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Apr 16, 2026 - World

Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and former National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien here.

Apr 16, 2026 - World

The United States announced Wednesday it is tightening sanctions against Iran's oil industry as Tehran keeps up its closure of the Strait of Hormuz as part of the Mideast war.

Apr 16, 2026 - World

New meeting to come after rare direct talks between the countries mediated by US; Netanyahu earlier says Israel about to ‘overwhelm’ part of southern LebanonUS and Iran in indirect talks to extend two-week ceasefireHere are some of the latest images coming in from the Middle East amid growing optimism that the war may be near an end, with a key Pakistani mediator in Tehran and Trump administration talking up hopes for a deal that would open the crucial strait of Hormuz.The European Union is drafting plans to tackle a looming jet fuel supply crunch and maximise refinery output, officials said. Continue reading...

Apr 16, 2026 - World

Follow the latest updates liveFull report: Geelong oil refinery fireGeelong oil refinery fire: what we know so farGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFire officer says officials haven’t detected any contaminants spreading from blazeEarlier this morning, Fire Rescue Victoria assistant chief fire officer, Mick McGuinness, provided an update to ABC Radio Melbourne. Shortly before 7am, he said about 50 firefighting vehicles were continuing to fight the blaze in the Mogas (motor gasoline) plant section of the refinery.This fire has been quite large overnight. It is still burning at the moment, and we would still declare it as not yet under control … And the fire is mainly being fed by various types of hydrocarbon fuels. So predominantly liquid petrol … and also some gas and vapours that are feeding this fire at the moment.We were concerned with the smoke that was coming off this fire, so our initial reactions were to get an alert message out to the community. We’ve since been able to have our specialist hazardous materials teams come in from locally Geelong and also in Melbourne and set up some atmospheric monitoring equipment and do a lot of sensing and sampling of not only the atmosphere but also the fire water runoff that we’re using to contain the fire. We’ve been able to determine … that we haven’t detected any sort of contaminants there.We’re predicting that this still could burn for another three or four hours, if not longer. But we are starting to see a reduction in the intensity of the fire, which is an indication that the depressurising of the systems and the pipe work is occurring and that we will see a lesser amount of fuel being available to feed the fire. And of course, that allows us to continue to cool that area more rapidly and then be able to get crews in there to look at how we can start to isolate pipe work and valve systems.It shows that we have very fragile, very thin energy security platform when it comes to refinery, only the two refineries left. And as mayor, I’ve been calling this out since being elected back in 2024, that Viva is not only a significant employer and corporate citizen for Geelong, but it has a significance for Victoria and Australia.And it just shows that we, as a country, need to invest more in this type of capability. Continue reading...

Apr 16, 2026 - World

A Pakistani delegation arrived in Tehran meanwhile bearing a new message from Washington after US President Donald Trump indicated negotiations could resume this week.