War Conflict

Datanomics: India's gems and jewellery export growth flat in FY26

Nearly half of the pearls and precious stones coming to India were imported from UAE in FY26 (till Jan). The UAE also supplied around 23% of India's gold imports in the same period

PM Narendra Modi, Donald Trump stress 'open and secure' Strait of Hormuz

PM speaks with US President, Jaishankar meets Iran envoy as Centre forms seven groups to manage risks to energy, trade and supply chains amid escalating West Asia conflict

Soft landing for aviation insurance premiums amid benign loss trends

Aviation insurance rates have softened due to excess reinsurance capacity and lower global losses, though geopolitical risks continue to influence underwriting conditions

Mkts rebound as US pauses Iran strikes; gains capped as oil recoups losses

Indian equities rallied after the US delayed strikes on Iran, but gains were capped by elevated oil prices and continued uncertainty around the conflict

West Asia conflict: Small firms face big strain from energy and cost shocks

Rising gas prices, disrupted routes threaten MSME margins and output: CII

An opportunity in a crisis: Oil import dependence needs urgent policy fix

The ongoing oil crisis risks becoming a lost opportunity unless the government outlines a clear plan to reform exploration policies and boost India's domestic crude oil output

Low hopes, sharp divides: WTO conference points to continuity outcome

Expectations this time are low for an institution that governs 98 per cent of global trade, worth over $35 trillion, due to a deep divide over its direction

Fallout of West Asia war: India must prepare to minimise the damage

The war is in its fourth week and has already affected several countries, including India. The impact is being felt through different channels, though macro indicators may not capture everything

LPG crisis: HungerBox invests ₹3.5 crore in shift to electric cooking

HungerBox has invested Rs 3.5 crore in electric cooking systems to tackle LPG shortages and support food partners, ensuring continuity amid supply disruptions

PLNG valuations remain attractive, but near-term downtrend likely

Petronet LNG (PLNG) gets 8.5 mmtpa of LNG from Qatar (50 per cent of its volume) and PLNG has issued a press release in response to QatarEnergy's notice of force majeure

Oil prices plunge; two Indian LPG tankers cross Strait of Hormuz

Oil prices dropped sharply after Trump paused Iran strikes, while Indian LPG tankers crossed the Strait of Hormuz amid supply concerns and disruptions in West Asia

West Asia war, fresh US trade probes fuel market volatility: RBI bulletin

The conflict in West Asia and fresh trade investigations by the US have resulted in increased volatility in the global markets, the RBI bulletin said on Monday. India's foreign exchange reserves remain adequate to provide a cushion against external shocks, said an article on the state of the economy published in the bulletin. The second advance estimates of GDP for 2025-26 indicate sustained resilience of the Indian economy, it noted. "High-frequency indicators signal towards economic activity gaining momentum in February," the article said. It further said CPI headline inflation picked up in February on account of food and beverages. System liquidity has remained comfortable, and the total flow of financial resources to the commercial sector rose, with a rise in financing from both the bank and non-bank sources, it added. The central bank, however, said views expressed in the article are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the Reserve Bank of India.

Vishwaguru delusion, mine vs yours: Two flawed takes on India's power

One side thinks India is punching way above its weight.The other thinks Mr Modi has undermined India, and it punches below its strength. Both are wrong

The Gulf war is now a global crisis: Russia, China emerge as winners

Israel has used its deep relationship with the United States (US) to emerge as the strongest and most advanced military power in the West Asia/Gulf region

A battle of inventories: No one knows how long the Iran war will last

In the 12-day war of 2025, Israel and Iran traded attacks from June 13 to June 24. There are unconfirmed reports Israel was running out of interceptors by the end, when the US brokered a ceasefire

US to deploy thousands more troops to West Asia amid Iran conflict

No decision had been made to send troops into Iran itself, two of the officials told Reuters, but they will build up the capacity for potential future operations in the region

Iran leader Khamenei issues defiant statement, praises public resolve

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Friday that US and Israeli attacks were based on an illusion that by killing top leaders they could cause the overthrow of the government

China urges to end West Asia conflict, warns of global economic impact

That war resulted in years of chaos and instability and created a power vacuum that led to the rise of the Islamic State terrorist group

Iran threatens global tourism sites, says it is still building missiles

Iran threatened to target recreational and tourist sites worldwide and insisted it was still building missiles. Friday's show of defiance came nearly three weeks into US-Israeli strikes that have killed a slew of Tehran's top leaders and hammered its weapons and energy industries. Iran fired on Israel and energy sites in neighbouring Gulf Arab states as many in the region marked one of the holiest days on the Muslim calendar. Iranians were also marking the Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, a normally festive holiday that is more subdued this year. With little information coming out of Iran, it was not clear how much damage its arms, nuclear or energy facilities have sustained since the war began Feb 28 or even who was truly in charge of the country. But Iran has showed it is still capable of attacks that are choking off oil supplies and denting the global economy, raising food and fuel prices far beyond the Middle East. The US and Israel have offered shifting rationales for the war

West Asia crisis: Indian national killed in Iranian attack on Riyadh

An Indian national was killed in an Iranian attack on Riyadh this week, taking the total number of Indian fatalities from the ongoing conflict in West Asia to six since it began three weeks ago. The Indian national died following a missile attack on Riyadh on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter said. It remains unclear whether the individual was a direct victim of the strike or was killed by the falling debris from an intercepted missile. The Indian embassy in Riyadh, without providing details, condoled the death of the Indian. "The Embassy of India expresses its deepest condolences on the tragic demise of an Indian national in Riyadh due to recent events on March 18th," it said. The mission said it is in touch with the family of the deceased and local authorities. "We remain committed to extending all possible assistance in this matter." It is the third Indian fatality on land since the Iran-US conflict erupted on February 28. Two Indian nationals were killed and 10 other