Page 19 - West Asia

Pak set to host summit with Saudi, Egypt, Turkey to discuss West Asia war

Pakistan is set to host a quadrilateral summit of foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye on Sunday, to discuss the ongoing conflict in West Asia and efforts to negotiate peace, the Foreign Office said. According to the Foreign Office (FO), the foreign ministers of Egypt and Turkiye have already reached Islamabad while their Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud was scheduled to arrive on Sunday. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Islamabad on Saturday at the invitation of Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, the FO said. During the visit, the leaders will hold consultations on regional developments and also call on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the FO added. In a press statement on Saturday, the FO said the visiting foreign ministers will hold "in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region". Separately, the FO

Trump's war with Iran may be ushering in a new nuclear age for the world

China and Russia, both longstanding members of the exclusive club of nuclear-armed nations, have raised alarm about the risk of weapons proliferation in Japan and South Korea

West Asia war: PM Modi urges citizens not to be misled by misinformation

In Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi called on citizens to stay united and rely on official information amid ongoing West Asia conflict and energy crisis

IDF launches 'wide-scale' strikes on Iranian military infrastructure

In a post on X, the IDF said the operation targeted multiple sites linked to the "Iranian terror regime", including dozens of weapons storage and production facilities

Russia took images of US bases in Gulf before Iranian attack: Zelenskyy

According to Zelenskyy, Russian satellites imaged the base on March 24 and 25, suggesting they were preparing for the attack

Bihar forms crisis management group amid ongoing West Asia conflict

In view of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the Bihar government constituted a crisis management group to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential goods and services, safeguard the interests of migrant workers and coordinate response measures to any potential fallout. According to a statement issued by the state's Disaster Management Department, the group will be headed by Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit. The group comprises senior officials from key departments, including the development commissioner, the additional chief secretary (Home), and the DGP. The statement said the Food and Consumer Protection Department has been designated as the nodal department for the group. The crisis management group will be responsible for ensuring the availability of essential commodities, monitoring supply chains, protecting the interests of migrant workers, and formulating coordinated strategies to address any emerging emergencies. The first meeting of the group is scheduled on March 30 at th

'Gujarat educational campus uses biogas to cook meals, cuts LPG dependence'

An educational institution in Gujarat has been preparing more than 500 meals daily using biogas, eliminating the need for LPG cylinders, under the state's Institutional Biogas Plant Scheme, officials said. The institution has become self-reliant in cooking gas, amid its supply concerns due to the ongoing West Asia conflict. At Shrimati Manekba Vinay Vihar Educational Complex in Gandhinagar, food is cooked twice every day for around 250 students, while about 15 families on the campus also use the fuel for cooking, a government release said on Saturday. The campus operates two biogas plants of 45 cubic metres each, with a total capacity of 90 cubic metres per day, it added. Without the plants, the institute would need nearly 30 LPG cylinders per month, but currently requires none, officials said. Supported by the government scheme, the institution has become self-reliant in cooking gas, its manager, Rahul Patel, said. With nearly 220 cows, it has sufficient dung for biogas producti

Air raid sirens activated across Kuwait, Bahrain amid missile threats

In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry urged citizens to take shelter and "remain calm" after warning sirens were sounded across affected areas

Street stalls in Delhi show cost of India's energy crunch amid Iran war

War-driven fuel shock hits fast in India as urban poor struggle with LPG costs, forcing labourers in tenements to rely on black market cylinders and making home cooking increasingly unaffordable

Explosions rock Iraq's Irbil as attacks target US consulate, bases

Interceptions and drone activity were heard for hours overnight Saturday across Irbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, including drones shot down while attempting to target the US consulate and nearby bases. AP journalists in the area reported non-stop loud explosions and saw at least one drone headed toward American facilities, in one of the most intense days of attacks since the war began. Iran-aligned militias in Iraq have stepped up repeated drone and missile attacks on US bases, including in Irbil. In a statement on Saturday, the US condemned what it called "despicable terrorist attacks" by Iran's militant groups, saying the strikes on Kurdish regional President Nechirvan Barzani's residence in Irbil earlier that day were "a direct assault on Iraq's sovereignty, stability and unity." The attack caused material damage but no casualties, and the residence was empty at the time.

Yemen's Houthis carry out 'second military operation' against Israel

This comes moments after the Iranian-backed group in Yemen officially joined the conflict in the region, earlier on Saturday

India's fuel supply remains robust despite West Asia crisis: Suresh Gopi

Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi on Saturday said that the country's fuel supply chains are "robust and operational" despite the situation in West Asia. Gopi, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism, said, in a Facebook post that the recent panic buying seen in some regions were fueled by "false narratives" and "unnecessary alarm". "Chaired a high-level review meeting with representatives from IOCL, BPCL, and HPCL at Thrissur to address the recent narratives regarding fuel shortages. Despite global challenges and the situation in West Asia, our supply chains are robust and operational." "The panic buying we've seen in some regions are being fueled by false narratives and unnecessary alarm," he said in his post. He urged everyone not to fall prey to social media misinformation. "Stay Calm. Stay Informed. Trust only verified sources," he said.

West Asia crisis hits LPG supply across parts of Jubilant's network

Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd on Saturday said supply of LPG cylinders to certain parts of its store network has been constrained due to the geopolitical situation in West Asia. The company, which operates fast-food chains, including Domino's Pizza and Dunkin' Donuts, said it is taking several steps to conserve LPG and working overtime to move to alternate energy sources like electricity and piped natural gas (PNG). "...we wish to inform that due to the ongoing geopolitical situation in the Middle East, there are supply constraints on the distribution of commercial LPG across the country," Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd (JFL) said in a regulatory filing. Consequently, JFL said, "The supply of LPG cylinders to certain parts of the company's store network has been constrained." Operational impact at this stage is limited and being actively managed, it added. The company further said it is "taking several steps to conserve LPG and working overtime to move to alternate energy sources like electricity

Rajnath Singh to chair first informal GoM meet on West Asia crisis

The meeting comes amid multiple meetings held by the Centre on the ongoing conflict and assuring people that there is no shortage of fuel

Maersk halts operations at Oman's Salalah port due to security incident

All Maersk crew were safe and accounted for, and no company cargo or vessels were affected, the shipping giant said in a statement

Navel-gazing, in national interest: India balances both sides in war

It's easy to understand why the government can't speak the hard truth. When this war ends, as all wars do, India's interests will lie with both the winner and the loser

CBSE introduces alternative evaluation for Class XII amid West Asia crisis

CBSE will use internal assessment, practical marks and school records to evaluate Class XII students in West Asia after board exams were disrupted by the conflict

FM Nirmala Sitharaman scotches rumours of lockdown like Pakistan

"...The government is taking burden, making sure oil marketing companies (OMCs) will ensure buying more and doing supply, and keeping the supply uninterrupted," she said

Seven secretary panels to appraise iGoM on measures amid West Asia crisis

The first meeting of the iGoM, which also comprises Union ministers Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman and Hardeep Singh Puri as other members, might be held on Saturday, sources said

Marco Rubio says US can achieve Iran objectives without ground troops

Rubio said recent deployments of thousands more troops to the region were intended to give Trump options to respond to contingencies in the conflict, but declined to go into operational details