- Oil up, stocks mixed -

Oil prices rose and Asian stocks fell on Monday as the Middle East war escalated, with Yemen's Houthi rebels entering the conflict and investors increasingly concerned that the United States would send in ground troops.

Asian stock markets fell between one and three percent, and European markets were mixed after falling steadily last week.

Brent was up around two percent at near $108 a barrel and WTI also rose about two percent, pushing it past $100 a barrel to near $102.

- Israel media report refinery attack -

Israeli television channels reported an impact at an oil refinery in the northern city of Haifa on Monday, shortly after the military said it had detected new incoming missiles from Iran.

Television network Channel 12 showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky from the site.

- Aluminium jumps on attacks -

Aluminium prices climbed around six percent after Iran attacked two major plants in the Gulf that produce the widely used metal, raising concerns over supply disruptions.

Gains later reduced, though prices were still up 4.2 percent at $3,435 per tonne on the London Metal Exchange.

The spike comes after Iran claimed missile and drone strikes on two major Gulf aluminium plants at the weekend, targeting what they described as industries linked to the US military.

Aluminium Bahrain said its facility was targeted and that two employees were wounded in an attack on Saturday, while the UAE's Emirates Global Aluminium said one of its sites in Abu Dhabi suffered significant damage and six people were wounded.

- Norway cuts fuel taxes -

Norway will temporarily slash its taxes on petrol and diesel to counter rising prices as the Middle East war disrupts global energy supplies, the government said Monday.

As of April 1, the tax on petrol will be reduced by 4.41 kroner ($0.45) per litre and that on diesel by 2.85 kroner ($0.29) per litre, the government said in a statement.

- Seoul calms plastics rush -

South Korea's energy minister sought to ease fears over shortages of plastic rubbish bags after sales in Seoul jumped nearly fivefold due to energy supply concerns sparked by the Middle East war.

South Korea is a major importer of oil and related by-products used to make plastic, and household trash can only be disposed of in special bags sold in shops.

The minister said there are no supply issues for a year.

- G7 meeting -

The French government said ministers from the G7 would hold talks on Monday on the economic consequences of the war in the Middle East.

Finance Minister Roland Lescure said the meeting would include energy and finance ministers as well as central bank chiefs and the heads of other international agencies.

- Australia halves fuel tax -

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the country would halve a tax on fuel to reduce costs for motorists experiencing soaring petrol prices.

Australia charges a sales tax of 52 cents ($0.35) on each litre of petrol sold at the pump, which will be halved for three months.

- Bangladesh orders energy saving -

Bangladesh has ordered civil servants to switch off lights and turn down air conditioning to save power as the Middle East war worsens an energy crunch.

The public administration ministry issued a string of orders on office attendance, as well as electricity and fuel saving measures, ministry official Sakhawat Hossain told AFP.

- Philippines secures Russian crude -

The Philippines' sole oil refinery has secured nearly 2.5 million barrels of Russian crude, according to a stock exchange filing.

Petron said it had agreed to purchase the oil after seeing at least four million barrels in shipments cancelled since the start of the Middle East war.

- Gulf energy targets -

An Iranian strike on a power station in Kuwait killed one worker and caused "significant material damage", according to the Gulf state's electricity ministry.

- Iranian grid 'stable' -

Iran has restored electricity in parts of the capital, Tehran, and nearby areas after strikes damaged power grids and briefly disrupted supply, deputy energy minister Mostafa Rajabi-Mashhadi said in an interview with state television.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iranian power stations if Tehran does not negotiate a peace deal, before repeatedly extending a deadline to do so.

burs/gv/sbk