Ice Open Network has opened more of its codebase to public view as its ION token comes under acute market pressure, an awkward overlap that captures the project’s current predicament: visible engineering momentum on one side, collapsing market confidence on the other. The team has been publishing weekly development updates on its Online+ social app and ION framework, while public GitHub repositories now show active work on […]
Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies fell on Saturday after high-level talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad ended without an agreement, puncturing a bout of market optimism that had followed a temporary ceasefire and hopes of a broader diplomatic settlement. U. S. Vice President J. D. Vance said the American delegation was leaving Pakistan after about 21 hours of negotiations without a breakthrough. Markets reacted […]
A prototype chip developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego has opened a possible new route to cutting energy waste inside data centres, by improving the way power is stepped down for graphics processors that handle artificial intelligence and other high-performance workloads. The team says the design converted 48 volts to 4.8 volts with peak efficiency of 96.2 per cent in laboratory tests, while […]
Sony Pictures has handed fresh momentum to its long-gestating Metal Gear Solid film, attaching directing duo Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein to steer the adaptation of Konami’s espionage franchise, a move that signals the studio is trying again to bring one of gaming’s most cinematic properties to the big screen after years of stalled development. Trade reports say the project is set up at Columbia Pictures, […]
PEPE gave up ground after a sharp run-up ran into selling pressure near the $0.0000037-$0.0000038 range, with traders taking profits as excitement around a proposed US exchange-traded fund for the meme token failed to generate a lasting second leg higher. Market data on April 11 showed PEPE trading around $0.0000035, leaving it well below its 2024 peak and indicating that the latest burst of enthusiasm had not […]
S&P Global Ratings has lowered its growth expectations for both the UK and Egypt, saying the economic fallout from conflict-linked disruption across the Middle East is feeding through energy prices, trade routes and business confidence. For Egypt, S&P cut its forecast for real GDP growth in the 2025-2026 fiscal year to 4.7 per cent from 4.8 per cent, while also trimming the following year to 4.3 per […]
Michael Saylor has argued that Bitcoin may already have found a durable floor around $60,000, framing the slide earlier this year as a washout of forced sellers rather than a collapse in conviction. The Strategy executive chairman also pushed back against rising alarm over quantum computing, saying the threat to Bitcoin is overstated for now. His remarks landed as Bitcoin traded near $72,800 on April 11, showing […]
Enhanced Labs has raised $1 million in a strategic pre-seed round as the decentralised finance startup seeks to widen access to structured yield products built on options and derivatives, moving beyond large crypto tokens towards a broader set of on-chain assets that includes tokenised real-world assets. The round was led by Maximum Frequency Ventures, with GSR, Selini, Flowdesk and angel investors also taking part, according to company […]
The meeting carried weight beyond bilateral symbolism. Qatar is India’s largest supplier of liquefied natural gas and a major source of liquefied petroleum gas, making the Gulf state central to India’s fuel security at a time when shipping risks and production interruptions have tightened markets. New Delhi’s outreach came as it sought assurances on supply after weeks of strain across West Asian energy routes and amid concern over the effect of regional instability on domestic fuel availability and industrial consumption.
Doha’s message was also framed by diplomacy. The official Indian statement said the ministers welcomed the two-week ceasefire agreed on April 8 and underlined the need for an early end to disruption in global energy supplies. It added that Puri conveyed greetings and a message of solidarity from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Qatar’s leadership, reflecting how the energy relationship is now closely tied to broader strategic engagement covering trade, investment and regional stability.
For India, the stakes are immediate. The country depends on imports for about half of its natural gas needs, and the supply shock has already exposed vulnerabilities in infrastructure and procurement. GAIL’s finance director said this week that the Dabhol LNG terminal in Ratnagiri was operating at less than half its 5 million-tonnes-a-year capacity because of constrained global supplies. Hindustan Petroleum’s Chhara LNG terminal in Gujarat has also faced difficulties after missing two cargoes in March and April that were expected from Qatar via ADNOC Trading.
The background to the Doha talks is a sharp deterioration in regional energy logistics. Reuters reported on April 8 that QatarEnergy was preparing to restart LNG production after attacks in March forced stoppages at facilities in Ras Laffan and Mesaieed. Two of three trains at QELNG North 1 had been restarted, but a full return depended on vessels being able to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most sensitive energy chokepoints. The same disruption has inflated spot prices and increased anxiety among large importers across Asia.
That makes Qatar’s long-term importance to India even clearer. In February 2024, QatarEnergy and Petronet LNG signed their largest single LNG supply agreement, under which Qatar will deliver 7.5 million metric tonnes a year from 2028 to 2048. Reuters reported at the time that Qatar planned to lift LNG liquefaction capacity to 126 million tonnes a year by 2027, up from 77 million, as it sought to strengthen its role in Asian and European markets. The scale of that agreement gives India a measure of stability, but it also underlines how deeply its gas strategy remains linked to a single Gulf supplier.
That dependence has advantages and risks. Qatar has earned a reputation for contractual reliability and remains among the lowest-cost LNG producers in the world, qualities prized by importers facing volatile spot markets. At the same time, the events of March and April have shown that even long-established energy corridors can be shaken by military escalation, damage to infrastructure and pressure on maritime routes. For policymakers in New Delhi, that is likely to sharpen interest in diversification through additional long-term contracts, more storage, broader sourcing and faster domestic gas infrastructure expansion.
India’s longer-term energy ambitions add another layer to the relationship. The government has repeatedly said it wants to raise the share of natural gas in the energy mix to 15 per cent by 2030, from just over 6 per cent at present. That target cannot be met without dependable imported LNG, even as the country pushes renewables, domestic gas output and cleaner urban fuels. Reliable Qatari supply therefore remains integral not only to short-term energy security, but also to India’s broader transition strategy and industrial planning.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai RAK Ceramics has moved to reassure customers, contractors and distributors that its operations across the UAE and the wider region remain uninterrupted, saying access across its customer network is continuing without disruption across both retail and project channels. The statement comes at a time when businesses across the Gulf are paying closer attention to logistics resilience, input costs and delivery schedules amid wider […]
By Saifur Rahman The UAE will host the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group in 2029 in Abu Dhabi, about 26 years after the country hosted the same in 2003 in Dubai. The news comes at a time when the UAE banking assets reached its highest value, to Dh5.4 trillion (US$1.47 trillion), and foreign reserves jumped 23.4 percent to Dh1.05 trillion […]
By Nitya Chakraborty After getting political and diplomatic advantage from the latest US-Iran ceasefire, China has started its preparation for hosting the U.S. President Donald Trump in its crucial summit in Beijing on May 14 and 15 this year. Earlier the summit was scheduled for March 31 and April 1 but Trump postponed that after […]
The article Chinese President Xi Jinping Launches Major Offensive On Taiwan Before May Summit With Trump appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
The Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines, together with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the British Council and the ASEAN Secretariat, convened over 270 leaders, policymakers, creatives, and investors from ASEAN and the United Kingdom in Manila for the ASEAN–UK Creative Economy Symposium 2026, reinforcing the region’s push to harness the creative economy as a key driver of growth, innovation, and cultural identity.
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Satvinder Singh, said:
“ASEAN is well-positioned to harness the full potential of the creative economy. Six out of eleven ASEAN Member States now rank among the top 70 globally in the WIPO Global Innovation Index’s creative outputs dimension. ASEAN recognises that intangible assets, such as intellectual property, brands, and design as the currencies of modern creative economy. The ideas, expressions, and innovations our creators produce must be protected, valued, and commercialised.”
UK Ambassador to ASEAN, Helen Fazey, said:
“The UK and ASEAN are advancing together through trust, cooperation, and shared priorities. This partnership reflects a strong and growing relationship built on mutual respect and a shared ambition to support sustainable economic growth, innovation, and opportunity across the region. Through initiatives like the ASEAN–UK Advancing Creative Economy programme, we are deepening collaboration, strengthening people-to-people links, and supporting the development of vibrant and resilient creative sectors.”
ASEAN-focused research highlights pathways for growth in the creative economy
New research under the ASEAN–UK Advancing Creative Economy initiative is providing critical insights into the evolution and economic potential of cultural industries across the region.
Arts and Technologies in ASEAN: Interconnected Parts, commissioned by the British Council, examines the fast-growing creative technology landscape across ASEAN. Drawing on more than 60 interviews and case studies, the report explores how artists are using digital tools—from AI to immersive media—while also analysing the regulatory environments shaping innovation. It highlights both the dynamism of the sector and the need for stronger support systems to sustain growth.
Complementing this, the Regional Perception Poll on the ASEAN Creative Economy offers a comprehensive view of how the sector is understood across the region. Based on insights from over 4,000 respondents, including both producers and audiences, the study highlights the interconnected nature of creative ecosystems and the relationships between artists, industries, policymakers, and communities. Its findings underscore the need for tailored, context-specific strategies and stronger regional collaboration to unlock further growth.
Together, these research outputs provide valuable evidence to inform policy, guide investment, and strengthen UK–ASEAN partnerships.Building on this work, a new ASEAN festival research and mapping initiative is underway, expanding earlier studies to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the region’s diverse festival landscape and identify opportunities for future collaboration.
Country Director Indonesia and Director South East Asia, Summer Xia, said:
“Through the ASEAN–UK Advancing Creative Economy initiative, we are investing in the research, skills, and partnerships needed to support long-term growth in the creative sector. The symposium in Manila was an important opportunity to share these resources and ensure they are shaped by and for the region. By working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the ASEAN Secretariat, we are helping to build a stronger, more connected creative economy across ASEAN countries.”
Underscoring the broader vision of the initiative, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) San Lwin has reaffirmed, in separate engagements, that the ASEAN-UK Advancing Creative Economy programme maximises the region’s creative potential to fuel socio-economic growth and cultural exchange. He reiterated the shared commitment to leveraging innovation and creativity as key connectors to drive prosperity, deepen cultural unity, advance social equity, and promote sustainable, inclusive development in order to forge an “ASEAN Community of Opportunities for All.”
Learn more at: ASEAN Creative Economy Initiative
Hashtag: #BritishCouncil
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
The British Council is the UK’s international culture and education organisation. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories. In 2024–25, we reached 600 million people.
www.britishcouncil.org
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Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi supply lines face deeper strain Attacks on Saudi energy facilities have knocked about 600,000 barrels per day from the kingdom’s oil production capacity and cut throughput on the East-West Pipeline by roughly 700,000 bpd, according to Saudi state media citing an Energy Ministry official, in a blow to the world’s top oil exporter at a time when its western pipeline route has […]
XRP could reach $1,000 by 2030, according to EasyA co-founder Dom Kwok, who has repeated the forecast in public interviews and defended it when challenged on valuation grounds. The call has reignited a familiar argument in crypto markets: whether XRP should be judged as a conventional token priced by circulating supply, or as a payments rail whose future worth could expand far beyond today’s market-cap logic. For […]
Gunzilla Games, the studio behind blockchain-linked shooter Off The Grid and the new owner of Game Informer, has been accused by current and former workers of failing to pay salaries for months, opening a fresh controversy around one of gaming’s more closely watched independent publishers. Multiple reports published on April 8 and April 9 said staff and contractors alleged they had gone unpaid since late 2025, while […]
South Korea is sending a special envoy to Iran as Seoul steps up efforts to secure passage for 26 South Korean-linked vessels stranded around the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring how a partial US-Iran ceasefire has done little to restore normal shipping through one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints. Seoul’s foreign ministry has appointed former ambassador to Kuwait Chung Byung-ha for the mission, with the government […]
China has authorised state oil refiners to draw on commercial crude reserves as the Middle East war enters its sixth week, a move that points to mounting concern in Beijing over supply security, refinery operations and fuel stability in the world’s biggest crude importer. The decision marks a notable shift after reporting in March indicated that access to such reserves had been denied, underscoring how sharply the market backdrop has changed.
The policy adjustment comes as the conflict centred on Iran has disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that handled about 20 million barrels a day of crude and oil products in 2025 and remains one of the most critical chokepoints in global energy trade. The International Energy Agency said in March that the war had created the biggest supply disruption in oil market history, with flows through Hormuz falling from around 20 million barrels a day before the war to only a trickle.
For China, the timing is especially sensitive. State refiners have already been grappling with higher feedstock costs, disrupted shipping routes and a scramble for replacement barrels from outside the Gulf. Reuters reported in late March that Sinopec, the country’s largest refiner by capacity, had sought access to state reserves after deciding against buying Iranian crude, while also trimming refinery runs. Earlier reporting in mid-March said China had been building inventories rather than drawing them down, suggesting Beijing initially preferred to preserve stocks.
That stance now appears to have softened. Bloomberg reported on April 10 that authorities had given state refiners the green light to tap commercial reserves. While the precise volume and duration were not publicly disclosed, the move is significant because it signals Beijing is willing to use part of the country’s stock cushion to smooth supplies for domestic processing rather than rely solely on the spot market at a time of exceptional volatility.
The wider market has been under intense pressure even as talk of a ceasefire has briefly cooled futures prices. Reuters reported that physical crude markets in Europe and Africa remained extremely tight despite a temporary truce, with buyers in Asia and Europe competing aggressively for non-Middle East barrels. Another Reuters report said U. S. crude premiums had surged to record highs as importers sought alternatives to Gulf supplies. That matters for China because replacing lost or delayed Middle East cargoes has become more expensive just as refining margins in parts of Asia remain fragile.
Supply conditions deteriorated further this week after attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure cut output capacity by around 600,000 barrels a day and reduced throughput on the East-West Pipeline by about 700,000 barrels a day, according to Saudi state media cited by Reuters. The pipeline is vital because it allows exports to bypass Hormuz via the Red Sea. Damage there narrowed one of the few remaining alternative routes for Gulf producers trying to keep oil moving to Asian customers.
Asian refiners have already felt the strain. Reuters reported that seaborne crude imports into Asia in April were estimated at 19.22 million barrels a day, sharply below the three-month average of 25 million barrels a day. Although refined fuel prices eased after hopes of a truce, the same report said the market was still stressed and that it could take months for normality to return even if shipping improves. For Beijing, releasing commercial stocks is therefore less a dramatic emergency measure than a tactical effort to bridge a period of dislocation.
The decision also reflects China’s domestic balancing act. Authorities have been trying to keep fuel output steady even as weak underlying demand and higher crude costs squeeze refiners. Reuters reported on April 2 that officials had pressed independent refiners to maintain production despite the surge in oil prices and wartime disruption. That suggests Beijing is seeking to avoid sharp swings in fuel availability or industrial costs while preserving broader economic stability.
There is also a geopolitical layer. China has opposed any overtly force-based international response around Hormuz and has pushed for de-escalation at the United Nations, according to Reuters reporting on Security Council negotiations. At the same time, the reserve release shows that Beijing is preparing for a conflict that may not be resolved quickly and for shipping conditions that may remain uncertain even if diplomatic language softens.
Washington and Tehran head into talks in Islamabad this weekend with far more at stake than a temporary pause in fighting, as negotiators face pressure to tackle the entire dispute at once rather than salvage only a narrow ceasefire. Pakistan has helped bring the sides to the table after a two-week truce took shape, but the diplomatic opening is already under strain from disputes over uranium enrichment, […]
A cross-border espionage campaign that targeted journalists, civil society figures and some government-linked entities across the Middle East and North Africa between 2023 and 2024 has been tied by researchers to BITTER, a long-tracked South Asian threat actor, marking what investigators describe as the first documented case linking the group to attacks on civil society in the region. The attribution remains qualified rather than definitive: Lookout said […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi has issued 11 new hazardous materials guidelines in a move officials say makes the emirate the first jurisdiction to apply the 11th revised edition of the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, or GHS. The framework, launched by the Abu Dhabi Hazardous Materials Management Centre in coordination with the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, is […]
Ethereum hovered near the $2,000 mark on Thursday after a choppy stretch that left the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency caught between stronger long-term supply dynamics and a fresh wave of geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty. Ether was trading around $2,178 during the session, after moving within an intraday range of roughly $2,167 to $2,264, underscoring the tight consolidation that has kept traders focused on whether the token can build […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Attacks tied to the widening confrontation with Iran could spill far beyond the battlefield and damage global health, food security and the environment, the UAE told an international summit in Lyon, urging governments and institutions to rally around a “One Health” strategy that treats human, animal and ecosystem health as inseparable. The intervention came at a high-level gathering hosted by France on 7 […]
US unemployment benefit claims rose last week but stayed at levels that still point to a labour market holding together, even as investors and policymakers brace for a March inflation reading that could complicate the Federal Reserve’s next move. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased by 16,000 to 219,000 in the week ended April 4, according to Labor Department data released on Thursday. The prior week’s […]
