World Echo

The Trump administration on Friday renewed a waiver allowing countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil at sea for about a month, even as lawmakers accused the government of going easy on Moscow as its war on Ukraine grinds on. The Treasury Department's waiver lets countries purchase Russian oil and petroleum products loaded on vessels as of Friday through May 16. It replaces a 30-day waiver that expired on April 11 and excludes transactions involving Iran, Cuba and North Korea. The move is part of the administration's effort to control global energy prices that have shot higher during the US-Israeli war with Iran. It came after countries in Asia, suffering from the global energy shock, pressed Washington to allow alternative supplies to reach markets. Reversal by treasury "As negotiations (with Iran) accelerate, Treasury wants to ensure oil is available to those who need it," a Treasury Department spokesperson said. Just two days earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen...

Nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal in 2025, making it the deadliest year on record for the route, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday. More than one in seven of the estimated 6,500 Rohingya refugees who attempted the sea crossing last year were reported missing or dead, the highest mortality rate worldwide for refugee and migrant sea journeys, UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva. The dangerous sea crossings have continued into 2026, with more than 2,800 Rohingya embarking on such journeys up until April 13 this year, Baloch said. "This sad and tragic trend continues, this sense of desperation among the Rohingya population," he said. Read: UN looks to boost food security for Rohingya in Bangladesh Deadly maritime journeys have become a recurring feature of a long-running humanitarian crisis resulting from conflict in Myanmar, as members of the Rohingya Muslim minority continue to ris...

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said Tehran rejects any temporary ceasefire and is seeking a comprehensive end to the war across the region. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Khatibzadeh said any ceasefire must include all conflict zones “from Lebanon to the Red Sea,” describing it as a “red line” for Iran. “We are not accepting any temporary ceasefire,” he said, adding that the cycle of conflict “should end here once and for all.” Khatibzadeh said Pakistan’s mediation aims to achieve that goal. On the Strait of Hormuz, he said the waterway has historically remained open, noting that it lies within Iran’s territorial waters but has long been accessible. Also Read: Trump says Iran war should end 'soon', says Hezbollah should support truce He accused the US and Israel of triggering instability in the region, saying their actions have negatively affected global trade and the wider economy. Khatibzadeh said Iran remains committe...

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeed Iravani criticised the draft resolution put forth by Bahrain in close coordination with the Gulf Cooperation Council at a UN General Assembly meeting on April 16 to discuss the vetoing of said draft. The resolution was tabled at the UN Security Council initially on April 7 and was vetoed by China and Russia, which had put forward an alternative, balanced draft resolution to facilitate a negotiated solution. As per Iran's Tasnim News report, Iravani argued that it ignored the root cause of the crisis: the “illegal and savage” war imposed by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28, assassinating the former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He said in his statement, "During the Council meeting, my delegation made clear that the text was one-sided and ignored the root cause of the crisis: the illegal and savage war of aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran on 28 February 2026." ...

The European Union is drafting plans to tackle ​a looming jet fuel supply crunch and maximise refinery output, officials said. European airlines have warned of jet fuel shortages within weeks as ‌a result of the US-Israel war against Iran, disrupting travel ahead of summer. Europe is more dependent on jet fuel imports, with some 75% from the Middle East, than on any other transport fuel. From next month, the European Commission will introduce EU-wide mapping of refining capacity for oil products and introduce measures "to ensure that existing refining capacity is fully utilised and ​maintained", a draft proposal seen by Reuters said. The EU is also working on measures targeting jet fuel supply, but those are still in development, ​officials familiar with the proposals said. The Commission declined to comment on the draft plans, which are due to be ⁠published on April 22. Jet fuel prices have soared since the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, and European airlines are warning ...

As the second energy shock in four years roils global markets, the contrasting experiences of Pakistan and Bangladesh underscore the costs to emerging market countries from relying on fuel imports and the case for cleaner power sources. After South Asian countries were rocked by widespread electricity ​outages and inflation in 2022 due to soaring liquefied natural gas prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a consumer-led solar revolution swept ‌Pakistan, while Bangladesh signed long-term LNG deals to fuel its power plants. The fallout from the war with Iran that began with US and Israeli airstrikes on February 28 has highlighted the consequences of these divergent paths. Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz in response, cutting off contracted long-term LNG supplies and prompting Bangladesh to buy 11 cargoes from the spot market for delivery from ​March to May. Also Read: US-sanctioned supertankers enter Gulf despite blockade Bangladesh paid an average of $21.35 per million Bri...