Portal:Current events/2026 March 4

March 4, 2026 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
  - 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
    - Anonymous state intelligence sources tell The New York Times that the Iranian intelligence ministry have signalled to the United States Central Intelligence Agency an openness to talks on ‌bringing an end to the war. (Reuters)
  - 2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
    - An Iranian ballistic missile strikes the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the region. (The Wall Street Journal)
  - Sinking of IRIS Dena
    - The Iranian frigate IRIS Dena is torpedoed and sunk by U.S. Navy submarine USS Charlotte in waters off Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 of the 180 people on board, while 32 others are rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy with 61 remaining missing. (Reuters)
  - 2026 interceptions of Iranian missiles in Turkey
    - Turkey and NATO forces shoot down a suspected Iranian ballistic missile that was about to enter Turkish airspace. (Türkiye Today)
  - An Israeli Air Force F-35 shoots down an Iranian Yak-130 fighter jet over Tehran with an air-to-air missile. (The Times of Israel)
  - U.S. defense secretary Pete Hegseth announces that the U.S. Air Force will have uncontested air supremacy of Iranian airspace within days, and that Iran's military capabilities are "evaporating by the hour" due to constant U.S. and Israeli strikes. (The Guardian)
- Hezbollah–Israel conflict
  - 2026 Hezbollah–Israel war
    - Israeli strikes on a hotel and residential areas in the towns of Aramoun and Saadiyat, in the south of Beirut, kill eleven people and injure four others. (Al Jazeera)
    - Three people are killed and six more injured during two Israeli strikes on the road to the airport in Beirut. (Al Jazeera)
Colombian conflict
- A task force rescues two minors in an operation against FARC dissidents in Puerto Valencia, El Retorno, Guaviare Department, and arrests four militants and recovers M60 machine guns, assault rifles, explosives, and ammunition. (Agencia API in Spanish)
Mexican drug war
- Five cartel members are killed in a shootout with government forces in Rayones, Nuevo León, Mexico. (Milenio in Spanish)

Business and economy

2026 Cuban crisis
- 2024–2026 Cuba blackouts
  - A major blackout across much of western Cuba, including Havana, leaves millions without power, following a fault at the Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas. Officials estimate it will last at least 72 hours. (AP)
- Air France announces the suspension of flights between France and Cuba, starting from March 29 until at least June 15 due to a jet fuel shortage in Cuba. (AFP via Jamaica Observer)
Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
- Several of the United Arab Emirates stock exchanges will resume, including Nasdaq Dubai, Dubai Financial Market, and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, after being put on pause for two days due to the Iranian strikes. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Logan Township explosion
- Four people are injured after an explosion at an oil extraction plant in Logan Township, New Jersey, United States. (CBS News)
At least six people are killed and 15 others are injured when a passenger bus and a semi-trailer truck collide in Tamacine, Touggourt Province, Algeria. (Xinhua)
A nationwide blackout occurs in Iraq with the Ministry of Electricity saying the power grid has gone down entirely, and that the cause is under investigation. (Philenews)

Law and crime

Banco Master scandal
- The Supreme Court of Brazil orders the arrest of former Banco Master president and major shareholder Daniel Vorcaro in a fraud investigation of potentially up to 12 billion reals in missing funds. (AP)
Hong Kong–mainland China relations, China–United Kingdom relations, Chinese intelligence activity abroad
- The Central Criminal Court in London, United Kingdom, charge two British Chinese nationals of violating the National Security Act for spying on diasporic Hong Kongers on behalf of the China-appointed Hong Kong government. (AP)
Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
- The United States Senate rejects a War Powers Resolution that would check president Donald Trump's power in the Iran war, making it the first vote on the conflict in U.S. Congress. (AP) (Reuters)
Scam centers in Cambodia
- Taiwanese prosecutors indict 62 people, including Chen Zhi, for their alleged links to the Prince Group, a multinational criminal network that operates scam centers in Cambodia. They also charge 13 companies with offences related to the criminal organization and money laundering. (DW)
The Tokyo High Court in Japan orders the dissolution of the Unification Church. (BBC News) (Japan Times)

Politics and elections

Protests against the 2026 Iran war
- Protests against the 2026 Iran war in the United States
  - U.S. Marine veteran Brian McGinnis interrupts a U.S. Senate hearing in protest of the Iran war and is removed by the United States Capitol Police assisted by US Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT). (Military.com)
- A anti-war protest is held in Ottawa, Canada outside a defense conference at the Château Laurier to call for an end to the war and a reduction in defense spending. (Ottawa Citizen)
2024–2026 Slovak protests
- Slovak prime minister Robert Fico announces that his government will repeal a law abolishing the country's whistleblower protection office after the Constitutional Court suspended the measure and the European Commission opened infringement proceedings against Slovakia. (AFP via Indo Premier)

Science and technology

Japanese space program
- The KAIROS rocket developed by private spaceflight company Space One suffers its third launch failure from Spaceport Kii in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, while carrying a small government test satellite. The flight was terminated two minutes after launch. (AFPBB News) (Space.com)