Oil prices hit four year high: Latest news on the Middle East conflict on 9 March
Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 5th of September, covering the latest developments you need to know.
1. Two powerful aftershocks hit Afghanistan after earthquakes killed more than 2,200 people
Two powerful aftershocks struck eastern Afghanistan within 12 hours, deepening fears in a region already devastated by a series of quakes that killed more than 2,200 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Relief efforts face a severe funding crisis, with the World Health Organization warning of a $4 million gap that threatens urgent healthcare and disease prevention in overcrowded shelters.
2. Azerbaijan, Brazil explore energy and mining cooperation
Azerbaijan’s First Deputy Economy Minister Elnur Aliyev and Brazil's energy officials discussed opportunities for cooperation in energy, mining and mineral processing during his visit to Brasília. Both sides agreed to strengthen institutional ties and explore joint projects in sectors of mutual interest.
3. Kim tells Xi that North Korea will support China's interests
Kim Jong Un told Xi Jinping that North Korea would continue to support China in safeguarding its sovereignty, territory and development interests, stressing that “no matter how the international situation changes, the feeling of friendship cannot change.” KCNA described the visit as a "historic occasion" that deepened political trust and strategic cooperation, underscoring the “invariability and invincibility” of DPRK-China relations.
4. Russia is ready to discuss nuclear fuel at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia with U.S.
Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev said the company is ready to hold talks with U.S. firm Westinghouse on the issue of nuclear fuel at Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia plant. He added that Westinghouse and U.S. officials had earlier raised intellectual property concerns regarding the fuel, while Moscow had asked the U.N. nuclear watchdog to mediate.
5. Japan and Australia pledge closer security ties to counter Indo-Pacific risks
Japan and Australia agreed to deepen security cooperation, pledging to strengthen collective deterrence and prepare for potential contingencies in the Indo-Pacific. Their partnership, already bolstered by joint training and a reciprocal access agreement, is expanding into defence industry collaboration and economic security, including critical minerals.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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