detoxed.news

March 17

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.
Source: The Caledonian-Record external link
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.
Source: AFP via GMA News external link

Arts and culture

Patriarch Ilia II, head of the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1977, dies at the age of 93.
Source: Civil.ge external link

Armed conflicts and attacks

An oil tanker near Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, is struck by an unknown projectile.
Source: Forbes external link
Source: The Jerusalem Post external link
A Lebanese soldier is killed and four more are injured in an Israeli airstrike in Qaaqaait al-Jisr, Nabatieh Governorate, Lebanon.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
Three people, including a child, are killed and fourteen more injured in an Israeli airstrike in Al-Mawasi, Palestine.
Source: Times of Israel external link
The Ecuadorian government deploys 75,000 soldiers and police officers to several 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.
Source: AP external link

Politics and elections

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".
Source: Reuters external link

Business and economy

The United Arab Emirates' Shah gas field suspends operations following a drone attack.
Source: Forbes external link

Health and environment

Source: La Nación external link

March 16

Disasters and accidents

Cuba reports a nationwide power outage following a total electrical grid collapse.
Source: AP external link
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.
Source: Hindustan Times external link
A roof collapses at a shop in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan, killing eight people and injuring more than 50 others.
Source: AP external link
At least four people are killed and four others are injured in a building collapse in Nairobi, Kenya.
Source: AP via CTV News external link

International relations

The European Union imposes sanctions against 16 Iranian individuals and three entities for their role in suppressing protests earlier this year.
Source: Shafaq external link

Sports

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.
Source: BBC Sport external link

Health and environment

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.
Source: AFP via France 24 external link

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.
Source: The Telegraph external link

Politics and elections

Nepalese activist and Rastriya Swatantra Party member Bhumika Shrestha is confirmed by the Nepalese Election Commission, becoming the first transgender lawmaker elected in Nepal.
Source: Dawn external link

Science and technology

A molten ocean of magma is discovered on the exoplanet L 98-59 d, a planet orbiting L 98-59, a red dwarf star 34-light years away from Earth.
Source: Nature external link

Armed conflicts and attacks

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.
Source: Reuters external link
Australia rules out sending warships to lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: Nine News Australia external link
A Pakistan-bound oil tanker with its Automatic Identification System activated, the , 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.
Source: AAJ News external link
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran is not seeking a ceasefire but also called for the war to end.
Source: Iran International external link
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.
Source: BBC external link
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.
Source: Iran Wire external link
Kata'ib Hezbollah senior commander Abu Ali al-Askari is killed in an airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq.
Source: Jerusalem Post external link
The U.S. embassy in Baghdad is reportedly attacked by two suicide drones, causing a powerful explosion.
Source: Ynet external link
The Royal Tulip Al Rasheed Hotel in the Green Zone in Baghdad is struck by a drone.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
At least seven people, including four children, are injured by Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel.
Source: The Jerusalem Post external link
The Israeli military's 91st Division launches a ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, expanding a buffer zone along the border.
Source: The Times of Israel external link
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.
Source: AFP via LBCI external link
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.
Source: Kyiv Post external link
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.
Source: The Star Kenya external link
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.
Source: The Washington Post external link
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.
Source: AP external link

Law and crime

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.
Source: Middle East Eye external link

Business and economy

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.
Source: AFP via Indo Premier external link
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.
Source: The Guardian external link

March 15

Business and economy

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.
Source: Reuters external link

Health and environment

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.
Source: BBC News external link

Sports

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.
Source: AFP via France 24 external link
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.
Source: AP external link
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.
Source: AFP via France 24 external link
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.
Source: The Independent external link
Source: ESPN external link

Arts and culture

At the Academy Awards, wins six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and the inaugural Achievement in Casting award.
Source: Reuters external link
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.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter external link

Armed conflicts and attacks

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.
Source: Business Recorder external link
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.
Source: Hindustan Times external link
Source: ANSA external link
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.
Source: The Guardian external link
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.
Source: Medafrica Times external link

Disasters and accidents

The death toll from severe flooding in Kenya rises to 66, according to the Kenya Red Cross Society.
Source: BBC News external link

Politics and elections

The first round of municipal elections is taking place in France.
Source: Reuters external link
Kazakhstanis vote in a referendum to approve a new constitution.
Source: Reuters external link
North Koreans vote to elect the 687 members of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly.
Source: The Diplomat external link
Congolese people vote to elect a president, with incumbent Denis Sassou Nguesso seeking a fifth consecutive term.
Source: Reuters external link
Vietnamese citizens vote to elect the 500 members of the 16th National Assembly. The sole legal party contesting the election is the Communist Party.
Source: Reuters external link

March 14

Armed conflicts and attacks

Five U.S. warplanes are damaged in an Iranian drone strike on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.
Source: The Wall Street Journal external link
United States president Donald Trump calls on the country's allies to help lift the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: BBC News external link
Fifteen people are killed in a reported Israeli and United States missile strike on an HVAC factory in Isfahan, Iran.
Source: AFP via LBCI external link
Three Kuwaiti soldiers are injured after two drones struck Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, damaging the facility.
Source: The Times of Israel external link
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.
Source: Gulf News external link
The U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, is hit by a missile from an unknown origin.
Source: Politico external link
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.
Source: CBS News external link
Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold direct talks in the coming days amidst the reignited war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Source: Reuters external link
Five people are killed and three others are injured in Russian drone strikes on residential areas and critical infrastructure across Ukraine.
Source: Reuters external link
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.
Source: Kabul Now external link

Law and crime

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.
Source: Jamaica Observer external link
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.
Source: Euronews external link
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.
Source: Reuters external link

Sports

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.
Source: AFP via France 24 external link
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.
Source: Sky Sports external link
In rugby union, France defeats England 48–46 to win the Six Nations Championship in the final.
Source: The Guardian external link