The United Arab Emirates' Shah gas field suspends operations following a drone attack.
Source:
Forbes 
March 17
Business and economy
Armed conflicts and attacks
Source:
Forbes
March 16
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
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
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
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
Science and technology
A molten ocean is discovered on the exoplanet L 98-59 d, a dwarf star of L 98-59 that orbits a red dwarf star 34-light years away from Earth.
Source:
Nature
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
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
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
Disasters and accidents
Cuba reports a nationwide power outage following a total electrical grid collapse.
Source:
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.
Source:
Hindustan Times
A roof collapses at a shop in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan, killing eight people and injuring more than 50 others.
Source:
AP
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
Source:
Nine News Australia.
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 in Chinese yuans instead of in US dollars.
Source:
AAJ News
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran is not seeking a ceasefire but also called for the war to end.
Source:
Iran International
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.
Source:
The Telegraph
The Israeli Air Force strikes the Iranian Space Research Center in central Tehran and completely destroys it, stating that it was being used for potential space warfare activities against Israeli satellites.
Source:
Iran Wire
Source:
Jerusalem Post
The U.S. embassy in Baghdad is reportedly attacked by two suicide drones, causing a powerful explosion.
Source:
Ynet
The Royal Tulip Al Rasheed Hotel in the Green Zone in Baghdad is struck by a drone.
Source:
Al Jazeera
At least seven people, including four children, are injured by Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel.
Source:
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.
Source:
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.
Source:
AFP via LBCI
The European Union imposes sanctions against nine Russian individuals over their role in the atrocities committed during Russia's occupation of Bucha during the initial 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian warInternational sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Source:
Kyiv Post
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
Afghanistan claims Pakistan carried out an airstrike against a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, killing over 400 people. Pakistan denies the claim, saying it attacked military installations.
Source:
The Washington Post
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
March 15
Disasters and accidents
Source:
BBC News
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
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.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)Israeli–Palestinian conflictIsraeli incursions in the West Bank during the Gaza war
Source:
Hindustan Times
Source:
ANSA
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
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
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
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
Arts and culture
At the Academy Awards, wins six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and the inaugural Achievement in Casting award.
Source:
Reuters
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
Politics and elections
Kazakhstanis vote in a referendum to approve a new constitution.
Source:
Reuters
North Koreans vote to elect the 687 members of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly.
Source:
The Diplomat
Congolese people vote to elect a president, with incumbent Denis Sassou Nguesso seeking a fifth consecutive term.
Source:
Reuters
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
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
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
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
Asian Football Confederation secretary general Windsor John says that the Iranian soccer 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
Source:
ESPN
March 14
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
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
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
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
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
Source:
The Guardian
Armed conflicts and attacks
Source:
The Wall Street Journal
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
Fifteen people are killed in a reported Israeli and United States missile strike on an HVAC factory in Isfahan, Iran.
Source:
AFP via LBCI
Three Kuwaiti soldiers are injured after two drones struck Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, damaging the facility.
Source:
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.
Source:
Gulf News
Source:
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.
Source:
CBS News
Five people are killed and three others are injured in Russian drone strikes on residential areas and critical infrastructure across Ukraine.
Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
Source:
Reuters
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