Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran conflict
    • 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 Saudi Arabia
      • Explosions and fires are reported at the United States embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following a series of Iranian drone strikes. (YnetNews)
    • 2026 Hezbollah–Israel strikes
      • 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)
    • 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)
    • 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 in Qom, Iran, as a meeting was being held to elect a new supreme leader. The building appears to have been severely damaged in the attack. (Al Arabiya)

Disasters and accidents

• Two people are killed and three others are critically injured after a helicopter crashes in Pililla, Rizal, Philippines. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Law and crime

• Trinidad and Tobago declares a new state of emergency in response to a wave of violent crime in the country. (AP)

Science and technology

• March 2026 lunar eclipse
  • A total lunar eclipse occurs in eastern Asia, Oceania, Pacific, and the Americas; the next one will not occur until December 2028. (EclipseWise)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran conflict
    • 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)
    • Reactions to the 2026 Iran conflict
      • 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)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
      • Dubai International Airport resumes limited flights for stranded passengers, with the first flights cleared to depart Dubai. (CNBC)
    • 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 the Saudi Aramco 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)
    • Two Kuwaiti navy members are killed amid Iranian attacks, according to the Kuwaiti defence ministry. (The Times of Israel)
    • 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)
    • Iranian drones strike the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City. (AFP via NDTV)
    • 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 strikes
      • 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)

Disasters and accidents

• A floor collapses in an under-construction building in Johannesburg, South Africa, killing nine people. (AP)
• Two people are killed and at least 19 others are injured when a tourist bus carrying Sunwing Vacations Group guests from Canada crashes near Punta Cana, La Altagracia Province, Dominican Republic. (CTV News)

International relations

• 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)
• 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)
• 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)

Law and crime

• An ambulance operator is arrested in Forlì, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, after being accused of intentionally murdering five elderly patients between February and November 2025. (Forlì Today)

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

• 2026 Iran conflict
  • 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)
  • 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 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. (The New Arab)
  • 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. (The Times of Israel)
  • 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)
  • An Iranian drone strikes the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manama, Bahrain, which houses American embassy personnel. No casualties are reported. (Egypt Independent)
  • 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)
  • 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)

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)

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

• 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 Maria 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)