Trump says US will ‘pass’ on Ukraine peace talks if no progress soon

Published

11 months ago

2025/04/19

Priyan

[pic BBC]

Donald Trump said the US will “take a pass” on brokering further Russia-Ukraine war talks if Moscow or Kyiv “make it very difficult” to reach a peace deal.

The US president told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday that he was not expecting a truce to happen in “a specific number of days” but he wanted it done “quickly”.

His comments came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the US would abandon talks “if it’s not going to happen”.

“We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end,” Rubio said, adding that the US had “other priorities to focus on”.

[BBC]

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Iran strikes Qatar and Saudi energy sites as US jets shot down by Kuwaiti ‘friendly fire’

Published

11 mins ago

2026/03/2

Priyan

[pic BBC]

New Iranian strikes have been reported on a major gas plant in Qatar and in Saudi Arabia, where an oil refinery fire is “under control”

The price of gas on international markets has risen sharply – at one point up 42%.

The US and Israel struck Iran on Saturday, killing the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Israeli military has launched new strikes on Tehran, but the US defense secretary says there will not be “endless war”.

In Kuwait, several US fighter planes have crashed, in what the US military says was “an apparent friendly fire incident” – one plane plummeting to the ground was caught on film.

Meanwhile, the US says a fourth member of its military was killed in Iran’s initial attacks. – it did not say where

The Lebanese health ministry says Israeli attacks in Beirut and southern Lebanon killed at least 31 people – Israel says it was responding to Hezbollah attacks

And in Cyprus, two drones heading for a UK base were intercepted, after an earlier attack on Sunday.

[BBC]

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India and Canada agree series of deals as Carney and Modi reset ties in Delhi

Published

22 mins ago

2026/03/2

Priyan

On Monday, Carney met PM Modi at Hyderabad House - the Indian prime minister's state guest house in Delhi [BBC]

India and Canada’s prime ministers have agreed a number of accords, including a long-term deal to supply uranium to India

After talks in Delhi, Mark Carney said he and Narendra Modi had agreed to conclude an economic partnership agreement by the end of this year. The two leaders are attempting to reset ties that have been strained since 2023 when then PM Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” linking India to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil

Under Carney, Canada has sought to rebuild engagement with India amid tariff pressure from its largest trading partner, the United States

On Monday, Modi and Carney also agreed to co-operate in areas like critical minerals, clean energy, space and higher education

[BBC]

Business

Oil prices rise after ships attacked near Strait of Hormuz

Published

10 hours ago

2026/03/2

Priyan

File photo of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which has now ground to a halt [BBC]

Global oil prices have risen after at least three ships were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran continues to launch strikes across the Middle East in response to ongoing attacks by the US and Israel.

Two vessels have been struck, and an “unknown projectile” was reported to have “exploded in very close proximity” to a third, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said.

Iran has warned ships not to pass through the strait, which carries about 20% of the world’s oil and gas.

International shipping has almost come to a standstill at the strait’s entrance, with analysts warning that a prolonged conflict could push energy prices even higher.

In early trade in Asia on Monday, global oil prices jumped by more than 10% before those gains eased during the morning.

At 02:00 GMT, Brent crude was more than 4% higher at $76.16 (£56.53) a barrel, while US-traded oil was also up by around 4% at $69.67.

“The market isn’t panicking”, Saul Kavonic, head of energy research at MST Research told the BBC.

“There is more clarity that so far, oil transport and production infrastructure hasn’t been a primary target by any side,” he added.

“The market will be watching for signs that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz returns, which would see oil prices subside again.”

But some analysts have warned it could go over $100 in the event of a prolonged conflict.

On Sunday, the Opec+ group of oil producing nations – which includes Saudi Arabia and Russia – agreed to increase their output by 206,000 barrels a day to help cushion any price rises, but some experts doubt this would help much.

Edmund King, president of the AA, warned the disruption could drive up petrol prices around the world.

“The turmoil and bombing across the Middle East will surely be a catalyst to disrupt oil distribution globally, which will inevitably lead to price hikes,” he said.

“The magnitude and duration of pump price increases depends on how long the conflict goes on.”