TransUnion Cibil CEO Bhavesh Jain highlights the improved retail portfolio quality in January but stresses the need for lenders to continuously engage with borrowers on credit usage and repayment, similar to the approach taken during the Covid-19 pandemic, as the impact of the Iran war on credit quality is still being assessed.
A senior Iranian legislator has suggested that Tehran could further escalate pressure on its adversaries by targeting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, raising concerns about global supply chain vulnerabilities.
The Israeli strikes in recent weeks have affected more than one million Gazans, forcing them to vacate the area and move towards southern Gaza.
Iran has reiterated that key preconditions must be met before negotiations with the United States can begin to resolve the conflict in West Asia, including a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of blocked Iranian assets.
Israel will continue its offensive in South Lebanon aimed at neutralising the threat from Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.
The Trump administration maintains the US is 'not at war' with Iran, despite military engagement reaching a critical legal threshold under the War Powers Resolution, potentially leading to a confrontation with Congress.
Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Iran, threatening massive retaliation if it attacks Qatar again, following reports of an Israeli strike on Iran's South Pars gas field and an attack on Qatar's LNG facilities.
'In such a scenario, Iran could proclaim itself victor, rebuild, re-enforce its diminished regional proxies to further destabilise neighbouring nations and take control of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.'
The ministry of external affairs on Monday said that a joint statement could not be issued following the BRICS deputy foreign ministers and special envoys on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) meeting, which took place on April 24 in the national capital, as member countries were unable to reach a general consensus concerning the conflict in West Asia.
Despite a ceasefire extension, Iran has rejected the United States' conditions for negotiations, creating uncertainty in ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Iran's Foreign Ministry has denied reports of planned talks with the United States during a visit to Islamabad, Pakistan, despite US envoys also visiting the region.
India has welcomed the ceasefire between the US and Iran, advocating for de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy to secure lasting peace in West Asia.
In a significant diplomatic manoeuvre aimed at de-escalating regional tensions, Iran has reportedly submitted a "new proposal" to the United States through Pakistani intermediaries.
Pakistan has intensified its efforts to bring the US and Iran back to the negotiating table to end the war in West Asia, following President Trump's extension of the ceasefire. Pakistani officials have engaged with Iranian, Turkish, and British counterparts to promote dialogue and diplomacy for a peaceful resolution.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the escalating situation in West Asia, conveying India's concerns and emphasizing the importance of civilian safety. The conversation follows recent attacks and heightened tensions in the region.
Islamabad's attempt to position itself as a mediator in the West Asia conflict has come to naught with the Iranian side refusing to meet any US-led delegation in Pakistan, reports the Wall Street Journal.
As the negotiations continued, the Iranian government said on social media that "talks between Iran and the US in Islamabad entered the expert-level stage as economic, military, legal, and nuclear committees joined in".
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) said it struck several targets in Tehran, Shiraz and Ahvaz simultaneously over the past 24 hours, targeting sites linked to Iran's ballistic missile programme, air defence systems and military headquarters.
The strike hit the Kerman Air Base, located about 800 km southeast of Tehran.
If the Iranian regime needs to be punished for promoting quasi-terrorist outfits like Hezbollah and Hamas, then what about Pakistan which has spent decades exporting terror around the world, killing thousands, particularly in Afghanistan and India? asks M R Narayan Swamy.
IDF chief stressed the urgent need for legislative measures, including a conscription law, a reserve duty law, and an extension of mandatory military service.
The delegations from the US and Iran head to Islamabad on Friday, carrying a ceasefire that is already fraying, a Strait that is technically open and practically closed, and a negotiating agenda that would challenge even parties actually negotiating in good faith, which these groups are not. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
Expanding the scope of hostilities, Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was also targeted by missile strikes launched by Iran, according to a report by the Iranian state broadcaster, Press TV.
Two Jewish men were stabbed near a synagogue in north-west London, in an attack declared by police as a 'terrorist' incident. A 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims control of the Strait of Hormuz and reports striking a US destroyer, escalating tensions in the Middle East following retaliatory strikes between Iran, the US, and Israel.
Trump said he is unwilling to make a deal with Tehran at this stage despite indications the country wants negotiations.
Both sides have now revealed a preference for escalation over strategic defeat, and each new provocation narrows the space for the next pause. The Touska seizure, Iran's refusal to negotiate under blockade, Israel's strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure -- all of these add up to an increasingly untenable situation. This makes the wild card -- Trump and his motormouth -- more consequential than ever, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.
A second United States fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet was struck and downed over central Iran by a modern air-defence system of the Islamic Republic's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with officials saying the pilot is unlikely to have ejected, Iranian state media reported on Friday.
A stabbing incident near a synagogue in north-west London, which left two Jewish men injured, has been declared a terrorist incident by UK counter-terror police. A 45-year-old man is in custody as authorities investigate whether the Jewish community was deliberately targeted.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he has directed the country's Navy to take decisive action against any vessels attempting to lay mines in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tension over the virtual control of the waterway between Tehran and Washington.
The call came before Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed vengeance and urged citizens to continue their fight against the attacks by US and Israel.
India is one of the few nations, and perhaps the only nation, that has good relations with America, Israel and Iran. Knowing that a war in the Gulf would damage our economy, hurt supply of fertilisers and fuel, and cause general chaos, we should have tried to ensure this war did not begin, asserts Aakar Patel.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have conducted a massive military operation targeting more than 200 infrastructure sites within Iran and an additional 140 Hezbollah assets across Lebanon.
Chaffing under public ridicule in the US as well as internationally for having 'lost' the war, Trump is under immense pressure to do something, cautions Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Delegations from the US and Iran have arrived in Islamabad for talks aimed at resolving the conflict between the two nations, following a ceasefire brokered by Pakistan. The negotiations are being closely watched due to their potential impact on regional security and global diplomacy.
Addressing the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, Modi offered his deepest condolences to the people of Israel for every life lost in the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
On Saturday, it was reported that a drone strike had targeted the Fujairah Port in the UAE, triggering a fire.
Benjamin Netanyahu declares that the joint Israel-US campaign is successfully 'crushing' Iran, eliminating existential threats and weakening the regime's regional influence.
The IRGC had announced earlier that it was carrying out an intense wave of attacks on US and Israeli positons throughout the region since dawn, using missiles as well as drones.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Beijing to discuss the West Asia conflict, the Strait of Hormuz blockade, and bilateral relations with Chinese leaders.
