Portal:Current events/2026 March 9

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 interceptions of Iranian missiles in Turkey
      • Turkey and NATO forces shoot down a suspected Iranian ballistic missile violating Turkish airspace, with debris falling in Gaziantep Province. (Türkiye Today)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • French president Emmanuel Macron announces that France and other states will create a naval escort mission for merchant ships in the framework of Operation Aspides. (USNI News) (Al Jazeera)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Hezbollah–Israel war
      • Lebanon Maronite Catholic priest Father Pierre al-Rahi is killed by an Israeli double strike on a house in the Christian-majority town of Al-Qlayaa. (ICN)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • Islamist militants conduct coordinated overnight attacks on several locations in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 12 soldiers and three civilians in fighting with government forces. The assaults target military positions in Borno and Yobe states and result in damage to military facilities and nearby homes. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
    • Bapco Energies declares force majeure on certain refinery operations in Bahrain after damage to its facilities by Iranian strikes, temporarily affecting shipments. (AFP via Al Arabiya)
  • Bangladesh closes all universities by advancing the Eid al-Fitr holidays as part of emergency measures to reduce electricity consumption during an energy crisis linked to the Iran war. (Reuters)
  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 rises after United States president Donald Trump says that the war in Iran is “very complete”, hinting that it could end soon. Additionally, oil prices have dipped under $100 following his remarks. (CNBC) (Semafor)

Disasters and accidents

• Mediterranean Sea migrant smuggling
  • At least fourteen migrants are found drowned and seven others are rescued after their boat collides with a Coast Guard boat off the coast of Demre, Antalya Province, Turkey. (AP)
• 2026 Kenya floods
  • The death toll from floods in Nairobi, Kenya, rises to 42. (Reuters)
• Seven workers are killed and four are critically injured after being buried under soil during excavation work at a construction site near Dharuhera in Haryana, India. (Hindustan Times) (The Hindu)

International relations

• Azerbaijan–Iran relations
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Azerbaijan
    • Azerbaijan reopens its border crossings with Iran to cargo traffic after closing them following a drone incident in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, who denies Iran's involvement, tells Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev that Iran is investigating the incident. (Reuters)
• Greenland crisis
  • NATO conducts military drills in Greenland involving over 25,000 troops from 14 nations including Denmark and the United States in a effort to de-escalate tensions over efforts by Trump to annex the island. The exercise will last until March 19. (The Independent)

Law and crime

• Syrian civil war, Syria–United Kingdom relations
  • The Crown Prosecution Service charges a former Syrian soldier from the Air Force Intelligence Directorate with three counts of murder and three counts of torture as crimes against humanity under the International Criminal Court Act for his attacks on civilians in Damascus in 2011. (AP)
• Terrorism in Belgium, Antisemitism in contemporary Belgium
  • A synagogue in Liège, Belgium, is damaged by an explosion. It is being investigated as a potential act of terrorism. (Euronews)
• United States sanctions against Iran
  • The United States reaches a deferred prosecution agreement with Turkey's state-owned lender Halkbank to resolve criminal charges alleging that the bank helped Iran evade U.S. sanctions. Under the agreement, Halkbank must implement compliance monitoring and avoid transactions that benefit Iran, after which the charges may be dismissed pending court approval. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Colombian parliamentary election
  • The ruling Historic Pact coalition wins 25 of 102 seats in the Senate, becoming the largest bloc but falling short of a majority. The Democratic Centre places second with 17 seats, while other seats are distributed among several parties, resulting in a hung parliament that will require coalition negotiations. (Reuters)
• 2026 Kosovan presidential election
  • The Constitutional Court of Kosovo issues an injunction that freezes President Vjosa Osmani's decree dissolving the Kuvendi, while also preventing both the President from calling snap elections and the Kuvendi from carrying out parliamentary business until the Constitutional Court delivers its final ruling. (Euronews) (KOHA)
• 2026 Portuguese presidential election
  • António José Seguro is sworn in as President of Portugal, succeeding Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. (Público)
• Malagasy president Michael Randrianirina dismisses prime minister Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo and his cabinet. (Reuters)