WORLD
Fuel shortages from war begin to threaten global food supply
If farmers can’t get enough diesel, sowing could be delayed or reduced. Mature crops left in the ground would deteriorate, while the cost of processing and transporting produce after harvest would also increase.
WORLD
India’s neighbours seek fuel supplies from New Delhi as Middle East war disrupts energy flows
Countries including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Maldives have requested additional fuel supplies from India, which is reviewing these requests.
WORLD
Trump says Iranians in US are ‘under watch’ over terrorism fears
Trump said more than 1,700 Iranians had entered the US illegally during the prior administration.
WORLD
US sends intercept drones used in Ukraine to blunt Iran strikes
Merops drones cost about $14,000 to $15,000 each, but Driscoll said larger orders could drive that to $3,000 to $5,000 per interceptor.
WORLD
US allies criticize Trump’s move to lift Russian oil sanctions
The reactions came shortly after Trump’s administration issued its second authorization for buyers to take Russian oil cargoes already at sea, expanding a temporary waiver given last week to India
WORLD
Iran arranges special transport to send sailors back from India
Iran is also bringing back the bodies of sailors who lost their lives after the US sank their ship off the coast of Sri Lanka
BUSINESS
India is set to halt IDBI Bank sale as both bids unviable
The 61% stake that the government and a state-run insurer planned to sell in the private lender is worth about $6.5 billion at the current market price.
MARKETS
US stocks wipe out gains, brent rises as Israel-Iran war rages on
The S&P 500 erased a nearly 1% advance as the Wall Street Journal reported the Pentagon is moving a Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East, with Iran stepping up its attacks on the Strait of Hormuz
WORLD
From CIA to CEO, spies step out of the shadows and into the boardroom
Trump’s dissatisfaction with the cumbersome bureaucracies and slow delivery times at established defense companies opens the door to shift more of that funding to startups
WORLD
Tariff refunds should go to US workers as bonuses, says US trade representative
It’s unclear if the US government has the power to mandate such a move
BUSINESS
India’s forex pile drops as RBI bolsters rupee amid Iran war
The forex stockpile fell by $11.68 billion in the week of March 6, according to Reserve Bank of India data released Friday
WORLD
Elon Musk pledges to rebuild xAI as another co-founder departs
The announcement coincides with more high-profile exits from xAI following its merger last month with Musk’s SpaceX
INDIA
Crowds besiege India’s LPG dealers as war crimps supply
Since hostilities broke out in the Middle East, disrupting a large share of India’s total fuel imports, panic purchases of liquefied petroleum gas skyrocketed
WORLD
Trump’s plan for Cuba would make the US the island’s patron
Trump wants to use American economic pressure to make the island nation financially dependent on Washington. The US would essentially take the place of its onetime rival, the Soviet Union, which kept Cuba afloat before it collapsed in 1991.
WORLD
Trump-Xi summit gets a high-stakes warm-up in Paris over tariffs and Taiwan
While China has condemned Trump’s war on Iran, it has shown few signs it’ll back out of the summit as it seeks to stabilize relations with the world’s biggest economy.
WORLD
Asia set to pledge $30 billion in energy, mineral deals with US
The flurry of activity comes in the run-up to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to Washington on March 19 and US President Donald Trump’s planned trip to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in roughly three weeks.
WORLD
Asian stocks slide as Iran war fears keep oil near $100 and rattle global markets
A gauge of Asian shares dropped 0.6% after the S&P 500 slid 1.5% to its lowest since November.
MARKETS
Rush into leveraged bets sparks fears of fresh Asian stock rout
In China, Taiwan and South Korea, the amounts of margin loans sat near the highest in decades, with Japan’s at a record, data as of the end of last week show.
WORLD
Investors hunt for hedges as war shatters decades-old strategies
Government bonds, which typically rise during periods of market stress to cushion equity losses, are now moving in the same direction with stocks as oil markets are going through unprecedented turmoil.
BUSINESS
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen to step down in face of investor concerns over AI
Narayen oversaw a period of huge growth at the company.
WORLD
India in talks with Iran over safe passage of 20 oil tankers through Hormuz
Traffic through Hormuz has dropped dramatically, but ships do occasionally manage to transit, including tankers bound for India, according to Sumit Ritolia, lead analyst at Kpler.
WORLD
US puts $11.3 billion price tag on the first week of Iran war
The actual cost is likely much higher because the number doesn’t include the expense of operating ships and maintaining personnel deployed in the region.
BUSINESS
India plans new $11 billion fund to support local chipmaking
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to accelerate India’s chip campaign, which is in early stages with just a handful of major projects under way.
WORLD
Iran war exposes cracks for airlines that connect the world
Gulf carriers have spent decades positioning themselves at the center of global air travel and places like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are now key stopover points for long-haul trips.
