Headlines: 1-8 March 2026

Wednesday, 3 March 2026

Israel bombards Iran and Lebanon and the US struggles to evacuate citizens from the Middle East. Israel vows to kill Iran's next supreme leader as Tehran strikes back — 4 March 2026 (LINK)

European stock markets rally after report of 'secret outreach' by Iran to try to end war:UK's FTSE 100 up by more than 50 points, while pan-European Stoxx 600 share index rises 1.2% — 4 March 2026 (LINK)

US offers military support for vulnerable oil supplies in Strait of Hormuz — 3 March 2026 (LINK)

US soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike at a civilian port in Kuwait on Sunday were miles away from the main Army base — 4 March 2026 (LINK)

Partner of sitting Labour MP among three arrested on suspicion of spying for China — 4 March 2026 (LINK)

— Detectives from counter-terrorism policing London, which is leading the investigation, arrested a 39-year-old man in London, a 68-year-old man in Powys, Wales, and a 43-year-old man in Pontyclun, Wales. The police have not identified the men, who remain in custody. In a Commons statement, Dan Jarvis, the security minister, confirmed that the arrests related to China, while saying he could give no further details so as not to risk the police investigation.

U.S., Ecuadorian military operations in Ecuador target drug traffickers — 3 March 2026 (LINK)

Tuesday, 3 March 2026

CNN: Day 4 of the US and Israel's war with Iran — 3 March 2026 (LINK)

— More than 700 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. IAEA confirmed damage Tuesday to a fuel enrichment plant at one of Iran's most sensitive nuclear installations.

Iran war expands to dozen countries in 72 hours — (LINK)

Monday, 2 March 2026

Myanmar's military government pardons thousands of prisoners ahead of parliament convening — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

— There was no sign former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted in the military takeover in 2021 and has been held virtually incommunicado since then, would be freed. However, according to independent online media reports, those freed included former members of her government and her National League for Democracy party, including Myo Aung, a former mayor of the capital, Naypyitaw.

Trump says Iran operations likely to last 4 to 5 weeks, but he's prepared 'to go far longer' — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

Iran strikes Europe for first time and hits Saudi Aramco refinery in Cyprus — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

Israeli IDF strike kills Hezbollah intel chief Hussein Makled; Lebanon to ban terror group's military activity — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

— The military said Makled was responsible for "forming the intelligence picture using various intelligence collection tools to provide the Hezbollah terror organization with intelligence assessments regarding IDF troops and the State of Israel. He also closely cooperated with senior commanders in Hezbollah who planned and advanced terror attacks against Israel and its citizens."

3 American F-15 fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by friendly fire on Sunday during combat operations against Iran, US says: downed over Kuwait, all crew safe — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

Seeking Alpha: Bitcoin rises 5.2% amid U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

Yahoo: Bitcoin drops below $67,000 on Sunday as Iran conflict uncertainty persists — (LINK)

Oil and gas prices jump as conflict escalates — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

— Natural gas prices spiked by nearly 50% on Monday after QatarEnergy, one of the world's biggest exporters, halted production following "military attacks" on its facilities. Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, jumped by 10% to touch more than $82 a barrel on Monday after at least three ships were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz at the weekend.

3 American F-15 fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by friendly fire on Sunday during combat operations against Iran, US says — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

Spain denies US permission to use jointly operated bases to attack Iran — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's wife died too from injuries sustained in US, Israeli attack: State media — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

Swiss franc tumbles after SNB warning earlier: even USD/CHF is now up over 1% — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

Over 4,000 Swiss travellers stranded amid conflict in Middle East. So far the foreign ministry has ruled out repatriation assistance. — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

Swiss architect Barbara Buser has won the 2026 Jane Drew Prize for elevating the profile of women in architecture through her contributions to building reuse. — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

— Buser is the co-founder of numerous built environment studios, including Bauteilbörse, a building parts exchange that encourages circular construction, which she established with her partner Eric Honegger in 1996.

Ukrainian drones hammer Russian warships, oil hub in Novorossiysk — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

— According to preliminary data, the drones hit several military ships, the 30N6E2 guidance radar of the S-300 PMU-2 Favorit system, a Pantsir-S2 air defense missile and gun system, and six of the seven oil loading racks at the Shekharys oil terminal. The terminal is one of the largest oil transshipment complexes in southern Russia and supplies fuel to Russian forces fighting Ukraine.

Melania Trump chairs UN Security Council meeting on children in conflict amid Iran strikes — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

— BBC: Her remarks centred around the role of education for children in "advancing tolerance and world peace". It is the first time the spouse of any world leader has presided over the meeting

Exit registers increase in number of assisted suicides in Switzerland — 2 March 2026 (LINK)

— In 2025, 1,421 people made use of Exit Switzerland's services in the German and Italian-speaking parts of the country. This is higher than in 2024, when 1,235 cases of assisted suicide were registered. The average age of those accompanied in 2025 was 80, slightly higher than in 2024 (79.5). The average age of women rose from 79.9 to 80.6 years old, and that of men from 78.9 to 79.2. According to its annual report, 32% of people who resorted to assisted suicide had terminal cancer, which corresponds to 461 cases. There is also a significant number of elderly people with multiple disorders (polymorbidity) who opted for an assisted death: last year there were 326 cases (23% of the total), compared to 205 in 2024.

Back to top  Previous Page

See previous

 Past week   Ukraine   Gaza   Switzerland   AI / ChatGPT   Media   UN   Trump   China   Youth   Travel 

 Afghanistan   Bahamas   Thailand   Putin watch   Biden News   Metoo   Science   Sites to explore   Digital tools   World Economic Forum 2026