POLITICS & POLICY

A U.S. Navy submarine fired a torpedo that sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday night, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday, marking the first sinking of an enemy combatant vessel by an American submarine since World War II and dramatically widening the naval dimension of the ongoing U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran.

Song Ping, a veteran Chinese Communist revolutionary whose nine-decade career bridged the founding of the People's Republic and its modern era, died Wednesday at age 108, state media reported.

CAIRO — Cairo International Airport (CAI) continues to operate normally despite widespread aviation turmoil across the Middle East triggered by the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military actions against Iran, authorities and flight tracking data confirmed Wednesday.

The 2026 midterm election cycle kicked off Tuesday with primaries in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas, delivering dramatic results in key Senate races and signaling voter preferences ahead of November's battle for congressional control.

An Israeli Air Force F-35I "Adir" stealth fighter jet shot down an Iranian Air Force Yakovlev Yak-130 combat trainer over the skies of Tehran on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces announced, marking the first confirmed air-to-air kill of a manned aircraft by an F-35 and the Israeli military's first fighter-on-fighter engagement in nearly four decades.

Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world's busiest hub for international passengers, remains partially operational as of March 4, 2026, with only a restricted number of flights permitted amid ongoing airspace closures and security concerns stemming from the escalating Middle East conflict involving U.S., Israeli and Iranian military actions.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — King Khalid International Airport (RUH), Saudi Arabia's busiest aviation gateway and a key hub for Saudia and other carriers, continues to operate normally as of March 4, 2026, despite widespread flight suspensions, delays and cancellations triggered by escalating Middle East tensions following U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Zayed International Airport (AUH), the primary gateway to Abu Dhabi and a major hub for Etihad Airways, remains partially operational as of March 4, 2026, but with severe restrictions due to ongoing regional security developments tied to escalating conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.

AUSTIN, Texas — Incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn narrowly edged Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate on March 3, 2026, setting up a bruising May 26 runoff, while state Rep. James Talarico secured the Democratic nomination outright in a contest that highlighted deep intraparty divisions and record spending.

Two protesters were removed from a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on March 3, 2026, as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified for the first time since the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens during federal immigration operations in Minneapolis sparked widespread outrage and calls to reform or abolish ICE.

ABU DHABI — Zayed International Airport (AUH), the primary hub for Abu Dhabi and home to Etihad Airways, has partially resumed operations as of March 2, 2026, following a temporary closure triggered by escalating military conflict in the region involving U.S., Israeli and Iranian forces.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared Monday that the United States "didn't start this war but under President Trump we're finishing it," marking his first public comments since U.S. and Israeli forces launched a joint military operation against Iran over the weekend, resulting in the death of Iran's supreme leader and sparking a broader regional crisis.

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon announced Sunday that three U.S. service members were killed in action and five others seriously wounded during Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began Saturday with strikes killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top leaders.

TEHRAN, Iran — Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA), Iran's primary gateway for international flights, remains fully closed with no commercial arrivals or departures as of Monday, March 2, 2026, due to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran and Tehran's retaliatory strikes across the region.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Sunday the U.S.-led military operation against Iran could last "four weeks or less," describing it as a planned, time-limited campaign even as strikes escalated into a third day and Iranian retaliatory attacks spread to Israel, Gulf states and U.S. assets, killing American troops and prompting fears of a broader regional war.

MANAMA, Bahrain — Bahrain International Airport (BAH), the Kingdom's main aviation gateway and a key hub hosting the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet nearby, remains fully closed with all commercial flight operations suspended as of Monday, March 2, 2026, due to the escalating U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict that has triggered widespread airspace shutdowns and direct attacks on Gulf infrastructure.

KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait International Airport (KWI), the country's primary aviation hub, remains fully closed with no commercial flights operating as of Monday, March 2, 2026, due to the ongoing escalation in the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict that has triggered widespread airspace closures across the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Sunday that Israeli forces would intensify strikes "at the heart of Tehran" in the coming days, vowing to deliver a decisive blow to Iran's regime with full U.S. support following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes late last week.

Umar Dzhabrailov, a prominent Chechen-born Russian businessman and former member of Russia's Federation Council, died by suicide early Monday after shooting himself with a pistol in a central Moscow hotel, authorities and media reports confirmed.

A spokesperson from the NRMA has said that Australian drivers should not panic over the possibility that petrol prices will rise significantly.

As the conflict in the Middle East continues after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death, Australia has made its stance clear.

Iranian state-affiliated media outlets circulated video footage Monday purporting to show a U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jet spiraling downward in flames over Kuwait, with Tehran claiming its forces shot down the aircraft as the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict entered its third day of intense exchanges.

Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world's busiest hub for international passengers, remained completely closed Sunday

Iran's political establishment moved swiftly Sunday to stabilize the regime after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.-Israeli military operation

At least eight people were killed and more than 40 injured when thousands of protesters stormed the US Consulate General in Karachi on March 1, 2026

Iranian ballistic missiles and drones struck several high-profile sites in Dubai on February 28, 2026, damaging the landmark Burj Al Arab hotel, the Fairmont The Palm hotel on Palm Jumeirah, Dubai International Airport and other locations, as Tehran unleashed widespread retaliation following joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader since 1989, has been at the center of global attention following conflicting reports of his death in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on February 28, 2026.

President Donald Trump declared on February 28, 2026, that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed in joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes, calling his death "justice" and the "single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country."

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received a phone call Saturday from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to discuss recent regional developments, including Iran's ballistic missile attacks on the UAE and other Gulf states, according to the UAE's official news agency WAM.