Portal:Current events/2026 March 8

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
      • An Iranian drone hits and damages a desalination plant in Bahrain. In addition, falling missile debris injures three people and damages a university building in Manama. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
      • The Bahraini health ministry reports that an Iranian drone strike on the island of Sitra injured 32 civilians, including four with serious injuries. (AFP via The Times of Israel)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
      • The main building of the Public Institution for Social Security in Kuwait City suffers an airstrike. A large fire breaks out, but no injuries are reported. (Arab Times)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia
      • The United States Central Command confirms that a U.S. service member has died of wounds sustained after an Iranian attack on a base in Saudi Arabia on March 1, bringing the confirmed death toll among U.S. forces to seven since the start of the conflict. (CNN)
    • Joint airstrikes by Israel and the United States are carried out against oil facilities in Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing at least four truck drivers and causing large fires. (Al Jazeera)
    • According to Israeli sources, United Arab Emirates (UAE) warplanes carried out airstrikes against Iran, and purportedly struck a desalination plant. However, UAE officials denied any involvement in the alleged attacks. (Middle East Eye)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Hezbollah–Israel war
      • Four people are killed and 10 more injured in an Israeli airstrike on a Ramada hotel in central Beirut. (AFP via France 24)
      • Two Israeli soldiers are killed in overnight clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
  • Gaza war
    • Israel launches an airstrike and tank shell targeting Hamas members in Gaza City and the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, killing six Palestinians, including two children. (Reuters)
  • Israeli settler violence, Israeli incursions in the West Bank during the Gaza war
    • Two Palestinians are shot dead by Israeli settlers in Abu Falah, in the occupied West Bank. Another Palestinian is killed after Israeli soldiers throw smoke grenades during the attack. (Al Jazeera)
  • A military projectile struck a residential area in Al-Kharj, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia, killing two people and injuring 12 others. (AFP via Oman Daily Observer)
• Jonglei clashes
  • Civilians flee Akobo, South Sudan, after the military issued an evacuation order to prepare for a military operation. (AP)
• Terrorism in Norway
  • A bomb exploded at the American embassy in Oslo, Norway, causing minor damage, no one was injured. (CP24)
• United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
  • Six people are killed during an American airstrike against a boat in the Pacific Ocean. (ABC News)
• 2026 New York City bombing attempt
  • Two counter-protesters are arrested after throwing improvised explosive devices at an anti-Islam demonstration outside Gracie Mansion in New York City, United States. (The Guardian)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war, 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
  • The price of oil surpasses US$100 per barrel for the first time in four years. (CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

• Five people are killed and 60 others are injured when a bus carrying Zimbabwean nationals collides with a car on N6 near Stutterheim, Eastern Cape, South Africa. (The Citizen)
• At least four people are killed and several others are trapped after a section of the Bantar Gebang landfill in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, collapses amid heavy rainfall. (Reuters)
• Two people are killed and 19 people are injured following a mining incident in Samarkandek, Batken Region, Kyrgyzstan. (Gazeta)
• A fire occurs in a historic building adjoining the Glasgow Central railway station in Scotland, United Kingdom. The building collapses, destroying a number of businesses and shops. The fire also causes the disruption and cancellation of many train services, with Glasgow Central promptly shutting down until further notice. (BBC News)

Law and crime

• Peruvian security crisis
  • Peruvian authorities arrest three people following a bombing at a nightclub in Trujillo, La Libertad Department, that injured 44 people. (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Colombian parliamentary election
  • Colombians vote to elect 183 members of the Chamber of Representatives and 103 members of the Senate. (AP)
• 2026 Iranian Supreme Leader election
  • Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ali Khamenei, is elected as the next Supreme Leader of Iran. (AP)
• 2026 Nepalese general election
  • The Rastriya Swatantra Party wins 124 direct seats and leads in one more from 164 of 165 constituencies reported so far in Nepal. The results from the Dhanusha 1 constituency are withheld pending an order from the Supreme Court. (The Himalayan Times)
• 2026 Swiss referendums
  • Swiss voters reject a referendum proposing to reduce the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation's annual licence fee. They also reject a proposal for a climate fund and support efforts to maintain the status of cash and remove individual taxation for married couples. (Swissinfo.ch)

Sports

• 2026 Men's T20 World Cup
  • India wins the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup, beating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final. They become the first team to win back-to-back T20 World Cups, the first team to win the title at home as hosts, and the first team to win the tournament three times. (ESPNcricinfo)
• 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup, 2026 Iranian diaspora protests
  • Diaspora protesters surround the bus of the Iranian women's soccer team following their match against the Philippines in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, amidst fears of their safety upon returning to Iran after members of the team gave SOS hand signals from the team bus. (ABC News Australia) (DW)
• Nathan Martin wins the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon in the marathon's closest-ever finish, becoming the second consecutive American to win the event. (Los Angeles Times)