Iran/Middle East War
(Rebecca Falconer – Axios) Israeli forces’ killing of two top Iranian officials in separate strikes Tuesday marked a major blow to Tehran’s leadership, which has been decimated during the Iran war. The big picture: National security chief Ali Larijani and Basij paramilitary commander Gholamreza Soleimani are among dozens of Iranian officials killed during the war. Many died along with the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28, the first day of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. – Top Iranian officials killed since Iran war’s start: Running list
(UN News) The Middle East war could cause the worst disruption to lifesaving humanitarian work since COVID, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday, as the UN chief again demanded an end to the widening conflict. “The Secretary-General asserts once more that the war in the Middle East must stop,” said António Guterres in a statement issued by the UN Spokesperson’s Office in New York. He said all Security Council resolutions regarding the end of Middle East conflicts must be implemented, including resolution 2817, which demanded an end to Iran’s attacks on neighbouring States. – Middle East war risks pushing 45 million more people into acute hunger | UN News
Afghanistan/Pakistan
(UN News) Top UN officials condemned on Tuesday Pakistan’s overnight strike on a rehab centre that reportedly killed at least 400 people in Kabul, according to Taliban authorities, and injured more than 250 others. “A reported overnight strike on the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Facility in Kabul, managed by the Ministry of Interior, killed more than 400 people, and injured at least 250, who were being treated for substance use disorders,” said World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Since hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated at the end of last month, several hundred Afghan civilians – including 104 children and 59 women – have been killed or injured. – Afghanistan: UN condemns deadly attack on rehab centre in Kabul | UN News
Canada/EU
(Chris Lunday – Politico) France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot has floated the idea that Canada could one day join the European Union, using the transatlantic ally as a striking example of the bloc’s global appeal. Speaking at the Europe 2026 conference in Berlin alongside his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, Barrot argued that the EU is increasingly attracting partners far beyond its borders as geopolitical tensions soar. “Nine countries are formally candidates to EU accession today. Others might join them,” Barrot said. “Iceland in a few weeks or months. And maybe Canada at some point.” – Canada could join EU, French foreign minister says – POLITICO
Central Banks
(Victoria Guida, Johanna Treeck and Geoffrey Smith – Politico) President Donald Trump is demanding that the Federal Reserve immediately lower borrowing costs. But the war in the Middle East has now made any interest rate cuts much less likely in 2026 — not just in the U.S. but around the world. With oil prices surging past $100 a barrel and Gulf shipping routes disrupted by Iran, governments and investors are bracing for a repeat of the 2022 energy shock from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And from Washington to Frankfurt, and London to Tokyo, the world’s central banks are likely to strike a more wary tone on inflation while assessing the fallout during a flurry of policy meetings taking place this week. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a channel through which roughly a fifth of global oil passes, is pushing up costs not only for energy and transportation, but also for other key goods that are shipped through the waterway. The result could be a toxic mix for central banks: higher prices and lower employment, two problems they’re not equipped to address simultaneously. – Fog of war clouds global rate cut outlook – POLITICO
China
(Sun Langchen – Global Times) With the final cast-in-place roadway slab poured, the upper deck of the Huanggang Road Yellow River Tunnel in Jinan, East China’s Shandong Province was fully completed on Tuesday, marking the dual breakthrough of the world’s largest-diameter underwater shield tunnel, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The Tunnel stretches 5.75 kilometers, with about 3.3 kilometers constructed using the shield tunneling method. The project deployed the “Shanhe” shield machine, featuring an excavation diameter of 17.5 meters. Designed as a single-bore, double-deck tunnel, it accommodates six lanes across two levels, with a speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour. – World’s largest-diameter underwater shield tunnel achieves dual breakthrough in China – Global Times
Cuba
(Rebecca Falconer, Julianna Bragg – Axios) President Trump escalated his threats to seize Cuba this week — raising questions about whether he might seek to topple the Communist Caribbean island’s leader Miguel Díaz-Canel. As Cuba’s totalitarian government faces a deepening energy crisis that saw an island-wide blackout amid a U.S.-imposed oil blockade, Trump told reporters Monday he believes he’ll be “having the honor of taking” the island. Cuba’s power crisis worsened after the U.S. operation that captured toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, and Trump’s administration has threatened tariffs on countries that provide fuel to the island — further tightening supply. – As Trump eyes “taking Cuba,” Castro name in spotlight again
(UN News) Fuel shortages in Cuba are severely restricting access to basic services, the UN said on Tuesday, as a nationwide power outage underscored the scale of the crisis. The disruption followed a malfunction at a major power station, with electricity only “gradually” returning, according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. Humanitarians warned that the energy crunch is affecting daily life across the country. In Havana, uncollected rubbish is piling up and air quality has worsened as residents burn waste and wood for cooking. Authorities say more than 50,000 surgeries were postponed in February alone due to energy shortages. Aid deliveries are also being hit. Dozens of containers remain at Havana’s port in the capital, while fuel scarcity is “slowing down and driving up the cost” of getting assistance to those in need. The Pan American Health Organization – affiliated with the UN health agency WHO – continues supplying medical items, but operations are constrained. The crisis comes amid tightening US restrictions on fuel shipments to the island, which UN officials have warned are exacerbating existing humanitarian pressures.
Finland/EU/US
(Tim Ross – Politico) Donald Trump loves to make deals, and one of his closest confidants in Europe believes a pact might be within reach that could help solve both the Gulf oil crisis and the war in Ukraine in one go. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb says he can see real potential in offering Trump what he wants: European military support to secure the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial oil shipping route that Iran has effectively blockaded in response to American and Israeli bombing. Europe’s condition for providing such assistance? That the U.S. president delivers all the help Ukraine needs to reach an acceptable peace deal with Russia. – Europe could offer to help Trump on Iran — if he backs Ukraine, Finland’s Stubb suggests – POLITICO
Ireland/UK/US
(Shawn Pogatchnik – Politico) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has finally found a friendly voice in the White House— albeit one that speaks with an Irish accent. When Taoiseach Micheál Martin visited the U.S. presidential mansion on Tuesday for St. Patrick’s Day, Donald Trump took the opportunity at their joint press conference to renew his verbal attacks on Starmer over the U.K. leader’s unwillingness to join the U.S.-Israeli air assault on Iran. Referencing a bust over his shoulder of Britain’s World War II leader, the president repeated his insult that Starmer “is no Winston Churchill.”. The ultra-diplomatic and soft-spoken Martin picked that moment to interrupt a nearly 20-minute monologue from Trump bashing Iran and NATO. – Ireland’s leader defends Starmer from Trump insults in White House meeting – POLITICO
Ukraine/UK
(Martin Fornusek – The Kyiv Independent) President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a drone deal with the United Kingdom on March 17 after a day of high-level meetings with British leaders in London. “Today we signed a Declaration on Deepening Cooperation in the Field of Security and the Defense Industry,” Zelensky said in a social media post following a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “This is an important step to strengthen our defense.”. Earlier in the day, Zelensky met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace before departing for talks with Starmer, presidential spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov told reporters. – Zelensky signs UK drone deal, calls it ‘important step’ for defense
West Bank
(UN News) According to the UN human rights office, UNHCR, more than 36,000 Palestinians were displaced in the year to October 2025 amid intensifying settlement activity and settler violence. The report highlights a sharp rise in attacks by settlers, alongside demolitions, land seizures and severe restrictions on access to services, creating what it describes as a “coercive environment” forcing people from their homes. UN rights chief Volker Türk warned that the trend risks further entrenching displacement and undermining prospects for a viable Palestinian state. Israeli authorities have rejected similar findings, maintaining that settlement activity is lawful and linked to security needs. The OHCHR report reiterates that settlements in occupied territory are illegal under international law, as affirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334, and calls for an immediate halt to expansion and related practices. The report documents “increasing incidents of settler violence resulting in killings, injuries and property damage, as well as relentless harassment, intimidation, and destruction of Palestinian homes and farmland,” UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in New York. – Israel’s settlement expansion drives mass displacement in West Bank – UN report | OHCHR
Technological Revolution
(DigWatch) AI is quickly becoming part of everyday business operations. Companies are already using it to analyse data, optimise campaigns and manage complex digital systems. Greater automation, however, is also revealing a simple reality: the human side of leadership is becoming even more important. AI performs well when speed and scale are needed. Systems can process huge volumes of information and detect patterns far faster than people. Planning in many industries is already shifting from broad demographics toward signals based on behaviour and intent. Operational complexity is another area where AI is proving useful. Modern digital ecosystems involve multiple platforms and formats, from programmatic advertising to retail media and connected television. Automation can handle forecasting, pacing and reporting, freeing teams to focus on strategy and interpretation. – Why human remain the real advantage in the AI era? | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) IBM has published a detailed reference architecture for quantum-centric supercomputing, providing a blueprint for integrating quantum processing units (QPUs) into existing high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure without disruptive changes to current systems. The release marks a significant step toward realising the vision articulated by physicist Richard Feynman, who argued decades ago that accurately simulating nature would require quantum-mechanical computation. The architecture describes how quantum and classical systems, including CPUs, GPUs, and QPUs, can work together across multiple layers, from application and middleware tools such as Qiskit and CUDA through to resource management systems that orchestrate workloads in real time. – How IBM is making quantum-centric supercomputing accessible to scientists | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall has announced a £1bn funding package to boost UK quantum computing and retain domestic talent. The initiative reflects growing concern over the country’s ability to compete globally, particularly after the US established dominance in AI. – Britain targets quantum leadership with £1bn investment | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Researchers in the United States have developed an AI system designed to help doctors identify patients who may be at risk of intimate partner violence. The tool analyses hospital data to detect patterns associated with abuse, potentially enabling healthcare professionals to intervene earlier. Intimate partner violence refers to abuse from current or former partners and can lead to serious injuries, chronic pain, and long-term mental health problems. According to the European Commission, 18 percent of women who have had a partner reported experiencing physical or sexual violence from a partner in 2021. – AI tool could help detect domestic violence risk years earlier | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Organisations around the world are developing certification labels designed to show that products or creative work were made by humans rather than AI. New badges such as ‘Human made’, ‘AI free’ and ‘Proudly Human’ are appearing across books, films, marketing and websites as industries respond to the rapid spread of AI tools. At least eight initiatives are now attempting to create a label that could achieve global recognition similar to the Fair Trade mark. Experts warn that competing definitions and inconsistent certification systems could confuse consumers unless a universal standard is agreed upon. – Human made labels emerge as industries react to AI expansion | Digital Watch Observatory
