21/03/2026

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Overnight spike in Vietnam fuel costs

o Petrol up by over 20%, diesel by nearly 34%

Palestinians in Gaza, following an attack by Hamas militants in 2023. “Dear brothers and sisters, keep calm a little bit,” one of the organisers told the crowd, urging individuals to sit down and stop filming the exchange. A security guard was seen tackling one heckler to the ground before escorting him away. The mosque event was “incredibly positive”, Albanese said later, despite the incident. “If you got a couple of people heckling in a crowd of 30,000, that should be put in that perspective,” he told reporters, adding that the community had dealt with a couple of hecklers. continuous hike in the fuel cost such as myself,” office worker Minh Anh said after catching a train to work. Meanwhile in Myanmar, prices at the petrol pump increased by about 30% from Thursday. AFP journalists saw long queues of vehicles at a petrol station near Mandalay as motorists rushed to fill their tanks. Thailand also saw prices of fuel shoot up this week, as the government announced higher diesel rates on Wednesday. – AFP strongest classification, but was soon downgraded to a category three. Police said there had been no immediate reports of major damage, but urged residents to stay vigilant. Tracking maps showed the cyclone would miss most major settlements in the region, although several smaller towns were told to be on high alert. Cook Shire Council Mayor Robyn Holmes urged residents to fill bathtubs with water so they had an emergency supply if needed. “Residents should prepare for heavy rain, strong winds and possible flash flooding.” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Angus Hines said the winds would be “strong enough to strip or uproot entire trees”. – AFP the number of injuries could rise. About 240 personnel were deployed to fight the fire. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok ordered that the top priority should be saving lives. A spokesperson for the National Fire Agency could not be immediately reached by phone for comment. – Reuters

SYDNEY: Protesters heckled and booed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday during a visit to the country’s largest mosque for Eid al-Fitr prayers, voicing anger over his stance on ally Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Some in Australia’s Muslim and Jewish communities are angry over a fine line walked by the centre-left government since the Gaza war began, expressing concern for Palestinians, repeatedly urging a ceasefire and backing Israel’s right to self-defence. Video images showed protesters interrupting proceedings about 15 minutes after Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke joined worshippers at Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Demonstrators booed, told Albanese and Burke to “Get out!” and called them “genocide supporters”, referring to Israel’s killing of SYDNEY: A tropical cyclone lashed Australia’s northern tip yesterday, hitting remote coastal towns with the strongest winds seen for a “long, long time”, authorities said. Severe tropical cyclone Narelle made landfall at the northern point of Queensland state, battering the coast with strong winds, driving rain and pounding surf. Australia’s government weather agency said winds exceeded 200km per hour. “In many cases it will be the strongest wind people have experienced in this part of the state for a long, long time,” Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said. The cyclone hit land as a category four storm system, the second Algeria and Japan. The aviation authority has warned of a possible reduction in domestic flights due to potential fuel shortages. However, state media quoted officials as saying the country could ensure enough oil and gas for domestic consumption until the end of April. A Hanoi resident yesterday told AFP the price hikes had reduced the traffic flow on the capital’s roads. “The traffic seems to ease as I think many cannot afford the

octane 95 and diesel in the manufacturing hub to more than 50% and 70% higher, respectively, since the conflict began in February. Vietnam’s trade ministry said in a statement that the hike was a result of the conflict in the Middle East, Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Russia-Ukraine war, which have influenced global fuel prices. The government said its prime minister has held phone talks asking for fuel support from several countries including Qatar, Kuwait,

HANOI: The cost of petrol was up by more than 20% in Vietnam yesterday after the government announced an overnight hike amid fears of oil and gas shortages caused by the Middle East war. Southeast Asian countries have borne the brunt of surging diesel prices following strikes against energy infrastructure in Iran and the

Gulf states. Just before midnight on Thursday, the Vietnamese government announced an increase in the price of 95-octane petrol by 20% from the weekend to 30,690 Vietnamese dong (RM4.59) per litre, while diesel was up by nearly 34% to 33,420 dong (RM5). The hike takes the prices of regular

Australian PM heckled during mosque visit for Eid

He added that some frustration stemmed from the government’s designation this month of Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir as a prohibited hate group on the basis of laws prompted by a deadly mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025. – Reuters Tropical storm batters Queensland

More than 500 rebel fighters surrender to Myanmar junta MANDALAY: More than 500 Myanmar opposition guerillas interviews with the assembled personnel. DAWN DEVOTION ... Muslims offer Eid al-Fitr morning prayer along a road in Surabaya, Indonesia marking the end of holy month of Ramadan. – AFPPIC

Brigadier General Aung Htay. “You all have experienced it firsthand. Living in the jungle is nothing like you see in movies or what other people say. A person in the light can live in freedom without any fear.” The mixed-gender ranks wore mismatched camouflaged and drab uniforms, many stamped with the logo of the Mandalay People’s Defence Force (PDF), considered one of the most powerful pro-democracy battalions. “There is no case of our PDFs surrendering to the Myanmar military in those kinds of numbers,” a Mandalay PDF spokesman said, suggesting the event was for propaganda purposes. “There are a few that surrender but it’s very rare they surrender with full uniforms and badges. “We found out that some individuals are wearing our uniforms but we saw some mistakes in the way they’re being worn as the caps don’t match with the uniform.” The military permitted press

“I first joined them because I don’t like the regime and thought the revolution could win,” said one man, remaining anonymous for security reasons, adding that he was followed into the PDF by his wife and two daughters. “Their leadership is very different from what we expected. That is why we came back.” While battalions dubbed the PDF are fuelled by idealism to topple the junta, their most notable victories have come fighting alongside the more experienced ethnic minority armed groups. But recent interventions by neighbouring China have sealed landmark truces with two key ethnic factions, once the stalwarts of the opposition, leaving the more rag-tag pro-democracy forces back-footed around Mandalay. Analysts say the ceasefires are a sign Beijing backs the military to maintain some semblance of stability in Myanmar. – AFP

surrendered to the junta, the military said on Thursday, with AFP journalists witnessing a disarming ceremony that one resistance faction suggested was a propaganda stunt. Myanmar has been consumed by a civil war since 2021, when the military swept aside the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup. A variety of rebel factions have entered the fray, including battalions of pro-democracy fighters formed after the putsch and ethnic minority armies which have long resisted central rule. AFP journalists in central Mandalay city saw hundreds of personnel assembled on a military base in the grounds of the ancient Royal Palace before a table stacked with guns, bullets and weapon magazines. “You went there because you didn’t know any better, but now you have regained your conscience,” said Myanmar Central Command head

At least 50 hurt in factory fire SEOUL: A fire at a car parts factory in the South Korean city of Daejeon has injured 50 people, 35 of them seriously, the Yonhap News Agency reported yesterday.

The National Fire Agency called for a national mobilisation to tackle the blaze in Daejeon, about 160km south of the capital Seoul, Yonhap reported. The agency said it was concerned