Middle East

Baghdad: New Iraqi President Nizar Amidi officially assumed office today. The Iraqi Presidency stated in a press release that President Amidi officially assumed his duties as President of the country during a presidential ceremony held at Baghdad Palace. The statement added that following the official ceremony, the new President met with his predecessor, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, where the handover ceremony took place. Amidi affirmed that the peaceful transfer of power is a fundamental pillar in consolidating the foundations of democracy and strengthening the stability of the state, praising the efforts made by President Rashid during his tenure. The Iraqi Parliament elected Nizar Amidi, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) candidate, as the new President of Iraq yesterday, with 227 votes, making him the sixth President of the Republic of Iraq since 2003.

Asia

Sydney: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Brunei and Malaysia to discuss energy and food security, his office said on Sunday, continuing regional efforts to shore up fuel supplies for a nation reliant on imports. Albanese will travel to Brunei and Kuala Lumpur from April 14 to 17 to meet with Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, his office said in a statement. Australia is one of the world's top exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG), but is largely reliant on Asia for fuel and the fertiliser needed for farmers to produce food crops. Asian nations have come under pressure from soaring global energy prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East. Australia and Singapore agreed to the continued flow of refined fuel and LNG during a visit by Albanese to Australia's top fuel supplier on Friday. Malaysia is Australia's third-largest source of refined fuel, while Australia supplies 95 percent of Malaysia's imported LNG. Brunei and Malaysia are also significant suppliers of fertiliser to Australia. "We are taking every step to reinforce relationships and engage with key partners to keep our fuel supply flowing," Albanese said in a statement. Australia has 38 days' supply of petrol, 31 days' supply of diesel and 28 days' supply of jet fuel, authorities said Saturday in a weekly update on fuel levels. Although demand and prices have spiked amid panic buying, the national fuel supply has remained steady since the Middle East conflict began on February 28. There are 57 tanker vessels on the way to Australia carrying fuel, the government said as it launched an advertising campaign urging the public to conserve petrol usage.

Europe

Stockholm: Swedish authorities boarded a Panama-flagged vessel on Sunday, suspecting it of an environmental offence over flushing coal residues into the Baltic Sea, the Swedish coast guard said. The Panama-registered bulk carrier Hui Yuan had been on its way from Russia to Las Palmas in Spain when it was boarded off the southern port of Ystad, the coast guard said in a statement. The 225-metre-long vessel had been discovered flushing coal residues into the Baltic Sea on Saturday during a coast guard aircraft monitoring mission in a violation of the Nordic country's Environmental Code. The vessel is currently suspected of an environmental offence and a preliminary investigation had been launched, the statement said. "The shipping industry should know that Swedish authorities are working close together to maintain order at sea," said Daniel Stenling, deputy head of the coast guard's operations department. "If there is a suspicious vessel, we do intervene, based on the prevailing conditions," he added.