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And with Brent Crude still trading at more than $100 per barrel, many workers and households have reverted to using oil and coal, raising concerns of…
French President Emmanuel Macron (third left) and his wife Brigitte Macron (second left) attend a dinner at Happo-en in Tokyo Tuesday. (AFP) French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Japan Tuesday for a visit that initially aimed to strengthen partnerships in nuclear energy and space innovation but will now be dominated by the Middle East war.Macron landed shortly before 5:30pm (0830 GMT) in rainy and windy Tokyo, ahead of an expected evening meeting with several cultural figures including a renowned kimono painter.He will then hold talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi today, and “the crisis in the Middle East will be at the heart of discussions”, the Elysee said ahead of his Asia trip, which will also include a visit to South Korea.The two leaders will discuss “how we can try to find common solutions”, it added.Japan depends on the Middle East for 95% of its oil imports and has had to dip into strategic stockpiles to temper the impact of rising fuel prices since the start of the war.Iran has virtually closed the vital Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of global crude and gas flows — since the US and Israel began striking the country on February 28.Economy and finance ministers of G7 countries, which include France and Japan, said on Monday they stood ready to take “all necessary measures” to ensure the stability of the energy market as they tackled the economic consequences of the war.Wednesday will be Macron’s “first full-fledged meeting” with Takaichi, according to a Japanese foreign ministry official, though the two met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in November.Among expectations for the talks was “continued communication” with a view towards the “calming down of the situation in Iran”, the official said.The two countries are also expected to discuss security and partnerships in the space sector, and intend to sign a roadmap on nuclear power in Japan, the Elysee said.Macron’s visit, his fourth to the country, comes as China-Japan ties worsen following Takaichi’s suggestion in November that Tokyo might intervene militarily in any Chinese attempt to take Taiwan.Macron visited China in December.He and his wife Brigitte are due to have lunch with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Thursday but a hoped-for viewing of Japan’s famous cherry trees in full bloom could be spoiled by rain forecast for the next three days in the Japanese capital.He will be in Japan until April 2, and he will then visit South Korea at the invitation of President Lee Jae Myung.”Macron will be the first European leader to make a state visit to South Korea since the launch of (our) new administration,” the South Korean presidential office said earlier this month. Related Story Source…
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announce their statements after their talks at the Akasaka guesthouse in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday. (Reuters) Japan and Indonesia have agreed to step up coordination on energy security, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tuesday, as the US-Israeli war on Iran squeezes oil and gas supplies vital to Asia.”In light of the Iran situation, the strategic importance of resources and energy security is once again being recognised globally. Indonesia is a major resource-rich nation,” Takaichi said alongside Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto after they met for talks in Tokyo.The summit comes amid mounting concern over the widening Middle East conflict, which has disrupted shipments of oil and gas through the key Strait of Hormuz.Indonesia is the world’s biggest exporter of thermal coal for power generation, supplying about half of global exports. It is also a major liquefied natural gas exporter, with roughly a quarter of its shipments bound for Japan.Japan said on Friday it will allow utilities to increase the use of coal-fired power plants from next month to cushion any disruption to liquefied natural gas imports caused by the war in the Middle East.Japan has also opened up its oil stockpiles, rolled out gasoline subsidies and is seeking energy supplies beyond the Middle East.Japan and Indonesia would “make their best efforts to convince all parties (in the Middle East) to de-escalate” the conflict, Prabowo said. He also invited “Japan’s participation” in the Indonesian economy, including in critical minerals, rare earths, industrialisation and nuclear energy.Neither leader gave details of how the two countries would coordinate in economic security. …
A satellite near-infrared image shows smoke rising from oil storage tanks at Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, which was struck multiple times in Ukrainian attacks,…
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Britain’s King Charles, as Trump departs Windsor Castle, in Windsor. (Reuters/File Photo) King Charles III will visit the US in late April, Buckingham Palace announced Tuesday, despite some calls for the trip to be cancelled or delayed amid strains over the Iran war.Confirmation of the monarch’s first state visit to the US comes at a rocky time for the so-called US-UK “special relationship”, with US President Donald Trump repeatedly criticising Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reticence over the US-Israel war against Tehran.But Trump, whose mother came from Scotland and is a big fan of the British monarchy, welcomed news of the visit as “TERRIFIC”.The US leader posted on his Truth Social platform that the trip would take place on April 27-30 and include a “beautiful Banquet Dinner at the White House on the evening of April 28th”.”I look forward to spending time with the King, whom I greatly respect. It will be TERRIFIC!” he added.The visit will come as the US marks its 250th anniversary of independence and will be followed by an official visit by the king to Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory.Washington’s envoy to Britain, Warren Stephens, warned last week it would be a “big mistake” for the US visit to be cancelled.Trump has repeatedly railed against Starmer since the start of the war, accusing him of not doing enough to support the US.”This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” Trump said earlier this month, after Starmer initially declined to let US warplanes fly from UK bases to strike Iran.”I’m disappointed with Keir,” Trump has also said, slamming Starmer’s “big mistake”.Trump also caused offence with recent remarks about UK troops’ participation in Afghanistan.The visit will be Charles’s first trip to the US as king, after he hosted Trump for a lavish state visit last September.The mercurial US president has frequently expressed admiration for Britain’s royal family, which treated him to a full state dinner at Windsor Castle, military parades and a flyover during last year’s visit.— Soft power diplomacy —It was an unprecedented second state visit for Trump, who was also hosted in 2019 by the late queen Elizabeth II before her death.But in his latest broadside aimed at Starmer’s government, Trump told countries like Britain to secure the Strait of Hormuz themselves because “the USA won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us”.A YouGov poll published on Thursday found nearly half of British citizens opposed the king’s visit to the US, with only a third saying it should go ahead.Emily Thornberry, a senior MP in Starmer’s ruling Labour party, said earlier this month it would be “safer to delay” the trip.She warned Charles and Camilla could be left feeling “embarrassed” because of the ongoing conflict.”Why are we rewarding Donald Trump with a state visit from our king?” asked Ed Davey, leader of the minority opposition Liberal Democrats party.The last British monarch to make a state visit to the US was Queen Elizabeth II in 2007.That visit was the last of four made by the late queen whose visit in 1991 included an address to Congress.The royal family’s soft power diplomacy is viewed as an important way of engaging with Trump.Charles helped smooth Starmer’s visit to the White House last year by signing a letter inviting Trump to visit the UK which the prime minister handed to the president in the Oval Office.In front of the TV cameras a beaming US president read the invitation and declared the king “a beautiful man, a wonderful man”. Related Story Source link
Medical sources in the Gaza Strip announced Wednesday that the death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 72,289, with 172,040 injured since the start of the aggression on October 7, 2023.Hospitals across Gaza received four martyrs and 12 wounded people over the past 24 hours, the sources added.Since the start of ceasefire on Oct. 11, 2025, the total number of Palestinians martyred has risen to 713, with 1,940 injuries recorded. In addition, 756 bodies have been recovered.Sources noted that several victims remain trapped under rubble and in the streets, as medical and civil defense teams are unable to reach them at this time. Source link
Mayor of London and co-chair of C40 Cities, Sadiq Khan, speaks during an interview as he attends the COP30 Local Leaders Forum at the Museum of…
The death toll from the Israeli airstrike on Beirut has risen to seven dead and 26 wounded.In a statement on Wednesday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed that an Israeli airstrike on the Al Janah area of Beirut led to seven dead and 26 wounded.Earlier today, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that five people were killed and 21 others were injured in an Israeli Airstrike on the Al Janah area in Beirut. Related Story Source link
A person works inside a tunnel that was used to bring tonnes of hashish from Morrocco into Spain, in Ceuta, Spain, in an undated picture released…
The Lebanese army announced that it had carried out a redeployment and repositioning operation involving a number of units as a result of the escalation of Israeli aggression against Lebanon, particularly in areas witnessing hostile incursions around the southern border towns, which leads to the encirclement and isolation of deployed army units and the cutting off of their supply lines.In a statement, the Lebanese army said that the leadership continues to stand by the residents according to the available capabilities, by keeping a group of soldiers in those towns as the Israeli attacks continue without distinction between soldiers and civilians in various areas. Related Story Source link