Artemis program NASA states that it plans to pause the Lunar Gateway project and redirect efforts toward developing infrastructure for sustained operations on the Moon's surface, including a future moonbase.
AI boom The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI's US$1 billion investment deal to allow Disney's intellectual properties to be used with Sora is also cancelled in midst of the shutdown.
Danes, Faroe Islanders, and Greenlanders vote to elect 179 seats of the Folketing. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen seeks a third term in office during the aftermath of the Greenland crisis.
2026 Lázaro Cárdenas school shooting Two people are killed in a school shooting in Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, Mexico. A 15-year-old suspect is arrested.
2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis The Iranian foreign ministry states that vessels it classifies as non-hostile may pass through the Strait of Hormuz if they comply with its safety and security requirements, while excluding vessels linked to countries it accuses of involvement in the Iran war.
Iran–Lebanon relations The Lebanese foreign ministry says that the decision to expel Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani as Iranian ambassador doesn't affect diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Lebanese foreign ministry declares the Iranian ambassador a "persona non grata" and gives him until March 29 to leave the country, due to Iran's financial and military support of Shia paramilitary group Hezbollah.
Shipwreck At least nine people are killed, 266 others are rescued and 45 are reported missing in a shipwreck off Obock, Djibouti.
2026 Kenya floods At least 84 people are killed in flash floods across Kenya, including in Kisumu, Uasin Gishu, and Tana River counties.
BMW Brilliance BMW Brilliance recalls nearly 180,000 vehicles in China due to a defect in the air conditioning wiring that may cause a short circuit and increase the risk of fire.
Australia–European Union relations Australia and the European Union sign a free trade agreement after eight years of negotiations.
2022–2026 video game industry layoffs American video game company Epic Games announces that it will lay off more than 1,000 employees along with more than $500 million in savings from cuts to contracting and marketing amid a sharp decline in the number of people playing its flagship video game "Fortnite".
Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war QatarEnergy declares force majeure on some of its long-term LNG supply contracts for its customers worldwide.
Philippine president Bongbong Marcos declares a state of national energy emergency in response to risks to the fuel supply linked to the Iran war.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day The trailer for the upcoming superhero film Spider-Man: Brand New Day released on March 17 reaches 1 billion views on YouTube, becoming the first movie trailer to do so.
Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war Two concerts by Colombian singer Shakira in Doha, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, scheduled to be held in April are postponed due to safety concerns amidst the Iran war. The Abu Dhabi concert has been rescheduled for November.
War in the Sahel Suspected Islamic State insurgents kill nine Nigerian troops, one police officer and a civilian during attacks in Kebbi State, Nigeria.
Sudanese civil war A coalition of Rapid Support Forces and Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North rebels capture the town of Kurmuk in the Blue Nile region near the Ethopian border.
The death toll from the March 20 drone strike on the Al Deain Teaching Hospital in East Darfur, Sudan, rises to 70.
Russo-Ukrainian war A Russian Shahed drone strikes and severely damages the Bernardine Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Lviv, western Ukraine.
Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine kill at least three people, including two in Poltava and one in Zaporizhzhia, and injures several others. The attacks also damage residential buildings and infrastructure in the areas.
Middle Eastern crisis The Lebanese government reports that the death toll from Israeli attacks on the country since March 2 has risen to 1,039.
Israeli defense minister Israel Katz states that the military will control a "security zone" up to the Litani River in southern Lebanon until "the threat of Hezbollah" is removed, while also suggesting that Israel will remain in control of the area after the conflict is resolved.
Fifteen fighters from Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), including a commander, are killed in an American airstrike on a PMF base in the Al Anbar Governorate.
Shrapnel from an Iranian ballistic missile wounds three people, including a two-month-old baby, in a Bedouin community in the Negev, Israel.
Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif says that Pakistan is ready and willing to host Iran–U.S. talks to reach a comprehensive deal to end the war.