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Journalists film at a damaged area following strikes on Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Tuesday. (AFP) Iran said Tuesday it was prepared for any eventuality, after US President Donald Trump warned “a whole civilisation will die” if the Islamic republic did not heed a looming deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz.Speaking in Budapest, Vice President JD Vance said the United States had tools “that we so far haven’t decided to use” against Iran, without explaining further. An Iranian resident looks out the window of…
Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun speaks to the media ahead of her trip to China, in Taipei, Taiwan. (Reuters/File Photo) Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun leaves today for China and a potential meeting with President Xi Jinping on what she says is a peace mission as Beijing makes a renewed push to convince Taiwanese to support “reunification”. Cheng, chairwoman of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s largest opposition party, is travelling at a time of increased Chinese military pressure on Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory, and as the opposition-dominated parliament stalls a government plan for $40 bn in extra defence spending. The KMT and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have released duelling social media messages ahead of the trip, using the imagery of war and peace. “Peace is the only foundation for prosperity, and the hope for Taiwan’s future,” the KMT said on Sunday, putting out a video featuring young people relaxing on the ground, in a pool and smiling while looking up at the stars. The DPP shot back in a Facebook post that the KMT was trying to “co-operate with the Chinese communists’ scheme to weaken Taiwan’s defence capabilities”, pointing to the delay in passing defence spending, plans the US government has backed. Cheng told foreign reporters last month that “peace cannot possibly be achieved through defence capabilities alone” and political efforts were equally indispensable. She is going to China a month before US President Donald Trump’s summit with Xi in Beijing. While the two sides could strike goodwill agreements in Beijing on trade in agriculture and aircraft parts, they are also expected to discuss areas of deep tension such as Taiwan, where little progress is expected. In a February call, Xi told Trump that the US “must carefully handle arms sales to Taiwan”. This is the first trip by a KMT leader to China in a decade, though China has yet to confirm whether Xi will definitely meet Cheng, who will be in Beijing from Thursday. Last week, Taiwan’s China-policy-making Mainland Affairs Council said Cheng should tell Beijing to stop its military threats and respect the Taiwanese people’s right to choose their own future. China refuses to speak to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, saying he is a “separatist”. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, but says its preferred option is “peaceful reunification”. It has stepped up efforts in recent weeks to try and persuade Taiwanese of the benefits, including energy security, which Taiwanese officials have rejected. On Friday, the Eastern Theatre Command, which would lead any attack on Taiwan, published a cartoon picture of what “Taiwan province” would look like during the traditional Tomb Sweeping Festival, marked on Sunday, if it were united with China. People lay flowers at a “Monument for the complete reunification of the motherland”, in front of another sign showing the location — Taipei’s Machangding Memorial Park, where accused communist spy Wu Shi was executed by the KMT government in 1950. KMT forces fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists. Opinion polls in Taiwan have repeatedly shown minimal support for accepting Beijing’s sovereignty under its “one country, two systems” model.Asked at the news conference with foreign reporters about her views on “reunification”, Cheng said the time was still far from ripe for such a discussion. “What we need to deal with now is how to create peaceful and stable cross-strait relations,” she said. Source link
US President Donald Trump said yesterday he would lay waste to every bridge and power plant in Iran if it fails to bend to his demands, as he touted the high-risk operation that rescued two downed airmen. Dismissing accusations that such a move would be a war crime, Trump told a White House press conference that “the entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night.” The president gave lengthy opening remarks on the recovery of two F-15 crew members recovered from behind enemy lines in Iran, which he compared to finding a “needle in a haystack.” But Trump also doubled down on his threats of destruction before his self-imposed deadline for Tehran’s leaders that is due to expire today at 8pm (0000 GMT Wednesday) Iran must make a deal that involves the “free traffic of oil” through the critical Strait of Hormuz or else there will be “complete demolition… and it’ll happen over a period of four hours,” he said. “Every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again.” Trump added that he was considering a plan to charge a toll for oil passing through the Strait — echoing Iranian threats to do the same to the waterway through which one fifth of global crude passes. The 79-year-old’s fresh warnings came just hours after he said during a White House Easter Egg roll that a proposal for a ceasefire with Iran was a “very significant step.” “It’s not good enough, but it’s a very significant step,” Trump told reporters, under the gaze of First Lady Melania Trump and a mascot dressed as a giant Easter bunny. Source link
South Korea has decided to allow crude oil tankers to sail via the Red Sea as an alternative route, amid disruptions to oil transport through the Strait of Hormuz caused by the ongoing conflict in West Asia.Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Lim Jung-kwan, said on Monday that the ministry will support private-sector efforts to secure additional crude oil supplies by permitting tankers that meet certain requirements to transit the Red Sea, in cooperation with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.In turn, Korea’s Oceans Minister, Hwang Jung-woo, said the industry ministry has shared information on crude oil tankers with confirmed shipping contracts as of April 3, adding that his ministry has completed notifying relevant shipping companies of the approval to sail via the Red Sea route.The Red Sea route is considered a detour via the Saudi port of Yanbu, which receives crude oil from eastern oil fields through a 1,200-kilometer pipeline.Hwang noted that an average of 39 vessels per day are currently using the Bab Al-Mandab Strait to exit the Red Sea.South Korea had previously recommended against using the route on March 1, immediately after the outbreak of the conflict in West Asia, but has decided to allow navigation as the crisis is expected to be prolonged. Source link
Sri Lanka on Monday raised prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by nearly a quarter, blaming higher global prices triggered by the Iran war.As well as gas, Sri Lanka also imports all of its oil and buys coal for electricity generation.Colombo has warned that a prolonged war in the Middle East could seriously undermine efforts to emerge from its economic meltdown of 2022.The increase in cooking gas prices on Monday is on top of an eight percent hike last month.A private company, which accounts for about a quarter of the domestic LPG market, raised its retail price by 23 percent to 5,700 rupees ($18.08), up from 4,630 rupees ($14.69).The state-owned Litro Gas, the main supplier of LPG used in cooking stoves, increased the price of a 12.5-kilogramme refill to 4,765 rupees ($15.62), up from 3,990 rupees — an increase of 19.42 percent.”We have supplies for the entire month of April,” a Litro spokesman said, adding that higher global LPG prices and shipping costs had forced the latest revision.Last month, Sri Lanka raised both fuel and electricity prices by more than a third as US-Israeli strikes against Iran and retaliatory attacks drove up global energy prices.The Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which about 20 percent of global crude oil and gas exports pass in peacetime, has been effectively closed since the start of the conflict. Source link
A woman looks at signs displayed on empty fuel dispensers at a Shell petrol station that ran out of fuel, in Sydney, Australia. (Reuters/File Photo) Every Easter, Sydney retiree Elsa Ulcak is one of the millions of Australians that hit the road to travel during the four-day-long weekend.But this year, she has cancelled her trip with her husband because she could not justify how much petrol her getaway would use.”We usually go to the countryside, but because of the petrol situation, we decided to stay at home this year,” said Ulcak, 67.A long trip would be costly and also consume fuel that could be used by people who needed it more, she said.”(It’s) six or seven hours drive to the countryside … it’s expensive. Also we’ve got to think about it — working people need their petrol, (but) we’re retired, we can stay at home.””We usually go with a group of friends, everyone cancelled.”The Easter long weekend is typically one of the busiest travel times of the year in Australia. In 2025, more than 4.5mn people had been expected to travel over the period, spending A$11.1bn ($7.67bn) on their trips, according to research firm Roy Morgan.But many plans this year have been disrupted by the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28 and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has choked global energy supplies.Australia, which imports about 90% of its fuel, has experienced localised shortages and seen prices soar, with diesel costing more than A$3 per litre and petrol more than A$2.50 last week before the government cut fuel taxes to help bring prices down.Rachel Abbott, a 27-year-old art director, has also shelved her travel plans this Easter.While she would typically go home to north-east Victoria, both the cost of driving and flights made her decide to stay in Sydney.”Work’s just been quite busy and flights are very expensive, and then if I were to drive, obviously it would be a lot more expensive,” she said.Aid worker Stav Zotalis, 59, said her holiday plans were unaffected since she prefers to stay at home for Easter, but this year “does feel very different” due to the conflict in the Middle East.”I don’t know that we can celebrate. It feels like the world is shaky, it’s unpredictable. And I feel that we don’t know where things are going.”While she has felt the strain of higher costs at the petrol station and supermarket, she said she was more concerned about those in the conflict zones.”I’ve been an overseas aid worker for 25 years and I lived in Asia for 14 years, and I know people that live closer to the conflict are having to forgo food. Not just trips interstate or to the coast, like some of us here in Australia,” she said. …
Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky attending a bilateral meeting on security at Dolmabahce Presidential Office, in Istanbul, Saturday. (AFP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul Saturday for talks on energy and navigation security, and efforts to end the war with Russia, the Turkish presidency said.The visit came a day after Erdogan spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who accused Kyiv of attempting to target the gas pipeline between Russia and Turkey supplying several European countries.Erdogan “stressed the importance that Turkiye attaches to the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and the crucial nature of the security of energy supply,” his office said.The two leaders had discussed relations between the countries, “peace efforts in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and regional and international developments”, it added.Zelensky said they had discussed “steps to implement joint projects in developing gas infrastructure, as well as opportunities for joint development of gas fields”.There was a heavy police presence around the lavish Dolmabahce Palace on the shores of the Bosphorus, which also hosted several rounds of talks between Moscow and Kyiv in the past.Kyiv has been pushing for a truce over the Orthodox Easter holidays that would include a halt in attacks on energy infrastructure.Russia, which is seeking a permanent settlement rather than a brief ceasefire, said it had not seen any “clearly formulated” proposals from Kyiv.Ukraine has struck Russian energy infrastructure throughout the more than four-year war in a bid to weaken Moscow’s ability to finance its offensive.Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities have cut power and heating to millions of people since the beginning the war in 2022. …
Firefighters put out a fire at the market following a strike in Nikopol, Saturday. (AFP) A Russian drone hit a covered market in the eastern Ukrainian city of Nikopol Saturday, killing five people and wounding 25, officials said, as Moscow pressed on with intensified daytime attacks.Russia has been firing aerial broadsides at Ukraine throughout its more than four-year invasion, mostly at night, but in recent weeks it has stepped up daytime attacks.The market in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region, was hit at 9:50am (0650 GMT), the local prosecutor’s office said.Regional governor, Oleksandr Ganja, said in a Telegram post that three women and two men were killed.He added that a 14-year-old girl was among the 25 wounded and was in a “critical condition”.Attacks continued during the morning hours on Saturday, wounding six in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, near the front line, regional police said.The Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 286 drones overnight, of which 260 were intercepted.In the northern Sumy region, 11 people were wounded in strikes on residential areas and civilian infrastructure overnight, police said.Images released by Ukrainian emergency services showed a building whose upper floors were engulfed in flames. Another attack killed a woman and wounded another two in the southeastern city of Kherson, which is close to the fighting.In Russia, a missile and drone attack on the southern Rostov region bordering Ukraine left one person dead and four seriously wounded in the city of Taganrog, regional governor Yuri Slyussar said.On the Sea of Azov, a foreign cargo ship was damaged by falling drone debris and caught fire, he added.A family of three, including an eight-year-old child, was killed in a house by a nighttime Ukrainian drone strike that also targeted railway infrastructure in Russian-occupied Lugansk, the Moscow-backed administration said.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was on a surprise visit to Istanbul Saturday for security talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Zelensky this week signalled he was ready for a truce over the Orthodox Easter holidays, but the Kremlin said it had not received “clearly formulated” proposals.Ukraine has accused Russia of prolonging the war to capture more territory, and says Moscow is not interested in peace. Russia says it wants a permanent settlement instead of a brief ceasefire.Talks between the two warring parties, mediated by the US, have been stalled by the war in the Middle East.In comments to reporters, including AFP, published on Friday, Zelensky said he had invited an American delegation to Ukraine to relaunch negotiations with Moscow.”The delegation will do everything possible in the current conditions — during the war with Iran — to come to Kyiv,” Zelensky said.”The American group can come to us and, after us, go to Moscow. If it does not work out with three parties, let’s do it this way,” he added.Amid the Middle East war, Ukraine has sought to leverage its expertise in fighting off Russian drones similar to those Iran has been using in retaliatory attacks across Gulf nations.Last week, Zelensky visited several Middle Eastern countries and signed defence agreements with Qatar and Saudi Arabia.He also suggested Ukraine could help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, whose effective closure by Iran has rattled the global economy.He did not specify how Ukraine could contribute, but cited Kyiv’s experience in restoring passage through the Black Sea, which Russia had blocked at the beginning of its invasion. Related Story Source link
Human remains have been found aboard a cargo ship struck by Iran while transiting the Strait of Hormuz last month, the vessel's owner said on Friday, after three crew members were reported missing following the attack.US-Israeli strikes on Iran late February prompted Tehran to respond by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for global oil supplies.The Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree was struck in March while travelling through the strait after departing Khalifa port in the United Arab Emirates.’Certain human remains were found within the affected area of the vessel,’ a statement from transport company Precious Shipping said on Friday, adding it could not yet confirm the identities or the number of individuals.Twenty Thai crew members returned home in mid-March, while three of their colleagues were missing and presumed trapped in the damaged engine compartment.A search was carried out under ‘challenging conditions’ as the vessel's engine room had been flooded and damaged by fire, the company said.Thailand's foreign ministry said it was ‘saddened’ by the development and that families of the missing crew had been informed.Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in March they had struck the Mayuree Naree, as well as a Liberia-flagged vessel, in the strait because the ships had ignored ‘warnings’. Source link
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (centre) salutes the coffins of Indonesian soldiers killed while serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon as they arrive at…