Southeast Asia’s energy chiefs meet against backdrop of Iran war

Southeast Asia’s energy ministers are meeting this week to discuss regional energy security against the backdrop of supply disruptions caused by the US-Israel war on Iran.The gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Wednesday and Thursday comes as the region is seeking to lessen its dependence on energy supply chains upended by conflict in the Middle East.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Whistleblower warns that humans don’t control AIlist 2 of 4What’s happening in Ethiopia?list 3 of 4New York state declares measles disaster amid resurgence of disease in USlist 4 of 4Trump officials pursue record number of cases to strip US citizenshipend of listThe meetings in Manila, the Philippines, are expected to discuss various initiatives on energy cooperation and clean energy, including a framework on fuel-sharing and the integration of the region’s power grids.ASEAN, one of the world’s fastest-growing economic blocs with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of more than $4.2 trillion, is heavily dependent on imported oil and natural gas.ASEAN’s 11 member states imported about half of their oil needs from the Middle East before the start of the Iran...