Schools across Cambodia and Thailand were forced to close on Monday (15 December) as border clashes between the two countries escalated, with the death toll reaching at least 40 and hundreds of thousands of people displaced, according to officials and local media.
Cambodia’s Education Ministry said 1,039 schools in six provinces have shut, affecting 242,881 students and 9,797 teachers, according to local outlet Fresh News.
The Interior Ministry confirmed two more civilian deaths, bringing Cambodia’s civilian toll to 15, with 73 others injured. State media reported that Thai F-16 fighter jets carried out airstrikes inside Cambodian territory.
In Thailand, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said Bangkok formally appealed to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights after nine Thai civilians were killed and more than 600 schools and hospitals were closed. Thai Air Force F-16s also struck Cambodian military positions, with heavy fighting continuing along the frontier, according to the Thai Enquirer.
China expressed concern over the escalation. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing is closely monitoring developments and called on both sides to exercise restraint, protect civilians, and work toward a ceasefire.
Officials said roughly 700,000 people have been displaced since fighting intensified last week. Overall, Cambodia reported 15 civilian deaths, while Thailand reported 16 soldiers and nine civilians killed.
The two countries signed a peace agreement in October in Kuala Lumpur, witnessed by President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, but the accord was later suspended after Thai soldiers were seriously injured in a landmine explosion. T
he clashes come despite Trump’s statement on Friday that leaders of Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to halt renewed fighting.
Thai authorities said 18 Cambodian soldiers remain in Thai custody following incidents over the past five months.
Thailand and Cambodia have a long-running border dispute that has repeatedly erupted into violence, including clashes in July in which at least 48 people were killed.
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Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $119 a barrel, as conflict in the Middle East rumbled on. Meanwhile, the Turkish Military said NATO air defence systems destroyed a missile fired from Iran towards the country.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iranian civilian and military officials have pledged their obedience to the new leader, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying his leadership “will herald a new era of dignity and authority for the Iranian nation.”.
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.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
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.
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.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
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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