WASHINGTON: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that a number of allies in the Gulf region and in Asia have requested currency swap lines from the United States to help deal with energy shocks and other fallout from the Middle East war.

Bessent told US senators that both the US and the United Arab Emirates would benefit from a proposed swap line that President Donald Trump said he was considering on Tuesday.

Bessent did not name the countries making such requests, but told a US Senate Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing that such facilities would help stabilise financial markets amid turmoil from the Iran war.

“And swap lines, whether it’s from the Federal Reserve or the Treasury, are to maintain order in the dollar funding markets and to prevent the sale of the US assets in a disorderly way,” Bessent said. “So, the swap line would benefit both the UAE and the US, and as I said, numerous other countries, including some of our Asian allies, have also requested them.”

The US Treasury last October provided Argentina with a $20 billion currency swap to help stabilise the country’s peso during a tumultuous election period that helped strengthen the position of President Javier Milei’s party.

That swap line, backed by the Treasury’s $219 billion Exchange Stabilisation Fund, provided Argentina with a safety net of dollars that the central bank could use to help prop up the value of the peso and prevent a devaluation ahead of the vote. It has since been repaid.

Requests for Russian oil

Bessent also said that he extended sanctions relief on Russian seaborne oil for another 30 days after requests from a number of countries that are most vulnerable to oil shortages from the closed Strait of Hormuz.

The requests came during last week’s International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings, he said.

The action reversed his comments last week that he would not renew expiring sanctions waivers. A separate waiver to allow countries to buy Iranian oil stranded at sea lapsed on April 19.

Bessent said estimates that Iran has gained more than $14 billion from the relief are “a myth,” but he did not provide an alternate figure.

Both waivers allowed the Treasury to supply the market with some 250 million barrels of oil stored in tankers, helping to bring down prices, Bessent said.

Asian economies in particular have struggled with lack of physical oil supplies from the Gulf region since the beginning of March, after the US and Israel launched strikes.

He said that for benchmark oil prices at $100 per barrel, “if we had not done that sanctions relief, they might have been at 150.”

Finn Wolfhard sparked backlash once again after his recent controversial clip quoting Kanye West from the 2009 VMAs went viral, which had ended up becoming the origin of his drama with Taylor Swift.

The 23-year-old Canadian singer and actor took to social media on Wednesday, April 22, and announced his upcoming song, I’ll Let You Finish.

The song will be released on April 29, and social media users were quick to get the reference in the song title as West, in the historical clip, told a young Swift at the time, “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, Imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!”

The backlash was swift, and critics called the Stranger Things actor out, writing, “don’t think you can….,” and “In April 29th we are streaming High Infidelity to block this man from the #138907 song of the day!!,” referring to the date appearing in Swift’s song.

While a third chimed in, “Relax Swifties, Karma never gets lazy,” and “Using taylor’s traumatic experience at the VMAs for clout, shows your career is at its end,” wrote another.

Another argued, “Negativity toward Taylor Swift won’t bring your music streams it’ll just bring you misery. People have been trying that for decades. Good luck?”

The It actor has not responded to any of the backlash as of yet.

Ashley Graham has confirmed she appears in The Devil Wears Prada 2, and in a more prominent spot than anyone might have expected.

Speaking to Variety, the supermodel revealed details about her cameo in the film, which opens on 1 May. 

Her agent and UTA partner Natasha Bolouki was candid about the uncertainty that comes with any such appearance. 

“You don’t know what’s going to happen [on the] editing room floor,” Bolouki said. But the gamble paid off. “

She was in the trailer… She’s in the opening scene of the movie.” Graham kept it simple: “It’s very exciting.”

Bolouki described the opportunity as one that might not have appeared significant at first glance but was worth taking precisely because of where it could lead. 

“That small thing has led to some other really great partnerships just because of that,” she said, pointing to it as an example of the kind of creative, forward-thinking approach that multi-hyphenate talent careers now require.

For Graham, the film was also an opportunity to put her values into practice. She brought plus-size creator Ella Halikas as her date to the premiere. 

“I just thought, you know what, why not invite one of these girlies who’s probably not going to get the opportunity, and opening up that door for someone?” she said. 

“For me, it’s constantly thinking about how to connect, how to engage, and how to stay connected with my community.”

Graham has long been one of the most vocal advocates for size inclusivity in fashion, and that focus remains unchanged. 

“We need to see all shapes and sizes on the runway… we need to have more than just an XL or a double XL in the store,” she said. 

That same principle extends to her business decisions, she said she has turned down million-dollar deals when they didn’t feel right for her audience. 

“I’ve said no to million dollar deals, because I know that the fans would be like, ‘Wait, what?'”