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 24th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Peter Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to the United States, has been released on bail following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The 72-year-old was detained by the Metropolitan Police in Camden as part of an investigation linked to the Jeffrey Epstein files, with search warrants executed at properties in Wiltshire and London. The probe was launched after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government handed over communications regarding Mandelson's diplomatic appointment, details of which are set to be published next month. He denies any wrongdoing.
At least 62 people have been killed in Mexico after the death of the notorious cartel leader Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes that sparked nationwide violence. The leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel died following a military raid, prompting gang members to torch vehicles and establish roadblocks across more than a dozen states. As the government deploys thousands of additional troops to quell the unrest, the operation comes amidst heightened pressure from the U.S. to crack down on drug trafficking ahead of critical trade reviews.
A powerful winter storm has brought much of the U.S. east coast to a standstill, dumping more than 60 cms of snow and forcing the cancellation of nearly 5,700 flights. Major cities including New York and Boston have faced significant disruption, with public transport suspended in several states and National Guard troops deployed to assist emergency efforts. While conditions in New York are expected to ease, authorities have urged residents to remain indoors as power outages affect thousands of homes across the region.
Marking four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, United Nations data reveals that 2025 was the deadliest year for civilians since the war began, while military casualty estimates now run into the hundreds of thousands on both sides. Russia currently controls approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, and despite regular prisoner exchanges, thousands of soldiers remain missing and more than 19,000 children are alleged to have been forcibly deported.
As the war continues, nearly four million Ukrainians remain internally displaced, facing dwindling aid and precarious living conditions. Amidst U.S.-backed peace talks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has firmly rejected Russian demands to cede the remaining unoccupied territories of the Donbas region, emphasising that the struggle is about the safety of the populace rather than just land. With millions more living as refugees abroad, the humanitarian crisis continues to deepen as frontline settlements are erased by the ongoing artillery battles.
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.
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.
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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