Trump orders withdrawal of sanctions against N Korea immediately after Treasury imposes them
Washington, Mar 23: Donald Trump has abruptly ordered the withdrawal of additional "large-scale" sanctions on North Korea, immediately after the Treasury Department imposed them, with his press secretary saying that the US President "likes" North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and does not think they are necessary.
President Trump's unusual move comes after his second summit with Kim, held last month in Hanoi, Vietnam. Trump walked out of that summit after refusing to agree to the North Korea's demands of lifting all sanctions.
"It was announced today by the US Treasury that additional large- scale sanctions would be added to those already existing sanctions on North Korea. I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional sanctions!" Trump tweeted on Friday.
This was an apparent reference to sanctions the Treasury Department has announced Thursday on Chinese shipping companies doing business with North Korea. Those sanctions prompted swift pushback from the Chinese and North Korean governments.
The two companies are Dalian Haibo International Freight Co. Ltd. and Liaoning Danxing International Forwarding Co. Ltd.
The sanctions were the first new sign of pressure since talks between Trump and Kim broke down in Hanoi.
"The US and our like-minded partners remain committed to achieving the final, fully verified denuclearisation of North Korea and believe that the full implementation of North Korea-related UN Security Council re solutions is crucial to a successful outcome," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
"Treasury will continue to enforce our sanctions, and we are making it explicitly clear that shipping companies employing deceptive tactics to mask illicit trade with North Korea expose themselves to great risk," it said.
The National Security Advisor John Bolton described it as an "important" action.
"The maritime industry must do more to stop North Korea's illicit shipping practices. Everyone should take notice and review their own activities to ensure they are not involved in North Korea's sanctions evasion," Bolton tweeted.
The White House, however, defended Trump's decision.
"President Trump likes Chairman Kim and he doesn't think these sanctions will be necessary," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.
In June, Trump and Kim had their first-ever historic meeting aimed at normalising ties and complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
While North Korea since then has refrained from overtly provocative actions like testing nuclear warheads or ballistic missiles, it has yet to agree to actually give up any piece of its atomic arsenal.
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IndianOil says it enhanced Auto LPG supplies in Bengaluru to over 300 per cent
Bengaluru (PTI): IndianOil on Thursday said it has significantly augmented its Auto LPG supplies to Bengaluru, increasing volumes to over 300 per cent of the usual supply to meet the sharp surge in demand arising from ongoing geopolitical disruptions affecting private sector supply chains.
In a statement, the oil company said it had supplied 75.53 metric tonnes (MT) of Auto LPG in Bengaluru on Wednesday, “substantially higher than the usual daily supply of around 23 MT prior to the crisis”.
“This rapid scale-up reflects IndianOil’s steadfast commitment to ensuring uninterrupted fuel availability for the city’s mobility ecosystem,” IndianOil said.
Across Karnataka, IndianOil has also substantially ramped up supplies, increasing its daily dispatches to over 83 MT in recent days, compared to its pre-crisis average of around 43.5 MT per day, effectively doubling supplies to support the state’s requirements during the ongoing disruption, it added.
According to IndianOil, the surge in demand has been primarily driven by disruptions in private Auto LPG dispensing stations (ALDS), which traditionally account for nearly 80 per cent of the Auto LPG market in Karnataka, including Bengaluru.
The non-operation or closure of these private outlets has led to a significant shift in customer traffic towards IndianOil Retail Outlets, resulting in long queues at IndianOil ALDS stations, it pointed out.
“IndianOil has responded with a comprehensive operational strategy, with all its ALDS outlets in Bengaluru functioning uninterrupted, ensuring seamless service to our esteemed customers,” the company said.
