Page 2 - West Asia

Israel says strikes on Iran concluded, US denies involvement; top updates

Multiple explosions were heard in the Iranian capital Tehran but there was no immediate confirmation of casualties. Israel did not elaborate on the exact nature of its strikes

Oil prices rise 1% as tensions in West Asia heighten supply concerns

Oil prices have gained about 4 per cent this week after shedding more than 7 per cent last week on concerns of oversupply and weak demand and a perceived calming of Middle East tensions

Turkey blames Kurdish rebels PKK for Ankara terror attack: Who are they?

Turkey targeted over 30 sites of the PKK militant group in Iraq and Syria after suspected Kurdish militants set off explosives and opened fire at state-run defence company TUSAS in Ankara

Brics Summit: PM Modi, Iran Prez discuss Chabahar Port, West Asia conflict

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iran's President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian discussed regional connectivity and West Asia conflict. PM Modi also extended a formal invitation to Pezeshkian to visit India

Over dozen people killed in Israeli strikes near Beirut's main hospital

Israeli airstrikes in and around Beirut caused significant damage to the country's largest public hospital and killed more than a dozen people, Lebanese health officials said, as Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel hours before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the region. Lebanon's Health Ministry said that 57 others were wounded in airstrikes late Monday that destroyed several buildings facing the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, located on the outskirts of southern Beirut. The Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah target, without elaborating, and that it had not targeted the hospital itself. The State Department said Blinken would focus on ending the war in Gaza, securing the release of hostages held by Hamas and alleviating the suffering of Palestinian civilians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to annihilate Hamas and recover dozens of hostages held by the group. Hamas says it will only release the captives in .

Israeli military apologises for strike that killed 3 Lebanese soldiers

The Israeli military apologised Monday for a strike that killed three Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon the previous day, saying it is not battling the country's military and its soldiers believed they were targeting a vehicle belonging to the Hezbollah militant group. Last week, Hezbollah said it is entering a new phase in its fight against invading Israeli troops, as the region reckoned with the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a battle with Israeli forces in Gaza. Sinwar was a chief architect of the attack on southern Israel that precipitated the latest escalating conflicts in the Middle East. Israel's allies, war-weary residents of Gaza and others have expressed hope that Sinwar's death would pave the way for an end to the war, but both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas have vowed to keep fighting until they achieve their goals. Netanyahu has pledged to annihilate Hamas and recover dozens of hostages held by the group. Hamas says it will only release the

Antony Blinken to make another push to defuse conflicts in West Asia

Blinken will discuss with regional leaders the importance of ending the war in Gaza, ways to chart a post-conflict plan for the Palestinian enclave

Important to sustain resolve in supporting Ukraine: Biden to Western allies

US President Joe Biden said it's important for Ukraine's Western allies to sustain our resolve in supporting the country as he held meetings Friday with European partners, with the upcoming US presidential election casting a long shadow over his visit to Germany. Biden met Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Ukraine's second-biggest military supplier after the US, and was to be joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for discussions that also were to address the conflict in the Middle East. With the election just weeks away and the race extremely tight, there are worries that a victory by Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, could upset the relationships that Biden is hoping to pass on to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. Trump has an appetite for imposing trade tariffs on key US security partners. He has expressed indifference to the security of Ukraine, refusing to say during a presidential debate if he wants the US al

India's trade with Africa may take a hit if Iran-Israel conflict widens

The commerce department is closely tracking the conflict between Iran and Israel and any development related to the same is under its radar

Hezbollah says it will cause Israel pain but also calls for ceasefire

On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to attack Hezbollah "without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon " including Beirut"

Israel kills at least 21 in airstrike on Christian town in north Lebanon

So far the main focus of Israel's military operations in Lebanon has been in the south, the Bekaa Valley in the east and the suburbs of Beirut

Israeli airstikes kill two Lebanese soldiers, injure two UN peacekeepers

An Israeli airstrike killed two Lebanese soldiers and wounded three other troops on Friday, Lebanon's military said, an incident that entangles the country's official army in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. The Lebanese army said the Israeli airstrike hit a building near a military checkpoint in Kafra, Bint Jbeil province in southern Lebanon. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The attack on the Lebanese army comes just hours after Israeli troops fired on the headquarters of United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, injuring two peacekeepers for the second time in as many days. Lebanon's army has largely stayed on the sidelines of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in hopes of preventing it from spiralling out of control. After Israel troops launched their ground invasion in southern Lebanon, Lebanese troops withdrew some 5 kilometres from their observation posts along the border. But as Isra

We continue to monitor situation closely: MEA on West Asia conflict

India Friday said it was "concerned" at the "deteriorating" security situation in parts of West Asia, amid reports that United Nations peacekeepers have been caught in the intensified fighting in southern Lebanon. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs also said New Delhi continues to monitor the situation closely. "We are concerned at the deteriorating security situation along the Blue Line. We continue to monitor the situation closely," the MEA said. The 120-km Blue Line is a United Nations-recognised demarcation line to indicate that Israel had withdrawn its military from southern Lebanon. It separates Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights, but it is not an official international border. "Inviolability of UN premises must be respected by all, and appropriate measures taken to ensure the safety of UN peacekeepers and the sanctity of their mandate," the MEA said in its statement. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the UN peacekeeping mission in ..

Explosions rock Beirut as Israel strikes Lebanon on Oct 7 anniv; updates

According to the Israeli military, airstrikes were carried out on several Hezbollah intelligence and weapons storage sites within the Lebanese capital

Risk of another US port worker strike looming threat for exporters

In India, the trade union movement is very fragmented and at its weakest since independence. So, the fears of workers disrupting critical activities like port operations are very low

A year of Israel-Hamas war: India's trade with West Asia holds steady

However, trade with Israel, Lebanon, Jordan declines during Jan-July period

West Asia crisis flummoxes airlines, increases Mumbai-Europe flight times

Flights from Delhi or Bengaluru, while they may still fly over Iran, depending on the route, have alternative paths that may take them through Central Asia or northern routes

RBI interest rate decision, West Asia conflict to drive markets: Analysts

The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) interest rate decision, Middle East conflict and trading activity of foreign investors are the key factors that will dictate investors' sentiment in the market this week, analysts said. Moreover, quarterly earnings from IT bellwether TCS, domestic macroeconomic data and movement in global oil benchmark Brent crude would also guide trends in the market. Worsening tensions in the Middle East and foreign fund outflows were the major culprits behind the equity markets sharp fall last week. "On the domestic front, the market's focus will be on the RBI Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which is scheduled to meet from October 7 to 9, 2024, with the outcome to be announced on Wednesday," Pravesh Gour, Senior Technical Analyst, Swastika Investmart Ltd, said. The second quarter earnings season is kicking off with TCS, he said. "Domestically, liquidity remains strong, with signs of sectoral rotation from overvalued segments to areas with more attractive ...

Nobel Prizes will be announced against backdrop of wars, famine, AI

The prize week coincides with the Oct 7 anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, which began a year of bloodshed and war across the West Asia

The mother of all bear markets in equities is dead: Shankar Sharma

We have mastered the art of neutering the 'bear market villains' - speculation, inflation, war, disease - we have dealt with them all, Sharma said