Page 2 - West Asia

JK Foods' Fun Flips enters UAE market, partners with Lulu International

JK Foods' snack brand Fun Flips has entered the UAE market, in partnership with Lulu International group, one of the largest retail chains in the Middle East. Through Lulu's retail network, Fun Flips has already achieved strong initial penetration in the UAE and is now gearing up to expand in other GCC markets such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain, according to a joint statement. It has a 'long-term vision' of establishing a strong presence across the entire Gulf region, it added. Commenting on the development, Lulu Group International Chairman and Managing Director Yusuff Ali M A said: "With our wide customer base and retail presence, we believe Fun Flips will gain significant traction in the Gulf market." Chaitanya Singhania, CEO, JK Foods, said: "Lulu's unparalleled retail network and deep understanding of the consumer landscape make them an ideal partner for this journey.

Undersea cable cuts in Red Sea disrupt internet across Asia, West Asia

Undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea disrupted internet access Sunday in parts of Asia including India, and West East, experts said, though it wasn't immediately clear what caused the incident. There has been concern about the cables being targeted in a Red Sea campaign by Yemen's Houthi rebels, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But the Houthis have denied attacking the lines in the past. NetBlocks, which monitors internet access, said a series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea has degraded internet connectivity in multiple countries, which it said included India and Pakistan. It blamed failures affecting the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 cable is run by Tata Communications, part of the Indian conglomerate. The India-Middle East-Western Europe cable is run by another consortium overseen by Alcatel-Lucent. Both firms did not immediately ...

Israel launches satellite to expand surveillance across West Asia

Israel has launched a new spy satellite that defence officials described as a strategic cornerstone, saying it will strengthen their surveillance capacity across the Middle East in the years ahead. Military officials and Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that the satellite, launched on late Tuesday, will enhance Israel's ability to collect images like the 12,000 gathered over Iran during a 12-day war earlier this year. This is also a message to all our enemies, wherever they may be - we are keeping an eye on you at all times and in all situations, Katz said in a post on X. In addition to monitoring Iran, Israel gains reconnaissance capabilities in other parts of the Middle East as it conducts what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a seven-front war, with Israeli forces striking targets in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq throughout the 23 months of war in Gaza. Maj. Gen. Amir Baram said the satellite, called Ofek 19, was part of a broader effort "to maintain .

Landslide in Sudan's Darfur wipes out village, killing more than 1,000

A landslide wiped out a village in Sudan's western region of Darfur, killing an estimated 1,000 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in the African country's recent history, a rebel group controlling the area said late Monday. The tragedy happened Sunday in the village of Tarasin in Central Darfur's Marrah Mountains after days of heavy rainfall in late August, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army said in a statement. Initial information indicates the death of all village residents, estimated to be more than one thousand people. Only one person survived, the statement read. The village was completely levelled to the ground, the group said, appealing to the UN and international aid groups for help to recover the bodies. Footage shared by the Marrah Mountains news outlet showed a flattened area between mountain ranges with a group of people searching the area. The tragedy came as a devastating civil war has engulfed Sudan after tensions between the country's military and th

Israel set to expand settlements into West Bank to 'bury' Palestinian state

The West Bank-based administration of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the announcement

Govt targets 50 countries including West Asia, Africa to boost exports

The government is working on measures to boost India's exports, including targeting 50 countries in regions such as the Middle East and Africa, amid the heavy tariffs imposed by the US on Indian goods, an official said on Monday. These 50 countries account for about 90 per cent of India's exports. The official said that the commerce ministry is working on four pillars including export diversification, import substitution, and export competitiveness "Detailed analysis is underway on these pillars. The ministry is working product by product," the official said. The commerce ministry was already focusing on 20 countries and now 30 more have now been included in the strategy. India's exports remained flat at USD 35.14 billion in June due to global economic uncertainties, while the trade deficit narrowed to a four-month low of USD 18.78 billion during the month. During April-June 2025-26, exports increased 1.92 per cent to USD 112.17 billion, while imports rose 4.24 per cent to USD 17

Israeli PM Netanyahu defends planned military offensive in Gaza

Netanyahu said he has directed Israel's military in recent days to "bring in more foreign journalists" - which would be a striking development

Reliance likely to switch back to West Asia oil if Russian supply dries up

India's biggest buyer, Reliance, operates the world's largest refining complex at Jamnagar in Gujarat where it can process about 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd)

Israel begins pause in fighting in 3 Gaza areas as hunger concerns mount

The military said it would begin a daily "tactical pause" in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas of the territory with large populations

No meals, fainting medical staff: Gaza hospitals haunted by starvation

After months of warnings, international agencies, experts and doctors say starvation is now sweeping across Gaza amid restrictions on aid imposed by Israel for months

Wealthy investors bet on Dubai, Abu Dhabi despite regional risks

The cities, both part of the United Arab Emirates, have become irresistible for the world's richest people

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff to visit West Asia in push for ceasefire in Gaza

President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, was heading to the Middle East as the U.S. tries once again to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, a breakthrough that has eluded the administration for months as conditions worsen in Gaza. Tammy Bruce, the State Department spokesperson, told reporters Tuesday that Witkoff was going to the region with a strong hope that the U.S. can deliver a ceasefire deal as well as a new humanitarian corridor for aid distribution. I would suggest that we might have some good news, but, again, as we know, this could be a constantly changing dynamic, Bruce said. Bruce didn't have other details about where Witkoff would be going or what he had planned. It comes as Gaza saw its deadliest day yet for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war, with at least 85 Palestinians killed while trying to reach food Sunday. The Israeli army has said it fired warning shots, but says the reported death toll was greatly inflated. The United Nations' fo

Wizz Air exits Abu Dhabi amid instability and lack of market access

Wizz CEO József Váradi said returning to Wizz's "bread and butter" of central and eastern Europe, where it competes with Europe's biggest airline Ryanair, would boost profits

At least 30 killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza Strip, say officials

Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 30 people on Sunday, including six children at a water collection point, local health officials said, despite attempts by mediators to bring about a ceasefire. Israel and Hamas appeared no closer to a breakthrough in talks meant to pause the 21-month war and free some Israeli hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington last week to discuss the deal with the Trump administration, but a new sticking point has emerged over the deployment of Israeli troops during the truce, raising questions over the feasibility of a new deal. Israel says it will only end the war once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something it refuses to do. Hamas says it is willing to free all the remaining 50 hostages, less than half said to be alive, in exchange for an end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces. Gaza's Health Ministry said Sunday that more than 58,000 people have been killed in the war. The ...

India aims to import about 10% of its LPG from US starting 2026: Report

India had rarely bought U.S. LPG in the past due to higher freight costs, but state retailers began buying U.S. LPG in May after China imposed retaliatory import tariffs on U.S. propane

Yemen's Houthis claim first ship sinking this year in Red Sea attack

The ship's Greek operator Stem Shipping told Reuters it had no independent verification. Reuters could also not immediately verify whether the ship had sunk

Executions in Saudi Arabia hit record high mostly over drug cases: Amnesty

Executions in Saudi Arabia surged last year to a record high, Amnesty International said Monday, as activists increasingly warn about the kingdom's use of the death penalty in nonviolent drug cases. Saudi Arabia executed 345 people last year, the highest number ever recorded by Amnesty in over three decades of reporting. In the first six months of this year alone, 180 people have been put to death, the group said, signalling that record likely will again be broken. This year, about two-thirds of those executed were convicted on non-lethal drug charges, the activist group Reprieve said separately. Amnesty also has raised similar concerns about executions in drug cases. Saudi Arabia has not offered any comment on why it increasingly employs the death penalty in the kingdom. Saudi officials did not respond to detailed questions from The Associated Press about the executions and why it is using the death penalty for nonviolent drug cases. However, it conflicts with comments from Crown

Ship attacked in Red Sea near Yemen amid ongoing regional tensions

A ship came under attack Sunday in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen by armed men firing guns and launching rocket-propelled grenades, a group overseen by the British military said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes as tensions remain high in the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war and after the Iran-Israel war and airstrikes by the United States targeting Iranian nuclear sites. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said that an armed security team on the ship had returned fire and that the situation is ongoing. Authorities are investigating, it said. Yemen's Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group's leadership has described as an effort to end Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killi

Russia won't back down from Ukraine war objectives: Putin tells Trump

Putin says Russia remains committed to its Ukraine war aims in phone call with Trump but is open to talks; US pause in military aid shocks Kyiv and Western allies

US' approach to Pak terror raises questions on Quad's effectiveness

The fact that a Quad foreign ministers' meeting was held a day after Mr Trump was sworn in for a second term and talks began for a New Delhi summit later this year is seen as a sign of hope