The conflict and military escalation in West Asia threatens to push 2.5 million people in India into poverty and the country is projected to experience some loss in its human development progress, according to estimates and projections by the United Nations.

Australia will get its first female chief of army, with the appointment of Lieutenant General Susan Coyle to the post.

US Vice President J D Vance said Iran has moved in the direction of the US during the peace talks in Islamabad to end the war and it was for Tehran to make the next move on taking the discussions forward.

Iran is open to holding another round of peace talks with the US if it refrains from "unlawful demands" and accepts Tehran's conditions, Iranian envoy Mohammad Fathali said Monday, as the US blockade of Iranian ports takes effect, further escalating the tensions.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to visit Saudi Arabia within the next 48 hours following an invitation from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a media report said on Monday.

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said that the next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon.

A Nigerian Air Force strike targeting jihadi rebels hit a local market in northeastern Nigeria, killing over 100 civilians including children and injuring many others, a rights group and local media reported on Sunday. Officials confirmed a misfire without providing details.

China is poised to benefit from the Iran war as global energy disruptions accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels and toward clean technologies and renewable power, industries that China dominates.