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China Says Opposes Foreign ‘Interference’ in Iran, Germany Condemns Violence against Protests

Demonstrators and activists rally in support with Iranian people amid anti-government protests raging across Iran, in Paris, France, January 11, 2026. (Reuters)
Demonstrators and activists rally in support with Iranian people amid anti-government protests raging across Iran, in Paris, France, January 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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China Says Opposes Foreign ‘Interference’ in Iran, Germany Condemns Violence against Protests

Demonstrators and activists rally in support with Iranian people amid anti-government protests raging across Iran, in Paris, France, January 11, 2026. (Reuters)
Demonstrators and activists rally in support with Iranian people amid anti-government protests raging across Iran, in Paris, France, January 11, 2026. (Reuters)

China said on Monday it opposes foreign "interference" in other countries after US President Donald Trump threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran killed protesters.

"We always oppose interference in other countries' internal affairs," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news conference when asked about Trump's comments.

"We call on all parties to do more things conducive to peace and stability in the Middle East," she added.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Iran's use of "disproportionate and brutal violence" against protesters was "a sign of weakness".

"We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms," he said during a visit to India.

"This violence is not an expression of strength, but rather a sign of weakness. This violence must end."

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Report: Boeing Signs $289 Million Israel Contract for 5,000 Smart Bombs

Members of the US Air Force (USAF) prepare munitions at RAF Fairford in south-west England on March 10, 2026, after USAF B-1 Lancer bomber jets and Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers landed at the RAF base. (AFP)
Members of the US Air Force (USAF) prepare munitions at RAF Fairford in south-west England on March 10, 2026, after USAF B-1 Lancer bomber jets and Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers landed at the RAF base. (AFP)
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Report: Boeing Signs $289 Million Israel Contract for 5,000 Smart Bombs

Members of the US Air Force (USAF) prepare munitions at RAF Fairford in south-west England on March 10, 2026, after USAF B-1 Lancer bomber jets and Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers landed at the RAF base. (AFP)
Members of the US Air Force (USAF) prepare munitions at RAF Fairford in south-west England on March 10, 2026, after USAF B-1 Lancer bomber jets and Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers landed at the RAF base. (AFP)

Boeing ‌has signed a new $289 million contract with Israel to deliver as many as 5,000 new air-launched smart bombs, a source told Reuters on Tuesday.

The new contract is not related to the ongoing US-Israeli air strikes on Iran, with deliveries not scheduled to start for 36 months, Bloomberg News reported earlier, citing a person familiar ‌with the matter.

Boeing ‌declined to comment when ‌contacted ⁠by Reuters.

The company's ⁠Small Diameter Bomb is a guided munition that can be launched by Israeli jets at targets more than 40 miles (64 kilometers) away.

Last year, Boeing was awarded an $8.6 billion contract by the Pentagon ⁠to produce and deliver F-15 jets ‌to Israel ‌as part of a foreign military sale between the ‌governments.

The US has long been by ‌far the largest arms supplier to its closest Middle East ally.

Reuters reported last week that President Donald Trump's administration has bypassed US ‌Congress using an emergency authority to expedite the sale of more than ⁠20,000 ⁠bombs to Israel worth around $650 million.

A State Department official had said on Saturday that Israel will purchase an extra $298 million worth of critical munitions via direct commercial sales.

Earlier this year, the US State Department approved more than $6.5 billion in three separate contracts for potential military sales to Israel, which include Boeing's Apache helicopters.

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Romania to Review US Request to Use Local Air Base for Iran Operations

Aerial view of US Army barracks and driveways inside MK Airbase, in Mihail Kogalniceanu, Constanta county, Romania, November 25, 2025. (Inquam Photos/George Calin via Reuters)
Aerial view of US Army barracks and driveways inside MK Airbase, in Mihail Kogalniceanu, Constanta county, Romania, November 25, 2025. (Inquam Photos/George Calin via Reuters)
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Romania to Review US Request to Use Local Air Base for Iran Operations

Aerial view of US Army barracks and driveways inside MK Airbase, in Mihail Kogalniceanu, Constanta county, Romania, November 25, 2025. (Inquam Photos/George Calin via Reuters)
Aerial view of US Army barracks and driveways inside MK Airbase, in Mihail Kogalniceanu, Constanta county, Romania, November 25, 2025. (Inquam Photos/George Calin via Reuters)

Romanian President Nicusor Dan has convened the EU and NATO nation's top defense council on Wednesday to discuss whether to allow US aircraft access to its military bases for support linked to its Tehran operations, political sources said.

The council will meet for the first ‌time this ‌year to discuss the security fallout ‌from ⁠the conflict in ⁠the Middle East, its impact on Romania's energy market and "the temporary deployment of military capability on Romanian territory."

That deployment, political sources said without elaborating, referred to a US request to use the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base.

While some ⁠EU countries, such as France, Greece and ‌Italy, have sent warships ‌to Cyprus after Iranian-made drones struck a British ‌base on the island, others allow use ‌of their military bases.

Most EU top officials have condemned Iranian strikes in the region and urged an end ‌and diplomatic solution to the conflict.

The US withdrew about 1,000 troops ⁠from ⁠Romania's Mihail Kogalniceanu air base last year, as the US focused on its own borders and the Indo-Pacific region. Another 1,000 US troops remain in Romania.

The permanent allied presence in Romania stands at around 3,500 NATO troops, including US soldiers.

Romania shares a 650 km (400 mile) land border with Ukraine, over which Russian drones have flown towards Kyiv, while mines in the Black Sea from the conflict impact key trade and energy routes.

World

Local Government: Thirty Dead in South Ethiopia Floods

Kenyan business owners stand after clearing mud sludge from their damaged shops after floodwaters hit the Grogon garage area in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, 07 March 2026. EPA/DANIEL IRUNGU
Kenyan business owners stand after clearing mud sludge from their damaged shops after floodwaters hit the Grogon garage area in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, 07 March 2026. EPA/DANIEL IRUNGU
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Local Government: Thirty Dead in South Ethiopia Floods

Kenyan business owners stand after clearing mud sludge from their damaged shops after floodwaters hit the Grogon garage area in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, 07 March 2026. EPA/DANIEL IRUNGU
Kenyan business owners stand after clearing mud sludge from their damaged shops after floodwaters hit the Grogon garage area in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, 07 March 2026. EPA/DANIEL IRUNGU

Thirty people have died in flooding caused by heavy rains in the Gamo area of southern Ethiopia, the local government said.

"Due to the heavy rainfall... especially in Degama areas, the administration of the zone has expressed its grief over the death of 30 people," the communications department for Gamo said in a statement on Facebook late Tuesday.

There has been heavy flooding across east Africa in recent days.

Dozens were killed in neighboring Kenya after torrential rain hit the capital Nairobi and other areas on Friday.

Multiple studies have tracked the increasing frequency of extreme wet and dry periods in east Africa in the last 20 years.

Scientists have long warned that human-driven climate change is increasing the likelihood, length and severity of severe weather events such as torrential downpours.