Oil prices slid more than 1 percent on Tuesday as expectations that OPEC would agree to raise oil supply in a meeting this week weighed on sentiment, already hit by concerns over slowing Chinese demand.
Brent crude dropped 80 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $62.89 a barrel in early London trading, after losing 1.1 percent the previous day. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 69 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $59.95 a barrel, having lost 1.4 percent on Monday.
They both touched the lowest in more than 6 days, extending losses that started late last week.
Expectations that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, would boost oil output from April are pushing prices lower, said Satoru Yoshida, a commodity analyst with Rakuten Securities.
“Concerns over an increase in OPEC+ supply and an end of Saudi Arabia’s voluntary cut of 1 million barrels per day (bpd) this month weighed on oil prices,” he said.
The group meets on Thursday and could discuss allowing as much as 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude back into the market.
OPEC oil output fell in February as a voluntary cut by Saudi Arabia added to reductions agreed to under the previous OPEC+ pact, a Reuters survey found, ending a run of seven consecutive monthly increases.
Russian oil and gas condensate output fell to 10.1 million bpd in February from 10.16 million bpd in the previous month, despite plans to boost it, according to Reuters calculations based on an Interfax report citing official data.
OPEC+ is monitoring global inventories and the rate of drawdowns will be a factor discussed on Thursday.
“Oil prices may stay under pressure as investors are making position adjustments ahead of the OPEC meeting,” said Hiroyuki Kikukawa, general manager of research at Nissan Securities.
Market sentiment was also dampened by weak manufacturing data out of China, Kikukawa said.
China’s factory activity growth slipped to a nine-month low in February, which may curtail Chinese crude demand and pressure oil prices.
Oil slides 1% on fears over higher OPEC supply, slower China demand
Oil slides 1% on fears over higher OPEC supply, slower China demand
UN urges Security Council to pressure Houthis for peace and release of detainees
- With Yemen’s economy in free fall and millions in need amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, they say time is running out to turn ‘hope into progress’
- A year after dozens of UN and other humanitarian workers were arbitrarily arrested, the UN’s envoy for Yemen says: ‘Their continued imprisonment is shameful’
NEW YORK CITY: Top UN officials on Wednesday warned the Security Council that there is a risk the fragile situation in Yemen could rapidly deteriorate, as they called for both intensified diplomatic efforts and increased humanitarian funding to stave off further instability and ease human suffering.
With Yemen’s economy in free fall and millions in need, they said time is running out to turn “hope into progress.”
The UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and deputy emergency relief coordinator, Joyce Msuya, also highlighted the ongoing detention of UN workers and employees of nongovernmental organizations by the Houthis, a year after dozens were arbitrarily arrested.
“Their continued imprisonment is shameful,” said Grundberg. “I call again, in the strongest terms, for their immediate and unconditional release.”
Msuya echoed this condemnation, saying: “Twenty-three UN staff remain detained. I join the special envoy and the (UN) secretary-general in calling for their immediate release.”
The detentions, some dating back as far as 2021, have cast a long shadow over ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a comprehensive peace agreement in Yemen, where multiple front lines remain active in the civil war and recent regional escalations have complicated a fragile status quo.
The Houthis, the official name for whom is Ansar Allah, have launched missile attacks on Israel in recent weeks, including one that targeted Ben Gurion Airport. Israel in turn struck Houthi-controlled infrastructure, including the destruction of a civilian aircraft at Sanaa International Airport. Grundberg warned that such escalations directly harm ordinary citizens.
“Yemenis living in Ansar Allah-controlled areas are unable to fly commercially from Sanaa Airport to seek medical treatment abroad, to travel for Hajj or visit their families,” he said.
He described the reopening of the airport in May 2022 as a key peace dividend of a now-lapsed truce agreement that year.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen continues to deepen. Msuya described a deteriorating health and food-security situation affecting millions.
“Over 17 million people, or nearly half of Yemen’s population, are acutely hungry,” she told council members.
“Malnutrition affects 1.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women and 2.3 million children under 5. Without sustained humanitarian support, an estimated 6 million more people could end up in emergency levels of food insecurity.”
Despite the challenges, Msuya noted some progress has been made, including the reopening of a key route between Aden and Sanaa via Al-Dhalea, which had been closed for nearly seven years.
“This development … shows that Yemen is not on a fixed, downhill trajectory,” she said. “With trust and the right tools, there remains hope.”
Grundberg also pointed to this development as a positive sign.
“I commend, again, the local facilitators across the front lines who worked to make this happen,” he said. “Yemen’s economy is in dire need of positive and trust-building steps such as these.”
However, the path forward in the country remains uncertain. Grundberg reported increased tensions around Marib, and troop movements in several governorates, warning that “conditions can change rapidly and unpredictably.”
Both officials reiterated that a long-term solution will require a political settlement and increased support from regional authorities.
Grundberg said he has held talks with the Yemeni government, the Houthis, and regional authorities including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Oman, and noted that there is a shared view that only negotiation can end the conflict.
He urged council members to “use your powerful voices, your diplomatic channels and your influence, to exert maximum pressure” on the Houthis both in the pursuit of peace and to secure the release of detainees.
Msuya concluded her remarks with three direct appeals: “Take the lead of the Senior Officials Meeting in May and follow up with scaled-up, flexible funding; take real action to see that UN and other detained colleagues are released…; (and) maintain your unified support for efforts toward lasting peace.”
Air India crash adds to Boeing’s recent troubles
- Air India tragedy is first fatal crash since the Dreamliner went into service in 2009
- Cause of accident still unknown but comes after series of setbacks for the manufacturer
The crash of a Boeing 787 passenger jet in India minutes after takeoff on Thursday is putting the spotlight back on a beleaguered manufacturer though it was not immediately clear why the plane crashed.
The Air India 787 went down in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad with more than 240 people aboard shortly after takeoff, authorities said. It was the first fatal crash since the plane, also known as the Dreamliner, went into service in 2009, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. Boeing shares fell more than 5 percent in pre-market trading.
The 787 was the first airliner to make extensive use of lithium ion batteries, which are lighter, recharge faster and can hold more energy than other types of batteries. In 2013 the 787 fleet was temporarily grounded because of overheating of its lithium-ion batteries, which in some cases sparked fires.
737 Max
The Max version of Boeing’s best-selling 737 airplane has been the source of persistent troubles for Boeing after two of the jets crashed. The crashes, one in Indonesia in 2018 and another in Ethiopia in 2019, killed 346.
The problem stemmed from a sensor providing faulty readings that pushed the nose down, leaving pilots unable to regain control. After the second crash, Max jets were grounded worldwide until the company redesigned the system.
Last month, the Justice Department reached a deal to allow Boeing to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading US regulators about the Max before the two crashes.
Worries about the plane flared up again after a door plug blew off a Max operated by Alaska Airlines, leading regulators to cap Boeing’s production at 38 jets per month.
Financial woes
Boeing posted a loss of $11.8 billion in 2024, bringing its total losses since 2019 to more than $35 billion.
The company’s financial problems were compounded by a strike by machinists who assemble the airplanes plane at its factories in Renton and Everett, Washington, which halted production at those facilities and hampered Boeing’s delivery capability.
For the first three months of 2025, Boeing reported a narrower loss of $31 million compared with the previous year. CEO Kelly Ortberg said Boeing made progress on stabilizing operations during the quarter.
Orders and deliveries
The stepped-up government scrutiny and the workers’ strike resulted in Boeing’s aircraft deliveries sliding last year.
Boeing said it supplied 348 jetliners in 2024, which was a third fewer than the 528 that it reported for the previous year.
The company delivered less than half the number of commercial aircraft to customers than its main rival Airbus, which reported delivering 766 commercial jets in 2023.
Still, Boeing’s troubles haven’t turned off airline customers from buying its jets. Last month the company secured big orders from two Middle Eastern customers. The deals included a $96 billion order for 787 and 777X jets from Qatar, which it said was the biggest order for 787s and wide body jets in the company’s.
Air India crash leaves UK’s Indian community ‘deeply shocked’
- MP who campaigned to open direct flights between Ahmedabad, London praises Gujarati community
- Former PM Rishi Sunak, who recently watched IPL final in the city, sends prayers to families of victims
LONDON: The Indian community in the UK has been left in deep shock after an Air India airplane bound for London Gatwick crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people burst into flames when it hit buildings in Gujarat state’s largest city shortly after takeoff.
Among those on board were 53 British passengers and 169 Indian nationals, many of whom would have been on their way to visit relatives in the UK.
The former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he and his wife Akshata Murty were “deeply shocked and distressed” by the tragedy.
Sunak and Murty were in Ahmedabad earlier this month to watch the Indian Premier League cricket final at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Sunak said on X: “There is a unique bond between our two nations and our thoughts and prayers go out to the British and Indian families who have lost loved ones today.”
The High Commission of India in London said it was “deeply saddened by the tragic crash,” and that “thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this devastating incident.”
It urged those affected to follow official updates from India’s civil aviation ministry and added that High Commission staff would assist the next of kin of the victims in the UK.
With the UK and India’s deep historic, political and trade ties, the Indian community in the UK is thought to number around 1.8 million. At least 600,000 are part of the diaspora from Gujarat, the state where the Air India plane crashed.
MP Bob Blackman, whose constituency of Harrow East is home to one of the largest Gujarati communities in the UK, said almost all the Indian nationals on board would have been on their way to visit relatives in Britain.
“The community is shocked by what’s happened,” he told BBC radio. “A third of my constituents come from Gujarat originally, and they will all have family and friends there. It’s a very close community and so they’ll all be affected by this.”
Blackman had campaigned to get direct flights set up between Ahmedabad and the UK.
The route was among the promises made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — who is from Gujarat — during a visit to the UK in 2015. Air India finally opened the route to Gatwick in 2023.
Blackman said: “It’s taken a long time to get these flights underway and that’s also what makes it even more of a tragedy: that one of these should crash and so many people have unfortunately lost their lives as a result.”
The MP praised the Gujarati community in the UK, saying that wherever they go throughout the world they bring improvements to education and the economy.
He added: “They’re hard-working people who look after their families and make sure everyone is protected, so when something like this happens it's a tragedy that’s felt by the whole community.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the scenes of the crash in Ahmedabad as “devastating.”
He added: “My thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.”
King Charles III said he was “desperately shocked” by the tragedy.
“Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations, as they await news of their loved ones,” he said.
The crash comes a month after the UK and India signed a trade deal in the latest boost to their historic economic ties.
The accident stunned the business community operating between the two countries.
The UK India Business Council said it was deeply saddened by the crash.
“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by this tragedy,” it said.
The UK branch of the Friends of India Society International said: “Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those on board.”
Islamabad police make history with appointment of first woman SHO at men's station
- Sub-Inspector Misbah Shehbaz has been appointed the Station House Officer at Phulgran Police Station Islamabad
- As of 2023, women made up only 3.2% of Pakistan’s total police force, or 15,509 female officers out of 489,645 nationwide
ISLAMABAD: Sub-Inspector Misbah Shehbaz has been appointed the Station House Officer (SHO) at Phulgran Police Station, becoming the first woman to head a general (men’s) police station in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
The appointment was announced in an official press statement issued by the Foreign Media Cell of Islamabad Police on Thursday.
According to the statement, the appointment was made through formal orders issued by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Muhammad Jawad Tariq, who said the move was intended to “end gender discrimination within the Islamabad Police.”
“This initiative will continue and more female officers will be given the opportunity to lead police stations,” Tariq was quoted as saying in the press release.
The post of SHO is one of the most visible and operationally significant leadership roles in Pakistan’s police hierarchy, responsible for crime investigation, public safety, and station-level administration. Until now, female SHOs in Islamabad had only led women police stations.
By assigning a female officer to a mixed or general police station, Islamabad Police is signalling its intent to challenge long-standing norms. Observers say the move also aligns with broader reforms encouraged by both domestic policymakers and international partners such as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which have pushed for gender-sensitive policing frameworks in Pakistan.
While Shehbaz’s appointment is a welcome development, it also highlights the structural barriers that female officers continue to face in entering Pakistan’s law enforcement sector.
According to the National Police Bureau (NPB) and UN Women Pakistan, as of 2023, women made up only 3.2% of Pakistan’s total police force — that is 15,509 female officers out of 489,645 nationwide.
In Islamabad, female representation was slightly higher at 5.04%, based on official NPB data published in 2023. Between 2019 and 2023, 11,398 women joined various police organizations in Pakistan, but the vast majority were not placed in command or operational leadership roles, as per a UN Women & NPB joint assessment report from 2023.
Experts say the absence of women in decision-making and field leadership reduces institutional responsiveness to gender-based violence and community trust in law enforcement.
Jordanian authorities arrest three individuals attempting to enter country
- Jordan has consistently faced challenges related to illegal infiltration and smuggling, particularly of narcotics
- Jordan shares a border of 482 km with Israel and a border of 375 km with Syria
LONDON: Jordanian authorities announced that they thwarted an infiltration attempt on Thursday along the country’s extensive borders.
The Northern Military Zone, which is responsible for monitoring the borders with Syria and Israel, announced on Thursday that three individuals were detected attempting to cross the border illegally before being arrested. They have been handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation.
The Jordanian Armed Forces announced its commitment to preventing all forms of infiltration and smuggling, ensuring the security and stability of the Kingdom, according to the Petra news agency.
Jordan shares a border of 482 km with Israel and a border of 375 km with Syria. The country has consistently faced challenges related to illegal infiltration and smuggling, particularly of narcotics, using both traditional methods and new techniques, such as drones.
Last week, the Northern Military Zone thwarted an infiltration attempt by four individuals who were attempting to illegally cross the border into Jordan from the north.
