Portal:Current events - Wikipedia

Mette Frederiksen

Law and crime

• Porepunkah police shootings
  • Police fatally shoot Dezi Freeman, a fugitive who was on the run for seven months after he killed two police officers and seriously injured another in a shooting in Porepunkah, Victoria, Australia, at a property in northeast Victoria, Australia. (ABC News) (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • The Foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, met in Islamabad, express their "full support" for potential US-Iran talks hosted by Pakistan. (France 24)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
      • Bahrain imposes a nighttime maritime curfew from 6:00 pm to 4:00 am to restrict sea traffic and strengthen coastal security following reported attacks attributed to Iran. (AFP via L'Orient Today)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
      • An Iranian missile hits the Makhteshim chemical plant in southern Israel. A warning for the leakage of hazardous materials is issued for the immediate vicinity of the site. (Reuters)
  • Ten Kuwaiti soldiers are injured in a new wave of missile and drone attacks over Kuwait. (Saudi Gazette)
  • For the first time ever, Israeli police block the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during Palm Sunday, citing heightened risk in the Old City during the current war with Iran. (Vatican News) (The Jerusalem Post)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Several unmanned aerial vehicles are detected across southeastern Finland. One of the UAVs is identified as Ukrainian after it crashes near Kouvola.(Yle)
• Gaza war
  • Ten Palestinians are killed, including a 15-year-old boy, and 18 others are injured in artillery fire and airstrikes by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza City, Palestine. (Haaretz)
• Sudanese civil war
  • At least 14 people are killed and 23 others are injured in a drone strike on Dilling, South Kordofan, Sudan. (Xinhua)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 17 people are killed and 26 others are injured in overnight severe weather across parts of Afghanistan. (CTV News)
• Nine people are trapped after a building partially collapses in Hailin, Heilongjiang, China. (Xinhua)
• A nightclub burns down in Kehl, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. All 750 people inside were evacuated, three of whom are treated for shock. (Tagesschau) (Associated Press)

International relations

• Iran–Lebanon relations
  • Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, remains in the country despite being declared persona non grata and ordered to leave. The expulsion order prompts opposition from outlawed Iran-armed group Hezbollah and a cabinet boycott by its ministers and allies. (AFP via LBCI)

Law and crime

• 2026 Beijing ramming attack
  • Multiple people are killed and injured in a vehicle-ramming attack when a man drives a loader into a crowded market in Fangshan, Beijing, China. (FTV News) (BNO News)

Politics and elections

• 2026 New Democratic Party leadership election
  • Avi Lewis is elected leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. (BBC)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
      • The smelter facility of Aluminium Bahrain in Askar, Southern Governorate, is targeted by Iranian attacks. (CNBC)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
      • Emirates Global Aluminium reports that one of its facilities in Abu Dhabi sustained significant damage and several injuries during missile and drone attacks attributed to Iran. (AFP via The Times of Israel)
    • Iraq in the 2026 Iran war
      • An airstrike in Kirkuk, Iraq, hits a base of the Popular Mobilization Forces, killing one member and injuring four others. (AFP via LBCI)
      • Iranian-backed militias launch a drone attack targeting the Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani’s private residence in Duhok. (K24)
    • Red Sea crisis
      • The Houthis launch a ballistic missile from their territory in Yemen towards Israel, signifying the group's entrance in the war. The Israeli military says that the missile was successfully intercepted and no injuries were reported. A second attack, also without damage, is reported hours later. (Reuters) (The Times of Israel) (Ahram Online)
    • Iran says it has dismantled a terrorist cell in Gorgan, Golestan and has arrested two suspects. (Awaz the Voice)
    • The United States Central Command announces the arrival in the Middle East of 3,500 sailors and marines aboard of USS Tripoli. (Gulf Times)
    • A man is detained and another is at large after trying to ignite an improvised explosive device near a Bank of America building in Paris, France. Anti-terrorism prosecutors are investigating. (Sky News)
  • 2026 Lebanon war
    • Five paramedics are killed in an Israeli airstrike in Zawtar al-Gharbiyah, Nabatieh Governorate, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
    • Three journalists are killed and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike in Jezzine District, South Governorate, Lebanon. (KGO-TV)
  • Kuwait International Airport is targeted by multiple drone strikes, causing significant damage to its radar system. (Saudi Gazette)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Two people are killed and twelve more are injured in a nighttime Russian drone attack on Odesa. A maternity hospital is also damaged. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Twenty-two bodies are recovered from a vessel found adrift off the coast of Crete, Greece, according to the Greek coast guard. Twenty-six people are rescued by Frontex. Several survivors said some people were also thrown overboard into the Mediterranean Sea on the orders of a human trafficker during the journey. (Reuters)
• Three people are killed and 23 others are injured, including nine critically, in a fire at a high-rise building in Xiaodian, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China. (Xinhua)

International relations

• Qatar–Ukraine relations
  • Qatar and Ukraine sign a defense pact that includes cooperation on countering missile and drone threats. (AFP via The News)

Law and crime

• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • Around 18 people are arrested during anti-war protests held across Israel against the Iran war, including 13 in Tel Aviv and 5 in Haifa. Protests are also held in Jerusalem and Beersheba. (Haaretz) (Times of Israel)
• Five police officers are killed and three others are injured in an ambush by unidentified gunmen in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur, Philippines. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• Four people are killed and two others are injured during clashes between insurgent groups in Kamjong district, Manipur, India. (Hindustan Times)
• Seven people are injured in a vehicle ramming attack in Derby, Derbyshire, England. An Indian national in his 30s is arrested with counter-terrorism police investigating. (BBC News) (The Guardian)
• Nepal's former prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli is arrested over his alleged involvement in the crackdown on the 2025 protests. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• Protests against Donald Trump
  • 2026 No Kings protests
    • The third No Kings protests are held across the United States against the policies of president Donald Trump's administration including the Iran war, ICE operations, and the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. (CNN) (Reuters)
• 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
  • Exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi urges the United States not to strike a deal or negotiate for peace with the Iranian regime and also calls for a resurgence in protests. (Reuters)
• Constitutional crisis in Somalia
  • The South West House of Representatives re-elects incumbent president Abdiaziz Laftagareen for the second time amid tensions with the Somali federal government that resulted in the military being deployed to the Lower Shabelle, Bay and Bakool regions of Somalia. (Somali Guardian) (Hiiraan Online)

Sports

• In throughbred racing, American racehorse Magnitude wins the 30th Dubai World Cup in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, amidst the Iran war. (The National News) (ESPN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    • Iranian ambassador to the United Nations Ali Bahreini says that Iran will facilitate and expedite humanitarian aid to cross the Strait of Hormuz. (AP)
    • The foreign ministers of the G7 nations reach an agreement to protect passage through the Strait of Hormuz if the war ends. (Euronews)
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
    • One man is killed and several are injured by Iranian ballistic missile attacks on central and southern Israel. (The Jerusalem Post)
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia
    • An Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia with at least six ballistic missiles and 29 drones injures 15 American soldiers and heavily damages a Boeing E-3 Sentry (AWACS) aircraft. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
  • Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates report that they have intercepted missile and drone attacks from Iran. (AA)
  • The Israeli Air Force strikes a uranium processing facility in Yazd, Iran. There were no casualties or radiation leaks, according to Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. (Al Jazeera)
    • Iran recruiting children as young as 12 to man Tehran checkpoints. (The Times of Israel)

• Sudanese civil war
  • The Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North reports that a Sudanese Army airstrike on a funeral gathering in the town of Al Sunut in South Kordofan has killed seven civilians and injured 39 others. (Sudan Tribune)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    • Brent crude oil surpasses US$110 per barrel after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy turned away three container ships and declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. (AFP via South China Morning Post) (UPI)
• Renationalization of YPF
  • A United States appeals court overturns a $16.1 billion judgment against Argentina related to the 2012 nationalization of oil company YPF, ruling that the shareholders' claims are not valid under Argentine law. The decision reverses a 2023 lower court ruling that had ordered compensation to minority investors. (AFP via France 24)

Disasters and accidents

• Landslides triggered by heavy rain kill at least 20 people in Mbeya Region, Tanzania. (AP)
• Seven people are killed and five others are injured in a landslide on the Zoji La in Ladakh, India. (NDTV)
• Three people are killed in a helicopter crash at Kalalau Beach on Kauaʻi, Hawaii, United States. (AP)
• Two children are killed and at least seven others are injured in a three-vehicle collision involving a dump truck, SUV and school bus on Tennessee State Route 70 in Carroll County, Tennessee, United States. (AP)

Law and crime

• Calama school stabbing
  • One person is killed and four others are injured in a mass stabbing at a school in Calama, Antofagasta Region, Chile. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Nepalese general election
  • Following his Rastriya Swatantra Party's landslide victory in the general election, Balendra Shah is sworn as Prime Minister of Nepal, succeeding interim prime minister Sushila Karki. (Reuters)
• Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia
  • Russia designates filmmaker and teacher Pavel Talankin, the co-director and subject of the 2025 documentary film Mr Nobody Against Putin, as a foreign agent after authorities accuse him of spreading disinformation about the government and opposing the war in Ukraine. (AFP via RFI)
• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • Lawmakers from the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference protest outside the legislative assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, India, in solidarity with Iran and against the assassination of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei amidst the Iran war. Additionally, a major confrontation breaks out between INC lawmaker Irfan Hafiz Lone and BJP lawmaker Yudhvir Sethi during the protest. (Kashmir Convener) (Times of India)
• In Mongolia, the State Great Khural accepts the resignation of Prime Minister Gombojavyn Zandanshatar. (AP)

Sports

• 2026 World Figure Skating Championships
  • In her last performance before retiring, Japan's Kaori Sakamoto wins the gold medal in the women's singles event of the 2026 Figure Skating Championships. (AFP via RFI)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Pakistan in the 2026 Iran war, Pakistan–United States relations
        • U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff confirms that the United States has shared a 15-point peace plan to Iran through the Pakistani government. (The Pakistan Connect) (Xinhua)
        • Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar confirms that indirect negotiations between Iran and the U.S. are taking place. (The Hindu)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • U.S. president Donald Trump extends his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by ten days, until 6 April, or "face further assassinations of senior officials". (The Guardian)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
      • Nine people are injured in Israel after seven salvos of ballistic missiles by Iran. (The Times of Israel)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
      • Two people are killed and three others are injured by falling debris from an intercepted ballistic missile in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Hindustan Times)
    • Reactions to the 2026 Iran war, Israel–Uganda relations
      • Ugandan military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba says the country is ready to join the war "on the side of Israel" and says the Ugandan military will enter the war soon if Iranian attacks on Israel do not end soon. (The New Arab)
    • Israel claims to have assassinated Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. (Al Jazeera)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • One person is killed and 11 are injured by Hezbollah rocket fire in Nahariya, Israel. (The Jerusalem Post)
      • Two Israeli soldiers are killed in action in southern Lebanon. (Reuters)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Foreign involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Zimbabwe confirms that 15 of its citizens have been killed after being recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine, with more than 60 others still on the front line. Cabinet minister Soda Zhemu says that most of them were lured to Russia through social media. (BBC News)

Arts and culture

• Russian 2022 war censorship laws
  • A court in Chelyabinsk Oblast bans the distribution of the documentary film Mr Nobody Against Putin in Russia. (AFP via The Guardian)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Norway's Storting passes a bill temporarily cutting petrol and diesel taxes in response to surging energy costs amid the Strait of Hormuz crisis. (Reuters)
  • Mauritius and South Sudan announce measures restricting electricity consumption due to the international energy crisis, with Juba's main electricity distributor saying the capital will start experiencing daily power cuts on a "rotational basis" from today. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 14 people are killed and 27 others are injured when a private bus collides head-on with a tipper-truck in Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. (Hindustan Times) (The Times of India)
• At least 10 people are killed and 35 others are injured when a bus collides with a truck and overturns in Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh, India. (The Hindu) (Hindustan Times)
• Two people are killed, including a child, and at least 90 families are affected in flooding in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (ATN)
• Mexico's navy launches a search and rescue operation in the Caribbean Sea for two sailboats, which departed from Isla Mujeres with nine crew members, carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba after they failed to arrive in Havana as scheduled and lost communication. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• Noelia Castillo euthanasia case
  • A 25-year-old Spanish woman from Barcelona, Catalonia, undergoes euthanasia after her request was approved by authorities and upheld through multiple legal challenges despite opposition from her family. (CNN)

International relations

• European Union-United States relations
  • Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade
    • The European Parliament approves legislation to implement the EU-US trade deal adopted in 2025. (BBC)
• Russia–United Kingdom relations
  • Russia says the United Kingdom's decision to board and detain shadow fleet vessels is hostile and vows a "political, legal and asymmetric" response against the UK to protect Russian interests. (Reuters)
  • British Chief of the General Staff Roland Walker warns that the UK is now on an "inevitable collision course" with Russia and urges the government to prepare. (MSN)
• 52nd G7 summit, France–South Africa relations
  • South Africa says it is no longer invited to the upcoming G7 summit in Haute-Savoie, France, after an initial invitation, with differing statements from its officials on the reasons for the decision. (AFP via Arab News)
• Australia–Iran relations, Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
  • Australia announces a six-month ban on short-term visa applications from Iranian passport holders for tourism and work, citing concerns that some visitors may not depart Australia once their visas expire due to the Iran war. The new policy includes limited exemptions. (AFP via The Times of Israel)
• Belarus–North Korea relations
  • Belarus and North Korea sign a friendship and cooperation treaty after North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un welcomed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko to Pyongyang. (AFP via The Guardian)
• France–Philippines relations
  • France and the Philippines sign a visiting forces agreement allowing joint military exercises and cooperation in each other's territory. (Reuters)
• Tajikistan–Uzbekistan relations
  • Tajik president Emomali Rahmon and Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev inaugurate the Tajikistan embassy in Tashkent during Rahmon's state visit to Uzbekistan. (Kun.uz)

Law and crime

• Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Europe
  • The Catholic Church in Portugal agrees to compensate 57 victims of sexual abuse with a total of €1.61 million (US$1.86 million) following findings from an independent inquiry into abuse cases over several decades. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• Two people are killed, including the perpetrator, in a stabbing attack at a Pokémon Center at Sunshine City in Tokyo, Japan. (CTV News)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Faroese general election
  • Two days after the Danish election, Faroe Islanders vote to elect 33 members of the Løgting. (Dagur.fo in Faroese) (Euractiv)
  • The People's Party, led by Beinir Johannesen, wins the highest share of votes, receiving nine seats in the Løgting. (Dagur.fo in Faroese) (DR in Danish)

Sports

• 2026 FIFA World Cup, Iran at the FIFA World Cup
  • The Iranian sports ministry bans the men's national football team from travelling to "hostile countries", placing the team's participation in this year's FIFA World Cup tournament in doubt, which is being held in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Sports minister Ahmad Donyamali previously stated that Iran will not play in this year's World Cup. (Reuters)
• 2028 Summer Olympics, Transgender people in sports
  • The International Olympic Committee announces that participation in women's events will be limited to athletes classified as female based on biological criteria, with eligibility determined through a one-time genetic test starting from the 2028 Olympic Games. The policy replaces previous rules that allowed individual sports federations to set their own criteria. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2026 Iran war
  • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
    • According to Press TV, Iran has rejected a United States proposal to end the war and sets out five conditions for a ceasefire. (bne IntelliNews) (AP)
    • A senior Iranian official says that Iran is still reviewing the proposal despite an initial response that was considered "negative". (Reuters)
    • Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi states that Iran seeks to end the war "on its own terms" but does not plan to enter negotiations with the U.S. and will continue its current policy. (AFP via Al-Ahram)
    • Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty says that Egypt is ready to host negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war. (Reuters via Al Arabiya)
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
    • An Iranian cluster bomb wounds nine people, including six children and an elderly woman, in Bnei Brak, Israel. (The Times of Israel)
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Jordan
    • Jordan's air force intercepts four missiles and one drone launched from Iran. (Al Jazeera)
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
    • A drone strikes a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, causing a fire at the site. (Reuters)
  • Iraq in the 2026 Iran war
    • Seven fighters are killed and 13 others are injured in a strike on a Popular Mobilization Forces base in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. The attack follows an American strike on the same base yesterday. (AFP via Al-Ahram)
  • Iran says it has received intelligence that the U.S. and an "unnamed regional country" are planning to invade and capture its Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf as thousands of U.S. Marines are due to arrive in the region in the coming days. (The Telegraph)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Violations of non-combatant airspace during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • A stray Ukrainian drone strikes a power station in Auvere, Estonia, while another crashes in Latvia during a large-scale drone attack on Russia. (Sky News) (BBC News)
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • A Ukrainian drone strike kills two people in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, according to Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. (Reuters)
• Sudanese civil war
  • El Fasher massacre, Darfur campaign
    • The Sudan Doctors Network says that Rapid Support Forces have killed 16 civilians, including three women, in El Fasher, North Darfur, Sudan. (Sudan Tribune)
• Operation Southern Spear
  • United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
    • The United States Southern Command (Southcom) says its forces have struck a drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea, killing four occupants. This brings the number of alleged narcoterrorists killed in Operation Southern Spear to 163 since U.S. strikes began. (AP)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
  • A ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan collapses with resumed cross-border shelling killing two people in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, while Afghan forces claim to have destroyed three Pakistani military outposts along the border. Both sides accuse each other of breaking the ceasefire first. (AP)

Arts and culture

• Under the St Peter and Paul Church [nl] in Maastricht, Netherlands, the remains of French musketeer d'Artagnan are believed to be found. (BBC News)
• Sarah Mullally is enthroned as the first female primate of the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury. (BBC News)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    • COSCO Shipping resumes new container shipment bookings from the Far East to several Gulf countries after Iran allowed non-hostile vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since yesterday. (AFP via The Straits Times)
    • India purchases a shipment of liquefied petroleum gas from Iran for the first time since 2019 following a temporary easing of U.S. sanctions, with the cargo set to be distributed among state-run fuel companies, in response to supply disruptions caused by the Strait of Hormuz crisis. (Reuters)
  • Gold prices in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, rise after a 15-day drop amidst potential diplomacy to end the Iran war. (Gulf News)

Disasters and accidents

• The International Organization for Migration reports that 922 migrants have died or went missing along the "Eastern Route" from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula in 2025, marking the deadliest year for Red Sea migration and a significant increase from 2024. (AFP via The Daily Star)
• At least 26 people are killed, including seven children, 11 others survive and around 13 are reported missing when a passenger bus carrying around 50 people plunges into the Padma River in Goalanda Upazila, Rajbari District, Dhaka, Bangladesh. (AA) (Xinhua)

International relations

• Belarus–North Korea relations
  • Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko visits Pyongyang, North Korea, to meet with its supreme leader Kim Jong Un in a effort to improve relations between the two countries. (AP)
• Hungary–Ukraine relations, Hungary and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán says Hungary will gradually suspend gas supplies to Ukraine until Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline resumes, citing disruptions to deliveries crossing Ukraine. (AP)
• Russia–United Kingdom relations
  • British prime minister Keir Starmer authorizes the military to board Russian shadow fleet vessels used by the Russian government to evade international sanctions. (Reuters)
• The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution proposed by Ghana recognizing the Atlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity and calling for dialogue on reparations, despite opposition and abstentions from Western countries. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping
  • A Chinese court sentences former Aviation Industry Corporation chairperson Tan Ruisong to death with a two-year reprieve after convicting him of corruption-related offenses, including bribery, embezzlement, and insider trading, during his tenure as chairperson. (Reuters)
• Mahadev Betting App Case
  • The Indian enforcement directorate says that it has attached ₹1,700 crore (US$200 million) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and has seized villas in the Burj Khalifa as part of the Mahadev online betting app money laundering investigation. (The New Indian Express)
• Terrorism in Kuwait
  • Kuwaiti authorities arrest six individuals suspected of links to Hezbollah over an alleged plot to carry out assassinations targeting state officials. (AFP via Arab News)
• K.G.M. v. Meta et al.
  • A jury in California, United States, rules in favor of a woman who sued Google and Meta Platforms for her addictions to websites Instagram and YouTube as a child. (CNBC)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Kosovan presidential election
  • Kosovo's Constitutional Court rules that President Vjosa Osmani's decree to dissolve had no legal effect, giving the Kuvendi 34 more days to elect the next president before automatically moving to new elections within 45 days. (Balkan View)
• 2026 Philippine energy crisis
  • Philippine president Bongbong Marcos signs into law a measure allowing the suspension or reduction of excises on petroleum products when global oil prices reach a specified threshold, subject to time limits and reporting requirements. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • The New York Times reports that the United States has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war. (CNBC)
      • Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif says that Pakistan is ready and willing to host Iran–U.S. talks to reach a comprehensive deal to end the war. (AFP via SCMP) (Saudi Gazette)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
      • Shrapnel from an Iranian ballistic missile wounds three people, including a two-month-old baby, in a Bedouin community in the Negev, Israel. (The Jerusalem Post)
    • 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
      • Hezbollah rocket fire kills a woman and injures two others in northern Israel. (The Jerusalem Post)
      • 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, while also suggesting that Israel will remain in control of the area after the conflict is resolved. (The Times of Israel) (The New York Times)
      • The Lebanese government reports that the death toll from Israeli attacks on the country since March 2 has risen to 1,039. (AA)
• 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, and injures 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. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inqurier)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Darfur campaign
    • The death toll from the March 20 drone strike on the Al Deain Teaching Hospital in East Darfur, Sudan, rises to 70. (Reuters)
  • A coalition of Rapid Support Forces and Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North rebels capture the town of Kurmuk in the Blue Nile region near the Ethopian border. (AFP via Arab News)
• War in the Sahel
  • Suspected Islamic State insurgents kill nine Nigerian troops, one police officer and a civilian during attacks in Kebbi State, Nigeria. (AP)

Arts and culture

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Two concerts by Colombian singer Shakira in Doha, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, scheduled to be held in April are postponed due to safety concerns amidst the Iran war. The Abu Dhabi concert has been rescheduled for November. (USA Today)
• The trailer for the upcoming superhero film Spider-Man: Brand New Day released on March 17 reaches 1 billion views on YouTube, becoming the first movie trailer to do so. (People.com)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Philippine energy crisis
    • 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)
  • QatarEnergy ‌declares force majeure on some of ⁠its long-term LNG supply contracts for its customers worldwide. (Al Jazeera)
• 2022–2026 video game industry layoffs
  • American video game company Epic Games announces that it will lay off 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)
• Australia–European Union relations
  • Australia and the European Union sign a free trade agreement after eight years of negotiations. (AP)
• 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)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Kenya floods
  • At least 84 people are killed in flash floods across Kenya, including in Kisumu, Uasin Gishu, and Tana River counties. (The Star)
• At least nine people are killed, 266 others are rescued and 45 are reported missing in a shipwreck off Obock, Djibouti. (Reuters)

International relations

• Iran–Lebanon relations
  • 2026 Lebanon war
    • The Lebanese foreign ministry declares the Iranian ambassador a persona non grata and gives him until March 29 to leave the country, due to Iran's financial and military support of Shia paramilitary group Hezbollah. (Al Jazeera)
    • The Lebanese foreign ministry says that the decision to expel Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani as Iranian ambassador doesn't affect diplomatic relations between the two countries. (Arab News)
• 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
  • The Iranian foreign ministry states that vessels it classifies as non-hostile may pass through the Strait of Hormuz if they comply with its safety and security requirements, while excluding vessels linked to countries it accuses of involvement in the Iran war. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Law and crime

• 2026 Lázaro Cárdenas school shooting
  • Two people are killed in a school shooting in Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, Mexico. A 15-year-old suspect is arrested. (Reuters)

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)
  • Frederiksen's left-wing bloc wins the most seats but fails to secure a majority. (AFP via Le Monde)

Science and technology

• AI boom
  • American technology company OpenAI says it will shut down its Sora app. (NBC News)
  • The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI's US$1 billion investment deal to allow Disney's intellectual properties to be used with Sora is also cancelled in midst of the shutdown. (Deadline) (NBC News) (The Verge)
• 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)