Top 10 world news: Ukraine, Russia claim hundreds of rival casualties in Bakhmut, and more

The Bakhmut front has taken on significant importance in the conflict following Ukraine's Kharkiv and Kherson counteroffensives. According to Serhiy Cherevatyi, a military spokeswoman for Ukraine, 221 pro-Moscow forces were neutralised and more than 300 others were injured in Bakhmut. Russian defence ministry claims over 210 Ukrainian soldiers were allegedly killed along the wider Donetsk frontline. Meanwhile, a Swedish-Iranian dissident's death penalty was upheld by Iran's Supreme Court on Sunday. Sweden in a strong-worded statement has expressed its disapproval over the action.

Amoung other news, as outrage over the nation's worst rail accident rises, thousands of protesters organised new demonstrations in Greece on Sunday, increasing pressure on the government to address the disaster.

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Both Russia and Ukraine claimed heavy casualties of enemy troops running into hundreds in a day during the battle for the Bakhmut city in the eastern part of the country.

Sweden on Sunday condemned the death sentence confirmed by Iran's Supreme Court against a Swedish-Iranian dissident and said it was seeking further clarity on the matter, reported AFP news agency.

Thousands of demonstrators staged fresh protests in Greece on Sunday as anger grows over the country's deadliest rail crash, ratcheting up pressure on the government over the tragedy.

The Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco on Sunday announced its full-year 2022 financial results, reporting a record net income of $161.1 billion. This is its highest annual profit as a listed company. Aramco also declared a fourth-quarter dividend of $19.5 billion, to be paid in the first quarter of 2023.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told the country's state television on Sunday (March 12) that Iran and the United States have reached an agreement for a prisoner swap. He expressed hope that the prisoner exchange would take place soon.

The World Health Organization (WHO) three years ago on 11 March 2020 declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. However, its origins still remain unknown, even though many reports claim it is China's Wuhan province from where the virus originated.

Qatar spied on a former Swiss attorney general's private meeting with the FIFA president and bugged him with the help of former CIA agents, as per reports. It was done because of concerns that the Gulf state may lose its bid to host the 2022 World Cup, AFP news agency reported citing media outlets.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the world's longest railway platform of 1.5 kilometres at Sri Siddhaarooda railway station in Hubballi in the Indian state of Karnataka.

As India's top court readies to hear a batch of pleas seeking validation for same-sex marriages, the nation's central government has submitted an affidavit opposing the step. The centre in its affidavit reportedly told the Supreme Court (SC) that same-sex relationships and heterosexual relationships are clearly distinct classes which cannot be treated identically.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Sunday (March 12) ruled out a government bailout for the collapsed Silicon Valley Bank. Which she said that the government wanted to avoid a financial "contagion" from implosion of the bank, a bailout was out of the question.