Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.
The war in the Middle East is escalating with strikes on critical infrastructure.
“For the first time in the war, Israel has targeted Iranian oil storage facilities in”
Tehran, and Iran has attacked a desalination plant in Bahrain. And here's Daniel Lesterne has more from Tel Aviv. This appears to be the first time Israel has targeted a civilian oil facility in Iran. Iranian news agency reported at least four tanker drivers were killed. The Israeli military says Iran made frequent use of that oil storage facility to operate
military infrastructure. Iran's foreign minister said a US air strike damaged Iranian desalination plant for the first time. Also for the first time in the Gulf, a desalination plant in Bahrain was damaged in Iranian drone attack.
These attacks on energy and water infrastructure are a significant escalation in the war. The region depends on desalinated sea water for drinking water, and much of the world relies on oil from the Gulf. Daniel Lesterne and PR News Tel Aviv.
“The US top officials have invited mid-East leaders to a virtual meeting tomorrow to talk”
about the escalating conflict in the region.
Terry Schultz reports it's the second such call in the last several days.
European Council President Antonio Costa says he, together with Commission President Ursula Vandaline, decided to call the meeting with mid-East counterparts, quote, "in view of the fast evolving security situation in the region." The virtual conversation will give the two sides a chance to share their assessments of the broadening conflict in Iran and neighboring countries, and how to end it, along with
the possibility of more support from the EU. Leaders from individual countries will not be participating. Foreign ministers from the 27 EU governments held a virtual discussion on the situation with their counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council last Thursday, with most representatives calling for more dialogue and diplomacy, while emphasizing that Gulf states have the right
to defend themselves against Iran. For MPR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Brussels. Global crude oil prices surged fast $100 a barrel for the first time in four years, and Pierce Camilla Domenoski has more.
“And the straight of her moves, a key waterway for the oil trade, remains effectively”
closed. The US government has offered ship owners insurance and naval escorts for the passage, but the money available would only cover a fraction of the need, and companies are wary of risking ships and the lives of their crew. Attacks against infrastructure also continue, including Israel's attacks on oil facilities
and Iran over the weekend. An analyst with the app gas buddy says the average price of gasoline in the US is likely to hit $4 this week. It was under $3 before the war began. Camilla Domenoski and PR News. Crude oil is trading higher at $113.31 a barrel US futures contract sharply lower dollar futures down more than 2% down more than 1,000 points.
You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Absolutely tiny things, called winter grain mites, are creating a huge problem in weed fields in Washington state. Horts of the pests are crawling all over Lincoln County. Northwest Public Broadcasting's Anakinc has more. Winter grain mites actually like a cool mild winter, and in the northwest that's just
what they've gotten. Now millions of the little arachnids are damaging fresh wheat leaves. The mites suck the plants dry, leaving whole fields brown. Jimmy Douglas is a farmer in Lincoln County. He says many farmers are now bombing the mites with pesticides using planes.
It's frustrating to have to spend a bunch of money right now to go out and spray something
that we've actually in, you know, in my knowledge we've never had an issue with these before.
The mites look like tiny black spiders with reddish legs for NPR News. I'm Anakinc. At the weekend box office, Disney and Pixar's animated environmental adventure hoppers debut in the top spot with an estimated $46 million in ticket sales. The film has made $88 million globally against a $150 million production budget.
In second place, Paramount's screamed 7 with $17 million. And in third place, Warner Brothers, the bride, struggled, debuting with just $7 million that film cost $80 million to produce. Wall Street is future's contracts are trading lower at this hour. I'm Janine Herbst and PR News in Washington.
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