detoxed.news

March 21

Politics and elections

In South Australia, the Labor Party wins a landslide victory over the Liberal Party. One Nation also secures second place in first-preference votes.
Source: The Guardian external link

Disasters and accidents

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.
Source: The Punch external link
230 people are rescued, ten of whom are hospitalized for hypothermia, during floods and storms in Hawaii, United States. Around 5,500 people are evacuated ahead of a second storm.
Source: CBC external link

Armed conflicts and attacks

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.
Source: The Wall Street Journal external link
Source: Al Jazeera external link
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.
Source: The Times of Israel external link
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.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian calls for a ceasefire during a phone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also calls for the BRICS to play a role in a ceasefire.
Source: The Hindi Business Line external link
reports that the United Arab Emirates told the U.S. that they are prepared for the war to last up to nine months.
Source: Middle East Eye external link
More than 25 people are injured in Israel by Iranian ballistic missile attacks.
Source: The Jerusalem Post external link
US lifts sanctions on some of Iranian oil to circumvent the energy supply crisis.
Source: BBC external link
Russia launches attacks in Zaporizhzhia against energy infrastructure, causing smoke contamination.
Source: RBC-Ukraine external link
Two people are killed and six others, including two children, are wounded in a Russian drone attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
Source: AP external link
Two people are killed and another is injured in an Ukrainian artillery strike in Belgorod Oblast, Russia.
Source: AP external link

March 20

Business and economy

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announces that the U.S. will temporary lift sanctions on Iranian oil at sea in a effort to ease energy supply pressures. The temporary relief will last for 30 days until April 19.
Source: The Guardian external link
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 (SPR).
Source: The Business Times external link
Philippine Airlines announces it will halt flights to the Middle East including Doha and Dubai until April 30 with an additional cancellation of PR 685 until May 1.
Source: Manila Standard external link

Armed conflicts and attacks

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer allows the United States to use British bases to strike Iranian targets near the strait to lift the blockade.
Source: BBC external link
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.
Source: Anadolu Agency external link
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran is ready to help the passage of vessels from Japan in the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: Kyodo News external link
The Islamic Republic of Iran Army launches strikes against strategic aerial refueling aircraft stationed at the Ben Gurion Airport.
Source: Shafaq external link
A second Marine Expeditionary Unit of 2,200 Marines is being sent to the region.
Source: CBS external link
U.S. president Donald Trump says that the United States is considering "winding down" military operations in Iran as "we are getting very close to meeting our objectives" and urges the countries that "use" Hormuz to safeguard the Strait.
Source: The Guardian external link
Iran confirms the death of IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
Ceasefire mediators in Cairo 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.
Source: Times of Israel external link
Israeli forces strike Syrian military sites, including command and control centres and supply depots, in the south of the country, claiming to respond to alleged Syrian government attacks on the local Druze population.
Source: BBC News external link
Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announces the withdrawal of Polish forces from Iraq, stationed there as part of the CJTF–OIR joint task force against the Islamic State, citing the regional threat from Iran.
Source: Devdiscourse external link
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.
Source: Reuters external link
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.
Source: The Punch external link
A drone strike from the Rapid Support Forces targets the Sudanese town of Al Dabbah including a local power station, causing a power outage in the area and injuring three people.
Source: Sudan Tribune external link

Arts and culture

Filaret Denysenko, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate since 1995, dies at the age of 97.
Source: AP external link

Law and crime

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.
Source: AP external link
Two anarchist militants are killed after the accidental explosion of a bomb they were fabricating at a casalis in Rome, Italy.
Source: in Italian external link

International 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.
Source: CNBC external link
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.
Source: Politico external link

Disasters and accidents

Fourteen people are killed and 60 more injured in a large fire at a car parts plant in Daejeon, South Korea.
Source: The Straits Time external link
A passenger plane crash lands at Wilson Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. The Kenya Airports Authority confirms that the crew and all 39 passengers were unharmed.
Source: The Kenya Times external link

March 19

Politics and elections

The National Assembly of Thailand re-elects Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister following his Bhumjaithai Party's victory in the recent election.
Source: AFP via CBS 19 News external link

Business and economy

KLM says that they will not resume flights to Dubai, Riyadh, and Dammam until May 17, citing safety considerations as the US-Israel war against Iran continues.
Source: Anadolu Agency external link

International relations

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".
Source: BBC external link
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.
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer external link
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.
Source: Haaretz external link

Armed conflicts and attacks

The BAZAN Group refinery in Haifa is struck in an Iranian missile attack, but with "no significant damage", according to Energy Minister Eli Cohen.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
A drone hits Aramco's SAMREF refinery in ‌the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
Source: Arab News external link
Iranian Shahed drones strike the Mina al-Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah oil refineries and cause large fires, according to the Kuwait National Petroleum Company.
Source: The Telegraph external link
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".
Source: Euronews external link
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.
Source: The Independent external link
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.
Source: BBC News external link
The United States approves $16.46 billion in military sales to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait amidst the Iran war.
Source: Jordan Times external link
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.
Source: The EastAfrican external link
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.
Source: Heraldo USA external link

Arts and culture

The King Charles III England Coast Path, the world's longest coastal footpath, is formally opened by Charles III.
Source: BBC News external link

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.
Source: Reuters external link

Law and crime

Iran executes three men arrested during protests last January by hanging.
Source: Euronews external link
An Iranian man and a woman of unknown nationality are arrested by Police Scotland for attempting to enter Royal Navy base HMNB Clyde.
Source: BBC News external link

March 18

Health and environment

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.
Source: The Standard external link

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.
Source: NDTV external link
One person is killed when a cable car cabin crashes down a snowy mountainside in Engelberg, Obwalden, Switzerland.
Source: CNN external link

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.
Source: ESPN external link

Arts and culture

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.
Source: NBC News external link

Law and crime

Swedish foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard says that Iran has executed a Swedish citizen who was arrested in Iran last June.
Source: Reuters external link

International relations

Qatar declares Iran's military and security attachés and their staff and orders them to leave the country within 24 hours following an attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City.
Source: Vanguard News external link

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.
Source: Reuters external link

Science and technology

Source: BBC News external link

Business and economy

Aramco restarts operations at Ras Tanura oil refinery, the largest in Saudi Arabia, following a 16-day closure.
Source: Oil Price external link

Armed conflicts and attacks

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.
Source: Oil Price external link
A foreign worker from Thailand is killed by an Iranian cluster bomb in Moshav Adanim, central Israel.
Source: The Times of Israel external link
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.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
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.
Source: The Wall Street Journal external link
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.
Source: Jerusalem Post external link
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.
Source: TWZ external link
Israel assassinates Iranian intelligence minister Esmaeil Khatib in an overnight airstrike in Tehran.
Source: Reuters external link
Four Palestinians are killed and six others are injured when falling Iranian missile fragments strike a beauty salon in Beit Awwa, West Bank, Palestine.
Source: The Times of Israel external link
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".
Source: Arab News external link
At least 20 people are killed and dozens injured in an Israeli airstrike on a building in Beirut, Lebanon.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to a temporary "pause" in hostilities during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr this week.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
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.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
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.
Source: Sudan Tribune external link
The Sudan Doctors Network says that 12 civilians were killed by the RSF in North Kordofan state.
Source: Sudan Tribune external link
The Sudanese Armed Forces says that they have shot down a Bayraktar drone from Ethiopia near North Kordofan.
Source: Ethiopanorama external link
Over 60 Boko Haram and Islamic State insurgents are killed in an operation by the Nigerian Army in Abadam, Borno State, Nigeria.
Source: The Punch external link