FRANCE: The International Energy Agency (IEA) agreed today to release the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history, in a bid to counter the effects of the war in the Middle East.

The Paris-based organisation said it will make 400 million barrels of oil available from its members’ emergency reserves. 

It’s a larger stock than the 182.7m barrels that were released in 2022 by the IEA’s 32 member countries in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

CAMBODIA: The anti-cybercrime authority said today that it hopes to shut down all of the country’s notorious online scam centres by the end of next month.

Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith, in charge of the Commission for Combating Online Scams, said the government has since July targeted 250 locations believed to be carrying out the lucrative criminal activity, and has shut down about 80 per cent, or 200 of them.

He said police would carry out suppression activities after April in an attempt to keep the scam centres from re-emerging.

US: A man was taken into custody today after driving his van into a security barrier outside the White House. The Secret Service said the man crashed into the temporary security barrier just before 6.30am and immediately arrested.

The man, whose identity was not immediately released, was being interviewed by investigators. Criminal charges were pending, the Secret Service said.

A police bomb squad was called to the scene, checked the vehicle and determined it to be safe.

IRELAND: Irish rap group Kneecap announced on Tuesday night they that will be taking part in the Nuestra America Convoy of humanitarian aid to Cuba next week.

“The Trump administration is strangling the island, cutting off fuel, flights, and critical supplies for survival,” the band wrote on in a post on Instagram.

“It’s time to break the siege — and stand up for Cuba, as they have stood up for us.”

The rappers signed off the post with a quote from Ernesto Guevara Lynch about his son Che: “In my son’s veins flowed the blood of Irish rebels.”