Portal:Current events/2026 March 14

March 14, 2026 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
  - 2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia
    - Five U.S. warplanes are damaged in an Iranian drone strike on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. (The Wall Street Journal)
  - 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    - United States president Donald Trump calls on the country's allies to help lift the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. (BBC News)
  - Fifteen people are killed in a reported Israeli and United States missile strike on an HVAC factory in Isfahan, Iran. (AFP via LBCI)
  - Three Kuwaiti soldiers are injured after two drones struck Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, damaging the facility. (AFP via The Times of Israel)
  - The port of Fujairah, a bunkering hub and export terminal in the Emirate of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, suffers a drone attack. UAE authorities report that its air defence intercepted nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones. (Reuters) (Gulf News)
  - The U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, is hit by a missile from an unknown origin. (Politico)
  - Palestinian militant group Hamas calls for Iran to cease their attacks on Middle East neighbors during the war. They also reaffirm Tehran's right to defend itself from Israel and the United States. (CBS News)
- Hezbollah–Israel conflict
  - 2026 Lebanon war
    - Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold direct talks in the coming days amidst the reignited war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Reuters)
Russo-Ukrainian war
- Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war, Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
  - Five people are killed and three others are injured in Russian drone strikes on residential areas and critical infrastructure across Ukraine. (Reuters)
2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
- According to Taliban officials, fourteen Pakistani soldiers are killed and eleven others are injured by Afghan fighters during the capture of a Pakistani guard post along the Durand Line in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. (Kabul Now)

Disasters and accidents

Seven Indian pilgrims are killed and eight others are injured when a minibus returning from the Manakamana Temple veers off a road and plunges down a slope in Gandaki Province, Nepal. (Hindustan Times)

Law and crime

2026 Cuban crisis
- Cuban authorities arrest five people after a small group of protesters damaged and set fire to a Communist Party office in Morón, Ciego de Ávila Province, during demonstrations over prolonged blackouts and shortages of basic goods. (AFP via Jamaica Observer)
Antisemitism in Europe
- An explosion lightly damages a Jewish school in Amsterdam, Netherlands, with no reported injuries, making it the third attack against Jewish buildings in the Low Countries this week. (Euronews)
Ecuadorian conflict
- Ecuador begins enforcing a curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. in the provinces of El Oro, Guayas, Los Ríos, and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas to support military operations against criminal organizations. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Protests against the 2026 Iran war
- Spain in the 2026 Iran war, Gaza war protests
  - Anti-war protests are held across Spain, including in Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, against both the Iran war and the Gaza war, reviving the "No to war" movement. (El Confidencial) (Global Portal News)
- Protests are held in Italy against the war, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and upcoming constitutional referendum in the country. (AP)
Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova receives the Charlemagne Prize in Aachen, Germany, which had been awarded to her in 2022 for her role in advocating for democracy, human rights, and free elections in Belarus while she was imprisoned for her role in the 2020 Belarusian protests against President Alexander Lukashenko. (AP)

Sports

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
- 2026 Formula One World Championship
  - In auto racing, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile cancels the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, both scheduled to occur in April, due to safety concerns amid the Iran war. (AFP via France 24)
2025–26 Premier League
- In association football, English attacking midfielder Max Dowman scores for Arsenal in a 2–0 win over Everton to become the youngest ever goal scorer in Premier League history at 16 years and 73 days old. (Sky Sports)
2026 Six Nations Championship
- In rugby union, France defeats England 48–46 to win the Six Nations Championship in the final. (The Guardian)