Dubai, Mar 31 (AP) Authorities in Dubai said Tuesday morning they “contained” a Kuwaiti oil tanker after it came under attack from Iran. Officials said there was “no oil leakage and no injuries reported.” The Dubai Media Office earlier said a drone hit the Kuwaiti tanker in Dubai waters.

Meanwhile, US gas prices jumped past an average of USD 4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 as fuel prices continue to soar worldwide. The last time US drivers were collectively paying this much at the pump was nearly four years ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Trump on Tuesday said nations upset by high fuel prices should “go get your own oil” as Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

Also, Israel and the US launched a new wave of strikes on Iran, hitting Tehran in the early morning hours.

Here is the latest: US stocks bounce back as crude oil prices stabilise ———————————————————- US stocks are bouncing back as the spike in oil prices caused by the war with Iran slows.

The S&P 500 climbed 1.2 per cent early Tuesday. A day earlier, it closed more than 9 per cent below the all-time high it set early this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 410 points, and the Nasdaq composite added 1.6 per cent.

Steadying oil prices took some pressure off Wall Street. The worry is that if oil prices stay high for a long time because of the war, it could set off a brutal blast of global inflation. Treasury yields ease again in the bond market.

The death toll in Lebanon has reached 1,268 since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began —————————————————————————————————- The Health Ministry in Beirut said Tuesday that 21 people were killed and 70 wounded over the past 24 hours.

The ministry says 1,268 have been killed and 3,750 wounded since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2.

The dead include 125 children and 88 women, the ministry says.

Israeli airstrike kills a father and his 5-year-old son in southern Gaza ——————————————————————————- That’s according to health officials at Nasser hospital, where the casualties were taken on Tuesday.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the courtyard of Nasser hospital, the family and acquaintances of the father and his son gathered for the funeral prayer, carrying their bodies in white burial shrouds, in tears and agony.

The Gaza Strip has seen near-daily Israeli fire and strikes since a fragile ceasefire was reached in October, and nearly 709 Palestinians have been killed since, according to figures from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Israel and Hamas have traded accusations of violating the ceasefire.

Gaza’s militants have sat out the current Iran conflict.

Iranian foreign minister warns against targeting infrastructure ———————————————————————– Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday issued a warning against Israel “unashamedly” bombing pharmaceutical companies as part of the Iranian infrastructure the US and Israel have been targeting since the war began.

“Their intentions are clear. What they’ve gotten wrong is that they’re not dealing with defenceless Palestinian civilians. Our Powerful Armed Forces will severely punish aggressors,” he wrote on X.

Israel’s defence minister outlined plans for an Israeli invasion of Lebanon ———————————————————————————— Speaking to military officials, Minister Israel Katz reiterated that the military aims to control the area south of the Litani River — some 20 miles (about 30 kilometres) north of the border.

He said Israel will prohibit the return of 600,000 Lebanese who fled the area over the last few weeks until safety and security are “ensured” for residents of Israel’s north.

Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged consistent cross-border fire since the latest flare-up that began on March 2. He said all homes in the Lebanese villages directly across the border from Israel would be demolished “to remove once and for all the threats near the border from residents of the north.” The Indonesian government implements efficiency measures as the Iran war squeezes the energy sector —————————————————————————————————————————- The Indonesian government has started to implement a work-from-home policy for civil servants as an adaptive and proactive measure in response to global developments of the ongoing war in the Middle East that’s straining global supply chains, particularly in the energy sector.

“Implementing work-from-home arrangements for civil servants at the central and regional levels, with one workday per week on Fridays,” Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said in a broadcast conference on Tuesday.

The government is also implementing mobility efficiency measures that include a 50 per cent reduction in official vehicle use, except for operational purposes and electric vehicles, and encouraging the use of public transportation.

The measure includes a reduction of up to 50 per cent in domestic business trips and up to 70 per cent in international business trips, Hartarto said.

Recommendations regarding working from home and efficiency have also been provided to the private sector, taking into account the needs and characteristics of each business. (AP) SKS SKS