Cuba’s national electric grid collapsed for the third time in March 2026, plunging the island into darkness as authorities blame aging infrastructure and a US oil blockade that has halted foreign fuel shipments for three months.

A Qatar Armed Forces helicopter crashed into the country’s territorial waters due to a technical malfunction, killing all seven people on board, including Qatari military personnel and Turkish nationals from the Qatar-Turkiye Joint Forces Command.

Categories: World News, Middle East, Accidents

A WHO-verified attack on El-Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur killed 64 people, including 13 children and medical staff, as total fatalities from attacks on health facilities in Sudan’s conflict surpass 2,000.

Iran targets Diego Garcia with ballistic missiles, demonstrating 4,000 km range capability after UK allows US expanded use of Indian Ocean base for strikes on Iranian missile sites.

Ukraine launched more than 280 drones at Russia overnight, one of Kyiv’s largest barrages since the war began, as Moscow reported interceptions near the capital and two wounded in Saratov.

A US F-35 fighter jet was struck by Iranian fire over Iran and made an emergency landing, CENTCOM confirms, marking the first combat hit on America’s most advanced stealth aircraft.

A fire at a South Korean auto parts factory in Daejeon on March 20, 2026, injured at least 53 people and left 14 missing, prompting President Lee Jae Myung to order a nationwide mobilization.

Sri Lanka denied airport access to US warplanes in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament, confirming both American and Iranian military requests were rejected to preserve neutrality.

A Kuwait refinery fire caused by a missile attack on March 20, 2026, saw drones strike the Mina Al-Ahmadi facility, forcing unit shutdowns but causing no casualties amid wider Gulf tensions.

Hong Kong fire hearings 2025 opened Thursday, with evidence pointing to a discarded cigarette as the cause of the deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze that killed 168 people in November.

Nigeria repel attack on military base in Mallam Fatori, killing at least 80 ISWAP fighters in coordinated assault backed by air support as insurgents intensify campaign across northeast.

Iran launched missile strikes on Gulf energy facilities after an Israeli attack on its South Pars gas field, setting Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex ablaze and damaging UAE and Saudi infrastructure in a dramatic escalation of the regional war.

At least seven people died in an EV fire in India’s Indore after a charging point explosion sparked a blaze that spread to a three-storey house, trapping victims behind electronic locks during a power failure.

A helicopter crashed while landing in eastern Nepal’s Khotang district on March 18, injuring one passenger. The Air Dynasty aircraft was carrying a deceased body from Kathmandu when it overshot a field.

Israeli airstrikes on central Beirut killed at least six people and wounded 24, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel intensified its offensive against Hezbollah without issuing evacuation warnings in two of three targeted neighbourhoods.

Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani has been killed in an Israeli strike on Tehran, the Supreme National Security Council confirmed, triggering new missile attacks on Israel as the regional war intensifies.

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck eastern Cuba early Tuesday as the island struggled to restore power following a nationwide blackout, with authorities reporting no immediate casualties or damage.

Multiple suicide bombings in Maiduguri, Nigeria killed at least 23 people and wounded over 100, targeting a hospital and crowded markets during Ramadan Iftar gatherings.

A Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul killed at least 400 people, Afghan officials said, in the deadliest incident of the escalating Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict.

At least eight women were killed and more than 50 injured when a shop roof collapsed in Pakistan’s Punjab province during government welfare payment distribution ahead of Eid al-Fitr.

Israeli airstrikes killed 12 Palestinians in Gaza Sunday, including a pregnant woman, her 10-year-old son, and a 15-year-old neighbour in Nuseirat camp, while eight police officers died in a separate vehicle strike.

A drone attack sparked a fire at a fuel tank near Dubai International Airport, temporarily halting flights, as Iran intensifies its campaign against Gulf states with a separate missile killing a civilian in Abu Dhabi.

Pope Leo XIV issued his most urgent appeal for a US-Iran ceasefire Sunday, imploring leaders to halt hostilities and condemning attacks on schools, hospitals, and residential areas.

Iranian officials confirm selective passage through Strait of Hormuz for vessels from friendly countries, with three Indian ships crossing safely while hundreds remain stranded.

Seven Indian pilgrims were killed and nine others injured when their bus veered off a mountain road and plunged into a gorge in Nepal’s Gorkha district on March 14, 2026, while returning from the Manakamana Temple.

Ukrainian forces launched drone strikes on the Afipsky oil refinery and Port Kavkaz in southern Russia, causing fires and damage to infrastructure involved in supplying the Russian military.

The United States has launched massive airstrikes on Iran’s strategic Kharg Island, with President Trump claiming “every military target” was destroyed while sparing oil infrastructure—for now.

At least 27 medical staff have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, with 12 paramedics dying in a single strike Friday, as total casualties reach 773 dead and 1,933 wounded.

At least 11 people were killed in a drone attack on a market in western Sudan near the Chad border, as the UN warns that escalating aerial assaults have claimed over 200 civilian lives since March 4.

Bolivia captures drug kingpin Sebastián Marset, one of South America’s most wanted fugitives, in Santa Cruz operation and transfers him to US custody to face money laundering charges.

al-Quds Day rally in Iran and around the world sees millions protest as strikes hit Tehran demonstrations; London march banned for first time in 40 years.

Pakistan IED blast kills seven police in Lakki Marwat as Afghanistan accuses Islamabad of airstrikes killing six civilians, escalating cross-border hostilities.

China donates $200,000 to Iran school victims families after missile strike on girls’ primary school, as Beijing condemns attacks on civilian infrastructure.

US CENTCOM confirms four casualties in Iraq plane crash involving KC-135 refueling aircraft, as conflicting claims emerge over cause of incident during Operation Epic Fury.

A US Air Force KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on March 12, 2026. CENTCOM denies hostile fire, but Iran-backed groups claim they shot it down, killing all six crew members.

At least 64 people have died and 128 remain missing after landslides and flash floods struck three districts in southern Ethiopia’s Gamo Zone following a week of heavy rainfall, authorities confirm.

The United States will permanently close its consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, ending more than two decades of diplomatic presence near the Afghan border. The decision, which saves $7.5 million annually, is part of a broader federal downsizing initiative and is unrelated to the ongoing Iran conflict.

Iraq has halted operations at all oil ports after attacks on two foreign tankers in its territorial waters on March 12, 2026, killed at least one crew member, as the widening Middle East conflict disrupts energy exports from the Gulf region.

A fire on a PostBus in the Swiss town of Kerzers on March 10, 2026, has killed six people and injured five others in what police are investigating as a deliberate act, with witnesses reporting that a male passenger set himself alight after pouring petrol over his body.

French President Emmanuel Macron will host an emergency G7 leaders’ call to discuss the escalating Iran crisis and volatile oil prices, as major economies weigh coordinated responses including potential strategic reserve releases.

North Korea has expressed respect for Iran’s appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader, with Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry condemning US-Israeli military operations and affirming the Iranian people’s right to choose their leadership.

A container ship was struck by an unknown projectile 25 nautical miles off Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, the UKMTO reports. All crew are safe as attacks on vessels near the Strait of Hormuz intensify.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has refused to comply with a government order to shut down its base in Akobo, an opposition stronghold where tens of thousands of displaced civilians have sought refuge, as the country’s fragile 2018 peace deal continues to unravel.

Australia will deploy a long-range surveillance aircraft and provide advanced air-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates to help Gulf nations defend against Iranian attacks, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Tuesday, while ruling out any deployment of ground troops.

The Kremlin says President Putin’s proposals to mediate the Iran conflict remain on the table after he shared settlement ideas with Trump in a phone call, with Russia positioning itself as a potential broker while the US presses for progress on Ukraine.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts has finalized a decision on a successor to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, senior clerics said Sunday, though the name is being withheld amid security concerns.

A Sri Lankan hospital has released 22 Iranian sailors rescued after their warship IRIS Dena was sunk by a US submarine, as Colombo navigates a humanitarian and diplomatic balancing act amid the widening US-Israeli conflict with Iran.