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Israel expects Lebanon offensive to outlast Iran conflict
Israeli officials are preparing for an extended campaign against the Lebanese militant group Hizbollah that is likely to continue beyond the end of the war against Iran, according to people briefed on the discussions. Israeli officials said last week that they expect the US-Israeli war with Iran to last “weeks”, as they attempt to destroy Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities as well as the main security pillars holding up the Islamic republic. However, US President Donald Trump appeared to hedge his view in one of his many public comments on Monday, saying that the war was ahead of schedule and “very complete, pretty much”. People briefed on planning said the Israeli offensive against Hizbollah - which was launched after the Iran-backed group fired rockets into northern Israel last week - would last at least as long as the onslaught against Iran and could even continue after any ceasefire with Tehran. “[The goal is] to inflict enough damage [on Hizbollah so] that there is not this constant fear of having to evacuate the northern residents,” one of the people said, referring to Israeli communities evacuated in previous rounds of fighting with Hizbollah. Financial Times, March 10

Macron announces future ‘defensive’ mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
France ​will send ​two warships as part of the European Union's ​naval ‌mission ⁠Aspides in the Red ‌Sea, French President Emmanuel ⁠Macron said on Monday. He said the "purely defensive, purely support mission" will be put together by European and non-European states. Speaking during a visit to Cyprus to discuss regional security, Macron said the mission would be aimed at escorting container ships and tankers in order to gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz "after the end of the hottest phase of the conflict". "This is essential for international trade, but also for the flow of gas and oil, which must be able to leave this region once again," said Macron in Paphos on the southwestern coast of Cyprus. France 24, March 9

Poland to build EU’s first anti-drone shield
Poland is building what it bills as Europe’s most advanced anti-drone system following Russia’s airspace violations against Nato members. Warsaw decided to set up the system in response to Russia launching about 20 drones into Polish airspace in September last year. Developing European anti-drone technology has gained fresh urgency after Iranian Shahed drones hit a British base in Cyprus last week following the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The Polish system, dubbed San, is being developed by a Polish-Norwegian consortium and is expected to cost about €3.5bn. It will be financed with EU loans allocated to Warsaw under the EU’s new Safe programme, designed to increase arms production in Europe to counter Russia’s aggression. San will comprise 18 mobile anti-drone batteries, each equipped with sensors and effectors linked to a central command system. Radar components and guns mounted on hundreds of vehicles will patrol the Polish border and connect to national and allied defence systems. Financial Times, March 10

Five of Iran women’s football team granted asylum in Australia
At least five members of the Iran women’s football team who fled from their team hotel under police protection during a tournament in Australia have won asylum after they were branded “traitors” by the regime in Tehran. Australia has also offered protection to other members of the Iranian team if they defect, the government said on Tuesday after confirming a police and security operation to remove the women from their team’s Gold Coast hotel. “Australians have been moved by the plight of these brave women,” Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, said. “They are safe here and they should feel at home here.” The Times, March 10

China exports surge despite Trump tariffs
China's exports surged in the first two months of this year despite trade tensions with the US. Official figures show exports jumped by more than 20 per cent in January and February, which is almost three times the rate predicted by economists. It puts the country on track to top the record-breaking annual trade surplus it saw in 2025. The announcement comes as US President Donald Trump is expected to visit China in early April to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The world's second largest economy is heavily reliant on exports as it faces a number of issues including weak consumer spending, a shrinking population and a property market crisis. Beijing typically combines January and February trade data to adjust for distortions caused by the Lunar New Year holiday, which falls on different dates each year. China's exports were boosted by strong demand for electronics while shipments of agricultural and manufactured goods also rose. Trade with European countries grew by 27.8 per cent, while exports to Asean countries - a group of South East Asian nations including Thailand, Singapore and Philippines - climbed by nearly 30 per cent. BBC news, March 10

X suspends 800m accounts in one year amid ‘massive’ scale of manipulation attempts
Elon Musk’s X said it had suspended 800m accounts over a 12-month period as it fights the “massive” scale of attempts to manipulate the platform. The social media company told MPs on the foreign affairs committee it was continually fighting state-backed attempts to hijack the agenda on its network, with Russia the most prolific state actor, followed by Iran and China. As part of the battle against such content, X suspended 800m accounts in 2024 for breaching its rules on platform manipulation and spam, although it did not reveal which of those suspensions related to foreign interference. X has approximately 300 million monthly users worldwide. The Guardian, March 9

Trump: ending war will be ‘mutual’ decision with Netanyahu
Donald Trump has said ending the war with Iran will be a “mutual” decision with Benjamin Netanyahu. The US president said his Israeli counterpart would have input on resolving the conflict, claiming Tehran would have destroyed Israel if they had not attacked the regime first. Asked whether he alone would decide when the war ends, Mr Trump told The Times of Israel: “I think it’s mutual … a little bit. We’ve been talking. I’ll make a decision at the right time, but everything’s going to be taken into account.” He added: “Iran was going to destroy Israel and everything else around it … We’ve worked together. We’ve destroyed a country that wanted to destroy Israel.” The Telegraph, March 9

G7 to discuss joint release of emergency oil reserves
G7 finance ministers will discuss a possible joint release of petroleum from reserves co-ordinated by the International Energy Agency, in an emergency meeting on Monday aimed at tackling the surge in oil prices following the conflict in the Gulf. The ministers and Fatih Birol, IEA executive director, will hold a call at 8.30am New York time to discuss the impact of the Iran war, according to people familiar with the situation, including a senior G7 official. Three G7 countries, including the US, have so far expressed support for the idea, according to the people familiar with the talks. The 32 members of the IEA hold strategic reserves as part of a collective emergency system designed for oil price crises. One person said some US officials believe a joint release in the range of 300mn-400mn barrels - 25 to 30 per cent of the 1.2bn barrels in the reserve - would be appropriate. Financial Times, March 9

Oil prices hit historic high after Iran names new supreme leader
Oil prices soared to nearly $120 per barrel on Monday after Iran announced the nomination of a new supreme leader, before falling to $106.23 per barrel. The choice of Mojtaba Khamenei ‌as the new leader - signalling a continuation of hardliners in power - and fears of prolonged Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions have pummelled financial markets. The war’s toll on civilian targets grew as Bahrain accused Iran of striking a desalination plant vital to drinking water supplies, and oil depots in Tehran smouldered following overnight strikes by Israel. Oil prices have surged as the war, now in its second week, ensnares countries and places that are critical to the production and movement of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf. France 24, March 9

Mojtaba Khamenei named Iran’s new supreme leader in challenge to Trump
Iran has thrown down the gauntlet to President Trump and Israel by announcing that Mojtaba Khamenei will replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader, state media reported. Trump had previously said that the 56-year-old, a mid-level cleric as hardline as his father and closely allied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, would not be an acceptable new leader for the Islamic Republic. “By a decisive vote, the Assembly of Experts appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the body that chooses the leader said in a statement issued just after midnight Tehran time. Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, one of the 88-member Assembly of Experts, said the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei was based on his late father’s advice that Iran’s leader should “be hated by the enemy” instead of praised by it. The Times, March 8

Great Britain has only two days of gas stored, while Iran war threatens to disrupt supplies
Great Britain has only two days of fossil gas stored after a decline in energy reserves, as more tankers carrying liquefied natural gas are diverted from their course to Europe towards Asia because of the Iran war. Great Britain had 6,999 gigawatt hours of fossil gas stored on Saturday, according to figures from National Gas, which owns and operates the gas national transmission system. This compares with 9,105 GWh a year earlier. Maximum capacity is 12 days of gas, and current storage levels equate to under two days of reserves, leading to concerns that Great Britain could run out of gas if the crisis in the Middle East escalates further. However, even when storage stocks are low, Great Britain continues to receive large volumes of gas from other sources, National Gas said. The Guardian, March 8

Germany seeks to emulate Japan in shoring up critical minerals
Germany’s industrial giants are pushing for a Japanese-style trading house to secure supplies of critical raw materials in a bid to bypass China’s stranglehold on rare earths. Carmaker BMW is among those working with Germany’s automotive lobby and defence industry representatives on the concept, which could be supported financially by the German government, according to people familiar with the plans. Arms maker Rheinmetall is also involved, one of the people said. The move is part of a long-term effort by Germany to emulate Japan in making joint purchases of critical minerals on behalf of industry to have “more power in the market”, said one of those involved in the plans. Japan, whose industry is heavily dependent on mineral and energy imports, reduced its reliance on China for rare earths through a centralised government agency that provides equity, loans and guarantees to trading houses and mining projects. Tokyo expanded its efforts to protect its industrial supply chains after 2010, when China imposed an embargo on rare earth exports to Japan. Financial Times, March 9

Australians must prove they are over 18 to access porn under new laws
Australians must prove they are over 18 before they can access adult content such as porn, R-rated video games and sexually explicit AI chatbots under new laws. The changes will protect children from harmful content, with platforms fined for breaches, Australia's online safety regulator said. "We don't allow children to walk into bars or bottle shops, adult stores or casinos, but when it comes to online spaces… there are no such safeguards," its commissioner Julie Inman Grant said. Experts say the new laws - which come three months after Australia introduced an under-16s social media ban - will face similar concerns over data privacy and users trying to trick age-verification technologies. In Australia, as in many countries, users visiting adult sites are usually asked to verify their age by clicking on a box that says they are over 18. But the new changes mean platforms must introduce stricter age-verification checks from Monday. This can include facial recognition technology, digital IDs and credit card details. BBC news, March 9