The escalating tensions between Iran and Israel serve as the primary catalyst for today's market downturn. Iran's drone missile attack on Israel, reportedly in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus earlier this month, has unnerved investors.

Vladimir Putin wins the Russian elections, but EU, the US, Germany condemn it; calling the process as restricted and neither free, nor fair. Landslide margin notwithstanding, it’s a tightrope walk for Putin from hereon. 

The Ministry of External Affairs writing in a post on X, stated, "A new milestone in India-Mauritius ties. President Droupadi Murmu embarks on a state visit to Mauritius. President will attend the Mauritius National Day celebrations as the Chief Guest tomorrow." 

Jaishankar is on a visit to Japan from March 6-8 on Thursday.  

A wide array of areas including defense, civil nuclear energy, space, cyber and digital, AI, Science and Tech, UNSC reforms, and multilateral cooperation were discussed between India and France on Tuesday.

“Prime Minister Modi will not change his stance on Pakistan and the re-engagement in any sort of discussions between the two seems highly impossible as India is heading towards the general elections,” said Raees. 

Chambers began by expressing his optimism about India's potential for growth, citing the country's large pool of educated engineers and its entrepreneurial spirit as key factors. He emphasized the importance of nurturing startups and small businesses, stating that innovation and entrepreneurship will be crucial for India to maintain its economic momentum.

Puri elucidated on India's vision for energy security, showcasing the remarkable progress made in diversifying energy sources and lessening reliance on conventional fuels. He also explored the partnership between the United States and India within this domain, by highlighting the mutual benefits and shared objectives driving collaboration forward.

Jilani said Pakistan and Iran have agreed to “establish a high-level constructive mechanism at the level of foreign ministers of the two countries”.

Adding to the geopolitical tensions, risks of a widening conflict have escalated as Russian refined product exports are expected to decline due to several refineries undergoing repairs following drone attacks.

China has said it is ready to work with Pakistan to upgrade the CPEC and accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, the Dawn newspaper reported. 

India's economy is projected to grow by 7.3% in the current fiscal, higher than 7.2% in 2022-23. As per the International Monetary Fund(IMF) world economic outlook, the global growth is estimated to decelerate from 3.5% in 2022 to 3% in 2023 and further to 2.9% in 2024.