Page 4 - West Asia

PM Modi voices 'deep concern' over conflicts in Ukraine, West Asia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday voiced "deep concern" over the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia, saying India firmly believes that no problem can be solved in the battlefield and it supports dialogue and diplomacy for the early restoration of peace and stability. He made the remarks in a joint press statement after his meeting with Polish counterpart Donald Tusk during which they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties and decided to elevate the bilateral relationship into a Strategic Partnership. "The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia are a matter of deep concern for all of us. India firmly believes that no problem can be solved in the battlefield," Modi said. Modi, who will travel to Ukraine tonight at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that the loss of lives of innocent people in any crisis has become the biggest challenge for the entire humanity. "We support dialogue and diplomacy for the early restoration of peace and stabilit

Hezbollah fires salvo of rockets at northern Israel after deadly strike

A commander in Hezbollah's Radwan force was killed in the IDF's attack on south Lebanon, the military said in a post on X

Brent oil broadly steady at $80 as fears over West Asia conflict ease

Brent crude futures slipped 10 cents, or 0.1 per cent, to $80.59 a barrel by 1057 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 19 cents, or 0.2 per cent, to $78.16 per barrel

US to boost military presence in W Asia; to send fighter jets, keep carrier

The US Defense Department will move a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region, the Pentagon said as President Joe Biden made good on his promise to beef up the American military presence to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies and safeguard US troops. In a statement, the department said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also ordered additional ballistic missile defence-capable cruisers and destroyers to the European and Middle East regions and is taking steps to send more land-based ballistic missile defence weapons there. The shifts come as US leaders worry about escalating violence in the Middle East in response to recent attacks by Israel on Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, which triggered threats of retaliation. Biden in a call Thursday afternoon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed new US military deployments to protect against possible attacks from ballistic missiles and drones, according t

EAM S Jaishankar discusses bilateral ties with Turkey counterpart

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday held a meeting with his Turkiye counterpart Hakan Fidan during which the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and global issues. Jaishankar is in the capital of the Laos People's Democratic Republic to participate in the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The two leaders met on the sidelines of the meetings. "Met with FM @HakanFidan of Turkiye on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Vientiane. Discussed our bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and global issues," Jaishankar posted on X. Jaishankar on Friday met leaders from Russia, the European Union, South Korea, Singapore, Laos, Brunei, and New Zealand and discussed various aspects of bilateral collaboration. "Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister of India Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met on the sidelines of #ASEAN events Vientiane, July 26, 2024 #RussiaIndia #DruzhbaDosti," the Russian ...

Sanctioned Iranian crude oil finds new markets in city of Dalian in China

Analysts estimate China imported 1.2-1.4 million bpd of Iranian crude during the period. Vortexa said the imports hit a record 1.52 million bpd last October

2nd India-Japan consultations on Middle East discuss developments in region

The second India-Japan consultation on the Middle East was held in the national capital on Thursday, and both sides discussed the challenges and political developments happening in the Middle East and West Asia region.The delegation was led by Suresh Kumar, Joint Secretary, West Asia & North Africa (WANA) Division, and the Japanese delegation was led by Ando Toshihide, Director General, Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau."The consultations covered a wide range of topics, including political developments, economic opportunities and challenges in the Middle East/West Asia region," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.Moreover, participants engaged in constructive discussions, sharing their perspectives and insights on the situation in the Middle East, including Gaza.Both sides agreed to remain in touch and continue their consultation on issues concerning the Middle East region.MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X, stating that the discussions were ...

Jordan safe to visit, West's perception a problem: Tourism Minister Queisi

Jordan is facing the brunt of the West's perception of the Middle East being one unit, says Tourism and Antiquities Minister Makram Mustafa A Queisi while stressing that his strong and resilient country is safe to visit notwithstanding the Israel-Hamas conflict. The number of tourists to the country has been steadily declining since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel last year and the subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza. The sector contributes 14.6 per cent to Jordan's gross domestic product (GDP) by generating USD 7.3 billion and employs 55,000 people directly, The dip in the number of tourists is what Queisi hopes to address. "Jordan has always been strong and resilient... It is the problem of perception in the West, especially in Europe and the US -- maybe Canada and Australia as well. They look at the Middle East as one unit, Queisi told PTI. If a bullet is fired in the southern part of the Middle East, the eastern part, the western part and the northern part are affected and

Houthi militants strike, damage Singapore-flagged vessel in Gulf of Aden

A Singapore-flagged vessel was damaged in an attack allegedly by Houthi militants southeast of Yemen on Friday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement. The MPA said it was informed that container vessel the LOBIVIA was hit by "unidentified projectiles" while transiting the Gulf of Aden, resulting in a fire onboard that was subsequently extinguished by the crew. There are no Singaporeans among the crew, Channel News Asia reported, citing the authority and adding that all crew are accounted for and safe. Despite being hit, the vessel was able to set sail and arrived at Somalia's Berbera Port. Damage assessment and repairs, if needed, will be carried out, it said. MPA said it is in contact with the vessel manager to provide any assistance that might be needed. The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has also alerted its security partners in the Gulf of Aden region to provide help, it added. In a televised speech, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea s

Argentina's show of support to Israel, designates Hamas a terrorist group

Argentina designated Hamas a terrorist organisation on Friday and ordered a freeze on the financial assets of the Palestinian group, a largely symbolic move as President Javier Milei seeks to align Argentina strongly with the US and Israel. Announcing the decision, Milei's office cited the militant Palestinian group's cross-border attack on Israel last October 7 that killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage, in the deadliest assault in Israel's 76-year history. The statement also mentioned Hamas' close ties to Iran, which Argentina blames for two deadly militant attacks on Jewish sites in the country. The move comes just days before the 30th anniversary of one of those attacks, the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires. It killed 85 people and wounded hundreds more in the worst such attack in Argentina's modern history. The other attack on the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, in 1992, killed more than 20 people. Argentina's judiciary has accused memb

Palestinians return to rubble in Gaza City after Israeli withdrawal

Palestinians returned to breathtaking scenes of destruction in the Gaza City district of Shijaiyah after Israeli troops withdrew, ending a two-week offensive there. Civil defense workers said Thursday that so far, they had found the bodies of 60 people in the rubble. Families who fled the assault ventured back into Shijaiyah to see the condition of their homes or salvage whatever they could. Nearly every building was flattened to rubble for block after block, leaving giant piles of concrete and twisted rebar. Here and there, grey gutted concrete frames still stood a few stories high. The ever-present buzzing sound of Israeli military drones hung in the hot summer air as people on bicycles or horse-drawn carts made their way over dirt paths where the streets had apparently been bulldozed away. Sharif Abu Shanab found his family's four-story building collapsed. I can't enter it. I can't take anything out of it, not even a can of tuna. We have nothing, no food or drink, he said. Since

Investors from West Asia, Japan eying YES Bank's $5 bn stake sale: Report

The Middle Eastern lender is weighing a bid for as much as a 51% stake in Yes Bank, the people said, asking not to be identified as the deliberations are private

Reformist Pezeshkian wins Iran elections, promises to reach out to west

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran's runoff presidential election Saturday, besting hard-liner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country's mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic. Pezeshkian promised no radical changes to Iran's Shiite theocracy in his campaign and long has held Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the final arbiter of all matters of state in the country. But even Pezeshkian's modest aims will be challenged by an Iranian government still largely held by hard-liners, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, and Western fears over Tehran enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade levels with enough of a stockpile to produce several nuclear weapons if it chose. A vote count offered by authorities put Pezeshkian as the winner with 16.3 million votes to Jalili's 13.5 million in Friday's election. Overall, Iran's Interior Ministry said 30 million people ...

Reformist Pezeshkian wins Iran's presidential runoff election, beats Jalili

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran's runoff presidential election Saturday, besting hard-liner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country's mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic. Pezeshkian promised no radical changes to Iran's Shiite theocracy in his campaign and long has held Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the final arbiter of all matters of state in the country. But even Pezeshkian's modest aims will be challenged by an Iranian government still largely held by hard-liners, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, and Western fears over Tehran enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade levels. A vote count offered by authorities put Pezeshkian as the winner with 16.3 million votes to Jalili's 13.5 million in Friday's election.

Meta to end ban on the word 'shaheed' on oversight board's recommendations

The company has been criticized for years over its handling of content involving the West Asia

Rs 35,000 crore Saudi Aramco order biggest ever, say L&T executives

Firm clarifies it is part of existing order book, not new

Paramilitary forces attack a city under military control in central Sudan

Fighting continued to rage between Sudan's military and a notorious paramilitary group in a city in a central province, officials said Sunday, opening yet another front in a fourteen-month war that has pushed the African country to the brink of famine. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began its offensive on the Sennar province earlier this week, attacking the village of Jebal Moya before moving to the city of Singa, the provincial capital, authorities said, where fresh battles have erupted. On Saturday, the group claimed in a statement it had seized the military's main facility, the 17th Infantry Division Headquarters in Singa. Local media also reported the RSF managed to breach the military's defense. However, Brig. Nabil Abdalla, a spokesperson for the Sudanese armed forces, said the military regained control of the facility, and that fighting was still underway Sunday morning. Neither claim could be independently verified. According to the U.N.'s International Organization

Iran goes to runoff polls between reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili

Iran will hold a runoff presidential election to replace the late hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, an official said Saturday, after an initial vote saw the top candidates not secure an outright win. The election this coming Friday will pit reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian against the hard-line former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. Mohsen Eslami, an election spokesman, announced the result in a news conference carried by Iranian state television. He said of 24.5 million votes cast, Pezeshkian got 10.4 million while Jalili received 9.4 million. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf got 3.3 million. Shiite cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi had over 206,000 votes. Raisi, a 63-year-old protege of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died in a helicopter crash in May.

Iran's presidential race: Candidates debate foreign policy ahead of vote

Iran's presidential candidates discussed the country's foreign policy Monday in a three-hour live debate, promising to seek better relations with other nations and work to have sanctions on their country lifted. The televised debate was the fourth in a series of five ahead of Friday's election, which follows a helicopter crash last month that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others. The final debate will be Tuesday. All the candidates pledged to try to have Western sanctions on Iran lifted, but they expressed different attitudes about the issue. "We will definitely negotiate and reach an agreement to revive a nuclear deal with world powers that President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of in 2018, said Mohamad Bagher Qalibaf, the hardline pragmatic parliament speaker, who is seen as a prominent candidate. However, he said that under his presidency Iran would choose a gradual policy, taking step in return to step that the other side would take in lifting ...

Hamas' key weapons operative Muhammad Salah killed in Israeli airstrike

The operation by Israeli Air Force came following IDF intelligence. Salah was part of a project to develop strategic weaponry for the Hamas terrorist organisation