The UK government has pledged to invest £1.98 billion ($2.5 billion) over the next three years into the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) fund, aimed at supporting the world’s lowest-income countries. This contribution will help fund projects that promote economic growth, combat poverty, and address the ongoing challenges of climate change, according to a government statement.
The IDA fund, which provides grants and low-interest loans to the most impoverished nations, is replenished every three years, with a pledging conference scheduled for December 5-6 in Seoul. World Bank President Ajay Banga is seeking a record-breaking amount for this replenishment, aiming to exceed the $93 billion raised in December 2021, in response to growing demands from poor countries facing mounting debts, climate-related disasters, conflict, and other crises.
This pledge comes shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden announced a $4 billion contribution to the IDA fund last week.
While the UK previously committed 0.7% of its gross national income to overseas development aid, the Conservative government reduced this figure to 0.5% in 2021 due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since taking office in July, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government has vowed to restore the aid budget to 0.7%, though no timeline has been set for this increase.
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Australia’s move to ban social media access for children under 16 has intensified a global debate, as governments around the world weigh tougher rules amid growing concerns over mental health, safety and screen addiction.
Double world champion Max Langenhan delivered a dominant performance to win men’s luge singles gold on Sunday (8 February), breaking the track record four consecutive times as Germany extended its grip on the sport, now winning four of the past five Olympic titles.
A London court has sentenced Russian captain Vladimir Motin to six years in prison for gross negligence over a 2025 ship collision that killed Filipino crew member Mark Pernia, whose body was never found.
Russia expelled a British diplomat it accused of being an undeclared intelligence operative, a claim dismissed by London as “malicious and baseless”, with the UK saying it was weighing its response on Thursday.
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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