb/ane/abs
Nepali youth staged a demonstration in Kathmandu Sunday, demanding the release of findings into the deadly 2025 uprising, which forced the previous government to collapse.
At least 77 people were killed in the September 8-9 protests which began over a brief social media ban, but tapped into longstanding fury over corruption and economic hardship. No one has been held accountable for the deaths.
Just days after Nepal went to the polls March 5, interim leader Sushila Karki formed a commission to probe the violence -- in which parliament and scores of government buildings were set ablaze.
More than 200 people were questioned, including ousted former prime minister KP Sharma Oli, and a 900-page report with an additional 8,000 pages of evidence were submitted to the commission for investigation.
"We are here seeking the report of why the incident happened, why so many youths were killed," Sanatan Rijal, a 26-year-old activist told AFP.
Laxmi Ghimire, another activist at Sunday's protest, said "promoting a motto of good governance will not make the country and its people feel it".
Sunday's demonstration is one of many that have erupted in Nepal's capital over the past week calling on the interim government for transparency.
Karki said the interim government would make a summary of findings public but would entrust the newly elected Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), who are expected to be sworn in next week, with how to implement any of the commission's possible recommendations.
The RSP campaigned alongside popular rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, presenting him as its prime-ministerial candidate.
Shah, 35, defeated veteran four-time premier KP Sharma Oli whose Marxist-led government was ousted during last year's protests.
His upset victory and rapid rise from Kathmandu mayor to expected prime minister mark one of the most dramatic shifts in recent Nepali politics.
aoj/pm/pzb/ane/abs

electricity

Cuba scrambles to restore power after new blackout

  • The latest blackout was due to an outage in a generating unit at one of the country's eight thermoelectric plants, triggering a domino effect in the system, according to authorities.
  • Cuban authorities scrambled Sunday to restore power to the island after the second nationwide blackout in less than a week, as the grid struggles due to an aging infrastructure and a US oil blockade.
  • The latest blackout was due to an outage in a generating unit at one of the country's eight thermoelectric plants, triggering a domino effect in the system, according to authorities.
Cuban authorities scrambled Sunday to restore power to the island after the second nationwide blackout in less than a week, as the grid struggles due to an aging infrastructure and a US oil blockade.
Some parts of Havana began to have power again, but others were still dark early Sunday, a day after the energy ministry reported a "total disconnection" of the national electric system in the country of nearly 10 million people.
A gas power station near Havana and another in the beach resort of Varadero were generating power again, as well as a hydroelectric plant in central Cuba, energy and mining minister Vicente de la O Levy said on X. A unit of a thermoelectric plant was also back online.
There have been seven nationwide blackouts since 2024, making life more difficult for Cubans who fear food will spoil in refrigerators, among other problems in a country in economic crisis.
The breakdowns have intensified since Cuba's main regional ally and oil supplier, Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolas Maduro, was captured in a US military operation in January.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.
No oil has been imported to the island since January 9, hitting the power sector while also forcing airlines to curtail flights to the island, a blow to the all-important tourism sector.
The latest blackout was due to an outage in a generating unit at one of the country's eight thermoelectric plants, triggering a domino effect in the system, according to authorities.
The outages, as well as regular shortages of food, medicine and other basics, are spurring frustrations. 
In a rare moment of violence, demonstrators vandalized a provincial office of the Cuban Communist Party last weekend.
The new blackout occurred as an international aid convoy began to arrive in Cuba this week, bringing sorely-needed medical supplies, food, water and solar panels to the Caribbean island.
lt/md

diplomacy

Vietnam, Russia to sign energy deal: Hanoi

  • "During this visit, a series of important agreements related to nuclear power plant projects, as well as cooperation in energy and oil and gas will be signed," another statement from Hanoi said on Saturday.
  • Vietnam's prime minister left Sunday for an official visit to Russia during which the two nations will sign several agreements, including on oil and gas cooperation, Hanoi said.
  • "During this visit, a series of important agreements related to nuclear power plant projects, as well as cooperation in energy and oil and gas will be signed," another statement from Hanoi said on Saturday.
Vietnam's prime minister left Sunday for an official visit to Russia during which the two nations will sign several agreements, including on oil and gas cooperation, Hanoi said.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's trip to the major oil-producing nation from Sunday to Wednesday comes as Vietnam seeks to shore up its fuel reserves amid global supply disruptions due to the war in the Middle East.
His visit will focus on deepening ties with Russia and expanding cooperation in trade, investment and energy, Vietnam's government said in a statement on Sunday.
"During this visit, a series of important agreements related to nuclear power plant projects, as well as cooperation in energy and oil and gas will be signed," another statement from Hanoi said on Saturday.
"Cooperation in oil and gas energy will be reinforced in all fields of trade, exploration, extraction, and human resource training," it added.
Since the US-Israel war against Iran began in late February, sparking fuel price hikes and fears of shortages around the world, the cost of 95-octane petrol and diesel in Vietnam, a manufacturing hub, has soared by 50 percent and 70 percent, respectively.
Chinh held phone talks recently asking for fuel support from several countries, including Qatar, Kuwait, Algeria and Japan, according to Hanoi.
He is scheduled to meet with his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Mishustin, on Monday, Moscow said.
They will discuss "issues of Russian-Vietnamese trade", with a focus on implementing joint projects in the energy and other sectors, according to a Russian government statement released Thursday.
During a visit by Mishustin to Hanoi in January 2025, Russia said it was "ready to participate in building a national nuclear power industry in Vietnam", and the two nations would work together on joint oil and gas projects, according to a joint statement.
The two sides also signed a deal on nuclear energy at the time, with Chinh saying his country would aim to build a nuclear power plant within five years.
bur-sco/ane

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • While Qatar has been targeted by several strikes since the start of the Middle East war, no connection has been made between this chopper and the conflict triggered by US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
  • Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war: - 92% of Iran missiles intercepted: Israel - Israel's military said that Iran had fired more than 400 ballistic missiles at Israel since the start of the Middle East war, with around 92 percent of them intercepted.
  • While Qatar has been targeted by several strikes since the start of the Middle East war, no connection has been made between this chopper and the conflict triggered by US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:

92% of Iran missiles intercepted: Israel

Israel's military said that Iran had fired more than 400 ballistic missiles at Israel since the start of the Middle East war, with around 92 percent of them intercepted.

Qatar chopper crash kills 6

Three Turkish nationals including a serviceman were killed after a helicopter crashed in Qatar's territorial waters, alongside three Qatari servicemen, the Gulf country's defence ministry said.
While Qatar has been targeted by several strikes since the start of the Middle East war, no connection has been made between this chopper and the conflict triggered by US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Iran attack on UK base 'fell short'

UK minister Steve Reed said one missile launched by Iran targeting a joint UK-US military base in the Indian Ocean "fell short" while another missile was "intercepted".
Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands, is one of two bases which the UK has allowed the United States to use for what the British government insists are "defensive operations" in its war against Iran.

'Heavy' damage to Iran water, energy

Iran's critical water and energy infrastructure have suffered extensive damage due to US and Israeli strikes, the country's energy minister Abbas Aliabadi said.
"The attacks targeted dozens of water transmission and treatment facilities and destroyed parts of critical water supply networks," he noted, adding that efforts were underway to repair the damage.

US Baghdad centre attacked

At least six overnight attacks targeted a US diplomatic and logistics centre at Baghdad's International Airport, two Iraqi security officials told AFP.
"Eight separate attacks, carried out until dawn with rockets and drones targeted the US centre," a senior security official told AFP, while a second security official said there had been six strikes.

One killed in north Israel

Israel said rocket fire from Lebanon killed one person on Sunday as Hezbollah said it attacked soldiers in northern Israel, the first fatality there in fire from Lebanon since the latest war erupted.
Local firefighters said flames had engulfed two vehicles after a "direct hit" in the northern Israeli kibbutz community of Misgav Am.

Fresh blasts in Jerusalem

Blasts were heard and air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem early Sunday, AFP journalists said, after the Israeli military warned of incoming missile fire from Iran.
Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said after the first warning that there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Iran targets Baghdad base

Iran's official IRNA news agency said that a drone attack targeted a military base near the Baghdad International Airport.
The "military base, located near Baghdad International Airport, has again been the target of drone strikes," the IRNA wrote, referring to a compound that was used in the past by the US military.

Missiles target Saudi, UAE

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said three ballistic missiles were detected around the capital Riyadh, while its UAE counterpart said it was responding to Iranian missile and drone attacks.

Israel strikes Tehran

The Israeli military said its forces launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, hours after Iranian missile fire hit two cities in southern Israel.
Israeli forces were "currently conducting strikes on Iranian terror regime targets in the heart of Tehran", a statement said.

48-hour Hormuz deadline

"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" US President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. 

Iran vows retaliation

After Trump's ultimatum, Iran's military said it would retaliate by targeting "all energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region".
burs-sbk/gv

RSF

'They beat us with whips': Sudan RSF detainees tell of horrors in El-Fasher

BY IBRAHIM ABDALLAH WITH MENNA FAROUK IN CAIRO

  • "When people died of thirst and hunger, we were beaten and forced to bury them outside," 42-year-old Noureldin said.
  • In the suffocating darkness of a sealed shipping container, every thud signalled to Ibrahim Noureldin that one more detainee had died in the crush as Sudanese paramilitary fighters kept forcing more men inside.
  • "When people died of thirst and hunger, we were beaten and forced to bury them outside," 42-year-old Noureldin said.
In the suffocating darkness of a sealed shipping container, every thud signalled to Ibrahim Noureldin that one more detainee had died in the crush as Sudanese paramilitary fighters kept forcing more men inside.
Thousands of people are estimated to have been detained in the Rapid Support Forces' (RSF) October takeover of North Darfur's El-Fasher, a battle that a UN investigation found bore the "hallmarks of genocide".
"When people died of thirst and hunger, we were beaten and forced to bury them outside," 42-year-old Noureldin said.
"We were put to work, lifting their luggage, materials, weapons. If we moved too slowly, they beat us with whips," he told AFP from Tawila -- an overwhelmed refugee town west of El-Fasher now sheltering hundreds of thousands of people.
In February, the United Nations' rights office and the London-based Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) said that the RSF had converted hospitals, schools, warehouses and shipping containers -- like the easy-to-lock, inescapable box that nearly killed Noureldin -- into a sprawling network of makeshift prisons.
The RSF, at war with Sudan's regular army for nearly three years, has an iron grip on El-Fasher, and has only allowed in a handful of humanitarians, who say the city is "a ghost town".
But in Tawila, an AFP journalist gathered rare testimonies from five former detainees, speaking to them inside fragile shelters of straw and tattered fabric.

'Sips of water'

Under one straw awning, Noureldin leaned on a crutch, still weak from his injuries.
On October 26, he and six others were fleeing the RSF's final assault on the city when they were "shot at, beaten and accused of fighting for the army".
He was loaded into a Land Cruiser and taken to al-Borsa market in the city's east, then locked with about 120 men in the airless container.
For over a month, they survived on "tiny sips of water" and "a little lentils".
Months of testimony, satellite imagery and verified videos analysed by the UN and CIR show that the detainees included government workers, doctors, journalists, teachers and aid staff.
Many were held for ransom, accused of army affiliation or based on tribal identity.
The RSF denies the abuses. A spokesman told AFP the reports were "propaganda", accusing the army of "using civilians as human shields".
Both warring sides have been accused of atrocities against civilians, including deliberate targeting and detention.

'Nails ripped with pliers'

One of the RSF's largest detention centres was El-Fasher Children's Hospital, where "more than 2,000 men" were held "without access to water and food", the UN said.
"They brought us to the children's hospital, said we were fighters and kept me there for a month," Abdullah Idris, 45, told AFP.
With nothing but saline solution to drink, he said he "could only watch" as dozens of people died every day.
The UN recorded up to 40 deaths a day during a cholera-like outbreak, killing 260 people in a single week.
Besides disease, "the torture was horrible, especially to the young men", he said.
"If you tried to speak, they'd kill you with a single shot."
Ahmed Aman, 45, another hospital detainee, said some detainees "had their fingernails ripped out with pliers".
After weeks at the hospital, he was moved to Garni, northwest of El-Fasher, where CIR-verified footage showed "at least 600 detainees" being forcibly marched, including women and children.

'Like animals'

Nedal Yasser, 27, was abducted the day after the RSF assault on the city.
For six weeks, she was shuttled with other women between detention sites, including al-Mina al-Bary, a bus depot near the market where the UN said hundreds were held in about 70 shipping containers.
"I was beaten, tied up, interrogated. When they found out my husband was a soldier, the torture got even worse," she told AFP.
"We were exploited and sexually harassed, only sometimes allowed to go to the bathroom."
She and the other women were ordered to pay $2,000 ransoms, but everything she owned had "already been looted".
Finally, she was brought to a house, "assaulted", then dumped in a remote area.
She walked dozens of kilometres to Tawila, suffering a miscarriage on the way.
The UN has documented widespread torture and "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment", including sexual violence, beatings with wooden rods, flogging and being suspended in painful positions from trees.
In the open fields of Tawila, survivors carry the scars.
Aman's back remains "torn apart" from beatings.
Yasser regularly faints when she tries to stand.
And mechanic Ahmed al-Sheikh, 43, walks with a limp and cannot see out of his right eye after being struck by an RSF fighter.
He reached safety only in February after four months in Shala prison, where the UN said the RSF held more than 2,000 detainees by January.
"They'd kill people right in front of us," he told AFP.
"They would select people randomly, killing us like animals."
According to the UN, at least 6,000 more detainees were transferred from El-Fasher to Tagris prison in the RSF's de facto capital, Nyala, where they maintain a complete communications blackout.
ibr-maf/bha/smw/amj

US

Iranian missiles sow panic, destruction in Israeli towns

BY ANOUK RIONDET

  • Franky rushed to shelter with his family as air raid sirens sounded, warning of an incoming attack.
  • Sheltering from an Iranian missile attack on his town in southern Israel on Saturday, 17-year-old Ido Franky heard "terrifying" blasts like nothing he had experienced before.
  • Franky rushed to shelter with his family as air raid sirens sounded, warning of an incoming attack.
Sheltering from an Iranian missile attack on his town in southern Israel on Saturday, 17-year-old Ido Franky heard "terrifying" blasts like nothing he had experienced before.
An Iranian missile hit Franky's town of Arad, hours after another struck Dimona -- home to a nuclear facility -- wounding dozens and leaving entire apartment blocks with heavy damage.
Franky rushed to shelter with his family as air raid sirens sounded, warning of an incoming attack.
"There was a 'boom, boom!', my mother was screaming," he said near the impact site, where an AFP correspondent saw three damaged buildings and firefighters reported a blaze.
"This was terrifying... this town had never seen anything like this," the teenager told AFP.
Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said 84 wounded people were taken to hospitals from the Arad scene, including 10 in serious condition.
In the early hours of Sunday, dozens of people were still at the site, taking photos or calling friends and family to share details of the destruction, even as police warned residents on loudspeakers not to approach.
Security forces patrolled the streets with flashlights while rescuers searched the rubble to ensure all casualties had been recovered.
A crater around of around five metres (16 feet) was left amid the bombed-out buildings.
Police spokesman Dean Elsdunne told AFP that "the operation will take a few hours" before authorities can clear the scene and ensure all residents are accounted for.

Failed interception

An earlier missile attack hit the town of Dimona, about 25 kilometres (16 miles) southwest of Arad.
Dimona hosts a facility widely believed to possess the Middle East's sole nuclear arsenal, although Israel has never confirmed possessing nuclear weapons.
Israel has maintained a policy of ambiguity about its nuclear programme, and the plant officially focuses on research.
The missile fell about five kilometres away from the facility, leaving about 30 people wounded according to rescuers.
Online videos showed the missile engulfed in a ball of fire, crashing into the ground.
AFP footage showed heavy damage to an apartment building, next to a crater formed in the ground. Two structures have collapsed with debris including concrete blocks littering the area.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was "a very difficult evening in the battle for our future".
"We are determined to continue striking our enemies on all fronts," Netanyahu told Arad's mayor, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.
Military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin wrote on X that "air defence systems operated but did not intercept the missile, we will investigate the incident."
Israeli media have shared footage from Arad and Dimona, capturing scenes that have replayed across the country in attacks since the war began on February 28 with US-Israeli air raids on Iran.
In security camera footage aired by Israeli networks, people could be seen being thrown to the ground by the force of the blast as glass windows shatter.
Iranian missile attacks since the start of the war have killed 15 people in Israel as well as four Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank.
While not the deadliest, Saturday's hits on Dimona and Arad were among the Iranian attacks to have inflicted the greatest damage in Israel.
The launches came even as the United States and Israel keep pounding targets across Iran and say they have degraded the Islamic republic's capabilities.
bur-hba-anr/ami/lb

climate

Records shattered as US heatwave moves eastward

  • And in Phoenix, Arizona, one of the hottest cities in the United States, the daily low was a balmy 70F (21.1C) on Saturday, the earliest in the year such a level had been reached, the weather agency said.
  • A record-breaking heatwave afflicting the western half of the United States moved eastward Saturday toward the center of the country, bringing unseasonably warm temperatures to places that were at freezing or below just a week prior.
  • And in Phoenix, Arizona, one of the hottest cities in the United States, the daily low was a balmy 70F (21.1C) on Saturday, the earliest in the year such a level had been reached, the weather agency said.
A record-breaking heatwave afflicting the western half of the United States moved eastward Saturday toward the center of the country, bringing unseasonably warm temperatures to places that were at freezing or below just a week prior.
Dozens of cities from California to Colorado recorded their highest temperatures ever for the month of March, according to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center. 
On Saturday, areas that saw new records for the highest temperatures in March included 92 Fahrenheit (33.3C) recorded in Kansas City, Missouri, and North Platte, Nebraska.
Topeka, the state capital of Kansas, broke its March record Saturday with a high of 95F (35C), weather officials said.
In Wyoming, the least populous US state, all-time March temperatures were set in capital Cheyenne at 83F (28.3C).
On top of the monthly all-time highs, the heatwave reached several other temperature milestones.
For instance, in Chanute, Kansas, temperatures went from a record low of 13F (-10.5C) on March 16 to a record high of 91F (32.8C) just four days later.
And in Phoenix, Arizona, one of the hottest cities in the United States, the daily low was a balmy 70F (21.1C) on Saturday, the earliest in the year such a level had been reached, the weather agency said.
Cities recording all-time daily highs Saturday included Denver (86F), Grand Island, Nebraska (98F) and Midland, Texas (98F).
On Friday the heatwave had brought temperatures up to 44.4C (112F) in several areas along the southern California-Arizona border, a national US record for March.
The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for the same desert areas on Saturday, as well as a red flag warning -- indicating high wildfire risk -- for much of the central Plains states of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Scientists say there is overwhelming evidence that current heatwaves are a clear marker of global warming, a process driven chiefly by the burning of fossil fuels.
With winter in the northern hemisphere officially ending on Friday -- the first day of astronomical spring -- the soaring temperatures were wreaking havoc on wildlife in the West.
Many plants and trees are already blooming, and vegetation is growing at a fantastic clip, fueled by heavy rains in December and January.
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