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.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill over the weekend, with five commodity vessels transiting Saturday and none on Sun...
Central Asia has become a major focus for Eurasian transport investment, with $71.7 billion committed to 114 projects, according to the Eurasian De...
The European Union is preparing what foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has described as its most far-reaching sanctions package against Russia since...
At least 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, among the deadliest since a June ceasefire. Meanwhile, Qatar denied holding Iranian pilots. It said it had found the remains of one pilot after an airspace violation and had contacted Iran to coordinate a handover.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill over the weekend, with five commodity vessels transiting Saturday and none on Sunday. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington must meet Tehran's conditions for shipping to resume.
A wildfire in Croatia driven by strong winds descended on the tourist town of Omis overnight, engulfing houses, forcing about 1,000 people to evacuate to safety and injuring dozens, fire brigade and health officials said on Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to make the Strait of Hormuz part of U.S. territory have been mocked by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, who said the sea passage "cannot be seized by tweet."
Residents of villages in eastern Indonesia hit by a deadly earthquake that killed at least 54 people were awaiting aid on Monday as rescuers prepared to comb through collapsed buildings in search of people trapped beneath the rubble.
Central Asia has become a major focus for Eurasian transport investment, with $71.7 billion committed to 114 projects, according to the Eurasian Development Bank’s 2026 Transport Observatory.
The European Union is preparing what foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has described as its most far-reaching sanctions package against Russia since the war in Ukraine began.
Weeks after thousands of students protested in New Delhi over alleged failures in India’s examination system, the so-called Cockroach movement is taking its campaign to the grassroots, launching audits of state-run schools.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany visited Ukraine for the first time since taking office, meeting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv on 15 August to discuss protecting the country’s cultural heritage amid continued Russian attacks.
Residents of villages in eastern Indonesia hit by a deadly earthquake that killed at least 54 people were awaiting aid on Monday as rescuers prepared to comb through collapsed buildings in search of people trapped beneath the rubble.
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