Portal:Current events/March 2026

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2026 Iran war
  • Assassination of Ali Khamenei
    • Iran confirms the death of supreme leader Ali Khamenei in an attack yesterday in Tehran by Israel and the United States. Forty days of mourning are declared. (Al Jazeera)
    • Following Khamenei's death, some Iranians grieve while others in the country celebrated his death. In Galleh Dar, a monument of Islamic founder Ruhollah Khomeini is toppled. Additionally, a statue in Dehloran is toppled. (Reuters)
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Cyprus
    • Iran launches two ballistic missiles towards Cyprus, not far from the British military bases on the island. They were both intercepted before reaching Cyprus. Cypriot president Nikos Christodoulides states that the country is not a target of Iran. (Cyprus Mail)
    • British Royal Air Force base RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus is hit by a drone after declaring a security threat. No casualties are reported. (Cyprus Mail)
  • 2026 killings of Iranian officials
    • Key Iranian officials Abdolrahim Mousavi, Aziz Nasirzadeh, Mohammad Pakpour and Ali Shamkhani are confirmed killed after an airstrike during a meeting yesterday in Tehran. (The Hill)
    • Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is allegedly killed along with his bodyguards in an Israeli targeted killing strike on his home in Narmak. However, contrary to reports, a close advisor to him confirmed he is alive. (The Times of Israel) (Anadolu Agency)
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
    • An Iranian drone strikes the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manama, Bahrain, which houses American embassy personnel. No casualties are reported. (Egypt Independent)
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
    • Nine people are killed and 49 others are wounded in an Iranian ballistic missile strike on a synagogue in Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem District, Israel. (The Times of Israel) (CNN)
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
    • Multiple Iranian Shahed drones strike French naval air station Camp de la Paix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (MENA via The New Arab)
  • High-ranking clerics in Iran declare jihad against Israel and the U.S., issuing a fatwa against them. (The Telegraph)
  • The Israeli Air Force launches a new wave of airstrikes across Tehran, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij facilities with multiple explosions reported. (AA)
  • A person is injured in a drone strike on Duqm port in Oman. (AA)
  • A Palau-flagged tanker is struck by a missile in the Gulf of Oman, injuring four crew members. (Reuters)
  • The IRGC says it has launched missiles at the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Indian Ocean. (BBC News)
  • Three U.S. service members are killed and five others are seriously wounded in an Iranian missile strike, according to the United States Central Command. (LBC)
  • Four Popular Mobilization Forces members are killed in an unidentified airstrike targeting one of their headquarters in Diyala Governorate, Iraq. (Al Arabiya)
  • The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy's lead Moudge-class frigate IRIS Jamaran is sunk by U.S forces off Chabahar Port. (Reuters)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Southern front of the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Russian forces launch artillery strikes on Kherson, Ukraine, killing three people and wounding two others. (Ukrinform)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war
  • Anti-aircraft fire is reported over Kabul, Afghanistan, as Pakistani warplanes launch strikes against Taliban targets. (France 24)
• Myanmar civil war
  • The Tatmadaw launches airstrikes against a trading junction in the central Magway Region of Myanmar, killing 25 people and injuring 20 people. (AP)
• At least 169 people are killed when insurgents raid a village in Abiemnom County, Ruweng Administrative Area, South Sudan. (AP)

Business and economy

• Reactions to the 2026 Iran conflict
  • Danish shipping firm Maersk says that it is suspending all vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz until further notice due to the ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf. (AFP via Business Recorder)
  • US-Bangla Airlines announces that they will resume flights to Oman and Saudi Arabia as scheduled. However, they also announce they will temporarily suspend flights to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. (Dhaka Tribune)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 17 people are killed and 18 others are critically injured in an explosion at an explosives factory in Nagpur district, Maharashtra, India. (NDTV) (DNA)
• Four people are killed and ten others are missing after a boat carrying migrants toward Europe capsizes off the coast of Tobruk, Libya, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (Arab News)
• Six people are killed and seven others are injured when a coach bus collides with a truck near Kyakabuga, Kyankwanzi District, Uganda. (Monitor)
• Two Canadian nationals are killed and 18 others are injured in a bus crash near Cumayasa, La Altagracia Province, Dominican Republic. (CTV)

International relations

• 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
  • Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi says that he has told Oman foreign minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi that Iran is open to serious efforts at de-escalation. (APA)
  • US president Donald Trump claims that the Iranian leadership agreed to talks a day after Israel and the US launched strikes against Iran and stated he has agreed to do so. However, Iranian security council secretary Ali Larijani ruled out any negotiations. (CBS News) (Iran International) (WION)
• Belgium–Russia relations
  • Belgium's special forces, with French Naval assistance, seize a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the North Sea. (Le Monde)
• The Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council issues an statement condemning the Iranian attacks targeting GCC countries, reaffirming that their territories won't be used to launch any attacks against Iran and demanding the cessation of those attacks to restore security, peace, and stability in the region. (Gulf Cooperation Council)

Law and crime

• 2026 attack on the United States consulate in Karachi
  • Hundreds of protestors attempted to storm the consulate of the United States in Karachi, Pakistan, leading to clashes with security forces which left at least 22 people dead and multiple others wounded. (AP)
• 2026 Austin bar shooting
  • Three people are killed, including the perpetrator, and 14 others are injured in a mass shooting at a bar in Austin, Texas, United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the attack as potential terrorism. (KVUE)

Politics and elections

• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • Over 1,300 demonstrators, mainly affiliated with the Communist Party of Greece, protest in Athens, Greece, with people holding ‌banners and placards reading, "Hands off Iran" and "Close Souda base". (Reuters)
  • A pro-Iran demonstration by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is held at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque condemning Khamenei's death and demanding the intervention of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. (Dhaka Tribune)
• 2026 Iranian Supreme Leader election
  • Iran appoints Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to the Interim Leadership Council that assumed authority following the assassination of supreme leader Ali Khamenei, with the body set to govern alongside president Masoud Pezeshkian and chief justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i until the Assembly of Experts selects a new supreme leader. (AFP via Al Arabiya)
• Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado says she will return to the country in the coming weeks. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• AI boom, Regulation of artificial intelligence
  • Vietnam's artificial intelligence (AI) law takes effect, mandating labeling of AI-generated content and disclosure when users interact with automated systems. The law, which applies to domestic and foreign developers, providers, and deployers operating in the country, also provides for the creation of a national AI data center. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
      • Dubai International Airport resumes limited flights for stranded international passengers, with the first flights cleared to depart Dubai. (CNBC)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Cyprus
      • Cypriot president Nikos Christodoulides confirms that an Iranian drone struck the British base RAF Akrotiri last night. Paphos International Airport is evacuated after a "drone threat", while Greece deploys two frigates and F-16 fighter jets to Cyprus amid rising tensions. (BBC) (Reuters) (Ekathimerini)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
      • Two Kuwaiti navy members are killed amid Iranian attacks, according to the Kuwaiti defence ministry. (The Times of Israel)
      • Iranian drones strike the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City. (AFP via NDTV)
    • Reactions to the 2026 Iran conflict
      • British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says that the United Kingdom has agreed to a United States request to use British military bases for "defensive" strikes on Iranian missile sites. (BBC)
      • NATO secretary general Mark Rutte states that NATO has no plans to be involved in the conflict, while praising Israel and the United States for their strikes against Iran. (Reuters)
    • The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) reports three more U.S. soldiers have been killed, bringing the death toll among U.S. forces to six, since the start of the conflict with Iran. (The Times of Israel) (CBS News)
    • Iran launches a missile and drone attack on Saudi Aramco's oil refinery in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, causing several large fires at the facility, and forcing its closure by Saudi authorities. (The Caspian Post)
    • Three U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jets crash in Kuwait during combat operations against Iran after being mistakenly shot down by the Kuwaiti military. All crew members survive. The U.S. CENTCOM confirms the loss of the three aircraft in a friendly fire incident. (ABC4 News) (CNN) (Turkiye Today)
    • U.S. Air Force B-1 Lancer strategic bombers carry out strikes targeting above-ground ballistic missile launch sites and command and control centres in Iran. (Devdiscourse)
    • The Qatari air force says it shot down two Iranian Su-24 jets over the Persian Gulf. (AP)
    • The U.S. military says it has struck IRGC Navy drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri. (The Times of Israel)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Hezbollah–Israel war
      • As a response to Israel's attacks against Iran and Israel's occupation of parts of Lebanon, Hezbollah fired two projectiles targeting an Israeli military base near Haifa. Israel then responded with attacks in Beirut and across many villages in Lebanon. At least 52 people are killed and 149 more are injured. (Al Jazeera) (BBC News) (Reuters)
      • Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam bans Hezbollah’s military activities following an attack on Israel. (Al Jazeera)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Ukrainian drones strike an oil terminal in the Russian port city of Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai. Four residential buildings in the area are reportedly damaged in the attack. (Kyiv Independent)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war
  • The Taliban says the Afghan military has successfully repelled Pakistani warplanes with surface-to-air missiles that were attacking Bagram Airfield as explosions are reported in several cities, including Kabul. (The Guardian)

Arts and culture

• 2026 Iran conflict
  • Iranian semi-official news agency Mehr News Agency reports that the former royal residence and UNESCO World Heritage Site Golestan Palace is damaged by an airstrike. (WANA)

Business and economy

• Qatari-state owned QatarEnergy halts all LNG production at its Ras Laffan Industrial City following an Iranian drone attack. (Bloomberg News)

Disasters and accidents

• A floor collapses in an under-construction building in Johannesburg, South Africa, killing nine people. (AP)

Health and environment

• Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
  • Save the Children announces that vaccines have arrived in the Sudanese state of South Kordofan, their first in three years since the civil war broke out. (Sudan Tribune)

Law and crime

• The owner is killed and three others are critically injured in a mass shooting inside a newly launched hotel in Churu district, Rajasthan, India. Three suspects are arrested. (Hindustan Times)

International relations

• Canada–India relations
  • Canadian prime minister Mark Carney and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi agree to a deal that would strengthen their economic partnership, aimed at boosting ties after two years of strained relationship between the two countries. (AP)
• France and weapons of mass destruction
  • French president Emmanuel Macron announces that France will increase its stockpile of nuclear weapons for the first time in decades citing global threats such as Russia's war on Ukraine, China's growing military power in Asia, and changing U.S. defense priorities as reasons for the nuclear build-up. (Politico)
  • Denmark and France make an agreement on strategic nuclear deterrence. However, French nuclear weapons are not to be located on Danish territory. (Reuters)
• Rwanda–United States relations, Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda conflict
  • The U.S. Department of State imposes sanctions on the Rwandan military for allegedly supporting the March 23 Movement and violating a peace agreement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AFP via Barron's)
• Spain–United States relations
  • U.S. military aircraft begin to leave Spain after the Spanish government denied the U.S. permission to use their airbases for military operations against Iran. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • Protests against the 2026 Iran war in the United States
    • A protest organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation is held in Phoenix, Arizona near the Arizona State Capitol. Additionally, counter-protests are held in support of the war and praise the Trump administration for the strikes. (Fox 10 Phoenix)
    • Anti-war protests are held in Des Moines, Iowa, against the US-Israel strikes. (USA Today)
  • Left-wing parties in India organize protests in Vijayawada against the war and the killing of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. (The Hindu)

Sports

• 2026 Winter Paralympics
  • Belarus at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, Russia at the 2026 Winter Paralympics
    • Lithuanian broadcaster Lithuanian National Radio and Television says it will not air the opening ceremony of the upcoming Winter Paralympics, citing the participation of athletes from Belarus and Russia. (LRT)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
      • An Iranian drone strike damages Al Minhad Air Base, the headquarters of the Australian military's Joint Task Force 633. Australian defence minister Richard Marles confirms that there were no casualties in the strike. (Reuters)
      • A large fire is reported at an oil terminal in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, following an Iranian Shahed drone attack. (Sky News)
      • France deploys Rafale fighter jets to the UAE in response to Iranian attacks, according to French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot. (France 24)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Akrotiri and Dhekelia
      • British prime minister Keir Starmer says he has approved the deployment of Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon to the island of Cyprus to protect the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia from further Iranian attacks. (Cyprus Mail)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
      • Qatar announces it has arrested 10 people from two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps cells for espionage and sabotage. (Gulf Times)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia
      • Explosions and fires are reported at the United States embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following a series of Iranian drone strikes. (YnetNews)
    • The Iranian Red Crescent Society says the death toll from Israeli and American airstrikes in Iran has risen to 787 with thousands more wounded. (AP)
    • The Israeli Air Force strikes the presidential administration and Supreme National Security Council buildings in Tehran, Iran, with "multiple munitions". (BBC News)
    • U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discloses that the initial U.S. attack on Iran was due to an Israeli intention to attack Iranian leadership, which would have jeopardized U.S. forces in the region. (DW) (Telegraph)
    • The International Atomic Energy Agency confirms the entrances to the underground Natanz Nuclear Facility in Iran have been bombed. However, there are no signs of any increase in radiation at the facility. (Reuters)
    • Airstrikes hit the Assembly of Experts building in Qom, Iran. The building appears to have been severely damaged in the attack. (Al Arabiya)
    • Jordan reopens their airspace to civilian aviation traffic, including for transits, arrivals, and departures, after a closure that has been in effect since Monday evening. (Ammon News)
    • U.S. forces destroy Iran's lead Shahid Soleimani-class corvette, the IRIS Shahid Soleimani. (Naval News)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Hezbollah–Israel war
      • Following a series of drone and rocket attacks by Hezbollah, the Israeli military launch a ground offensive into Lebanon, capturing several positions along the Israel—Lebanon border. (7 Israel) (Turkiye Today)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war
  • The Taliban confirms 28 Afghan troops have been killed in recent clashes with Pakistani forces along their border. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reports at least 42 civilians have been killed. (Hasht-e-Subh Daily)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • At least 14 Nigerian Army soldiers and a local imam are killed and several others are injured in two seperate attacks by suspected Islamic State – West Africa Province militants on army bases in Gwoza, Borno State, Nigeria. (Reuters)
• Ecuadorian conflict
  • The U.S. Southern Command announces that the U.S. military has joined the Ecuadorian Armed Forces against narcoterrorists and drug cartels in the country. (Politico)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) tanker Arctic Metagaz catches fire in the Mediterranean Sea after being struck by a Ukrainian naval drone. (Kyiv Independent) (The Moscow Times)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Rubaya mines collapses
  • More than 200 people are killed, including around 70 minors, when a landslide collapses a mine at the Rubaya mines in Masisi Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. A different landslide collapsed mines at the same site in January, killing over 400. (Xinhua) (AA)
• Two people are killed and three others are critically injured after a helicopter crashes in Pililla, Rizal, Philippines. (AFP via The Straits Times)

International relations

• 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
  • Oman Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi renews his push for diplomacy, stating that diplomatic options are still available. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• 2026 Cuban boat incident
  • Cuban prosecutors charge six Cuban nationals with "crimes of terrorism" and accuse them of entering Cuba with a US-flagged boat to cause unrest in the country, which was intercepted by the Cuban coast guard, resulting in a shootout. (DW)
• Crime in Trinidad and Tobago
  • Trinidad and Tobago declares a new state of emergency in response to a wave of violent crime in the country, including 63 murders since the beginning of the year and a series of gang-related mass shootings. (AP)
• Purported yakuza leader Takeshi Ebisawa is convicted by a New York federal court and sentenced to 20 years in prison for trafficking nuclear material, drugs, and weapons. (Japan Times)

Politics and elections

• Visa policy of the United Kingdom
  • The United Kingdom announces that it will stop issuing student visas to nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan and suspend work visas for Afghan nationals, citing a rise in asylum applications from individuals entering through legal visa processes. (AFP via CNA)

Science and technology

• March 2026 lunar eclipse
  • A total lunar eclipse occurs in eastern Asia, Oceania, Pacific, and the Americas. (EclipseWise)
• Astronomers announce the discovery 1,900 light-years from Earth of TIC 120362137, the tightest known quadruple star system, using data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. (Space.com)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Anonymous state intelligence sources tell The New York Times that the Iranian intelligence ministry have signalled to the United States Central Intelligence Agency an openness to talks on ‌bringing an end to the war. (Reuters)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
      • An Iranian ballistic missile strikes the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the region. (The Wall Street Journal)
    • Sinking of IRIS Dena
      • The Iranian frigate IRIS Dena is torpedoed and sunk by U.S. Navy submarine USS Charlotte in waters off Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 of the 180 people on board, while 32 others are rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy with 61 remaining missing. (Reuters)
    • 2026 interceptions of Iranian missiles in Turkey
      • Turkey and NATO forces shoot down a suspected Iranian ballistic missile that was about to enter Turkish airspace. (Türkiye Today)
    • An Israeli Air Force F-35 shoots down an Iranian Yak-130 fighter jet over Tehran with an air-to-air missile. (The Times of Israel)
    • U.S. defense secretary Pete Hegseth announces that the U.S. Air Force will have uncontested air supremacy of Iranian airspace within days, and that Iran's military capabilities are "evaporating by the hour" due to constant U.S. and Israeli strikes. (The Guardian)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Hezbollah–Israel war
      • Israeli strikes on a hotel and residential areas in the towns of Aramoun and Saadiyat, in the south of Beirut, kill eleven people and injure four others. (Al Jazeera)
      • Three people are killed and six more injured during two Israeli strikes on the road to the airport in Beirut. (Al Jazeera)
• Colombian conflict
  • A task force rescues two minors in an operation against FARC dissidents in Puerto Valencia, El Retorno, Guaviare Department, and arrests four militants and recovers M60 machine guns, assault rifles, explosives, and ammunition. (Agencia API in Spanish)
• Mexican drug war
  • Five cartel members are killed in a shootout with government forces in Rayones, Nuevo León, Mexico. (Milenio in Spanish)

Business and economy

• 2026 Cuban crisis
  • 2024–2026 Cuba blackouts
    • A major blackout across much of western Cuba, including Havana, leaves millions without power, following a fault at the Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas. Officials estimate it will last at least 72 hours. (AP)
  • Air France announces the suspension of flights between France and Cuba, starting from March 29 until at least June 15 due to a jet fuel shortage in Cuba. (AFP via Jamaica Observer)
• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Several of the United Arab Emirates stock exchanges will resume, including Nasdaq Dubai, Dubai Financial Market, and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, after being put on pause for two days due to the Iranian strikes. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Logan Township explosion
  • Four people are injured after an explosion at an oil extraction plant in Logan Township, New Jersey, United States. (CBS News)
• At least six people are killed and 15 others are injured when a passenger bus and a semi-trailer truck collide in Tamacine, Touggourt Province, Algeria. (Xinhua)
• A nationwide blackout occurs in Iraq with the Ministry of Electricity saying the power grid has gone down entirely, and that the cause is under investigation. (Philenews)

Law and crime

• Banco Master scandal
  • The Supreme Court of Brazil orders the arrest of former Banco Master president and major shareholder Daniel Vorcaro in a fraud investigation of potentially up to 12 billion reals in missing funds. (AP)
• Hong Kong–mainland China relations, China–United Kingdom relations, Chinese intelligence activity abroad
  • The Central Criminal Court in London, United Kingdom, charge two British Chinese nationals of violating the National Security Act for spying on diasporic Hong Kongers on behalf of the China-appointed Hong Kong government. (AP)
• Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
  • The United States Senate rejects a War Powers Resolution that would check president Donald Trump's power in the Iran war, making it the first vote on the conflict in U.S. Congress. (AP) (Reuters)
• Scam centers in Cambodia
  • Taiwanese prosecutors indict 62 people, including Chen Zhi, for their alleged links to the Prince Group, a multinational criminal network that operates scam centers in Cambodia. They also charge 13 companies with offences related to the criminal organization and money laundering. (DW)
• The Tokyo High Court in Japan orders the dissolution of the Unification Church. (BBC News) (Japan Times)

Politics and elections

• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • Protests against the 2026 Iran war in the United States
    • U.S. Marine veteran Brian McGinnis interrupts a U.S. Senate hearing in protest of the Iran war and is removed by the United States Capitol Police assisted by US Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT). (Military.com)
  • A anti-war protest is held in Ottawa, Canada outside a defense conference at the Château Laurier to call for an end to the war and a reduction in defense spending. (Ottawa Citizen)
• 2024–2026 Slovak protests
  • Slovak prime minister Robert Fico announces that his government will repeal a law abolishing the country's whistleblower protection office after the Constitutional Court suspended the measure and the European Commission opened infringement proceedings against Slovakia. (AFP via Indo Premier)

Science and technology

• Japanese space program
  • The KAIROS rocket developed by private spaceflight company Space One suffers its third launch failure from Spaceport Kii in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, while carrying a small government test satellite. The flight was terminated two minutes after launch. (AFPBB News) (Space.com)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Akrotiri and Dhekelia
      • Spain announces that the frigate Cristóbal Colón will join French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and Greek Navy ships to protect the British military bases in Cyprus. (AFP via The Straits Times)
      • Italy announces that it will dispatch naval assets to Cyprus. The Dutch navy is also joining the European naval task force. (Euronews)
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran is not seeking a ceasefire or negotiations with the United States. (CNBC)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Azerbaijan
      • Suspected Iranian drones strike Nakhchivan International Airport in Azerbaijan, targeting the passenger terminal. At least two people are injured. (Euronews) (Reuters) (BBC News)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
      • The Bahraini military reports that 74 Iranian missiles and 117 hostile drones have been intercepted and destroyed. A missile hit an oil refinery, causing a fire. (WAM via Gulf News) (Al Jazeera)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Iraq
      • Iraqi forces shoot down a drone that attempted to attack the United States' airbase near Baghdad. (Al Jazeera)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
      • The Qatari military says that the country was targeted today by 14 ballistic missiles and four drones coming from Iran; all of them were intercepted and no casualties were reported. (Al Jazeera)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
      • The United Arab Emirates's air defence systems intercept six ballistic missiles and 125 drones launched by Iran. Six people were injured by falling debris over Abu Dhabi. (Al Jazeera) (The National News)
    • 2026 Kurdish rebellion in Iran
      • United States president Donald Trump says U.S. Air Force jets will provide "extensive air cover" for Kurdish forces in any ground offensive against the Iranian government. (The Telegraph)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • China is reportedly in talks with Iran to allow crude oil and Qatari liquefied natural gas vessels safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Hezbollah–Israel war
      • The Israeli military issues an evacuation order for Dahieh, Beirut, Lebanon, a densely populated suburb which is also a stronghold of Hezbollah, telling residents to "save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately". Thousands of people flee following the warning. (The Times of Israel) (The Los Angeles Times)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Prisoners of war in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war, with 200 soldiers returned to each side. (Meduza)
  • The Ukrainian Navy shoots down a Russian Naval Aviation Kamov Ka-27 helicopter over the Black Sea. (RBC-Ukraine) (ASN)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • South Korean president Lee Jae Myung orders the activation of a ₩100 trillion (about US$68 billion) stabilization fund to address volatility in the country's financial markets linked to the Iran war. (AFP via The Economic Times)
• Tariffs in the second Trump administration
  • Around 24 U.S. states file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after president Trump imposed a 10% global tariff, the first lawsuit challenging those tariffs. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• At least six people are killed, eight others are rescued, and six are trapped when a nursing home collapses in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. (Xinhua)
• Four people are killed and two others are injured when a Beechcraft 1900 of the Algerian Air Force crashes at Boufarik Airport near Boufarik, Blida Province, Algeria. (ASN)
• An Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighter jet crashes shortly after taking off from Jorhat Airport in Karbi Anglong district, Assam, India, killing both pilots. (AP) (Deccan Herald)
• The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reports that an explosion struck a tanker anchored in waters about 60 kilometers off the coast of Kuwait, causing an oil spill from a damaged cargo tank. (AFP via The New Zealand Herald)

International relations

• Evacuations during the 2026 Iran war
  • Australia and New Zealand deploy military assets, including two RNZAF aircraft, and crisis response teams to the Middle East to assist and evacuate their respective nationals. (AFP via Al Arabiya)
• Iran–Lebanon relations
  • The Lebanese cabinet bans activities by members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps within Lebanon and instructs authorities to detain and deport individuals linked to the group. The cabinet also introduces a visa requirement for Iranian nationals entering the country. (AFP via Al-Ahram)
• France-Lebanon relations
  • French president Emmanuel Macron announces that France will strengthen its cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces and provide them with armored transport vehicles as well as operational and logistical support. (The Times of Israel)
• Foreign relations of Ecuador
  • Ecuador declares Cuba's ambassador to the country a persona non grata and orders him and all his diplomatic staff to leave the country within 48 hours. Shortly after the announcement, a man was filmed by the Associated Press on the roof of the Cuban embassy in Quito burning a bag of papers. (AP)
• United States–Venezuela relations
  • The United States and Venezuela agree to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations. (AFP via RFI)

Law and crime

• Human rights in Belarus
  • Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko pardons 18 political prisoners, including 15 for political charges and three who were convicted of unspecified crimes. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Kosovan presidential election
  • In Kosovo, the 120 members of the Kuvendi fail to elect the president. The Kuvendi is expected to dissolve, with parliamentary elections scheduled to be set within 45 days. (DTT-NET) (RKS)
• 2026 Nepalese general election
  • Nepalis vote to elect 275 seats of the House of Representatives nearly six months after the Gen Z protests. (AP)
• Second cabinet of Donald Trump
  • U.S. president Donald Trump dismisses Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security and nominates Oklahoma senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her. (The Independent)
• 2026 U.S. House of Representatives election in Texas district 23
  • Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and youtuber presumptively becomes the GOP's nominee for the district, after incumbent representative Tony Gonzales drops from the race following a scandal involving a former aide. (BBC)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • Protests against the 2026 Iran war
      • Protests against the 2026 Iran war in the United States
        • Iranian diaspora protesters clash with anti-war protesters at a Ali Khamenei vigil at Washington Square Park in New York City, United States. (Times of Israel)
      • Demonstrators in Sanaa, Yemen, rally in solitary with Iran and Lebanon amidst the conflict. (Middle East Eye)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
      • The Qatari government announces that its military had intercepted nine Iranian drones, while one drone struck an uninhabited area. (QNA via Gulf Times)
      • The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority partially reopens the country's airspace through designated contingency routes with limited capacity. Operations initially included evacuation flights for stranded passengers and air cargo services. (AFP via Deccan Chronicle)
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • United States president Donald Trump calls for the "unconditional surrender" of Iran, saying there will be no deal or further talks. This comes after Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian says that several countries have initiated mediation efforts to end the war. (BBC News)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Azerbaijan
      • Azerbaijan's State Security Service affirms it has thwarted a terror attack plotted by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including possible strikes against the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. (Euronews)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
      • The Bahraini military announces that its air defence continue to intercept successive waves of Iranian attacks, with 84 missiles and 147 drones destroyed since the onset of hostilities. (Emirates News Agency)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on the Kurdistan Region
      • Drones hit a hotel in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. (Iraqi News)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia
      • An Iranian ballistic missile strikes Prince Sultan Air Base in Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi defense ministry says air defenses intercepted three missiles launched to the base, as well as four drones east of the province. (The Caspian Post) (Saudi Gazette)
    • An Israeli IAI Heron UAV is shot down over Khuzestan province, Iran. (Aviation Safety Network)
    • U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters launch air-to-surface missiles at Popular Mobilization Forces positions near Mosul, Iraq. (Iraqi News) (Shafaq)
    • The Iranian Red Crescent Society reports the death toll from the Israeli and American air campaign in Iran has risen to 1,332. (Turkiye Today)
  • 2026 Hezbollah–Israel war
    • At least 41 people are killed, including three soldiers, and 40 more injured in Israeli air and ground raids on Al-Nabi Shayth, Beqaa Valley. The Israeli commandos tried unsuccessfully to locate and take away the remains of missing pilot Ron Arad. (Al Jazeera) (The Guardian)
    • Three Ghanaian peacekeepers are injured in an Israeli missile strike in southern Lebanon. (France 24)
• Ecuadorian conflict
  • Operation Southern Spear
    • The U.S. defense department says its military has carried out airstrikes on narcoterrorists in Ecuador at the request of the Ecuadorian government, targeting a camp belonging to a faction of the FARC dissidents at the border with Colombia. (Reuters)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war
  • The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports at least 100,000 civilians have now been displaced from their homes due to the fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan, while Afghan forces say they have destroyed 14 more Pakistani military outposts along the border and downed a drone. (Sky News)
• Sudanese civil war
  • The Sudanese military recaptures the town of Barah in North Kordofan, Sudan, following a ground assault backed by airstrikes against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reportedly inflicting heavy losses on the RSF and destroying 32 RSF combat vehicles. (Al Jazeera)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Prisoners of war in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war, with 300 soldiers returned to each side. (The Moscow Times)

Disasters and accidents

• A wave of severe weather and a related tornado outbreak, kill at least eight people and cause widespread damage in the central United States. (CNN)

Health and environment

• 2020–2026 H5N1 outbreak
  • The Japanese agriculture ministry confirms a H5N1 bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm in Abira, Hokkaido. (MENAFN)

Law and crime

• 2026 Iranian diaspora protests
  • Police in Moscow, Russia, detain Iranian nationals who celebrated the killing of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei in public. (The Moscow Times)
• Immigration policy of the second Trump administration
  • A United States appeals court declines to allow Donald Trump's administration to end temporary protected status for more than 350,000 Haitian nationals, leaving in place a lower court order that blocks the policy while the case proceeds. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Iranian leadership crisis
  • Exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the late former shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, says he is ready to lead a potential transition if the Iranian government falls. (Naijan News)
• 2026 Kosovan presidential election, 2026 Kosovan parliamentary election
  • Kosovan president Vjosa Osmani dissolves the Kuvendi, attempting to set new parliamentary elections within 45 days. The Vetëvendosje party maintains that the constitution allows parliament 60 more days to try to elect a president, seeking to challenge Osmani's decree at the Constitutional Court. (AP) (Balkan Insight) (RKS)

Science and technology

• Internet in Indonesia
  • Indonesia announces that it will prohibit social media access for users under the age of 16 and begin deactivating accounts belonging to minors on several major platforms as part of a phased policy intended to address risks such as internet fraud and excessive internet use. (AFP via CNA)

Sports

• 2026 Winter Paralympics
  • The opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo is held in Verona Arena, Verona, Italy. (AP)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Iranian ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali says that Iran is ready for normal talks but also rejects the current position by the United States. (TASS)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
      • Dubai International Airport suspends operations after an aerial interception near the airport during Iranian drone and missile attacks in the region. Airport operations later partially resume as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continues responding to the aerial threats. (AFP via Vanguard) (AFP via The Daily Star)
    • Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian apologizes for Iran's attacks on its Middle Eastern neighbors and states that the Interim Leadership Council had agreed not to attack them "unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries". The military later continues the strikes. The governments of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE report attacks targeting their territories. (AP) (TRT World) (AFP via France 24) (Reuters)
    • The United States embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, is attacked with four rockets. Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani orders the security forces to pursue the perpetrators of the "terrorist act". (Al Jazeera)
  • 2026 Hezbollah–Israel war
    • The Lebanese health ministry reports that Israeli airstrikes on multiple locations in southern Lebanon killed eight people, including six in Kherbet Selem and two in Kfar Reman. (AFP via Middle East Eye)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war, Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
    • Kharkiv Oblast governor Oleh Syniehubov says that Russia has launched a barrage of drones and missiles on residential areas in Kharkiv, Ukraine, killing ten people, including two children and injuring ten, as well as damaging the city's power grids. (CTV News) (BBC News)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • At least four people are killed, including two policemen, and more than 35 others are injured, including three seriously, in two separate bombings targeting a police patrol van and a market in Wana and Lakki Marwat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Arab News)
• Internal conflict in Peru
  • At least 33 people are injured, including three minors and five others seriously, in a bombing at a nightclub in Trujillo, La Libertad Department, Peru. No group has yet claimed responsibility. (AP)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • At least 45 bandits and three military personnel are killed in a clash between Nigerian troops and armed bandits in Dan Musa, Katsina State, Nigeria. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis, Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation announces a precautionary reduction in crude oil production and refining operations in response to Iranian attacks and threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. (AFP via Al-Ahram)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Kenya floods
  • Flash floods in Nairobi, Kenya, disrupt flights and result in at least 23 deaths. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• Sudan's health ministry announces that the country will launch a hepatitis B vaccine campaign for newborns in 10 states. (Sudan Tribune)

International relations

• Shield of the Americas
  • United States president Donald Trump meets with leaders from twelve American countries for the launching of a new multinational military cooperation initiative called Shield of the Americas, led by special envoy Kristi Noem. (Bloomberg).
• United States–Venezuela relations
  • At the Shield of the Americas summit, U.S. president Trump says that the United States formally recognizes the Venezuelan government of Delcy Rodríguez. (Euronews)

Law and crime

• Soham murders
  • Child murderer Ian Huntley dies in a hospital nine days after being attacked by a fellow inmate at HM Prison Frankland in County Durham, England, United Kingdom. (BBC News)
• An improvised explosive device is detonated during a protest outside the residence of mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York City, United States. (NBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Nepalese general election
  • Partial preliminary results in Nepal indicate that the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won 60 of 165 first-past-the-post seats, while also leading in 61 other consituencies. In Jhapa 5, RSP prime ministerial candidate Balen Shah defeats former prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli. (AP) (The Himalayan Times)
• Guinea dissolves 40 political parties by decree, including the three main opposition groups—the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea, the Rally of the Guinean People, and the Union of Republican Forces—for failing to meet legal requirements, and orders the seizure of their assets. (AFP via France 24)

Sports

• 2026 Winter Paralympics
  • Russia at the 2026 Winter Paralympics
    • Russia wins their first Winter Paralympics medal since 2014 after Varvara Voronchikhina and Alexey Bugaev each won a bronze medal in para alpine skiing. (The Moscow Times)

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)

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)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
    • The Ruwais refinery in Al Dhannah, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates, shuts down after a drone strike that causes a fire. (Reuters)
  • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    • United States intelligence sources report that Iran has started to deploy underwater mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The Central Command says that American forces have sunk several Iranian ships, including 16 minelaying vessels. (CNN) (CNBC)
  • United Kingdom involvement in the 2026 Iran war
    • Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon leaves Portsmouth and heads to Cyprus in response to a drone strike on the United Kingdom's RAF Akrotiri base. (BBC News)
  • According to Iran International, American and Israeli airstrikes have killed many Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders and generals, including Basij chief Asadollah Badfar. Prior to his reported death, Badfar was involved in crackdowns against the 2025–2026 protests. (Iran International) (Jerusalem Post)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Six people are killed and 37 others are injured in a Ukrainian missile attack in Bryansk, Russia. (Xinhua)
  • The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces announce several overnight drone strikes on Russian electronic warfare stations and warehouses in Donetsk and Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Ukrainska Pravda)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Forty people are killed in a drone strike on a truck carrying funeralgoers near Abu Zabad, West Kordofan, Sudan. (Arab News)
  • Seven people, including three children, are killed and 13 others are injured in a Rapid Support Forces drone strike in Dilling, South Kordofan, Sudan. (Daily Sabah)

Business and economy

• 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis, Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil rises by more than five percent to US$87.65 per barrel after United States president Donald Trump escalated threats related to the Strait of Hormuz. (AFP via SpaceWar.com)
  • Thai prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul orders remote work and the suspension of official international trips for government officials, and reduced electricity use in government buildings amid supply concerns linked to the Iranian war. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Tornadoes of 2026
  • At least two are killed and six are injured after a hailstorm and four possible tornadoes strike the vicinity of Kankakee, Illinois, and Wheatfield, Indiana, United States. (WLS-TV)
• The Indonesian rescue agency ends search and rescue operations after a garbage landslide at the Bantar Gebang landfill in Bekasi, West Java, on March 8 killed seven people, with all individuals previously reported missing accounted for. (Reuters)
• Five people are killed and eleven others are injured when a bus collides with a truck on the Kampala–Gulu Highway near Bweyale Town, Kiryandongo District, Uganda. (Daily Monitor)

Health and environment

• Arctic sea ice decline
  • The U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center reports that Arctic sea ice reached about 14.22 million square kilometers, which is among the lowest yearly high points recorded in more than four decades of satellite monitoring. (AFP via RFI)

International relations

• Australia–Iran relations, Defection of Iran women's national football team
  • Australia grants humanitarian visas to five Iranian women football players who sought asylum, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, Mona Hamoudi, Fatemeh Pasandideh, Atefeh Ramezanizadeh, and Zahra Sarbali, citing fears of persecution after refusing to sing Iran's national anthem before an Asian Cup match in Gold Coast, Queensland. (Reuters)
• Azerbaijan–Netherlands relations, Iran–Netherlands relations, Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
  • Dutch foreign minister Tom Berendsen announces the temporary relocation of staff and operations of the Netherlands' embassy in Tehran to Baku, Azerbaijan, citing security risks to personnel amid the Iranian war. (AFP via Al Arabiya)
• China–North Korea relations, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public transport
  • Train services between Beijing, China, and Pyongyang, North Korea, are announced to resume for the first time since it was suspended six years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Yonhap)

Law and crime

• 2026 Iran war
  • The Iranian intelligence ministry announces the arrest of 30 individuals, including one unidentified foreign national, on allegations of espionage during the war, accusing the foreign suspect of providing information on the locations and movements of Iranian security forces and military facilities to hostile parties. (AFP via SpaceWar.com)
• 2026 Kerzers bus fire
  • Six people are killed and five others are injured in a suspected arson attack on a postal bus in Kerzers, Fribourg Canton, Switzerland. (AFP via The Guardian)
• Shots are fired at the United States consulate in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with no casualties. Police are investigating the shooting as a national security incident. (CBS News)

Politics and elections

• Reform of the House of Lords
  • Members of the House of Lords vote to pass a bill to remove hereditary peers and heads to King Charles III for royal assent. (NPR)
• Cardinal Louis Sako, the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, based in Iraq, retires at the age of 76. (AP) (Vatican News)
• Malagasy interim president and military leader Michael Randrianirina removes prime minister Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo from power and dissolves the entire Cabinet without explanation, five months after they were assigned following the 2025 protests. (DW)
• Tibetans protest worldwide after 67 years of China's occupation of Tibet. (CNBC TV18)

Sports

• 2025–26 NBA season
  • Bam Adebayo's 83-point game
    • In basketball, Miami Heat player Bam Adebayo scores 83 points in a 150–129 win over the Washington Wizards, marking the second-most points in a game in NBA history and most since Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. Adebayo’s 36 free throws and 43 attempts also set single-game NBA records. (AP) (ESPN)
• 2026 Winter Paralympics
  • Brazil at the 2026 Winter Paralympics
    • Brazilian skier Cristian Ribera wins Brazil's, Latin America's and South America's first ever medal at the Winter Paralympics. (BBC)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian lists preconditions for ending the war between Iran, Israel, and the United States. The conditions include recognizing Iran's legitimate rights, payment of reparations, and firm international guarantees against future aggression. (Xinhua)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • The Thailand-flagged bulk carrier MV Mayuree Naree is hit by two Iranian missiles shortly after passing the Strait of Hormuz. Twenty people are rescued and three are reported missing after the vessel catches on fire. (Reuters)
      • Two cargo vessels, the Marshall Islands-flagged Star Gwyneth, operated by Star Bulk Carriers, and the Japan-flagged ONE Majesty, operated by Mitsui OSK Lines, are struck by unknown projectiles, with no casualties reported. (Kathimerini)
      • A bulk carrier is hit by an unknown projectile 50NM northwest of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (UKMTO)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Oman
      • Iran drones strike oil storage facilities at the port of Salalah, causing several fuel tanks to burst into flames. (Reuters) (Oil Price)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Iraq
      • Two tankers carrying Iraqi oil and gas, Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and Malta-flagged Zefyros, catch fire after being struck in Iraqi territorial waters off Khor Al Zubair Port and near the Al-Faw port area. An Indian member of the first crew is killed in the attack. (Oil Price) (Deccan Herald)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • Seven people are killed and 23 others are injured after an Israeli strike on Temnine Et Tahta, Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon. Five people are also injured after a strike on the nearby village of Aali en Nahri. (BBC News)
      • Hezbollah launches over 100 rockets at Israel, injuring five civilians in Upper Galilee. (The Jerusalem Post)
  • Four people are injured in the United Arab Emirates after two drones fall near Dubai International Airport. (Xinhua)
• Kivu conflict
  • A United Nations aid worker from France is killed in a series of explosions caused by drone strikes in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the occupying M23 rebels blaming the Congolese government. (AP)
• Sudanese civil war
  • At least 17 people are killed in a drone strike on a secondary school and a health center in Shukeiri, White Nile State, Sudan. Local authorities and the Sudan Doctors Union blame the Rapid Support Forces. (AP)
  • Over 20 people are killed and 23 others injured in a Sudanese Armed Forces drone strike in Abu Zabad, West Kordofan, Sudan. (Dabanga Sudan)
• Terrorism in Norway
  • Norwegian police arrest three brothers on suspicion of involvement in a bombing outside the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March that caused minor damage but no injuries. A terrorist motive is suspected. (AFP via CTV News)

Business and econony

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    • The International Energy Agency agrees to discharge 400 million barrels of oil from its members’ strategic reserves, its largest-ever release, to counter soaring global energy prices due to the war. Despite the measure, the price of the crude barrel rises above US$100 again in international markets. (Al Jazeera) (Forbes)
  • Wynn Resorts says it plans to resume construction on the upcoming Al Marjan Island resort in Ras Al Khaimah following a short pause amidst the war. (Reuters) (Khaleej Times)

International relations

• United Nations Security Council, 2026 Iran war
  • The UN Security Council approves a resolution (S/RES/2817) condemning Iran's attacks on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Jordan. The text, presented by Bahrain and co-sponsored by 135 countries, is passed with 13 votes in favor and the abstentions of Russia and China. (United Nations Press)
• Israel–Spain relations
  • Spain permanently withdraws its ambassador to Israel and terminates the position after bilateral diplomatic relations worsened this week. (Reuters)
• Romania–United States relations, 2026 Iran war
  • Romania authorizes the United States to use its air bases to refuel aircraft and deploy monitoring and satellite communications equipment in support of military operations related to the Iran war, following approval by the Romanian parliament and the Supreme Council of National Defence. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

Law and crime

• Censorship of TikTok, Mass media in Albania
  • The Albanian constitutional court rules that the government's ban on the social media platform TikTok violated constitutional protections for freedom of expression and press freedom, after authorities blocked the service in 2025 following a fatal stabbing linked to a dispute on the platform. (AFP via France 24)
• Europol reports that more than 330 people in 70 countries have been arrested during an international operation against organized networks suspected of trafficking illegal waste within Europe and exporting it to Africa, Asia, and Latin America, with large quantities of dangerous goods and nearly €10 million (US$11.6 million) in assets seized. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2025 Chilean general election
  • José Antonio Kast is sworn in as President of Chile, succeeding Gabriel Boric. (Washington Post)

Sports

• 2026 FIFA World Cup, Iran at the FIFA World Cup
  • Iranian sports minister Ahmad Donyamali states that Iran will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, citing security concerns amid the Iran war. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei issues his first public message since his election in which he says that Iran should continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz and advises neighboring countries to close American military bases in their territory. Khamenei also vows to "avenge the blood of our martyrs". (BBC News) (Los Angeles Times)
      • German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd says that projectile ​fragments ​hit the Liberia-flagged container vessel Source Blessing ⁠near the ​Strait. (Reuters)
      • Oman orders the evacuation of vessels from the Mina Al Fahal oil port. (Oil Price)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
      • An Iranian strike hits fuel storage tanks at a facility in Muharraq Governorate, Bahrain. (Qatar News Agency)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
      • Kuwait International Airport is targeted by several drones, causing material damage but no injuries. (NDTV)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia
      • The Saudi defense ministry announces the interception of two missiles and the destruction of seven drones. (Qatar News Agency)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on the Kurdistan Region
      • A French soldier is killed and six others are injured in an Iranian drone attack on a military base in Erbil, Iraq. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • Eight people are killed and 31 more injured by an Israeli airstrike on the Ramlet al-Baida beach in central Beirut, Lebanon. Seven more people are also killed in other attacks in the country. (Al Jazeera)
      • Hezbollah launches over 200 rockets and 20 UAVs at northern Israel, injuring two people. (The Times of Israel)
  • At least 20 people are killed in an airstrike targeting a Popular Mobilization Forces building in Akashat, Iraq. (Sky News)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Darfur campaign
    • Four people are killed and over 24 others are injured, including seven children, in a drone strike on a market near the Chad–Sudan border in Darfur, Sudan. (CTV News)
  • The Italian military base in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, is struck by a missile, with no casualties of injuries reported. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Arts and culture

• Chilean architect Smiljan Radić receives the 2026 Pritzker Architecture Prize, recognizing his contributions to contemporary architecture. (AFP via France 24)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war, Embargo of Russian oil during the Russo-Ukrainian war
  • The United States treasury department issues a temporary license permitting the delivery and sale of Russian oil and petroleum products already loaded onto vessels before March 12, easing sanctions on such shipments until April 11 amid rising global energy prices. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• German economic crisis
  • The Lufthansa pilot union announces a 48-hour strike for all flights departing German airports until Saturday over ongoing disputes about pensions, causing major delays. (The Independent)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 102 people are killed and one person is rescued after a series of landslides in the Gamo Zone of Ethiopia. (Ethiopia Observer) (AP)
• Eight people are killed after an artisanal mine collapses in Ouham-Pendé, Central African Republic. (AP)
• At least four crew members are killed when a United States Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker carrying six crew members crashes after an incident involving another aircraft in western Iraq. (BNO News) (BBC News)

International relations

• South Africa's genocide case against Israel
  • Iceland and the Netherlands announce they will both intervene on the side of South Africa in the International Court of Justice's genocide case against Israel. (The Express Tribune)
• Arctic policy of Canada, NATO Arctic Sentry, Polar Icebreaker Project
  • Canadian prime minister Mark Carney announces nearly CAN$35 billion (US$25.7 ‌billion) in funding to strengthen Canada's Arctic infrastructure, including upgrades to military facilities and the construction of new icebreakers to expand the country's operational capacity in the region. (AFP via France 24)
• Brazil–United States relations, Arrest of Jair Bolsonaro
  • Brazilian Supreme Federal Court justice Alexandre de Moraes denies a request by imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro to receive a visit from American diplomat Darren Beattie, ruling that the meeting falls outside the diplomatic purposes stated in Beattie's visa authorization. (Reuters)
• Cuba–Holy See relations
  • Cuba announces plans to release 51 prisoners following discussions with the Holy See, stating that the detainees have served most of their sentences and demonstrated good conduct. (AFP via Indo Premier)
• Hungary–Ukraine relations
  • Hungary returns two seized armored cars to Ukraine but retains approximately US$82 million in cash and gold as authorities investigate suspected money laundering. (Reuters)
• Iran–Thailand relations, 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
  • Thailand summons Iran's ambassador, demanding an apology and an explanation for the attack on the bulk carrier MV Mayuree Naree in the waters of the Strait the previous day. (BERNAMA)

Law and crime

• 2026 Old Dominion University shooting
  • Two people are killed, including the perpetrator, and two other people are critically injured in a school shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. (CNN) (WAVY-TV)
• Crocus City Hall attack
  • A Russian military court sentences 19 people for their involvement in the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, in 2024. Fifteen of those are sentenced to life in prison while the other four are given between 19 and 22 years in prison. (BBC News)
• Human rights in Indonesia
  • Two unidentified men assault and injure the deputy director of KontraS, an Indonesian human rights organization, in an acid attack in central Jakarta. (AFP via CNA) (Tempo English)
• Temple Israel synagogue attack
  • The perpetrator is killed and 31 others are injured in a shooting and vehicle-ramming attack at the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, United States. (CNN)
• Sanctions during the Venezuelan crisis
  • The International Criminal Court at The Hague dismisses an investigation into whether U.S. sanctions against Venezuelan officials qualify as crimes against humanity. (AP)
• A rabbi is seriously injured in a stabbing in Ramat Gan, Israel, as local police suspect a terrorist motive. (The Times of Israel)
• The Israeli military drops charges against five soldiers accused of raping a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention camp. (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Nepalese general election
  • The Nepalese election commission releases the official results of the recent election, with Balen Shah's Rastriya Swatantra Party winning 182 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives. The result gives the party a majority in the House and places it two seats short of a supermajority. (AFP via The Hindu)
• Polish president Karol Nawrocki announces that he will veto legislation enabling Poland to access €43.7 billion (US$50.3 billion) in European Union loans under the Security Action for Europe program to fund military spending. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2025–26 NBA season
  • In basketball, Oklahoma City Thunder player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaks the NBA record set by Wilt Chamberlain for most consecutive 20-point games with 127 games. (ESPN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 interceptions of Iranian missiles in Turkey
      • Turkey intercepts an Iranian ballistic missile violating its airspace. (Türkiye Today) (Caspian Post)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
      • At least 58 people are injured by an Iranian ballistic missile strike on northern Israel. (The Jerusalem Post)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • United States president Donald Trump says that U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on military targets on Kharg Island, Iran, and warns that the U.S. may also target the island's oil infrastructure if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
    • Sinking of IRIS Dena
      • Sri Lanka repatriates the bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed when the frigate IRIS Dena was sunk by a United States submarine off the coast of Galle on 4 March. Thirty-two rescued sailors remain in Sri Lanka while authorities continue to host other Iranian naval personnel under humanitarian arrangements. (AFP via RFI)
    • U.S. officials say a marine expeditionary unit of 5,000 marines and sailors will deploy to the Persian Gulf to reinforce existing forces stationed in the region. (The Wall Street Journal) (Forbes)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • Twelve medical staff members, including doctors, nurses and paramedics, are killed in an Israeli airstrike against a medical facility in Burj Qalaouiyah, Bint Jbeil District, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
  • Two migrant workers are killed and several other people are injured after security forces intercept a drone in an industrial area in Sohar, Oman. (AFP via Daily Sun)
  • The Saudi Arabian defense ministry reports that air defenses intercepted and destroyed 56 hostile drones targeting several areas across the country. (Saudi Gazette)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
  • Six people are killed and several others injured in a Pakistani airstrike on a residential area in Kabul, Afghanistan. A fuel depot in Kandahar is also bombed. (Reuters)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Eleven people are killed and 20 others are injured in a drone strike on a fuel reserve in western Sudan. (Reuters)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • Armed men ambush and kill twenty security personnel, including two senior military officers, in Plateau State, Nigeria. (AP)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Saudi Arabia cuts oil production by 20% after the shutdown of two offshore oil fields, including Safaniya. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• The United States military confirms that all six crew members aboard an Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker died when the aircraft crashed in western Iraq yesterday. (AFP via The Times of Israel)

International relations

• 2026 Cuban crisis, Cuba–United States relations
  • Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel confirms that Cuba is in talks with the U.S. to find solutions to the oil blockade in his country. (BBC News)
• El Salvador–United States relations, Nuclear power in El Salvador
  • El Salvador and the United States sign Agreement 123 under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to build a nuclear power plant in El Salvador that is planned to be operational by 2030. (El Mundo in Spanish)

Law and crime

• Illegal drug trade in Latin America
  • Bolivian authorities arrest suspected Uruguayan drug cartel leader Sebastián Marset during a police operation in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Marset, who is wanted by several countries and has a US$2 million reward linked to money laundering allegations, is detained along with four other individuals. (AFP via France 24)

Politics and elections

• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
  • The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warns of a stronger response than in January if new protests against the regime erupt. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

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)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • Israeli–Palestinian conflict
    • Gaza war
      • Eight police officers, including the police chief of the Deir al-Balah Governorate, are killed by an Israeli attack on a police vehicle in Az-Zawayda, Palestine. (AFP via Business Recorder)
    • Israeli incursions in the West Bank during the Gaza war
      • Four people are killed and two others are injured when Israel Defense Forces soldiers open fire on a civilian car in northern Israeli-occupied West Bank. (Hindustan Times)
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
      • An Italian MQ-9 Reaper is destroyed in an Iranian drone strike on Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. (ANSA)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
  • Afghan forces launch mortars into Pakistan, with one hitting a residential property in Bajaur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing four members of the same family and wounding two others. (The Guardian)
• Jonglei clashes
  • The South Sudan People's Defence Forces announces that they have deployed troops in Akobo, South Sudan to secure full control of the area for the first time since the outbreak of the civil war in the country after having previously recapturing the area from opposition forces. (Medafrica Times)

Arts and culture

• 98th Academy Awards
  • At the Academy Awards, One Battle After Another wins six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and the inaugural Achievement in Casting award. (AP) (Reuters)
  • Sinners wins four Academy Awards following a record 16 nominations, with Ryan Coogler for original screenplay, Michael B. Jordan for lead actor, Autumn Durald Arkapaw for cinematography, and Ludwig Göransson for score. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Japan announces it will start releasing 80 million barrels of oil from its reserves, the largest such release in the country's history, in response to disruptions in the oil supply caused by the conflict. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Kenya floods
  • The death toll from severe flooding in Kenya rises to 66, according to the Kenya Red Cross Society. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• 2026 Kent meningitis outbreak
  • Two people are killed and eleven others are hospitalized in serious condition following a meningitis outbreak at the University of Kent in Canterbury, Kent, England. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2026 French municipal elections
  • The first round of municipal elections takes place in France. (Reuters)
• 2026 Kazakh constitutional referendum
  • Kazakhstanis vote in a referendum to approve a new constitution. (Reuters)
• 2026 North Korean parliamentary election
  • North Koreans vote to elect the 687 members of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly. (The Diplomat)
• 2026 Republic of the Congo presidential election
  • Congolese people vote to elect a president, with incumbent Denis Sassou Nguesso seeking a fifth consecutive term. (Reuters)
• 2026 Vietnamese legislative election
  • Vietnamese citizens vote to elect the 500 members of the 16th National Assembly. The sole legal party contesting the election is the Communist Party. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2026 Winter Paralympics
  • 2026 Winter Paralympics closing ceremony
    • The Winter Paralympics conclude in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, with China as the highest-ranked team in the medal table. The Paralympic flag is handed over to the organizers of the 2030 Winter Paralympics to be held in the French Alps. (AFP via France 24)
  • In para ice hockey, the United States defeats Canada 6–2, completing the three-peat of hockey championships at the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Italy. (AP)
• 2026 Formula One World Championship
  • 2026 Chinese Grand Prix
    • In auto racing, Mercedes-Benz driver Kimi Antonelli wins his first Formula One Grand Prix after also setting his maiden pole position at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. He becomes the second-youngest Grand Prix winner at 19 years old. (AFP via France 24)
• 2026 FIFA World Cup
  • Iran at the FIFA World Cup
    • Asian Football Confederation secretary general Windsor John says that the Iran national football team will still play at the upcoming FIFA World Cup despite remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump that their safety could be at risk. (The Independent)
• 2026 FC Barcelona presidential election
  • In association football, Joan Laporta is re-elected president of FC Barcelona. (ESPN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • Several NATO allies of the United States, including Germany, Italy, and Spain, rule out sending warships to lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following a request from U.S. president Donald Trump. (Reuters)
      • Australia rules out sending warships to lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. (Nine News Australia)
      • A Pakistan-bound oil tanker with its Automatic Identification System activated, the Karachi, gets safe passage and crosses Hormuz following negotiations between the Pakistani and Iranian governments. According to Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Pakistan agreed to pay the oil shipment, purchased from Abu Dhabi, in Chinese yuan instead of in US dollars. (AAJ News)
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran is not seeking a ceasefire but also called for the war to end. (Iran International)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
      • Iran launches drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates, killing a Palestinian man in Abu Dhabi and forcing the temporary closure of Dubai International Airport. The port of Fujairah, in the Emirate of Fujairah, already attacked two days ago, is also hit. (The Telegraph) (BBC)
    • The Israeli Air Force strikes and completely destroys the Iranian Space Research Center in central Tehran, stating that it was being used for potential space warfare activities against Israeli satellites. (Iran Wire)
    • Kata'ib Hezbollah senior commander Abu Ali al-Askari is killed in an airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq. (Jerusalem Post)
    • The U.S. embassy in Baghdad is reportedly attacked by two suicide drones, causing a powerful explosion. (Ynet)
    • The Royal Tulip Al Rasheed Hotel in the Green Zone in Baghdad is struck by a drone. (Al Jazeera)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • At least seven people, including four children, are injured by Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel. (The Times of Israel) (The Jerusalem Post)
      • The Israeli military's 91st Division launches a ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, expanding a buffer zone along the border. (Israel Hayom) (The Times of Israel)
  • At least four members of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are killed and three others are injured in an airstrike on a checkpoint at the entrance to Al-Qa'im, Al Anbar Governorate. A PMF official attributes the strike to the United States. (AFP via LBCI)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian war, International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • The European Union imposes sanctions against nine Russian individuals over their role in the mass murder of civilians committed during Russia's occupation of Bucha during the initial 2022 invasion of Ukraine. (Kyiv Post)
  • Prisoners of war in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Kenyan prime cabinet secretary Musalia Mudavadi says that the government has identified two prisoners of war from Kenya that have been detained by authorities in Ukraine after being involved in Russia's special military operations. (The Star Kenya)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
  • 2026 Kabul hospital airstrike
    • Afghanistan claims Pakistani jets bombed a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, killing over 400 people. Pakistan denies the claim, saying it attacked military installations. AFP and BBC journalists confirm at least 30 dead as a result of the bombing. (BBC News) (The Washington Post)
• 2026 Maiduguri bombings
  • At least 23 people are killed and 108 others are injured in suspected suicide bombings at three locations, including the Monday Market and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. No group has claimed responsibility. (Reuters) (AP)
• Nigerian bandit conflict, kidnapping in Nigeria
  • One person is killed and seven others are abducted, including children, in an attack on a community in Chikun, Kaduna State, Nigeria. (The Punch)

Arts and culture

• A police report in New York formally reveals English street artist Banksy's identity as 51-year-old Robin Gunningham from Bristol, England. (ABC News) (The Telegraph)

Business and economy

• 2026 Cuban crisis
  • Cuba announces that citizens living abroad will be permitted to invest in and own businesses in the country as the government seeks to expand commercial activity amid an economic crisis. (AFP via Indo Premier)
• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Sri Lanka introduces a four-day workweek for the public and education sectors to preserve fuel as the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis continues to restrict fuel shipments to the region. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

• 2024–2026 Cuba blackouts
  • Cuba reports a nationwide power outage following a total electrical grid collapse. (AP)
• Eleven people are killed and ten others are injured in a massive fire at the Srirama Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, India. (Hindustan Times)
• A roof collapses at a shop in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan, killing eight people and injuring more than 50 others. (AP)
• At least four people are killed and four others are injured in a building collapse in Nairobi, Kenya. (AP via CTV News)

Health and environment

• Vaccination policy of the United States
  • United States federal judge Brian E. Murphy blocks the implementation of changes to vaccine policy introduced by health and human services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including revisions to the childhood immunization schedule and recommendations issued by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Murphy rules that the measures likely violate required procedures and halts their enforcement pending further legal proceedings. (AFP via France 24)
• The death toll from Lassa fever in Nigeria this year rises to 109. (The Punch)
• A woman is killed and over 100 others are hospitalized after getting foodborne illness at a pizzeria in Pombal, Paraíba, Brazil. (Xinhua)

International relations

• International sanctions against Iran
  • The European Union imposes sanctions against 16 Iranian individuals and three entities for their role in suppressing protests earlier this year. (Shafaq)

Law and crime

• Terrorism in Kuwait
  • Kuwaiti authorities arrest 16 people, including two Lebanese nationals, on suspicion of links to Hezbollah and involvement in a planned sabotage operation, with weapons, drones, and communication equipment seized during the operation. (Middle East Eye)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Nepalese general election
  • Nepalese activist and Rastriya Swatantra Party member Bhumika Shrestha is confirmed by the Nepalese Election Commission, becoming the first transgender lawmaker elected in Nepal. (AFP via Dawn)
• 2026 Rajya Sabha elections
  • India holds its first phase of elections for 37 seats of the Rajya Sabha. (CNBC TV18) (Mathrubhumi)

Science and technology

• Discoveries of exoplanets
  • Modeling suggests the presence of a volatile-rich magma ocean on the exoplanet L 98-59 d, a planet orbiting L 98-59, a red dwarf star 35 light-years away from Earth. (University of Oxford) (Nature)

Sports

• 2025–26 Premier League
  • In association football, the Premier League fines Chelsea F.C. £10.75 million and gives them a two-year suspended transfer ban for making secret payments worth £47 million to unregistered agents and third-parties between 2011 and 2018. (BBC Sport)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
      • An Iranian Khorramshahr missile strikes Ramat Gan in central Israel, killing two people. (The Times of Israel) (Ynet News)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • An oil tanker near Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, is struck by an unknown projectile. (Forbes)
    • Assassination of Ali Larijani
      • Israeli forces assassinate both Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani in two separate airstrikes in Tehran. Iran later confirms their deaths. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)
    • The Wall Street Journal reports that Russia is actively sharing military intelligence with Iran, including satellite images of United States military bases and locations of potential targets, as well as improved drone technology. (Reuters) (The Wall Street Journal)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • Three Lebanese soldiers are killed and four more are injured during Israeli airstrikes in the Nabatieh Governorate, Lebanon. (L'Orient Today)
  • Gaza war
    • Three people, including a child, are killed and 14 more are injured in an Israeli airstrike in Al-Mawasi, Gaza. (Reuters) (The Times of Israel)
• War on drugs
  • Ecuadorian conflict
    • The Ecuadorian government deploys 75,000 soldiers and police officers to four provinces to enforce a nightly curfew. Officials say 253 people have already been detained for breaking curfew, which lasts from 11 pm to 5 am local time. (AP)
  • Colombian president Gustavo Petro accuses the Ecuadorian military of being the perpetrator of an airstrike two days ago inside Colombia, killing 27 people, and orders the deployment of its troops to the border in response. (Bloomberg News) (Al Jazeera)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • At least 18 people are killed and several others are injured in an attack by armed bandits in a village in Jibia, Katsina State, Nigeria. (Channels TV) (The Punch)

Arts and culture

• Patriarch Ilia II, head of the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1977, dies at the age of 93. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • The United Arab Emirates' offshore Shah gas field suspends operations following a drone attack. (Forbes)

Disasters and accidents

• Five people are killed following a fire at the Dos Bocas Refinery in Paraíso, Tabasco, Mexico. (AFP via New Zealand Herald)

Health and environment

• Argentine foreign minister Pablo Quirno announces the country's formal withdrawal from the World Health Organization. (La Nación in Spanish)

Law and crime

• A court in Brussels, Belgium, orders former diplomat Étienne Davignon to stand trial on charges of participation in war crimes in connection with the 1961 killing of former Congolese prime minister Patrice Lumumba. Davignon is the only surviving individual among those accused by Lumumba’s family of involvement in the case. (AFP via The Caledonian-Record)
• A Vatican appeals court orders a retrial of Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who was convicted of embezzlement in 2023, citing procedural errors in the original proceedings. The court maintains his previously imposed prison sentence pending the outcome of the new trial. (AFP via GMA News)
• The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador votes 59–1 to approve a constitutional amendment to permit courts to issue sentences of life imprisonment to individuals convicted of murder, rape, or terrorism where the limit was previously 60 years. (Reuters)
• One person is killed and another is injured in a shooting at Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States. (CBS News)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Republic of the Congo presidential election
  • Provisional results announced by interior minister Raymond Mboulou reported that incumbent president of Congo-Brazzaville Denis Sassou Nguesso will be re-elected with 94.82% of the vote. (AP)
• Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
  • U.S. National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent resigns in protest of the war with Iran, saying that "Iran posed ​no ​imminent ⁠threat to our ⁠nation" and alleged the U.S. entered into the war due to pressure from Israel and its American lobby. (Reuters)
• Peruvian political crisis (2016–present)
  • Prime Minister Denisse Miralles resigns and president José María Balcázar names Luis Arroyo to replace her. (The Rio Times)

Sports

• 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
  • In association football, the Confederation of African Football formally overturns the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final in which Senegal won 1–0 over hosts Morocco due to a controversial walk-off by Senagalese players during extra-time. Morocco are awarded the title with a 3–0 win, their second title win. (BBC Sport)
• 2026 World Baseball Classic
  • In baseball, Venezuela defeats the United States 3–2 in the championship game to win their first World Baseball Classic. (Yahoo! Sports)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 South Pars field attack
      • Israel strikes the Iranian South Pars natural gas field in the Persian Gulf and its neighboring refineries in Asaluyeh. Iran announces it will retaliate against regional energy infrastructure. (The Guardian) (Oil Price)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
      • A foreign worker from Thailand is killed by an Iranian cluster bomb in Moshav Adanim, central Israel. (The Times of Israel)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
      • Iran launches a missile attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, the world's largest LNG export facility, causing "extensive damage" according to QatarEnergy. (Al Jazeera)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia
      • Saudi Arabia's air defenses intercept and destroy multiple drones targeting gas and energy facilities in the Eastern Province, with no damage reported. In Riyadh, a refinery is attacked by ballistic missiles. (Saudi Gazette) (The Wall Street Journal)
    • Kata'ib Hezbollah says that it will cease attacks in Iraq if certain conditions are met including for Israel to halt their military operations in Beirut, making it the first time an Iranian-backed militia group said it is open to ceasing attacks since the US-Israel strikes began on February 28. (Jerusalem Post)
    • The U.S. Air Force uses GBU-72 bunker buster bombs for the first time in combat to destroy underground Iranian anti-ship cruise missile sites used to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz. (TWZ)
    • Israel assassinates Iranian intelligence minister Esmaeil Khatib in an overnight airstrike in Tehran. (AP) (Reuters)
    • Four Palestinians are killed and six others are injured when falling Iranian missile fragments strike a beauty salon in Beit Awwa, West Bank, Palestine. (Wafa) (AFP via The Times of Israel)
    • The Foreign Ministers from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, met in Riyadh, issue a joint statement calling on Iran "to immediately halt its attacks". (Arab News)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • At least 20 people are killed and dozens injured in an Israeli airstrike on a building in Beirut, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
  • Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to a temporary "pause" in hostilities during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr this week. (Al Jazeera)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Chad–Sudan relations
    • A drone strike attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) kills 17 people, including at a funeral, near the border town of Tine, Chad. (AFP via Arab News) (Al Jazeera)
    • In response to the drone strike, Chad president Mahamat Déby orders the military to retaliate against Sudanese belligerents, including the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces. (Sudan Tribune)
  • The Sudan Doctors Network says that 12 civilians were killed by the RSF in North Kordofan state. (Sudan Tribune)
  • The Sudanese Armed Forces says that they have shot down a Bayraktar drone from Ethiopia near North Kordofan. (Ethiopanorama)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • Over 60 Boko Haram and Islamic State insurgents are killed in an operation by the Nigerian Army in Abadam, Borno State, Nigeria. (The Punch)

Arts and culture

• MeToo movement
  • Cesar Chavez Day celebrations are cancelled in many communities across the United States after late labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez was accused by dozens of women and girls, including labor leader Dolores Huerta, of child grooming, sexual assault, and rape. (NBC News)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Aramco restarts operations at Ras Tanura oil refinery, the largest in Saudi Arabia, following a 16-day closure. (Oil Price)

Disasters and accidents

• Seven people are killed and three others are critically injured in an explosion and fire at a residential building in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. (NDTV)
• One person is killed when a cable car cabin crashes down a snowy mountainside in Engelberg, Obwalden, Switzerland. (CNN)

Health and environment

• 2026 Kent meningitis outbreak
  • Rollouts of the meningococcal vaccine begin at the University of Kent in England in the wake of a recent meningococcal outbreak that killed two people amidst a rise in cases. (The Standard)

International relations

• Iran–Qatar relations
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
    • Qatar declares Iran's military and security attachés and their staff personae non gratae and orders them to leave the country within 24 hours following an attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City. (AFP via Vanguard News)

Law and crime

• Capital punishment in Iran
  • Swedish foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard says that Iran has executed a Swedish citizen who was arrested in Iran last June. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez appoints General Gustavo González López as Minister of Defense, replacing General Vladimir Padrino López who has served since 2014. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Charles H. Bennett and Gilles Brassard are awarded the 2025 Turing Award for their work in quantum information science. (BBC News)

Sports

• In basketball, the WNBA and its players' union reach a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement that, if ratified by the league and union, will increase average player salaries and the team salary cap more than fourfold. (ESPN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
    • The BAZAN Group refinery in Haifa is struck in an Iranian missile attack, but with "no significant damage", according to Energy Minister Eli Cohen. (Al Jazeera)
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia
    • A drone hits Aramco's SAMREF refinery in ‌the Red Sea port of Yanbu. (Arab News)
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
    • Iranian Shahed drones strike the Mina al-Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah oil refineries and cause large fires, according to the Kuwait National Petroleum Company. (The Telegraph)
  • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    • The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom issue a joint statement condemning the Iranian attacks on commercial vessels and expressing their "readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait". (Euronews)
  • A U.S. Air Force F-35 fighter jet is hit in Iranian airspace forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing at a regional U.S. airbase. (The Independent)
  • The United States Central Command reports its forces have destroyed a factory in Karaj, Iran, which assembled surface-to-surface missiles for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (BBC News)
  • The United States approves $16.46 billion in military sales to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait amidst the Iran war. (Jordan Times)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Chad–Sudan relations
    • The Chadian government announces that 17 people have been killed at a funeral late Wednesday in the border town of Tiné following a drone attack orginating from Sudan. (The EastAfrican)
• Mexican drug war
  • A raid kills eleven Sinaloa Cartel members in Sinaloa, Mexico, with a senior cartel leader being captured along with many weapons. The daughter of El Mayo is initially detained and then released due to the lack of arrest warrants. (Reuters) (Heraldo USA)

Arts and culture

• The King Charles III England Coast Path, the world's longest coastal footpath, is formally opened by Charles III. (BBC News)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • KLM says that they will not resume flights to Dammam, Dubai, Riyadh until May 17, citing safety considerations amid the Iran war. (AA)

Disasters and accidents

• Seventeen bodies are recovered from a boat that washed ashore in the Comoros. The victims are believed to be migrants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Reuters)

International relations

• Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda conflict
  • In a joint statement after talks hosted by the United States, DR Congo and Rwanda say they have "agreed to a series of coordinated steps to de-escalate tensions and advance progress on the ground". (BBC)
• Egypt–Palestine relations, Egypt–Israel relations, Gaza humanitarian crisis
  • The Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip reopens for limited movement, allowing a restricted number of Palestinian patients to enter Egypt for medical treatment and some people to return to Gaza under coordinated security procedures, following its closure as a security measure amid the 2026 Iran war. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• South Africa's genocide case against Israel
  • Germany withdraws from defending Israel in South Africa's International Court of Justice genocide case against Israel, citing their need to defend themselves in a separate case launched against them by Nicaragua. (Haaretz)

Law and crime

• International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Russian leaders
  • The International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands, rules that Tajikistan has violated the Rome Statute after failing to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to the country in October 2025. (Courthouse News)
• Reactions to the 2025–2026 Iranian protests, 2026 Iran massacres
  • Iran executes three men arrested during protests last January by hanging. (Reuters) (Euronews)
• An Iranian man and a Romanian woman are arrested by Police Scotland for attempting to enter Royal Navy base HMNB Clyde. (AP) (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Thai general election
  • The National Assembly of Thailand re-elects Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister following his Bhumjaithai Party's victory in the recent election. (AFP via CBS 19 News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • United Kingdom–United States relations
        • British prime minister Keir Starmer allows the United States to use British bases to strike Iranian targets near the strait to lift the blockade. (BBC News)
      • Belgium says that it will consider participating in securing the Strait of Hormuz if a ceasefire is in place and if the operation is conducted within a clear international framework. (AA)
      • Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran is ready to help the passage of vessels from Japan in the Strait of Hormuz. (Kyodo News)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
      • The Iranian army launches strikes against strategic aerial refueling aircraft stationed at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Shafaq)
    • 2026 United States military buildup in the Middle East
      • A second Marine Expeditionary Unit of 2,200 U.S. Marines is being sent to the region. (CBS)
    • U.S. president Donald Trump says that the United States is considering "winding down" military operations in Iran as they "are getting very close to meeting [their] objectives" and urges the countries that "use" Hormuz to safeguard the Strait. (The Guardian)
    • Iran confirms the death of IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran. (Al Jazeera)
  • Gaza war
    • Gaza peace plan
      • Ceasefire mediators in Cairo, Egypt, give Hamas and all armed groups in the Gaza Strip 90 days to hand over their weapons in the coming months, including their missiles and rocket launchers along with their tunnel network. (Times of Israel)
  • Syrian conflict
    • Druze insurgency in Southern Syria
      • Israeli forces strike Syrian military sites, including command and control centres and supply depots, in the country's south, claiming to respond to alleged Syrian government attacks on the local Druze population. (BBC News)
  • Iraqi conflict
    • Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announces the withdrawal of his forces from Iraq, stationed there as part of the CJTF–OIR joint task force against the Islamic State, citing the regional threat from Iran. (Devdiscourse)
    • United States Air Force general Alexus Grynkewich announces that NATO has withdrawn troops from Iraq and will relocate from the Middle East to Europe amidst the Iran war. (Reuters)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • 2026 Kwara State attacks
    • Government forces arrest three men suspected of participating in the February attacks and mass abductions in two villages in Kaiama, Kwara State, Nigeria. The suspects are cooperating with authorities to locate the kidnapping victims. (The Punch)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Darfur campaign
    • At least 64 people are killed, including staff, patients and children, in a strike on a hospital in East Darfur, Sudan. (Reuters)
  • A drone strike from the Rapid Support Forces targets Al Dabbah, Sudan, including a local power station, causing a power outage in the area and injuring three people. (Sudan Tribune)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • International sanctions against Iran
    • U.S. treasury secretary Scott Bessent announces that the U.S. will temporarily lift sanctions on Iranian oil at sea in an effort to ease energy supply pressures. The temporary relief will last for 30 days until April 19. (The Guardian)
  • The U.S. energy department says it has awarded contracts to loan a first batch of 45.2 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. (The Business Times)
  • Philippine Airlines announces it will halt flights to the Middle East until April 30 due to safety concerns regarding the Iran war. (Manila Standard)
• Acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk
  • A United States jury in a civil trial finds that X (formerly Twitter) chairperson Elon Musk misled investors in two tweets, but absolves him of some fraud allegations. (DW) (Los Angeles Times)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Daejeon factory fire
  • Fourteen people are killed and 60 more are injured in a fire at a car parts plant in Daejeon, South Korea. (AFP and Reuters via The Straits Times)

International relations

• Foreign relations of Russia since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Foreign relations of the United States
  • 2026 Cuban crisis, Cuba–Russia relations
    • The United States says it will not allow Cuba to receive any shipments of fuel oil from Russia as two Russian tankers are en route to Havana to deliver around 190,000 barrels of oil amid a critical shortage on the island. (CNBC)
  • Peace negotiations in the Russo-Ukrainian war, Russia in the 2026 Iran war, Russia–United States relations
    • Politico reports that the United States rejected an offer by Russia to stop providing intelligence to Iran in return for the U.S. ending intelligence sharing with Ukraine. (Politico)

Law and crime

• Kevin Spacey sexual misconduct allegations
  • American actor Kevin Spacey settles out of court with three men at the High Court of Justice in London, England, who accused Spacey of sexually assaulting them between 2000 and 2013. (AP)
• Two anarchist militants are killed after the accidental explosion of a bomb they were fabricating at a casalis in Rome, Italy. (Fanpage in Italian)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • Attack on Natanz nuclear facility
      • Israeli and U.S. jets strike the Natanz Nuclear Facility, according to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. (Al Jazeera)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
      • At least 88 people are injured, including seven seriously, and nine buildings are damaged in an Iranian ballistic missile attack in Arad, Israel. A mass casualty incident is declared. (Channel 12)
      • At least 78 people are injured, including a 10-year-old, in Dimona, Israel, by Iranian ballistic missile attacks. (The Times of Israel) (The Jerusalem Post)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • U.S. president Donald Trump issues an ultimatum to Iran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz within the next 48 hours or the U.S. military will "obliterate" their energy infrastructure, including all Iranian power stations. (BBC News)
      • A group of 22 countries in a joint statement calls on Iran to cease attacks and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. (The Shillong Times)
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Axios reports that the U.S. has reportedly begun initial discussions on the next phase and what peace talks with Iran might look like. (AA)
    • Iran fires two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean. However, neither missile hits the base, with one of the missiles failing in-flight, and the other having been intercepted by a United States warship using a SM-3 interceptor. (The Wall Street Journal)
    • The United States Central Command says that its military has struck over 8,000 targets in Iran, including 130 Iranian Navy vessels, since the start of the war. (The Times of Israel)
    • The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims responsibility for targeting 27 American military bases in Iraq and across the region over the past 24 hours. One police officer is killed in a drone strike on the headquarters of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service in Baghdad. (Shafaq) (Al Jazeera)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Zaporizhzhia strikes, Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
    • Russia launches attacks in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, against energy infrastructure, causing smoke contamination. (RBC-Ukraine)
    • Two people are killed and six others, including two children, are wounded in a Russian drone attack in Zaporizhzhia. (AP)
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Two people are killed and another is injured in an Ukrainian artillery strike in Belgorod Oblast, Russia. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Cuban crisis
  • 2024–2026 Cuba blackouts
    • Cuba reports a nationwide power outage following a total electrical grid collapse, the third major blackout to occur on the island this month. (BNO News) (AP)
• Seven people are killed when a Qatar Emiri Air Force helicopter crashes after a techincal malfunction during a routine mission over Qatar's territorial waters. (Reuters) (ASN)
• Two skiers are killed and 25 others are trapped, including five injured, in an avalanche near Ratschings in South Tyrol, Italy. (CTV News)
• Two people are killed in an explosion when a tipper truck and a tank truck collide outside of a gas station on the Lekki-Epe Expressway in Ajah, Lagos State, Nigeria. Several surrounding buildings were destroyed in the initial blast and the ensuing fire. (The Punch)
• At least 230 people are rescued, ten of whom are hospitalized for hypothermia, during flooding and storms in Hawaii, United States. Around 5,500 people are evacuated ahead of a second storm. (BBC News) (CBC)

International relations

• The 10th CELAC Summit is held in Bogotá, Colombia. (Xinhua)

Law and crime

• 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
  • The Iranian parliament says that it is preparing to pass a law that would impose fees on ships for "safe passage" through the Strait of Hormuz. (Middle East Monitor)

Politics and elections

• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • Large scale protests occurs in Berlin, Germany against the war. Demonstrators call for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts. (Bastille Post)
  • Anti-war protests and diaspora protests against the Iranian regime are held at the Colonial Building in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. (CBC)
• 2026 South Australian state election
  • In South Australia, the Labor Party wins a landslide victory over the Liberal Party. One Nation also secures second place in first-preference votes. (The Guardian)
• Politics of the Czech Republic
  • Around 200,000 people gather in Prague, Czech Republic, to express discontent with some steps taken by the current government coalition, including cuts in defence expenditure and proposed changes to the financing of public service media. (radio.cz) (SRF)

Sports

• 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup
  • 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup final
    • In women's association football, the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup concludes with Japan defeating hosts Australia in the final to win their third title. (BBC Sport) (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
      • Fifteen people are injured in central Israel in Iranian ballistic missile strikes. (Ynet Global)
    • Iran threatens to retaliate against the energy and water systems of the Gulf countries if United States president Donald Trump follows through with his 48-hours ultimatum to ​hit Iran's electricity grid. (Reuters)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • One person is killed after a rocket fired from Lebanon struck a vehicle near Israel's northern border, marking the first reported Israeli fatality from cross-border fire since hostilities with Hezbollah resumed earlier in March. (AFP via The Daily Star)
      • The Israeli military destroys the largest bridge crossing the Litani River in southern Lebanon. (AA)
• Terrorism in the United Kingdom
  • 2026 Hatzola arson attack
    • At least four Hatzalah ambulances are set ablaze and destroyed in an apparent anti-semitic arson attack in Golders Green, London, England. No casualties are reported. (The Jerusalem Post)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Cuban crisis
  • 2024–2026 Cuba blackouts
    • Cuba restores its power after the power grid collapsed the previous day. (CBS News)
• Air Canada Express Flight 8646
  • A Bombardier CRJ900LR operating as an Air Canada Express flight from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, collides with a firetruck while landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, United States. Both pilots are killed and 41 others are injured. (ABC News) (The Hindustan Times)
• One person is killed and 10 others are injured, including one critically, when a natural gas explosion collapses two residential buildings in Fatih district, Istanbul, Turkey. (The Canadian Press)

Politics and elections

• 2026 French municipal elections
  • The second round of municipal elections takes place in France. (France 24)
• 2026 Italian constitutional referendum
  • Italians begin voting on a constitutional amendment that proposes separating the careers of judges and public prosecutors by splitting the High Court of the Judiciary into two bodies, while also establishing a High Disciplinary Court to oversee disciplinary proceedings. (Reuters)
• 2026 Rhineland-Palatinate state election
  • In Germany, the Social Democratic Party declines to second place in Rhineland-Palatinate for the first time since 1991. The Christian Democratic Union party becomes the largest in seats in the Landtag, while Alternative for Germany advances to third place. (Reuters)
• 2026 Slovenian parliamentary election
  • Slovenians vote for 90 seats in the National Assembly. A tight race is forecasted between the incumbent prime minister Robert Golob and his predecessor Janez Janša. (Reuters)
• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • Between 200 and 300 National Council of Resistance of Iran-alligned demonstrators of the Iranian opposition gather in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to protest the war and the Iranian government. (NL Times)
• Following the March 15 elections to the 15th Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, Kim Jong Un is reelected chairman of the State Affairs Commission (head of State) and Pak Thae Song is reappointed as premier. (KBS)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • U.S. president Donald Trump says he is postponing his 48-hour ultimatum for five days before attacking the Iranian power plants as Iran and the U.S. have held "very good and productive conversations" on ending the war. Trump also claims that a "15-point plan" focused on Iran's renunciation of the nuclear weapon has been privately agreed. Iran denies any dialogue took place. (AA) (States Newsroom)
    • Iraq in the 2026 Iran war
      • Kata'ib Hezbollah says that it will extend its pause on strikes on the United States embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, for five more days. (AFP via Gulf News)
    • A person is killed and another is injured in a strike on a transmission site of the Persian Gulf Radio and Television Centre in southern Iran. (AFP via LBCI)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • At least one person is killed in an Israeli strike on Hazmieh, Greater Beirut, Lebanon. The Israeli military states that the attack targeted a member of the Iran's Quds Force in the area. (AFP via Al Arabiya)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Kordofan campaign
    • At least 15 people are killed and 23 others are injured in strikes on Lagawa District, West Kordofan, Sudan. The Rapid Support Forces attribute the attack to the Sudanese army. (AFP via Business Recorder)
  • The Sudan People's Liberation Movement calls for the United Nations Security Council to end the use of drones on Sudanese citizens. (Sudan Tribune)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Brent crude futures fall 11%, trading just below US$100 a barrel for the first time in days, following the announcement by U.S. president Donald Trump about talks with Iran to end the war. (Reuters)
  • Slovenia becomes first EU country to introduce fuel rationing to cope with extra demand by drivers from neighboring countries. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Colombian Air Force Lockheed C-130 crash
  • At least 66 people are killed when a military Lockheed C-130, carrying 125 people, crashes in Puerto Leguízamo, Colombia. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
• At least one person is killed and several others are injured in an explosion in Kwara State, Nigeria. (AP)

Health and environment

• Climate crisis
  • In its annual State of the Global Climate report, the World Meteorological Organization states that Earth's energy imbalance and ocean heat content reached record levels in 2025, driven by rising greenhouse gas emissions. (AFP via CNA)

Law and crime

• Bill Cosby sexual assault cases
  • A U.S. civic court finds entertainer Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 1972. The woman is awarded $59.25 million. (AP) (BBC News)
• Climate change in Germany, Phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles
  • The Federal Court of Justice of Germany dismisses a lawsuit by Environmental Action Germany to ban BMW and Mercedes Benz from selling new combustion engine vehicles after 2030. (DW)
• Puerto Rican police seize $12 million worth of cocaine found on a drug smuggling boat off the island’s northern coast. Three suspects are arrested. (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Italian constitutional referendum
  • In Italy, the constitutional amendment that proposed to select members of the High Council of the Judiciary through sortition is rejected by a 46% to 54% vote. (Reuters)
• Following the February 22 elections to the National Assembly of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith is reelected as President of Laos and Sonexay Siphandone as Prime Minister. (Xinhua) (Xinhua)

Sports

• In American football, the Seattle Seahawks signs a four-year deal worth $168 million with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, with at least $120 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. (KUOW)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • Iraq in the 2026 Iran war
      • Fifteen fighters from Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), including a commander, are killed in an American airstrike on a PMF base in the Al Anbar Governorate. (AFP via BSS)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • Israeli defense minister Israel Katz states that the military will control a "security zone" up to the Litani River in southern Lebanon until the threat of Hezbollah is removed. (The Times of Israel)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Zaporizhzhia strikes, Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
    • Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine kill at least three people, including two in Poltava and one in Zaporizhzhia, injure several others. The attacks also damage residential buildings and infrastructure in the areas. (AFP via BSS)
  • Lviv strikes
    • A Russian Shahed drone strikes and severely damages the Bernardine Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Lviv, western Ukraine. (The New Voice of Ukraine)

Business and economy

• Australia–European Union relations
  • Australia and the European Union sign a free trade agreement after eight years of negotiations. (AP)
• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Philippine president Bongbong Marcos declares a state of national energy emergency in response to risks to the fuel supply linked to the Iran war. (Reuters)
• BMW Brilliance recalls nearly 180,000 vehicles in China due to a defect in the air conditioning wiring that may cause a short circuit and increase the risk of fire. (AFP via The Straits Times)
• American video game company Epic Games announces that it will layoff more than 1,000 employees ​along with ​more ⁠than $500 million in savings from ​cuts to contracting ​and ⁠marketing amid a sharp decline in the number of people playing its flagship video game Fortnite. (Reuters)

International relations

• Iran–Lebanon relations
  • Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
    • The Lebanese Foreign Ministry declares the Iranian ambassador a persona non grata and gives him until March 29 to leave the country. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Danish general election
  • Danes, Faroe Islanders, and Greenlanders vote to elect 179 seats of the Folketing. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen seeks a third term in office during the aftermath of the Greenland crisis. (AP) (Reuters)

Space and technology

• Artemis program
  • NASA states that it plans to pause the Lunar Gateway project and redirect efforts toward developing infrastructure for sustained operations on the Moon's surface, including a future moonbase. (AFP via The Witness)