A substantial number of Indians voted on Friday in the first phase of the world's largest election, authorities said, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a historic third term on the back of issues such as growth, welfare and Hindu nationalism.

Explosions echoed over an Iranian city on Friday in what sources described as an Israeli attack, but Tehran played down the incident and indicated it had no plans for retaliation - a response that appeared gauged towards averting region-wide war.

Operations at Dubai airport remain severely disrupted as heavy rains continue to batter the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring countries.

Israel has clearly decided to retaliate against Iran for missile and drone attacks, Britain's foreign minister David Cameron said during a visit to Israel on Wednesday, the starkest warning yet of another volley coming in regional escalation.

Israel's European allies urged it on Monday to show restraint over Iran's weekend missile and drone attack, calling on Israeli leaders to step away from "the edge of the cliff" of escalation in the Middle East.

Turkish, Jordanian and Iraqi officials said on Sunday that Iran gave wide notice days before its drone and missile attack on Israel, but U.S. officials said Tehran did not warn Washington and that it was aiming to cause significant damage.

India's anti-terror agency arrested on Friday the suspected bomber of a cafe in the southern tech hub of Bengaluru last month and the mastermind who planned the explosion, an officer at the agency said.

At least 17 Pakistani pilgrims have died in a bus crash while travelling to a shrine in Balochistan for Eid-al-Fitr celebrations.

It was the most spectacular trial ever held in Vietnam, befitting one of the greatest bank frauds the world has ever seen.