Portal:Current events/2026 March 30

March 30, 2026 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
  - 2026 Israeli strikes on Iran
    - Israeli leaders announce the "completion phase" of war and order the military to strike "economic" targets in Iran to damage the Iranian economy. (The Times of Israel)
  - 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
    - Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei says that Iran has not started negotiations with the United States but also says that the U.S. have submitted a negotiation request. (The Hill)
  - 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
    - A missile barrage from Iran and Lebanon causes a fire at the BAZAN oil refinery in Haifa. (The Jerusalem Post)
  - 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
    - An Iranian attack on a power and water desalination plant in Kuwait kills an Indian worker and damages a building at the site. (Al Jazeera)
  - Spain in the 2026 Iran war, Spain–United States relations
    - Spain closes its airspace to U.S. aircraft involved in military action against Iran. (BBC News)
  - Syria in the 2026 Iran war
    - The Syrian Army says that drone attacks have targeted several of their bases near the Iraqi border. However, the Syrian Army also says that several of the drones were shot down and did not say where the drones came from. (Reuters)
- Gaza war
  - Gaza war peace plan
    - Kosovo approves the deployment of troops to Gaza as part of an international peacekeeping force. (Reuters)
- 2026 Lebanon war
  - Two Indonesian peacekeepers of the UNIFIL mission are killed in Southern Lebanon when a projectile hits their vehicle. (BBC News)
Somali Civil War
- Constitutional crisis in Somalia
  - At least 10 people are killed, 25 others are injured and more than 45,000 displaced after Somalia's national army took control of Baidoa, the capital city of the South West state, two weeks after the state president Abdiaziz Laftagareen said that his administration was severing ties with the federal government and opposed constitutional amendments backed by the Somali federal government. (Reuters) (ReliefWeb) (BBC News Somali)
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
- India says it has ended the Naxalite insurgency after home minister Amit Shah reported that most of the remaining Naxal fighters had been killed, arrested, or had surrendered following intensified security operations. (AFP via France 24)
Haitian conflict
- A human rights organization in Haiti claims that the death toll from the previous day's massacre in the Artibonite department was at least 70 people, higher than official reports. (DW)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
- Brent Crude oil passes US$116 per barrel, the highest it has been since the start of the war. (UPI)
- United States crude oil settles above US$100 per barrel for the first time in four years. (CNN)
The United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority rules that around 12 million people are entitled to financial compensation after being mis-sold motor finance agreements between 2014 and 2024. The compensation scheme will see each motorist awarded around £829, costing car finance lenders a total of £9.1bn. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

Five people are killed and three others are injured after a car crashes between Hopefield and Langebaanweg in Western Cape, South Africa. (SABC News)
Four people are killed and nine others are injured in an explosion in an under-construction tunnel in Chongqing, China. (Xinhua)
At least 28 people are killed in Afghanistan and 17 in Pakistan after heavy rainfall causes severe flooding. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

A study published in the Carcinogenesis journal shows that nicotine vaping can cause lung or oral cancer. (ScienceAlert)

International relations

2026 Cuban crisis
- Cuba–Russia relations
  - The Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude oil, arrives in Matanzas, Cuba, despite the ongoing U.S. blockade of the island. (BBC News)
United States–Venezuela relations
- The United States resumes operations at its embassy in Caracas after a seven-year closure, aiming to restore direct diplomatic engagement with Venezuela under Delcy Rodríguez's de facto presidency. (AFP via Channels TV)

Law and crime

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
- The Iranian parliament security approves a series of measures to impose tolls on vessels that pass through the Strait of Hormuz. (ANI via Lokmat Times)
Capital punishment in Israel
- The Knesset passes a bill allowing for mandatory executions of Palestinians convicted of terrorist attacks that kill Israelis. (The Guardian)
Porepunkah police shootings
- Victoria Police fatally shoot Dezi Freeman, a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen and fugitive following a seven month manhunt after he killed two police officers and seriously injured another in a shooting in Porepunkah, Victoria, Australia. It was the largest police operation in Australian history. (ABC News) (The Guardian) (Reuters)
San Cristóbal school shooting
- One person is killed and eight others are injured in a school shooting in San Cristóbal, Santa Fe, Argentina. A 15-year-old suspect is taken into custody. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
The Bahraini interior ministry says that three men have been arrested for allegedly trying to form a terrorist cell linked to Hezbollah. (VINnews)

Politics and elections

2026 Myanmar presidential election
- Myanmar military ruler Min Aung Hlaing steps down as army chief to stand as a candidate for president in the upcoming presidential election, the first to be held since the 2021 coup. (Reuters)
Mongolia's parliament appoints Nyam-Osoryn Uchral as prime minister, the third to hold the post within a year, following the resignation of his predecessor, Gombojavyn Zandanshatar, after nine months in office. His appointment follows his removal as parliamentary speaker amid opposition protests and a legislative boycott. (AFP via Daily Tribune)

Science and technology

Artemis program
- NASA begins the countdown for the launch of Artemis II, set to be the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, with liftoff scheduled for 1 April. (The Register)

Sports

2026 FIFA World Cup, Iran at the FIFA World Cup
- FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists that the Iranian soccer team will play in the upcoming World Cup despite the war. (ESPN)