World

US President Donald Trump said Monday that negotiations with Iran will be finalized “and everybody’s going to be happy,” amid an apparent impasse in the talks.

“We’ve done a great job, and we’ll get it closed out, and everybody’s going to be happy,” Trump said during a phone interview with a conservative radio host.

The comments came just hours after Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran rejects negotiations with the US “under the shadow of threats.”

Ghalibaf, who has played a key role in the talks, roundly criticized Trump for his decision to impose a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has maintained is a violation of an already-fragile ceasefire.

The parliament speaker said on the US social media company X’s platform that Trump has sought to use the threats to turn the talks “into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering.” He said Iran has prepared new military options should a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire lapse this week.

Asked about Iran’s opposition to the talks, Trump said “they’re going to negotiate, and if they don’t, they’re going to see problems like they’ve never seen before.”

“And hopefully they’ll make a fair deal, and they’ll build their country back up, but when they do it, they will not have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “They will have no access to, no chance of having a nuclear weapon.”

Trump announced Sunday that US representatives would fly to Islamabad for negotiations, though Tehran has yet to officially confirm its participation and demanded the lifting of the blockade.

The comments came as the US has maintained a naval blockade on ships entering and leaving Iranian ports since last week. Tehran has described the blockade as a violation of the ongoing ceasefire.

Trump also warned Sunday that the US would target Iran’s infrastructure if Tehran failed to accept US terms to end the conflict, adding to market unease as the ceasefire is set to expire Tuesday evening Washington time.

Shipping concerns intensified after Iran, which had declared on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz was reopened to maritime traffic, reversed course on Saturday and again restricted vessel movements through the strategic waterway, with state media saying the US had not met its obligations.

Pakistan hosted the first direct high-level US-Iran engagement in Islamabad on April 11-12, the first such contact since the two countries severed diplomatic ties in 1979, but the talks ended without a breakthrough.

Source: Anadolu Agency

US President Donald Trump’s administration plans to launch next Monday the system it will use for issuing refunds to American importers for $166 billion the companies paid in tariffs that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in February as unlawful.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said, in a court filing on Tuesday that it has completed the development of the initial phase of the refund system, known as CAPE. The system will consolidate refunds so importers will receive one electronic payment, with interest when applicable, rather than processing refunds on an entry-by-entry basis.

Agency official ⁠Brandon Lord made the declaration, in the filing with the New York-based Court of International Trade. The agency disclosed the CAPE launch date in a separate announcement on Friday.

The Supreme Court ruled that Trump overstepped his authority in imposing sweeping global tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law meant for use in national emergencies.

Tuesday’s filing said that as of April 9 some 56,497 importers had completed the process to receive electronic refunds for tariffs affected by the court’s ruling, an amount totaling $127 billion.

The agency has said it plans to roll out the refund system in phases.

Lord ⁠said in his declaration that the agency is considering options for processing refunds on a subset of entries that were subject to $2.9 billion in tariffs. Lord said these normally would require manual processing, which would dramatically increase the workload and divert personnel from the agency’s trade operations and enforcement.

After the Supreme Court’s decision, ⁠importers sued for refunds in the Court of International Trade, which is monitoring the development of the refund system.
More than 330,000 importers paid the tariffs at issue on 53 million shipments of imported goods, according to court ⁠documents.

Customs and Border Protection has said the CAPE system will initially process refunds on recently imported goods and straightforward entries.

Many smaller importers feared the cost of the refund process would outweigh the ⁠benefits of trying to get reimbursed, forcing some companies to explore creative financing options related to refunds.

Trump denounced the Supreme Court after its ruling and imposed a new temporary global tariff under a different law, though that also has been challenged in court.

Source: Reuters

Officials in Japan have warned of an increased risk of a ‘‘huge’’ earthquake in the next week after a 7.7 magnitude quake struck off the north-east coast, triggering an evacuation order and warnings of 3m (10ft) tsunami waves.

Thousands of people were told to leave coastal areas for higher ground after the quake in waters off Iwate prefecture, 530km (330 miles) north of the capital Tokyo.

The biggest tsunami waves measured 80cm. Tsunami warnings and advisories were lifted hours after the quake on Monday.

But Japan’s meteorological agency has warned that quakes ‘‘causing even stronger shaking’’ could occur in the next week, producing bigger waves.

Authorities said the risk of a quake measuring 8.0 magnitude or higher was ‘‘relatively higher than during normal times’’.

People in Japan are still scarred by memories of a huge quake in 2011 that triggered a tsunami which killed more than 18,000 people and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

After Monday’s undersea quake, recorded at a depth of 10km, warnings of possible bigger waves were issued to residents in areas nearest the epicentre - in Japan’s main island, Honshu, and the northern region of Hokkaido.

Tremors were felt as far away as Tokyo.
In Hokkaido tsunami alerts remained in place hours after the quake struck at 16:52 local time (08:52 BST).

‘‘As soon as we heard the earthquake alert, everyone ran downstairs,’’ Chaw Su Thwe, a Myanmar national living in Hokkaido, told the BBC. ‘‘However, this time the shaking was relatively mild.

‘‘Right now, local authorities are using loudspeakers in the neighbourhood to warn people about a possible tsunami and to stay alert,’’ she added. ‘‘Office workers have been allowed to leave work early.’’

A number of bullet trains were affected, and 100 homes were without power, Japan’s Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters. He said there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.

Train services resumed on Monday night.

More than 170,000 people across several prefectures were ordered to evacuate after tsunami warnings were issued across parts of Japan’s east coast.

The warning was the second-highest of three levels of alert, with people being told to leave coastal and riverside areas and move to higher ground or an evacuation building.

‘‘Tsunami waves are expected to hit repeatedly. Do not leave safe ground until the warning is lifted,’’ Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) told reporters in the hours after the quake - a plea echoed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who urged people to get to ‘‘higher, safer places’’.

It was later downgraded to a tsunami alert, before being removed entirely shortly before midnight local time.

Japan’s precarious location on the Ring of Fire means it experiences about 1,500 earthquakes a year, and accounts for 10% of quakes measuring 6.0 magnitude or higher worldwide.

In March 2011, Japan was hit by the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the coast to the south of Iwate province, the most powerful earthquake it had ever recorded.

The meltdown at Fukushima was one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. Since then, the government issues warnings and advisories for people to get to higher ground.

Source: BBC

US President Donald Trump’s administration plans to launch next Monday the system it will use for issuing refunds to American importers for $166 billion the companies paid in tariffs that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in February as unlawful.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said, in a court filing on Tuesday that it has completed the development of the initial phase of the refund system, known as CAPE. The system will consolidate refunds so importers will receive one electronic payment, with interest when applicable, rather than processing refunds on an entry-by-entry basis.

Agency official ⁠Brandon Lord made the declaration, in the filing with the New York-based Court of International Trade. The agency disclosed the CAPE launch date in a separate announcement on Friday.

The Supreme Court ruled that Trump overstepped his authority in imposing sweeping global tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law meant for use in national emergencies.

Tuesday’s filing said that as of April 9 some 56,497 importers had completed the process to receive electronic refunds for tariffs affected by the court’s ruling, an amount totaling $127 billion.

The agency has said it plans to roll out the refund system in phases.

Lord ⁠said in his declaration that the agency is considering options for processing refunds on a subset of entries that were subject to $2.9 billion in tariffs. Lord said these normally would require manual processing, which would dramatically increase the workload and divert personnel from the agency’s trade operations and enforcement.

After the Supreme Court’s decision, ⁠importers sued for refunds in the Court of International Trade, which is monitoring the development of the refund system.
More than 330,000 importers paid the tariffs at issue on 53 million shipments of imported goods, according to court ⁠documents.

Customs and Border Protection has said the CAPE system will initially process refunds on recently imported goods and straightforward entries.

Many smaller importers feared the cost of the refund process would outweigh the ⁠benefits of trying to get reimbursed, forcing some companies to explore creative financing options related to refunds.

Trump denounced the Supreme Court after its ruling and imposed a new temporary global tariff under a different law, though that also has been challenged in court.

Source: Reuters

A life jacket worn by a Titanic survivor has been sold at auction to a collector for £670,000.

It is the only life jacket from the Titanic to be sold at auction in the 114 years since the ship sank, going under the hammer at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire.

First class passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli, who was one of about 700 people to survive the tragedy in 1912, used the vest before entering a lifeboat.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said he was ‘‘ecstatic’’. He added: ‘‘It reflects the ongoing interest and passion for the story of the Titanic, and its passengers and crew.’’

He previously said the vest was ‘‘the only lifejacket from a survivor to emerge at auction in 114 years so it is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity for collectors’’.

Francatelli and fellow survivors had signed the floation device, which features 12 pockets and is fitted with shoulder rests and side straps.

The jacket sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds more than expected, as it was estimated to sell for between £250,000 and £350,000.

A seat cushion from one of the Titanic’s lifeboats was sold at the same auction for £390,000.

The cushion was originally bought by the friend of London tea importer Richard William Smith, who drowned on the ship when it hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912.

Smith, who was on his way to meet fellow tea importer TG Matthews in Brooklyn, New York, was among the 1,500 who died in the disaster, although his body was never identified.

Its buyer was the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri, and the seat is to go on exhibition, the auctioneer said.

The auction comes as Southampton marked the 114th anniversary of the RMS Titanic tragedy at a memorial on 14 April.

Source: BBC

Europe will suffer jet fuel shortages in just three weeks if the the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen, the trade body for the continent’s airports has warned.

The Persian Gulf is a major source of aviation fuel, accounting for about 50% of Europe’s imports.

Airports Council International (ACI) Europe said its members had “increasing concerns” about the availability of jet fuel, particularly with the approach of the summer tourism season.

It warned smaller airports are particularly vulnerable.

“A supply crunch would severely disrupt airport operations and air connectivity – with the risk of harsh economic impacts for the communities affected, and for Europe,” ACI Europe’s director-general Olivier Jankovec wrote in a letter to the European commissioners for energy and tourism.

“At this stage, we understand that if the passage through the Strait of Hormuz does not resume in any significant and stable way within the next three weeks, systemic jet fuel shortage is set to become a reality for the EU.”

Several airlines worldwide have already cut flights and hiked passenger charges due to concerns about fuel shortages.

Last week, the benchmark European jet fuel price hit an all-time high of $1,838 (£1,387) per tonne, compared with $831 before the war began.

Jankovec urged the EU to intervene, writing that “relying on market forces and adaptation alone is not an option”.

He criticised the lack of EU-wide assessment and monitoring of jet fuel production and availability.

ACI Europe wants the EU to engage in collective purchasing of jet fuel. The body has also called for restrictions and regulations on importing jet fuel to be temporarily lifted.

The letter, which was written on 9 April and first reported by the Financial Times, said: “This crisis should also be the opportunity to reinforce support for SAF [sustainable aviation fuel] production and affordability,

“The price of conventional jet fuel is likely to remain at higher levels in the medium to long-term.”

Jankovec added that airports with fewer than a million passengers per year were already struggling with viability “without even accounting for the impact of jet fuel shortages”.

He warned the current crisis could make airports even more fragile and threaten local communities, potentially impacting European cohesion.

Air travel contributes €851bn (£741bn) to European economies’ GDP every year and supports 14 million jobs.

Source: BBC

All eight people on board a helicopter were killed when it crashed in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, authorities said on Friday as search teams tried to retrieve the bodies and wreckage.

The Airbus H130 helicopter lost contact on Thursday morning five minutes after taking off from a plantation ⁠area in Melawi, Mohammad Syafii, the head of Indonesia’s rescue agency, said.

“The location of the crash or loss of contact is in a densely forested area with steep hilly terrain,” Syafii said, saying rescuers had found debris suspected to be the tail of the helicopter approximately 3 km (2 ⁠miles) west of where contact was lost.

The cause of the crash remains unclear. A spokesperson from the local rescue agency said the six passengers and two ⁠crew members onboard had died in the crash.

Rescuers, including military and police personnel, were trying to reach the ⁠crash site via land routes on Friday. The plantation area was owned by an ⁠Indonesian palm oil company, Citra Mahkota, and the helicopter belonged to Matthew Air Nusantara, Syafii said.

Source: Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced a 32-hour ceasefire over a two-day period for Orthodox Easter and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv would abide by the measure.

The ceasefire for Orthodox Easter celebrations on Sunday coincides with a pause in U.S.-led efforts to clinch a settlement to the four-year-old conflict amid hostilities in Iran and the broader Middle East.

Putin’s announcement was similar to a 30-hour ceasefire he ordered last year. Each side accused the other of violating it.

The Kremlin said the Easter ceasefire would be in effect from Saturday at 4 p.m. (1300 ⁠GMT) to midnight (2100 GMT) on Sunday evening.

“We proceed on the basis that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” the Kremlin announcement said.

The announcement said Defence Minister Andrei Belousov had issued an order to Russia’s top commander, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, “to stop for this period military action in all directions”.

“Troops are to be ready to eliminate all possible provocations by the enemy as well as any aggressive actions.”

Zelenskiy said Ukraine had repeatedly proposed a halt to fighting for Orthodox Easter.

“Ukraine has repeatedly stated that we are ready for reciprocal steps. We proposed a ceasefire during the Easter holiday this year and will act accordingly,” Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.

“People need an Easter without threats and a real ⁠move towards peace, and Russia has a chance not to return to attacks even after Easter.”

NO RESUMPTION OF THREE-WAY TALKS

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency TASS that Putin’s ceasefire proposal had not been discussed in advance with the United States. Nor was it linked to any notion of resuming three-way talks on a settlement.

Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev is, meanwhile, now in the U.S. and ⁠is meeting members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration for discussions on a peace deal and U.S.-Russia economic cooperation, sources with knowledge of the visit told Reuters.

According to the calendar of the Orthodox faith, dominant in both Russia and Ukraine, Easter falls this year on ⁠April 12.

Zelenskiy had for more than a week proposed an Easter ceasefire and, citing air attacks on Ukrainian cities, said Moscow had chosen to respond instead with drones. Russia had previously reacted coolly to Zelenskiy’s proposal, saying it preferred to ⁠pursue a long-term settlement.

The Ukrainian president has proposed a halt to fighting on a number of occasions, but has been turned down by Moscow.

For Easter, he called for each side to stop targeting the other’s energy infrastructure, saying he made the offer through the United States.

Source: Reuters

A major fire has broken out at one of Australia’s two oil refineries, deepening fears over the nation’s petrol supplies amid a global fuel crunch.

Emergency crews rushed to Viva’s Corio oil refinery in Geelong, southwest of Melbourne, just before midnight on Wednesday, after reports of explosions and flames. The refinery produces 50% of Victoria’s fuel and 10% of the nation’s.

No one has been injured, but the blaze continues to burn and has prompted warnings about air quality in the area.

The refinery is still partially operational - jet fuel and diesel will continue to be made at reduced levels as a safety precaution - but the government has warned of impacts to petrol production.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the fire was “not great timing” with Australia’s fuel supplies under pressure since war broke out in Iran creating a global oil crisis.

The price of diesel in Australia has doubled in recent weeks, with fuel stations reporting shortages amid reports of panic buying, while airlines are cutting back some services as jet fuel costs rise.

“This is not a positive development, but obviously there’s a long way to go in terms of working out just what the impact is,” Bowen told Nine’s Today show on Thursday, adding he is working closely with the company.

“Obviously, this is very early days.”

The cause of the fire was due to “equipment failure”, Fire Rescue Victoria said, adding there will be an investigation.

The refinery produces about 120,000 barrels of oil per day, and employs over 1,100 people.

Viva Energy chief executive Scott Wyatt said production “is not our primary priority today... it’s getting the site safe”.

He said the fire had affected two petrol production units but others were undamaged.

“There are units that make petrol that haven’t been impacted by this incident as well, but naturally petrol will be one of the products that are potentially impacted,” he said.

“We’ll only start increasing production again once we’re confident we can do that safely.”

Ronnie Hayden, state secretary of the Victorian branch of the Australian Workers’ Union, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that between 50 to 100 workers were at the refinery when the fire broke out but were evacuated safely.

Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj said the fire was “unprecedented” and is likely to continue to burn for several hours.

“I’ve spoken to management there this morning and needless to say, this has been a huge shock and has rocked them,” he told the ABC.

“The fire is still burning and will have to just burn out. Because of the intensity, it was difficult for the fire units to do much other than to watch.”

Source: BBC

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday its military ships and aircraft will remain around Iran and threatened that the U.S. will start “shooting” again unless Tehran fully complies with the deal reached with Washington.

“All U.S. Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, Weaponry ... will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT ⁠reached is fully complied with,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

“If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the “Shootin’ Starts,” bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before.,” the president added.

Iran had said earlier on Wednesday that it would be “unreasonable” to proceed with talks to forge a permanent peace deal with the United States after Israel pounded ⁠Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet on Wednesday, killing hundreds of people.

The two sides appeared to be far apart on Iran’s nuclear program, with Trump saying Iran had agreed to stop enriching ⁠uranium, and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammed Bager Qalibaf saying it was allowed to continue enriching uranium under the terms of the ceasefire.

“It was ⁠agreed, a long time ago, and despite all of the fake rhetoric to the contrary - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, ⁠the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE,” Trump added in his late Wednesday’s Truth Social post.

Source: Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that the war against Iran is “very close” to completion.

Trump made the remarks in response to a question from FOX News.

“If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we’re not finished,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said that another round of U.S.-Iran talks “could be happening over next two days” in Pakistan, according to The New York Post.

All parties are making difficult attempts to advance negotiations before the current 2-week ceasefire expires, according to reports.

The coming rounds of peace talks between the United States and Iran to end the war can come anytime and anywhere, but nothing is official as of now, according to a source with the Iranian embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Face-to-face talks in Islamabad between U.S. and Iranian delegations ended without an agreement over the weekend. Iran demanded a permanent regional ceasefire and sanctions relief, while the United States insisted on verifiable nuclear disarmament and full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, and Trump warned that U.S. forces would “eliminate” any Iranian vessel approaching the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

The current conflict began in late February, when Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians.

Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, while tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz.

(Adaderana.lk)

Oil prices rose on Thursday on investors’ concerns supply from the key Middle East producing region may not fully resume amid doubts the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran will hold and as the crucial Strait of Hormuz remains restricted.

Brent crude futures were up $2.6, or 2.74 per cent, at $97.35 a barrel at 0048 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $3.02, or 3.2 per cent, to $97.43 a barrel.

Both benchmark prices fell below $100 per barrel in the previous trading session, with WTI recording its biggest decline since April 2020 on expectations the ceasefire ending the fighting between the U.S. and Israel against Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The waterway connects supply from Gulf producers such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar to global markets and typically carries about 20 per cent of oil supply.

Still, questions about the viability of the ceasefire remain as Israel continued to attack Lebanon on Wednesday, causing Iran to suggest it would be “unreasonable” to proceed with talks to forge a permanent peace deal.

Shippers on Wednesday also said they needed more clarity on the terms of the ceasefire before resuming transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has issued maps to guide ships around mines in the waterway and designated safe paths for passage in coordination with the country’s Revolutionary Guards, Iranian media reported.

“Transit through the Strait of Hormuz is not suddenly risk-free. It remains at Iran’s discretion,” analysts at Standard Chartered said in a note.

“Logistic disconnects, security fears, elevated insurance premiums and operational constraints mean that very little additional energy is likely to be supplied via the Strait of Hormuz in the next two weeks.”

Regional oil facilities also remain under threat, with Iran striking sites in nearby countries after the ceasefire, including a pipeline in Saudi Arabia that has been used to bypass the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, according to an oil industry source.

Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE also reported missile and drone strikes.

There are doubts the ceasefire can hold, Haitong Futures said in a note, as Israel’s strikes on Lebanon’s Hezbollah have emerged as a point of contention, while attacks on energy facilities across the Middle East have yet to stop, and conflicting statements persist over the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: Reuters