Tax cuts, school holidays: How countries are fighting high gas prices

The U.S.-Israeliwar on Iranhas set off one of the worst global oil shocks in decades, driving upfuel pricesand hammering consumers worldwide.

To relieve the financial strain, some countries have slashed taxes or announced school holidays, while others have urged residents to travel by bike or train.

The conflict has prompted Iran's effective closure of theStrait of Hormuz, a maritime trading route leading out of the Persian Gulf that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of global supply of oil and natural gas.

Iran live updates: As Iran continues attacks, Trump says 'ceasefire' requested

The vast majority of fuel delivered through the strait is bound for Asia, placing the heaviest pressure on energy supply in that continent. Since oil and gas are sold on a global market, however, the shortage has sent prices rising for just about everyone.

Here's what countries are doing in response to rising gas prices:

Australia enacted a raft of measures in recent days aimed at easing fuel costs and alleviating economic damage.

The country slashed its excise tax by half for the next three months, saving drivers 26 cents on every liter of gasoline over that period, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a video posted onXon Wednesday.

Lawmakers also temporarily removed a surcharge for the usage of heavy trucks, helping delivery drivers weather added fuel expenses, Albanese said.

Australians, he said, should forgo stockpiling gasoline and commute by train or bus whenever possible.

"The reality is the economic shocks caused by this war will be with us for months," Albanese said. "No government can promise to eliminate the pressures that this war is causing. I can promise we will do everything we can to protect Australia from the worst of it."

European Union

The European Commission, the main executive body at the European Union, on Tuesday urged its 27 member countries to avoid taking steps that would increase oil usage.

Even more, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen issued a letter to member countries' energy ministers calling on them to "consider the promotion of demand saving measures, with particular attention to the transport sector."

"The European Union's security of supply remains guaranteed. But we must be ready for a potentially prolonged disruption of international energy trade," Jørgensen said.

Last week, Slovenia announced temporary caps on the amount of gasoline that drivers can purchase. The move made the country the first member of the European Union to limit gas consumption.

Gas will be restricted to 50 liters per day for individuals and 200 liters per day for some commercial and government vehicles, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob announced on March 22, according toReuters.

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South Korea

South Korea earlier this month launched a nationwide energy-saving campaign, calling on people to ride bicycles for short trips and reduce the length of showers. The country also instituted a five-day, staggered system for the use of government-owned vehicles.

South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok last week said the government should plan for the "worst-case scenarios," according toYonhap News Agency.

Imports make up more than 98% of South Korea's total crude oil supply, according to theInternational Energy Agency.

Philippines

The Philippines hasdeclareda national energy emergency in response to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in part that the ongoing war threatened "the availability and stability of the country's energy supply."

The emergency declaration allows the Philippine government to exert control over fuel prices and fast-track imports from alternative suppliers, such as Russia. Philippine authorities said last week they have enough fuel to last about 45 days at typical consumption levels.

Last month, Pakistan unveiled a series of measures intended to conserve fuel as the nation grapples with a potentially severe shortage.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said half of government employees would begin to work from home and schools would take a two-week break,Al Jazeerareported.

Federal cabinet members will reportedly work without pay for two months and workers at state-owned firms will take pay cuts as high as 30% as the government seeks to slash expenses.

"The entire region is currently in a state of war," Sharif said in a televised address on March 10.

United States

Earlier this month, the Trump administrationannouncedthe second largest-ever release from the nation's stockpile of emergency crude. The U.S. will release 172 million barrels of oil from its strategic petroleum reserve over the next 120 days, the White House said.

U.S. President Donald Trump also eased sanctions on Russian oil and suspended a key regulation of domestic oil transport.

The president has sought to restore tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the U.S. may operate a Naval escort or secure the strait with troops. At times, however, Trump has said the task of reopening the strait should fall to other countries.

'Gut punch': Why Wall Street is raising recession odds amid the Iran war

International Energy Agency

The International Energy Agency issued a set of 10 oil-conservation measures available to governments, businesses and individuals in its 32 member nations, which include the U.S.

Employees could work remotely and commuters could carpool whenever possible, the IEAsaidon March 20. The directive also urged governments to reduce highway speed limits and recommend use of public transportation.

The recommendations came days after the IEAannouncedthat its member countries would release 400 barrels of crude from their respective petroleum reserves, marking the largest-ever emergency release of oil in the group's 52-year history.

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April 01, 2026

Tax cuts, school holidays: How countries are fighting high gas prices

The U.S.-Israeliwar on Iranhas set off one of the worst global oil shocks in decades, driving upfuel pricesand hammering ...

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Trump's Iran threats alarm war crimes experts

Donald Trumprisks turning America into a "rogue state," a former U.S. ambassador for war crimes issues warned Wednesday after the presidentthreatened to bomb power stations and desalination plantsin Iran.

Stephen J. Rapp, who served as U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues from 2009 to 2015, said he was disturbed by Trump's threats to Iran if it does not reopen theStrait of Hormuzand agree to end the war the United States and Israel launched a month ago.

"It makes us a rogue state," said Rapp, who served as chief of prosecutions at the International Criminal Tribunal forRwanda from 2001 to 2007and the chief prosecutor of the Special Court forSierra Leonefrom 2007 to 2009. He and two other experts in international law who spoke to NBC News said Trump's threats alone could represent a possible war crime.

On Monday, Trump said that if an agreement was not reached and if the Strait of Hormuz, a key trade route through which 20% of the world's oil supply passes, was not immediately reopened, he would destroy civilian energy infrastructure "and possibly all desalinization plants," which he said the U.S. had "purposefully not yet 'touched."

"Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately 'Open for Business,' we will conclude our lovely 'stay' in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet "touched,"" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Tehran has denied progress in talks.

Trump said the attacks would be carried out "in retribution for our many soldiers, and others, that Iran has butchered and killed over the old Regime's 47 year 'Reign of Terror'."

Asked for a response to some experts' assessments that Trump's comments about targeting civilian infrastructure risk turning the U.S. into a "rogue state," a White House official said, "The terrorist Iranian regime has brought upon egregious human rights abuses for 47 years, including brutally killing its own people for merely speaking out against its oppressive rule. By achieving the military objectives stated under Operation Epic Fury, President Trump is making the entire region safer and more stable by eliminating Iran's short- and long-term threats to our country and our allies."

Trump, who is expected to address the nation Wednesday night for an update on the war, said Tuesday that the U.S. planned to leave Iran within two or three weeks, with or without a deal, though it was not clear whether he planned to uphold his threat to destroy civilian infrastructure.

On Wednesday, he claimed Iran was seeking a "ceasefire" in the war, which he said the U.S. would consider once Hormuz was reopened. Tehran did not immediately respond to this assertion either.

'Not much question'

To attack desalination plants, upon which millions of people across the Middle East rely for drinking water, Rapp said, "would definitely be a war crime."

"Not much question about that," he said.

Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, agreed, adding in separate comments: "Even attacks on power plants are war crimes."

He noted that Iran has a unified electrical grid, meaning its military uses the same electricity as civilians.

"The harm to civilians ... is clearly disproportionate to any military benefit," he added.

Underinternational humanitarian law, civilian sites cannot be made the "object of attack or of reprisals." The only exception is if they are used for military purposes, but attacks must still adhere to the principles of international law.

In his threat, Trump said that such attacks on civilian infrastructure would be carried out as "retribution" for the deaths of U.S. military members, with at least 13 service members killed in the war, while two more have died of noncombat causes.

More than 3,000 people have been killed across the region in the war, with at least 1,900 people estimated killed in Iran under Israeli and American strikes and more than 1,300 killed in Lebanon, while 19 people have died in Israel.

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Human rights groups have said that in addition to the U.S., Israel and Iran have committed possible war crimes during the monthlong conflict.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on criticisms of Trump's threats to target civilian infrastructure in Iran.

During a news conference Tuesday, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared to try to downplay Trump's threats.

Hailing the U.S. military as "the most professional force in the world," Caine said it had "numerous processes and systems to carefully consider the whole range of considerations, from civilian risk to legal considerations."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt separately said Monday that the U.S. military would always operate within the "confines of the law."

David J. Scheffer, who served as the first U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues and led the American delegation to the United Nations talks for establishing the International Criminal Court, said he wouldn't necessarily call America a "rogue state."

However, the "entire international community" will be watching the conduct of U.S. forces in the Iran war — "and will reach conclusions that could easily identify the United States as a nation that is not complying with international law," he said.

The U.S., Israel and Iran are not signatories to the International Criminal Court, which investigates and tries crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Threats as war crimes

International law experts also said that under international law, threatening to carry out a war crime can be considered a war crime in and of itself, although threats alone were unlikely to be prosecuted.

"Even if the threat is not deemed a war crime in itself, it would be evidence of criminal intent, as opposed to an erroneous misfire, if the attack is carried out," according to Roth.

While Rapp said Trump's comments could be put down to "bluster," he felt the president was "tearing up" Washington's historic role in leading efforts to prosecute war crimes on the world stage, including in the Nuremberg trials, which saw top Nazi leaders prosecuted for their crimes during the Holocaust.

Meanwhile, he warned that Trump's threats also risked creating a "permission structure for others to threaten or commit similar crimes."

Shadow of Gaza

Three former U.S. officials who resigned from the Biden administration over America's support for Israel's war in the Gaza Strip said the gravity of Trump's threats should not be downplayed.

Josh Paul, whoresigned from his roleas director of congressional and public affairs for the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs in 2023, said there appeared to be a growing "willingness to commit" possible war crimes, "whether by the U.S. or certainly by some of its partners."

"The fact that Trump feels he can use this in what almost seems like an idle threat, I think is part of what's so alarming about it ... given the context of Israel's absolute destruction of almost all civilian infrastructure in Gaza," said Annelle Sheline, whoresigned the following year from the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor for the same reasons as Paul and whose work focused on the Middle East.

Another expert expressed a similar view.

"Once, you know, hospital after hospital, school after school, got bombed, journalist after journalist got killed, it became so normalized," said Hala Rharrit, a U.S. diplomat and veteran foreign service officer whostepped down from the State Departmentin 2024.

"Now, when Trump makes the threat of attacking civilian infrastructure, many people don't even bat an eye."

Israel rejects allegations that it has committed war crimes in Gaza, where at least 72,285 people have been killed across two and a half years of war, according to figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry.

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April 01, 2026

Trump's Iran threats alarm war crimes experts

Donald Trumprisks turning America into a "rogue state," a former U.S. ambassador for war crimes issues warned W...

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Death of refugee found after being released by Border Patrol determined to be homicide

The manner of death of anearly blind refugeewho didn't speak English and was found dead in February in New York state days after he was left outside a coffee shop by Customs and Border Protection officers was homicide, a state medical examiner's office said Wednesday.

Nurul Amin Shah Alam's manner of death was determined to be a homicide with cause of death being "complications of a perforated ulcer precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration," Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Poloncarz said the cause of death "refers to the disease or injury that initiates the lethal sequence of events."

The county executive said his office was barred by state law from publicly releasing the official autopsy and report on the death. Poloncarz said he wished he could release it.

Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein said Wednesday that Shah Alam had a "stress ulcer" that burst open.

"If that is not repaired in a short period of time, it can cause death, which is what we have, we felt we've seen in this instance," she said, later adding, "It's a medical emergency."

She said Shah Alam experienced "severe stress" and that "stress was felt to be hypothermia, being in very cold temperatures, and dehydration, so no access to liquids."

Burstein said homicide as a manner of death "refers to death resulting from volitional or through a choice or decision or an act of another and so this includes negligent acts or omissions or inaction."

Burnstein said "the designation of homicide does not imply intent to cause harm or death" and "they do not indicate criminality, which is the purview of the judicial system."

The officials declined to comment on whether the findings meant that CBP's actions on the night they released Shah Alam contributed to the death.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to request for comment on the medical examiner's findings.

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New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement ahead of the news conference that Shah Alam "fled genocide to build a life in this country. Instead, he was abandoned and left to suffer alone in his final hours."

"No New Yorker should be treated this way. My office is continuing our review of the circumstances and treatment that led to Mr. Shah Alam's death," she said.

Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan said late last month that the death of Shah Alam was preventable and "deeply disturbing and a dereliction of duty by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection."

"A vulnerable man — nearly blind and unable to speak English — was left alone on a cold winter night with no known attempt to leave him in a safe, secure location," Ryan said in a statement Wednesday, adding that CBP's behavior in the incident was "unprofessional and inhumane."

CBP previously said in a statement to NBC News that the Buffalo Police Department on Feb. 19 alerted Border Patrol about a noncitizen in their custody. CBP determined Shah Alam had entered the U.S. as a refugee in December 2024 and "was not amenable to removal" and could not be deported. Border Patrol agents offered Shah Alam a ride, "which he chose to accept to a coffee shop, determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address, rather than be released directly from the Border Patrol station."

"He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance," the agency said.

The agency declined to answer if Shah Alam's family or friends were notified of his release and when it would take place, as well as what country the man was from.

"Nobody told me or my family or attorney where my dad was dropped off,"Mohamad Faisal, one of Shah Alam's children, told Reuters. Faisal told the news agency that their family were Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.

Shah Alam's death caused alarm among New York state officials and advocates who criticized CBP for leaving him outside a coffee shop, which closed at the time,according to the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo.

"The death of a loved one is never easy and the national and international attention focused on Mr. Alam, his life and his death are an added burden to this family, and my thoughts are with them, especially today," Burstein said.

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April 01, 2026

Death of refugee found after being released by Border Patrol determined to be homicide

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MLB revives 'This Week in Baseball' as a digital series

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball is bringing back "This Week in Baseball" by giving it a digital flair.

The iconic series will be revived on Major League Baseball's X account, as well as @XOriginals, every Friday at noon and will run through the postseason.

"This Week in Baseball" debuted in 1977 and was a weekly 30-minute program produced by MLB that highlighted the major events of the past week. The show was hosted by the late Hall of Fame announcer Mel Allen for many years. It ran until 1998 and saw a second stint from 2000-11.

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The new-look "TWIB" will have episodes ranging from 5 to 10 minutes. It will be produced by MLB studios and include many segments from its predecessor, including highlights, bloopers, player profiles and "TWIB Notes." Kait Maniscalco will serve as the host.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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April 01, 2026

MLB revives 'This Week in Baseball' as a digital series

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball is bringing back "This Week in Baseball" by giving it a digital flair. ...

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Ilona Maher headlines ESPN's Final Four women's basketball alt-cast

U.S. Olympic rugby starIlona Maherwill be the featured guest on ESPN's newly announced alt-cast for the NCAA Women's Final Four.

The network − which is broadcasting the NCAA Tournament semifinals on Friday, April 3 and the women's national championship game on Sunday, April 5 − will have Jess Sims hosting "Courtside at the Women's Final Four," airing on ESPN 2 for the semis and ESPN for the final.

Maher, a member of theUSA's bronze medal-winning teamat the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, will be among a rotating cast of guests, along with ESPN reporter and content creator Katie Feeney.

"I'm incredibly excited to be joining ESPN's 'Courtside'in its first year,"Maher in an ESPN news release. "As a champion of women's sports, I cannot wait to be part of ESPN's presentation of women's basketball on the biggest stage. We are going to see some fantastic games and we're ready to have some fun right next to the action."

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The Alabama bench celebrate after a big three-point shot by Alabama Crimson Tide guard Karly Weathers (22) in the fourth quarter against Louisville during the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness Second Round basketball at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Ky. Weathers finished with 13 points. March 23, 2026.

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See women's March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities

The Alabama bench celebrate after a big three-point shot by Alabama Crimson Tide guard Karly Weathers (22) in the fourth quarter against Louisville during the2026 NCAA Women's March MadnessSecond Round basketball at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Ky. Weathers finished with 13 points. March 23, 2026.

The alt-cast will run concurrently with the network's main broadcast of the Final Four (on ESPN) on Friday evening and national championship (on ABC) Sunday afternoon.

Also joining the alt-cast are Minnesota Lynx players Natisha Hiedemanand Courtney Williams − known as the StudBudz to fans of their popular Twitch channel.

In addition, six-time WNBA All-Star Chelsea Gray will join Sims and Maher as a guest analyst for the title game. The Las Vegas Aces guard is a four-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

"'Courtside' will deliver a fresh, authentic perspective on the game," said Meg Aronowitz, ESPN senior vice president of production. "By placing this group right at courtside, we're creating an immersive experience that brings fans closer than ever – capturing the energy of the arena while also delivering insight, personality and fun."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ilona Maher joins ESPN alt-cast for Women's Final 4 March Madnss

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April 01, 2026

Ilona Maher headlines ESPN's Final Four women's basketball alt-cast

U.S. Olympic rugby starIlona Maherwill be the featured guest on ESPN's newly announced alt-cast for the NCAA Women...

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