DPWH completes first phase of EDSA rehab, sees more challenges for remaining sections – Dizon
Metro Manila, Philippines – The first phase of the major makeover of the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) was ‘practically’ completed two months ahead of schedule, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said on Monday, April 6. Dizon shared the development after inspecting the main highway on Easter Monday, ahead of the expected traffic rush from returning travelers after the Holy Week break. All lanes have been rehabilitated, with remaining work focusing on sidewalk expansion. “Ang kailangan na lang nating gawin between now and hanggang mga June, July, ‘yung pagpapalapad natin ng sidewalk para sa ating mga pedestrians and bikers pero ‘yung mga dadaanan ng sasakyan, tapos na. Masaya tayo kasi ahead tayo ng halos dalawang buwan,” Dizon said. [Translation: What we need to do between now and around June or July is to widen the sidewalks for our pedestrians and bikers, since the lanes for vehicles are already finished. We’re…
Oil prices rise as US-Israeli war with Iran continues to disrupt supply
Tokyo, Japan – Oil prices climbed on Monday on continuing fears of supply losses because of shipping disruptions in the key Middle East producing region from the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Brent crude futures LCOc1 rose $1.71, or 1.6%, to $110.74 a barrel by 0057 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 futures gained $0.71, or 0.6%, to trade at $112.25 per barrel. On Thursday, the last trading day before the Good Friday holiday break, WTI settled up more than 11% and Brent soared nearly 8% in volatile trading, recording their biggest absolute price increase since 2020, as U.S. President Donald Trump promised to continue attacks on Iran. O/R The Strait of Hormuz, which carries oil and petroleum products from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, remains largely closed by Iranian attacks on shipping after the war began on February 28. Because of the Middle East supply disruptions, refiners are seeking alternative sources for crude, particularly for physical cargoes in the U.S. and the UK North…
UN Hormuz vote now expected next week; China opposes authorization of force
(Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council is now expected to vote next week on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats said on Friday, but veto-wielding China has made clear its opposition to authorizing any use of force. A meeting ofthe Council’s 15 members was initially set for Friday, then rescheduled for Saturday. Several diplomats said it had now been postponed until next week, with no new date yet announced. Bahrain’s U.N. mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reason for the delay. The resolution has faced resistance from China, Russia and others and has been toned down from its original form. Oil prices have surged since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran at the end of February, unleashing a conflict that has run for more than a month and largely closed the shipping artery. Bahrain, the current chair of the Security Council, finalized a draft on Thursday that would authorize “all defensive means necessary” to…
Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing elected president by pro-military parliament
April 3 (Reuters) – Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was elected president on Friday after breezing through a parliamentary vote, formalising his grip on political power in the war-torn nation five years after he ousted an elected government in a coup. His carefully choreographed journey from top general to civilian president follows a lopsided election in December and January that was won in a landslide by an army-backed party and derided by critics and Western governments as a sham to perpetuate military rule behind a veneer of democracy. The 69-year-old general has had a torrid time in power since he toppled the administration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and put her under arrest, sparking widespread protests that morphed into nationwide armed resistance against the junta. On Friday, lawmakers from the dominant Union Solidarity and Development Party and the military’s quota of appointed armed forces legislators coalesced to back Min Aung Hlaing, with the former commander-in-chief winning…
Trump vows to hit more Iranian infrastructure as nations seek to open Hormuz
Washington/Cairo, April 3 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran”, reiterating vows to increase the ferocity of attacks on its infrastructure, as dozens of countries sought ways to restart vital energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly five weeks after it started with a joint U.S.-Israeli aerial assault, the war in Iran continues to spread chaos across the region and roil financial markets, raising the pressure on Trump to find a quick resolution to the conflict. Trump has stepped up his rhetoric in recent days as negotiations conducted via intermediaries with new leaders in Iran show limited signs of progress and pessimism at home about the war grows. The U.S. military “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants,” Trump wrote on social media late on Thursday, adding that Iran’s leadership “knows what…
