Page 4 - Middle East

CBSE postpones Class 12 board exams in West Asia amid Iran-Israel war

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Saturday postponed the Class 12 board exams scheduled on March 9, 10 and 11 in the Middle East region amid the Iran-Israel conflict, officials said. "Due to the current situation in parts of the Middle East--Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE, the board has decided to postpone 12 exams on March 9, 10 and 11," said CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj. The new dates will be announced later, and for further exams, the situation will be reviewed on March 10, Bhardwaj added. Previously, the board had postponed the exam scheduled on March 2, March 5 and March 7 in the region. The board has cancelled Class 10 exams till March 11 and said mode of declaration of results will be announced separately. The US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting

West Asia conflict puts $11.8 bn of India's agri exports at risk: GTRI

India's agri and food products exports worth USD 11.8 billion to West Asia are at risk as the conflict in the region is disrupting shipping routes, raising insurance costs and creating uncertainty in logistics, think tank GTRI said on Saturday. In 2025, India exported about USD 11.8 billion of agricultural and food products such as cereals, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and spices to West Asia, accounting for 21.8 per cent of India's total exports in this sector. "The Gulf region's geographic proximity and large expatriate Indian population have historically made it a natural market for India's food exports. "However, the conflict in the region is disrupting shipping routes, raising insurance costs and creating uncertainty in logistics," the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said. India exported USD 7.48 billion of cereals, fruits, vegetables and spices to West Asia in 2025, with the region accounting for 29.2 per cent of India's global exports in this category. Key ..

West Asia crisis: Govt asks ports to consider waiving charges, issues SoP

Union Shipping, Ports and Waterways Ministry has proposed that ports may consider requests regarding reduction, waiver or remission of charges, including change of vessel charge, and also rolled out a standard operating procedure (SoP) for them to deal with issues arising from the West Asia crisis. As part of the SoP that followed extensive consultations with all stakeholders on Friday, each port will appoint a nodal officer at the level of head of department or deputy head of department, who will be the single point of contact for addressing the issues coming up for consideration at ports. The nodal officer will be responsible for taking up the matter with the competent authority and ensure that the action is taken within 24-72 hours. Also, as per the SoP, port chairpersons should have periodical meetings with stakeholders such as shipping lines, exporters, terminal operators, customs, among others to closely monitor the situation and ascertain and address legitimate concerns. The

Govt grants exporters relief on export obligations amid West Asia crisis

The government has granted certain relaxations to exporters in fulfilling their export obligations, as the trading community is facing difficulties in the movement of goods due to the ongoing West Asia crisis, according to a notification. "In view of the prevailing geo-political developments affecting international shipping routes and global supply chains, and with a view to facilitating exporters, the export obligation (EO) period/block wise EO period in respect of specified advance authorisations and EPCG authorisations expiring between March 1, 2026 and May 31, 2026 has been automatically extended up to August 31, 2026 without payment of composition fee," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a public notice. Under Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme, domestic firms are allowed to import duty-free machines but they have to meet certain export obligations against that. This relaxation is in addition to the existing facility already available under ..

Shipper MSC to impose emergency fuel surcharge on cargo from March 16

It said the surcharge would be $30 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) from the Mediterranean and Black Sea to the Red Sea for dry containers, and $50 per TEU for refrigerated containers

Additional war-risk insurance lifts Gulf airfares three to four times

Airfares between India and the West Asia have jumped three to four times as airlines face steep war-risk insurance premiums, higher ATF prices and severe operational disruptions

Markets snap 3-day losing streak, rebound over 1% despite West Asia crisis

Benchmark indices bounced back after three sessions of steep losses, but analysts caution the recovery may remain fragile as escalating Middle East tensions continue to cloud global sentiment

Iran war threatens Asia fertiliser supplies ahead of planting season

West Asia conflict disrupts fertiliser production and shipping via the Strait of Hormuz, threatening supplies to major Asian importers including India and China ahead of the planting season

India seeking US marine cover for West Asia energy cargoes: Report

India, the world's third biggest oil importer, relies on the Middle East for about 40 per cent of its oil imports and about 85-90 per cent of LPG imports

Iran's attacks across Gulf show regional chaos central to its strategy

For years, Iran's theocratic government warned it would blanket the Middle East with missile and drone fire if it felt its existence was threatened. Now, the Islamic Republic is doing just that. Since the US and Israel launched the war Saturday and killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran has unleashed thousands of drones and ballistic missiles targeting Israel, American military bases and embassies in the region, and energy facilities across the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, there's been Iranian missile fire on Turkey and drones targeting territory of Azerbaijan. Iran's basic strategy is to instill fear about the dangers of a widening war in hopes that allies of the US will apply enough pressure to halt their campaign. A protracted conflict, along with American and Israeli casualties, could also work in Iran's favour. Trouble is, the barrage-thy-neighbours strategy also could backfire. A bid to wear down regional defences and instill ...

PM Modi calls for swift end to West Asia, Ukraine conflicts

PM Modi invoked the historic trade deal signed with the European Union in January and said that at a period on instability India and Europe were entering a golden period of their relationship

Maersk suspends cargo bookings for UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia amid war

The Jeddah and King Abdullah ports in Saudi Arabia and the Salalah port in Oman remained operational while the shipping group also still accepting cargo to and from Jordan and Lebanon

China to send envoy to West Asia for mediation: Foreign ‌Minister Wang Yi

Wang Yi tells Saudi and UAE counterparts China will send special envoy as conflict escalates; urges protection of civilians, energy assets and shipping lanes

US-Iran war hit markets; Morgan Stanley sees Sensex at 107k: Here's why

According to Morgan Stanley, India's trailing 12-month performance has been among the weakest historically, even as valuations approach previous troughs

L&T, KEC, Apar: How West Asia conflict could hit these capital goods firms?

PL Capital reckons India's West Asia-exposed companies may face near-term headwinds such as execution disruptions, logistics challenges, slower tender finalisations adn deferment of new orders

An emboldened Israel is seizing opportunities to remake region

Now, Israel and the United States own the skies over Iran and are steadily blowing up its ballistic missile infrastructure and arsenal

Defence stocks outperform in weak market; BEL, Astra rally 5%; here's why

At 09:22 AM on Monday, the Nifty Defence index rose 1.1 per cent, as compared to 1 per cent decline in the Nifty 50 amid rising US-Iran tensions.

Govt has set up inter-ministerial group to monitor West Asia crisis: Goyal

The government has set up an inter-ministerial group, which is meeting daily to closely monitor developments in West Asia, Commerce minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday. Exporters have expressed apprehensions that escalating tensions in the West Asian region due to joint attacks by the US and Israel on Iran may impact India's trade. "We have set up an inter-ministerial group that meets on a daily basis and is closely monitoring the developments in West Asia to assess any vulnerabilities -- in our shipping, logistics, export or even critical imports, and we will coordinate with inter-ministerial actions," Goyal said while addressing a post-Budget webinar. During the first meeting of the group on Tuesday, he said, different ministries have suggested certain things. "We shall work on those and continue to look for your valued suggestions in the Ministry of Commerce so that we can ensure the minimal impact of the West Asia crisis," he added.

West Asia crisis: PM Modi speaks to Sultan of Oman, Crown Prince of Kuwait

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman and Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, and expressed concern over attacks on their countries during the ongoing conflict in West Asia, officials said. In his telephonic conversations, Modi also discussed with the two leaders the welfare and security of the Indian community residing there. "The prime minister spoke to two important leaders from the Gulf region on Tuesday afternoon. He had a phone call with the Sultan of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, and also had a conversation with the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah," an official said. During his talks with the two leaders, Modi expressed concern over the attacks in their respective countries and discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing there. The phone calls took place in the wake of a coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the ..

Qatar declares force majeure, gas supplies to Indian industry cut

Qatar, India's largest supplier of imported natural gas, has declared force majeure on deliveries following a halt in production in the wake of an Iranian drone strike -- a disruption that has led to a cut in supplies to Indian industry by up to 40 per cent, sources said. Qatar supplies about 40 per cent of the nearly 27 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) that India imports annually to meet demand across sectors ranging from power generation and fertiliser production to CNG distribution and piped cooking gas networks. Gas importer Petronet LNG Ltd has informed gas marketers of Qatar halting its liquefied natural gas production after Iran continued to strike Gulf countries in retaliation for Israeli and US strikes against it, they said. The attacks have also effectively brought oil and LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to a near halt, driving up global energy prices as well as sharply raising war-risk insurance and shipping costs. Iran controls the Strait -- a vi