Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 12th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Iran has officially pulled out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali declaring that the national team will not compete in a tournament co-hosted by a "corrupt" U.S. regime. Citing the recent assassination of the Supreme Leader and the deaths of over 1,300 Iranian civilians during the ongoing allied bombardment, Tehran stated that basic conditions for participation and safety "do not exist". The unprecedented withdrawal disrupts Group G, where Iran was scheduled to face Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand, and comes despite earlier assurances from FIFA President Gianni Infantino that the squad would be welcome to compete in the United States.
The Middle East conflict has escalated further on its twelfth day, with Iranian forces setting two oil tankers ablaze in Iraqi waters and drone strikes injuring two people in a residential building in southern Kuwait. Tehran has also reportedly denied passage to Indian-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, aggressively defying U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent claims of an imminent military victory. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes have hit an apartment building in central Beirut for the second time in recent days, as Iran's UN Ambassador accuses the U.S. and Israel of destroying nearly 10,000 civilian sites since the campaign began.
In an extraordinary bid to stabilise volatile energy markets, all 32 members of the International Energy Agency have agreed to release a record 400 million barrels of emergency crude reserves. The coordinated intervention comes as global oil prices hover around $100 a barrel, prompting severe knock-on effects worldwide, including the two-week closure of schools and the implementation of a four-day working week for government departments in Pakistan. Despite the emergency release, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned that prices could still skyrocket to $200 a barrel, vowing to target any U.S. or allied shipping attempting to navigate the highly contested Strait of Hormuz.
French President Emmanuel Macron has firmly ruled out lifting international sanctions against Russia as a mechanism to alleviate the mounting global energy crisis triggered by the Middle East conflict. Describing the Strait of Hormuz as an active "theatre of war", Mr Macron stressed that the conditions for Russian sanctions relief remain unmet. Instead, he called for a coordinated international effort to escort commercial shipping through the strategic waterway and maintain a robust naval presence across the eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
The United Nations children’s agency has issued a stark warning regarding the severe humanitarian toll of the escalating Middle East conflict, reporting that more than 1,100 children have been killed or injured since hostilities erupted on 28 February. Describing the rapidly deteriorating situation as "catastrophic for millions of children across the region", UNICEF’s urgent appeal highlights the devastating, disproportionate civilian cost of the continuous missile and drone exchanges currently ravaging the Middle East.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a Saturday statement that the Strait of Hormuz has...
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia and Russia have agreed to continue implementing previously reached agreements in the military-...
Global leaders have gathered in Antalya Diplomacy Forum, with discussions centred on geopolitical uncertainty and international cooper...
The Trump administration extended a sanctions exemption on some Russian oil as prices continue to skyrocket in the wake of the U.S.- Israeli war ag...
Australia and Japan signed contracts on Saturday (18 April) launching their landmark A$10 billion ($7 billion) dea...
Leaders from across Europe and beyond gathered in Paris on Friday for a summit aimed at managing the global impact of the Middle East conflict.
An average of at least 47 women and girls were killed each day during the war in Gaza, according to new figures released by UN Women.
A remarkable discovery at the ancient ruins of Sanxingdui offers a glimpse into what appears to be otherworldly craftsmanship - an axe believed to have been made using material from a meteorite.
China is seeking to strengthen and upgrade its cooperation with Turkmenistan, focusing on what officials describe as “high-quality development” across a range of sectors.
The past 24 hours of the Russia-Ukraine war have seen a drastic escalation in both aerial bombardment and frontline losses.
Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping on Friday (17 April) for the first time since the U.S. and Israel killed Iran's ex-Supreme Leader in air strikes, triggering the Middle East conflict, at the end of February. A U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, however, remains in force.
Russia published addresses of manufacturers allegedly producing drones or components for Ukraine on Wednesday (15 April), warning European countries against plans to step up UAV supplies to Kyiv.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a Saturday statement that the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its "previous state" under the control of its "armed forces," citing the ongoing U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.
Netflix shares fell sharply on Friday after the streaming group issued a weaker-than-expected outlook and said chairman and co-founder Reed Hastings will step down from the board.
The Trump administration extended a sanctions exemption on some Russian oil as prices continue to skyrocket in the wake of the U.S.- Israeli war against Iran on Friday (17 April).
Australia and Japan signed contracts on Saturday (18 April) launching their landmark A$10 billion ($7 billion) deal to supply Australia with warships, Tokyo's most consequential military sale since ending a military export ban in 2014.
Leaders from across Europe and beyond gathered in Paris on Friday for a summit aimed at managing the global impact of the Middle East conflict.
European leaders have set out plans for a coordinated defensive mission to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, once security conditions allow, following talks involving more than 40 countries.
NeaNearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea off Myanmar in 2025, making it the deadliest year on record, the United Nations Refugee Agency said on Friday.
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