Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran’s slain supreme leader, has been named as the Islamic Republic’s next ruler, authorities announced on Monday, as Tehran widened its attacks across the Mideast to strike oil and water facilities crucial to its desert sheikdoms.

With Iran’s theocracy under assault by the US and Israel for more than a week, the country’s Assembly of Experts chose as the next supreme leader a secretive, 56-year-old cleric who maintains close ties to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The Guard has been firing missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf Arab states since the younger Khamenei’s father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on February 28 during the war’s opening salvo.

Bangladesh shuts universities early to save power amid energy crisis

March 9, 2026 10:18 am

Dhaka: Bangladesh will close all universities from Monday, bringing forward the Eid al-Fitr holidays as part of emergency measures to conserve electricity and fuel amid a worsening energy crisis linked to the conflict in the Middle East. Authorities said the decision applies to all public and private universities across the country, a move that officials said will not only reduce electricity consumption but also ease traffic congestion, which leads to fuel wastage. Officials said university campuses consume large amounts of electricity for residential halls, classrooms, laboratories and air conditioning, and the early closure would help ease pressure on the country’s strained power system. Reuters

Markets bleed as crude spikes; Nifty drops 582 points, Sensex falls 1,862 points

March 9, 2026 10:18 am

Mumbai: The share markets in the country opened with a bloodbath on Monday as both benchmark indices declined sharply in the opening session amid a huge surge in crude oil prices and heavy selling across global markets. The Nifty 50 index opened at 23,868.05 with a decline of -582.40 points or (-2.38 per cent), while the BSE Sensex opened at 77,056.75 with a decline of -1862.15 or -2.36 per cent, reflecting strong selling pressure across sectors. ANI

Rupee crashes 46 paise to 92.28 against US dollar in early trade, nears all-time low

March 9, 2026 10:12 am

Mumbai: The rupee plummeted 46 paise to near its all-time intra-day low of 92.28 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday as global crude oil prices shot up and the greenback strengthened amid the worsening situation in the Middle East. PTI

Oil soars 25 per cent, gold drops as Iran war jolts global commodity markets

March 9, 2026 10:11 am

Singapore: Oil prices surged around 25% on Monday to their highest since mid-2022, with Brent on track for a record one-day gain, while gold fell 2% as an escalating Iran war squeezed world energy supplies, boosted the dollar and dampened hopes of interest-rate cuts. Agriculture markets, led by edible oils, rose as they took their cue from oil prices due to the extensive use of vegetable oils in making biofuels. Aluminium firmed on supply worries even as other metals faced headwinds from a stronger dollar. Reuters

No Indian fatality in Saudi projectile incident: Embassy

March 9, 2026 8:44 am

Dubai: There was no Indian fatality in the projectile incident that struck a residential compound in Saudi Arabia, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh said on Monday. It added that an Indian national injured in the incident on Sunday is undergoing treatment at a government hospital.

Airline shares battered as oil prices spike, Iran war intensifies

March 9, 2026 8:40 am

Hong Kong: Surging oil prices and the escalating U.S.-Israeli war with Iran hammered airline stocks in Asia on Monday, piling pressure on carriers already navigating tight airspace as travellers scramble to evade the Middle East conflict. Reuters

Crude oil prices surpass $100 a barrel as Iran war impedes production, shipping

March 9, 2026 8:13 am

Chicago: Oil prices eclipsed $114 per barrel for the first time since 2022 on Monday as the Iran war intensified, threatening production and shipping in the Middle East. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, surged past $114 after trading resumed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. That was up 23% from its Friday closing price of $92.69. West Texas Intermediate, the light, sweet crude oil produced in the United States, also was selling for about $114 a barrel. That’s 25% higher than its close Friday at $90.90. AP