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Zawya
26 minutes ago
- Zawya
India's biggest refiner buys US, Middle East crude as Trump slams Russia purchases
SINGAPORE/NEW DELHI: Indian Oil Corp has bought 7 million barrels of crude from the United States, Canada and the Middle East, four trade sources said on Monday, as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his criticism of the country over its purchases of Russian oil. India is the biggest buyer of seaborne crude from Russia, which is under Western-led sanctions over its war in Ukraine. Its main refiners paused buying Russian oil last week as discounts to other suppliers narrowed after Trump threatened hefty tariffs on imports from countries that make any such purchases, Reuters reported last week. Indian government officials denied any policy change. On Monday, Trump said on Truth Social he would substantially raise the import levy on Indian goods, accusing the country of not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil but "they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits". India imported about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil from January to June this year, up 1% from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by trade sources. IOC, India's largest refiner, bought crude via a tender from the United States, Canada and the Middle East for September arrival, the trade sources said on Monday. They declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media. The refiner bought 4.5 million barrels of U.S. crude, 500,000 barrels of Western Canadian Select (WCS) and two million barrels of Das oil produced in Abu Dhabi, the sources said. The higher-than-normal purchases are partly to replace Russian barrels, two of the sources said. Indian state refiners - IOC, Hindustan Petroleum Corp , Bharat Petroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery Petrochemical Ltd - had not sought Russian crude in the past week or so, Reuters reported last week. Indian companies do not comment on oil purchases. In IOC's tender that closed on Friday, P66 and Equinor will each ship 1 million barrels of U.S. West Texas Intermediate Midland crude while Mercuria will ship 2 million barrels of the same grade, the sources said. Vitol will deliver 1 million barrels of WTI Midland and WCS, they added. Trafigura will deliver 2 million barrels of Das. Prices for the deals were not immediately available. U.S. criticism of India's oil purchases from Russia sharpened after New Delhi and Washington failed to reach an agreement on a trade deal, prompting the Trump administration to levy a 25% import tariff on Indian goods. (Reporting by Florence Tan, Siyi Liu in Singapore and Nidhi Verma in New Delhi; Editing by Kate Mayberry and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Gaza starvation and Saudi student killed in UK
Five more people have died from hunger in Gaza. Hamas says it is open to negotiating a ceasefire deal that would end the war. A man has been charged with the murder of a student from Saudi Arabia in the UK. On this episode of Trending Middle East: This episode features Hamza Hendawi, Cairo Correspondent; and Tariq Taher, Senior Investigations Correspondent.
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
'Glaring absence of justice': Lebanon marks five years since Beirut port blast
Lebanon on Monday marked five years since the deadly Beirut port blast that rocked the capital, killing more than 220 people and injured thousands of others. Hundreds of people gathered at Martyrs' Square in the heart of downtown Beirut to commemorate the grim anniversary of one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. To the melodies of Lebanese singer Fairuz's Li Beirut and with Lebanese flags raised above the crowds, the group marched towards the Beirut port, where tragedy struck on August 4, 2020, when nearly 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate improperly stored in the heart of the city detonated. Families of the victims made a united line at the front of the group, holding pictures of the loved ones they lost five years ago. Others carried banners and signs that read: 'We demand real justice, not performative action' and 'preliminary indictment by the end of the year'. At the port, protesters marching in solidarity met another group, from the Beirut Fire Brigade headquarters in Karantina. They were accompanied by a fire engine with pictures of the firefighters who were killed as they raced to the port five years ago in an effort to put out the initial blaze, unaware of the dangerous chemicals stored behind the doors where the flames had erupted. The two marches linked up in front of the port and everyone gathered around the stage as the names of every victim were read out to applause. There is still no official tally of all the lives lost in the blast. At 6.07pm, the exact time that the blast took place, applause were replaced with a deafening moment of silence for the victims. Five years later, no one has been held accountable for the explosion, which has been largely blamed on state negligence and mismanagement. A domestic investigation into the blast has been politically obstructed and repeatedly impeded, with lead investigator Tarek Bitar threatened and regularly forced to bring the case to a halt. 'It's not about today, it's about every day for us. It's been five years that we are asking for justice,' Mariana Fodoulian, whose sister Gaia was killed in the explosion, told The National. 'We need accountability, we need to know the truth of what happened on August 4. And we need to punish every person who was responsible for this explosion, for this crime against the victims and all of the Lebanese population.' Lebanon's new government, which came into power this year, has repeatedly said that justice for the blast is a top priority and has publicly vowed to support Mr Bitar. While President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam are seen as a departure from Lebanon's traditional parties, vows are not enough. Paul Naggear, whose three-year-old daughter Alexandra was one of the youngest victims, said: "Today, the government has people we can count on, including the Minister of Justice." "We can't wait any longer," he said in a speech in front of the port. Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, told The National, that this year there had been significant developments in the port blast case, specifically with Judge Tarek Bitar's resumption of the case and summoning of several former top officials. Lebanon marks fifth anniversary Beirut port explosion - in pictures He also highlighted a decision by Lebanon's top prosecutor Jamal Al Hajjar to reverse a decision by his predecessor Ghassan Oueidat that effectively blocked the investigation and stopped Mr Bitar from doing his work. "This is progress in the sense that the investigation has resumed, but more should be done to stop any attempts to interfere with the investigation or prevent it from moving forward." President Aoun on Monday paid tribute to the victims, insisting authorities were 'working, by all available means, to ensure that the investigations continue' and 'bring all those responsible to justice, regardless of their status'. "Justice will not die, and accountability will inevitably come," he said. The President and Prime Minister did not attend Monday's commemoration, but several government ministers did. Mr Bitar reopened the case earlier this year and has questioned some of the top officials who previously refused to attend hearings. This progress in the probe has been interpreted by many as signs of hope for long-awaited justice. On Sunday, Lebanon's Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh signed a decision to add the silos at the Beirut port to the country's general inventory of historic monuments. This means no modifications can be made to them without approval from the Directorate General of Antiquities. The silos helped shield some neighbourhoods from part of the impact of the explosion and were badly damaged in the blast. Families of the victims have called for the silos to be preserved as a heritage site and physical testimony to the loss of their loved ones. "We want them as a memorial for our victims so that the coming generation knows about August 4, so this crime will not be repeated again," said Ms Fodoulian. The UN's special co-ordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said that 'five years on, tragedy and pain are compounded by the glaring absence of justice'. 'Survivors and victims, and their families, deserve full accountability. And they deserve it now,' she said.
