Page 17 - Middle East

US is more hands-off than usual in West Asia with fear of worsening things

The Biden administration is taking a more hands-off approach than usual during a week of dramatic escalation between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, with top US officials holding back from full-on crisis diplomacy for fear of making matters worse. The public restraint follows explosions of the militant group's pagers and walkie-talkies and an Israeli airstrike targeting a senior Hezbollah operative in Beirut, which threaten to spur all-out war between Israel and its enemies in the Middle East and doom already faltering negotiations for a cease-fire in the Hamas conflict in Gaza. The escalation came even as two Biden administration officials stopped in the region this week to appeal for calm. It heightens the impression that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government is paying ever less attention to the mediation efforts of its key ally, despite depending on the US for weapons and military support. The United States looks like a deer in the headlight

Gold breaks $2,600 barrier as Fed rate cut bets prolong historic run

Prices of gold have climbed 26 per cent in 2024, its biggest annual rise since 2010, as investors also sought to hedge uncertainties spurred by prolonged conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere

US warplanes, ships and troops ready in Middle East if conflict expand

The US has kept an increased military presence in the Middle East throughout much of the past year, with about 40,000 forces, at least a dozen warships and four Air Force fighter jet squadrons spread across the region both to protect allies and to serve as a deterrent against attacks, several US officials said. As attacks between Israel and Hezbollah sharply spiked this week, worries are growing that the conflict could escalate into an all-out war, even as Tel Aviv keeps up its nearly yearlong fight against Hamas militants in Gaza. Hezbollah says Israel crossed a red line with explosive attacks on its communications devices and vowed to keep up the missile strikes it's launched since fellow Iranian-backed militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7 last year, setting off the war in Gaza. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant who has spoken repeatedly this week to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has declared the start of a new phase of the war, shifting its focus to the norther

Opportunities emerging for India's gems & jewellery in Middle East: GJEPC

The Middle East sees emerging opportunities for Indian jewellery exporters with countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait showing rising demand for studded gold jewellery, according to the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). The recent data has revealed a positive trend showcasing substantial growth in regions beyond the traditional strongholds for India's gems and jewellery, like the US and China, GJEPC has claimed. In a statement released here on Tuesday, GJEPC said there are emerging opportunities in the Middle East, with countries like Saudi Arabia (+26.05 per cent) and Kuwait (+87.99 per cent) showing a rising demand for studded gold jewellery. "Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Malaysia, in particular, have witnessed increasing exports due to the growing number of buyers from these countries attending the three India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) events -- Premiere, Signature and Tritiya -- in recent times. "The product profile of Indian jewellery is ...

8 including Hezbollah members killed in pager explosions in Lebanon, Syria

Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, including members of the militant group Hezbollah and a girl, and wounding the Iranian ambassador, government officials said. Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack that wounded more than 2,700 people at a time of rising tensions across the Lebanon border. The Israeli military declined to comment. A Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that the new brand of handheld pagers used by the group first heated up, then exploded, killing at least two of its members and wounding others. Lebanon's health minister, Firas Abiad, said at least eight people were killed and 2,750 wounded 200 of them critically. Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said that the country's ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, was superficially wounded by an exploding pager and was being treated

Four agreements signed between Indian, UAE entities in energy sector

India and the United Arab Emirates on Monday inked four agreements to expand energy cooperation as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, focusing on boosting overall strategic ties. An Agreement for long-term LNG supply between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and another between ADNOC and India Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) are among the four pacts. Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) also inked an MoU for the operation and maintenance of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The fourth pact is a production concession agreement for Abu Dhabi onshore block-one between Urja Bharat and ADNOC. A separate pact was inked between the Gujarat government and Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company PJSC on setting up food parks in India. MEA spokesperson .

EAM Jaishankar, Qatar PM Al Thani discuss advancing bilateral relations

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Saudi Arabia on Monday. The two leaders discussed taking forward bilateral ties.Sharing details regarding his meeting with Qatar PM, Jaishankar stated, "Began the day with a good meeting with PM & FM of Qatar @MBA_AlThani_. Discussed taking India-Qatar bilateral ties forward. Appreciated his insights and assessments on regional developments."The two leaders had earlier held a meeting in Doha in June. The two leaders had held talks on strengthening bilateral ties across various sectors and addressing key regional challenges.Jaishankar conveyed warm greetings and wishes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Qatar Amir Amir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Qatar PM.He underscored the robust nature of the India-Qatar relationship, emphasising cooperation in political, trade, investment, energy, technology, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.Notably, S Jaishankar ..

Middle-east on edge after Israel's bombing of Lebanon to thwart attack

Israel's assault on Sunday morning was based, Israeli officials said, on intelligence that Hezbollah was about to fire thousands of missiles at northern Israel and drones at key intelligence center

Pak seeks $4 bn loan from West Asian banks to meet financial obligations

Cash-strapped Pakistan is in talks with banks in the Middle East to borrow approximately USD 4 billion to meet its external financial commitments for the current fiscal year, as part of the USD 7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) currently pending for IMF's approval. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and his team had a virtual meeting with Dr Adnan Chilwan, Group CEO of Dubai Islamic Bank, on Thursday, the Dawn newspaper reported on Friday. On Wednesday, a similar interaction was held with Mashreq Bank President and Group CEO Ahmed Abdelaal. Both meetings had been arranged to discuss the economic outlook and explore investment opportunities in Pakistan. For the current fiscal year, Pakistan has pitched about USD 20 billion in foreign borrowing in the budget, besides another USD 3 billion rollover from the UAE that was reported separately for the balance of payments. With this much borrowing, Pakistan's reserves are estimated to grow to about USD 19-20 billion by the end of the

Airlines fly over Afghanistan as Middle East becomes greater risk

The carriers mostly stopped transiting Afghanistan, which lies on major routes between Asia and Europe

International airlines suspend flights amid rising Middle East tensions

Concerns over a wider conflict in the Middle East have prompted international airlines to suspend flights

Blinken ends Mideast visit without cease-fire, warning 'time is of essence'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his ninth visit to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began without securing a cease-fire deal, warning on Tuesday that time is of the essence even as Hamas and Israel signalled that challenges remain. After meetings in fellow mediating countries Egypt and Qatar, Blinken said that because Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge gaps with the militant group, the focus turns to doing everything possible to get Hamas on board and ensure both sides agree to key details on implementation. Our message is simple. It's clear and it's urgent," he told reporters before leaving Qatar. "We need to get a cease-fire and hostage agreement over the finish line, and we need to do it now. Time is of the essence. There has been added urgency to reach a deal after the recent targeted killings of militant leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah in Iran and Lebanon, both attributed to Israel, and vows of retaliation that have sparked fears of a wider regional war. F

Diplomacy intensifies to halt Israel-Hamas war, prevent rise in conflict

International diplomacy to prevent the war in Gaza from spreading into a wider regional conflict intensified Friday, with the British and French foreign ministers making a joint trip to Israel while internationally mediated cease-fire talks in Qatar were expected to enter their second day. The new push for an end to the Israel-Hamas war came as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza climbed past 40,000, according to Gaza health authorities, and fears remained high that Iran and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon would attack Israel in retaliation for the killings of top militant leaders. This is a dangerous moment for the Middle East, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. The risk of the situation spiraling out of control is rising. Any Iranian attack would have devastating consequences for the region. Lammy and French Foreign Minister Stphane Sjourn were expected hold a joint meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. It's never too

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

'Grim forecast for next 5 years': S Jaishankar on current global challenges

EAM S Jaishankar acknowledged that, despite his generally optimistic outlook, the world is currently facing an exceptionally challenging period

US beefs up naval, air forces in West Asia ahead of Gaza truce talks

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group, equipped with F-35C fighters, to speed up its arrival in the region

Lloyd Austin orders submarine to Mideast, tells aircraft carrier to hasten

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and is telling the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area, the Defense Department said Sunday. The moves come as the US and other allies push for Israel and Hamas to achieve a cease-fire agreement that could help calm soaring tensions in the region following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut. Officials have been on the lookout for retaliatory strikes by both Iran and Hezbollah for the killings, and the US has been beefing up its presence in the region. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement that Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant earlier in the day, and reiterated America's commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of US military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle .

Air India suspends Tel Aviv flights till further notice as tension soars

Air India on Friday announced suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv till further notice amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. The Tata Group-owned carrier had suspended services from the national capital to Tel Aviv till August 8. "In view of the current situation in parts of the Middle East, scheduled operation of our flights to and from Tel Aviv are suspended with immediate effect until further notice. We are continuously monitoring the situation," the airline said in a post on X. The carrier is offering a full refund to its passengers with confirmed bookings for travel to and from Tel Aviv. Tensions continue to remain high in the Middle East amid conflict between Israel and various terror groups, including Hamas. Earlier this year also, Air India had briefly suspended flights to Tel Aviv at different points of time due to the Middle East tensions. After nearly five months, the carrier had recommenced the services to the Israeli city on March 3. Air India had

Bangladesh, Israel, Russia, & more: Avoid visiting these countries for now

Recent student-led protests in Bangladesh against government hiring rules have escalated into widespread violence, resulting in over 260 deaths

US General arrives in Middle East as Iran prepares for attack on Israel

Three US and Israeli officials said that they expect Iran to launch an attack on Israel as early as Monday