World Echo

The United Arab Emirates' decision to withdraw from OPEC and OPEC+ was a sovereign and strategic choice based on a comprehensive assessment of its production policy and future capabilities, the UAE energy minister, Suhail Al Mazrouei, said on Saturday in a post on X. Mazrouei added that the move was not politically motivated and did not reflect divisions with partners. The UAE announced late April that it was quitting OPEC on May 1, dealing a blow to the oil producers' group as an unprecedented energy crisis caused by the Iran war exposed discord among Gulf nations. "It is not driven by political considerations, nor does it reflect any division between the UAE and its partners", Mazrouei added. The UAE’s decision to exit OPEC and OPEC+ is a sovereign strategic choice rooted in its long-term economic vision, evolving energy capabilities, and enduring commitment to global energy security. This decision follows a comprehensive assessment of national produ...

A senior Hamas official told Reuters on Saturday that the chief of the group's military wing had died, a day after Israel said that it had carried out airstrikes targeting him. Earlier, witnesses in Gaza City said that mosques had announced Izz al-Din al-Haddad's "martyrdom". He is the most senior Hamas official killed by Israel since an October United States-backed ceasefire deal that was meant to halt fighting in Gaza. Hamas has not publicly confirmed Haddad's death. Read: Israeli minister announces illegal settlement plans in Lebanon, displacements in Gaza, West Bank Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a joint statement with his defence minister on Friday that Haddad had been targeted, though they did not say if he had been killed. Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said Haddad was an architect of the October 7, 2023 attacks launched by Hamas that precipitated Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza. Haddad, who became the group...

An Australian court ​upheld a landmark decision for a transgender woman on Friday, ruling that her exclusion from a ‌female-only app because she appeared to be a man amounted to an act of discrimination. The Full Federal Court of Australia also doubled damages against the Giggle for Girls app and its founder and CEO, Sall Grover, saying that the blocking of transgender woman Roxanne Tickle's ​account was direct discrimination. A lower court found in 2024 that it was an act of indirect ​discrimination. Both findings have been hailed as groundbreaking decisions on gender identity and transgender rights in ⁠Australia. "I'm very pleased by the outcome of my case, and I hope that it assists trans and gender diverse ​people and their loved ones to heal," Tickle told reporters outside the courthouse. "I've brought my case to show trans people ​that you can be brave and that you can stand up for yourself. In the process, I surprised myself at how brave I ...

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday said Iran was attempting to preserve the current ceasefire in order to give diplomacy an opportunity to move forward. Speaking at the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, he said Tehran has "no trust" in the US and is interested in negotiating with Washington only if it is serious. Iran is trying to keep the ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance, he told reporters during a press conference. Araghchi blamed what he calls “contradictory messages” from Washington for complicating negotiations, according to Al Jazeera. In comments carried by Iran’s IRIB broadcaster, he said Iran is not to blame for disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, and that Tehran did not initiate the war and is only defending itself. He reiterated Iran’s position that the strait is now open to vessels of “friendly countries”, as long as they coordinate with Iranian officials, and only closed to...

 India's state-run fuel ​retailers have raised petrol and diesel prices for the first time in four years by 3 Indian ​rupees ($0.03) per litre, or more than 3%, ‌according to dealers, to recoup some of the losses incurred due to higher global crude oil prices. India, the world's third-biggest oil importer and consumer, is one of the last major economies to raise retail fuel prices following the disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz by the war started by US-Israeli attacks on Iran. State-run Indian Oil Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp and Bharat Petroleum ​Corp, which together control more than 90% of India's 103,000 fuel stations, tend to set diesel and petrol prices in tandem. A BPCL spokesperson confirmed ​the price increase at its retail outlets. Indian Oil and HPCL did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Diesel in ⁠Delhi will cost 90.67 Indian ​rupees a litre and petrol 97.77 Indian ​rupees, reflecting increases of 3.4% a...

New Delhi condemned an attack that sank an Indian-flagged vessel transiting through Omani waters as “unacceptable” on Thursday and said commercial ships should not be targeted amid the US-Israeli war with Iran. The attack on the dhow — a wooden vessel — occurred while it was sailing from Somalia to the United Arab Emirates in the early hours of Wednesday, causing a fire on board that eventually led to the ship sinking, New Delhi said. All 14 crew members were rescued by the Omani coast guard and taken to Diba port, India added. India did not specify the nature of the attack or identify who was responsible. However, British maritime risk management group Vanguard said the explosion was believed to have been caused by a drone or missile strike. The vessel was carrying livestock cargo, Vanguard said. “The attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman yesterday is unacceptable and we deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian marin...