Iran strikes US embassy in Baghdad; Europeans oppose Israeli offensive in Lebanon
Today’s headlines: Sri Lanka has also shortened the working week due to fuel shortages, whilst Tehran is asking Delhi to return several oil tankers; The United Nations has updated the list of Taliban members subject to sanctions as the conflict with Pakistan continues; Ten people have died in a hospital fire in Orissa; In South Korea, more and more people are taking slimming pills even though they are not obese.
MIDDLE EAST WAR
Overnight, drones and missiles targeted the US embassy in Baghdad, whilst a Pakistani man was killed in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, by debris from a missile intercepted by air defences after Iran launched a new series of attacks against the Gulf States. Meanwhile, European and Canadian leaders have issued a joint statement warning that an Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon, where there are already nearly 900 deaths and a million displaced people, would have “devastating humanitarian consequences”.
SRI LANKA – INDIA
The Sri Lankan government has decided that the coming Wednesdays will be public holidays for civil servants to address the fuel shortage caused by the war in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iran has asked India to return three oil tankers – likely used to circumvent sanctions – seized last month in exchange for the safe passage of Indian-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
INDIA
At least 10 people have died in a hospital fire in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. The fire may have been caused by an electrical fault. At least 23 patients were in intensive care, and 10 of them died whilst being moved to a safer area away from the fire. “Medical staff and security personnel risked their lives to rescue patients; they too sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment,” said the state’s chief minister.
AFGHANISTAN
Whilst the conflict with Pakistan continues – with Kabul’s Taliban authorities claiming that last night Pakistan struck a drug rehabilitation centre housing thousands of people, likely killing hundreds – the United Nations Security Council has updated the list of Taliban officials subject to sanctions, removing figures considered “moderate” but retaining key government figures on the list.
SOUTH KOREA
60% of South Koreans taking weight-loss medication are not obese, revealed a study published yesterday, which warns of the risks of serious and prolonged side effects such as insomnia and depression. “Social pressure to diet, the expansion of the mass media, the competitive and market-oriented healthcare system, and the commodification of physical appearance are all factors that contribute to shaping both the perception and the reality of drug abuse,” said a researcher.
RUSSIA
Rosstat’s statistics on economic indicators for the first two months of 2026 attempt to mask the more negative diagnoses, but upon closer inspection, many experts detect a ‘chronic illness’ in the Russian economy that is now irreversible, one that cannot be cured by the rise in oil prices due to the war in Iran, even with statistical tricks that inflate the share of higher-quality Espo oil compared to the cheaper Urals variety.
KAZAKHSTAN
In the referendum in Kazakhstan on constitutional amendments, 73% of eligible voters took part, of whom over 87% voted in favour of the draft proposed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, whilst 9.83% voted against, and almost 150,000 ballot papers were declared invalid. The authorities have announced that 15 March will be established as Constitution Day, and elections to the new unicameral parliament will be held in the autumn.
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