France and its allies are preparing a "defensive" mission to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday as the Middle East war entered its second week.
Ships anchored in the Gulf or transiting the Strait of Hormuz are changing their tracking data to boast links to China in an attempt to evade Iranian attacks, according to data from shipping tracker Marine Traffic analysed by AFP.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that Australia had agreed to grant asylum to some of Iran's visiting women's football team, amid fears they could face retaliation back home for not singing the national anthem before a match.
- NATO intercepts second Iran missile in Turkish airspace
- War in the Middle East: economic impact around the world
Politics
Hundreds of thousands of people are at imminent risk from a government offensive in a South Sudan town, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Monday, after NGOs were ordered to evacuate.
March 09, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Water emerges as a dangerous new war target
Politics
March 09, 2026
President Emmanuel Macron on Monday discussed regional security with the leaders of Cyprus and Greece and was later set to board France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier deployed to the Mediterranean.
March 09, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Russia won its first Winter Paralympic gold medal under its own flag since 2014 as skier Varvara Voronchikhina was crowned women's super-G standing champion on Monday in Cortina.
March 09, 2026
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday the government was monitoring the economic fallout of the US and Israel's war in Iran, as energy prices soared due to supply disruptions.
March 09, 2026
Sri Lanka and India are providing sanctuary to 434 sailors from three Iranian naval vessels targeted or threatened by the United States, a diplomatic conundrum as the war spills into the Indian Ocean.
March 09, 2026
Economy
Bangladesh has tightened security at filling stations, sent students home and even scrapped light displays for independence and Ramadan celebrations, officials said Monday, as the Middle East war worsens the country's energy crunch.
March 09, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Stock markets plunged and energy prices soared on Monday as supply disruptions from the Middle East war drove volatility and fanned inflation fears.
The Iran war sent oil prices soaring on Monday after Tehran marked the appointment of its new supreme leader with a new barrage of missiles targeting Israel and the Gulf energy industry.
An incensed North Korea refused to play for several minutes in a 2-1 Women's Asian Cup loss to China on Monday which sent them into a daunting quarter-final against hosts Australia.
Istanbul's jailed mayor Ekrem Imamoglu went on trial on Monday in a sprawling corruption case critics say is a politically motivated bid to scupper his chances of challenging President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
March 09, 2026
Boulevard
A landslide on Indonesia's biggest landfill buried trucks and food stalls, killing five people, rescuers said Monday as they searched for at least four more reported missing.
March 09, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Omar Marmoush scored twice as Manchester City triumphed 3-1 away to Newcastle United at the weekend in the FA Cup -- the second time this season he has bagged a cup brace against the Magpies.
Flash flooding after torrential rains in Kenya has killed at least 45 people and forced hundreds to leave their homes, police said Monday.
Faced with soaring prices and disruptions to their oil and gas supplies, Asian countries heavily dependent on fossil fuels from the war-struck Gulf are moving to protect their domestic markets.
Two Australian hitmen were sentenced to 16 years in prison Monday for shooting dead a compatriot over a debt dispute on the Indonesian resort island of Bali last year.
March 09, 2026
- Landmark trial opens for Turkey opposition champion Imamoglu
- Russia wins first Paralympic gold since 2014
- 'T20 kings': nation celebrates Indian romp to World Cup glory
- Indonesia landfill collapse kills four
- Equities plunge as energy prices soar on Mideast crisis
- Unstoppable India target Olympic gold after making World Cup history
- Khamenei's son takes charge as Iran war sends oil price soaring
- Asian equities plunge as oil soars 30% on Mideast crisis