Current events: 2026-03-08

[Wikipedia Current Events]

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
      • The main building of the Public Institution for Social Security in Kuwait City suffers an airstrike. A large fire breaks out, but no injuries are reported. (Arab Times)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
      • An Iranian drone hits and damages a desalination plant in Bahrain. In addition, falling missile debris injures three people and damages a university building in Manama. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia
      • The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirms that a U.S. service member has died of wounds sustained after an Iranian attack on a base in Saudi Arabia on March 1, bringing the death toll among U.S. forces to seven since the start of the conflict. (CNN)
    • Joint airstrikes by Israel and the United States are carried out against oil facilities in Tehran and others Iranian cities, killing at least four truck drivers and causing large fires. (Al Jazeera)
    • According to Israeli sources, United Arab Emirates (UAE) warplanes carried out airstrikes against Iran, and purportedly struck a desalination plant. However, UAE officials denied any involvement in the attacks. (Middle East Eye)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Hezbollah–Israel war
      • Four people are killed and 10 more injured in an Israeli airstrike on a Ramada hotel in central Beirut. (AFP via France 24)
      • Two Israeli soldiers are killed in overnight clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
  • Israeli settler violence, Israeli incursions in the West Bank during the Gaza war
    • Two Palestinians are shot dead by Israeli settlers in Abu Falah, in the occupied West Bank. Another Palestinian is killed after Israeli soldiers throw smoke grenades during the attack. (Al Jazeera)
  • The Saudi Civil Defense reports that a military projectile struck a residential area in Al-Kharj, Riyadh Province, killing two people and injuring 12 others. (AFP via Oman Daily Observer)
• Jonglei clashes
  • Civilians flee Akobo, South Sudan, after the military issued an evacuation order to prepare for a military operation. (AP)
• Terrorism in Norway
  • Spillover of the 2026 Iran War
    • An explosion is reported at the American embassy in Oslo, Norway, causing minor damage; terrorism is suspected. (Reuters)
• Two perpetrators are arrested after throwing improvised explosive devices into the midst of an anti-Islam demonstration in New York City. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

• Two people are killed and 19 people are injured following a mining incident in Samarkandek, Batken Region, Kyrgyzstan. (Gazeta)
• A major fire occurred near the Glasgow Central railway station, destroying multiple buildings and businesses. This also caused disrupting and cancelling multiple train services, with Glasgow Central promptly shutting down until further notice. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Colombian parliamentary election
  • Colombians vote to elect 172 seats of the Chamber of Representatives. (AP)
• 2026 Nepalese general election
  • The Rastriya Swatantra Party wins 124 direct seats and leads in one more from 164 of 165 constituencies reported so far. The results from the Dhanusha 1 constituency are withheld pending an order from the Supreme Court. (The Himalayan Times)
• 2026 Supreme Leader of Iran election
  • Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ali Khamenei, is elected as the next Supreme Leader of Iran. (AP)
• 2026 Swiss referendums
  • Swiss voters reject a referendum proposing to reduce the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation's annual licence fee from 335 francs to 200 francs, with interim results showing about 62 percent voting against the measure. (Reuters)

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