Australia grants humanitarian visas to Iranian women footballers
Australia has granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women footballers who sought asylum, fearing persecution after refusing to sing their nati...
Ukraine’s allies have pledged nearly $48 billion in military support at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels, vowing to intensify pressure on Russia and strengthen Kyiv’s battlefield position.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said five countries had committed new funding to purchase American weapons under Ukraine’s Priority Requirements List.
He thanked the UK, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Lithuania for contributions he described as being “in the hundreds of millions of dollars” and said he expected more pledges soon, without naming specific countries.
He made the announcement at a joint press briefing with the British, German and Ukrainian defence ministers on Thursday.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey, who chaired the session, confirmed that allies had pledged a total of £35 billion, equivalent to nearly $48 billion, in military support.
“The UDCG has a clear message to Putin: we’re more united and more determined than ever,” Healey said.
“We will step up pressure on Russia and we want to make 2026 the year this war ends,” he added.
Healey said Russian President Vladimir Putin had expected a swift victory.
“Four years on, Ukraine’s forces are hitting targets deep into Russia, inflicting high casualty rates on parts of the front line and taking back territory,” Healey explained.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin would deliver five additional missile interceptors, provided other countries contribute a total of 30.
“We are on a good path,” he said, adding that some partners were still finalising approvals.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov thanked allies for continued backing, accusing Moscow of targeting civilians and energy infrastructure as it struggles on the battlefield.
“Putin cannot win on the ground, so that’s why he is terrorising the civilian population,” he said.
Rutte, who recently visited Ukraine, said he had seen the destruction first-hand and reiterated calls for sustained support, saying 2026 should be the year Russia is no longer able to continue the war.
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.
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.
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.
Australia has granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women footballers who sought asylum, fearing persecution after refusing to sing their national anthem at an Asia Cup match.
U.S. President Donald Trump called his recent phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very good.” The two leaders spoke on Monday about the situation in Iran and other international issues.
Welcome to our live coverage as the conflict involving Iran enters its 11th day. Tensions in the region remain high as the United States and Iran exchange increasingly sharp warnings over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies.
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.
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