Plus, El Mencho killing was personal for Mexico's security chief.

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Daily Briefing

Daily Briefing

By Kate Turton

Hello. In the Middle East, Iran launches a wave of missiles at Israel, and wealthy Gulf states face a food security challenge. Elsewhere, China ramps up its 'high stakes' tech race with the US, and Ukraine's F-16 jets were starved of US-made missiles.

Plus, surreal scenes from the colorful Holi festival.

Today's Top News

 

People run as smoke rises following an explosion in Tehran, Iran, March 5, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

War in the Middle East

  • Israel launched a large wave of strikes on Tehran, ‌targeting what it said was infrastructure belonging to the Iranian authorities, after Iranian missiles sent millions of Israelis rushing into bomb shelters. Follow our live updates.
  • NATO is vigilant about events in the Middle East and the shooting-down of a missile ‌headed for Turkish airspace, but invoking Article Five is not on the table right now, the military alliance's chief Mark Rutte told ⁠Reuters.
  • Wealthy Gulf states are facing their biggest food security challenge since the 2008 global food crisis, as the Iran conflict threatens ports and disrupts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
  • Sign up for the Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter to receive the latest headlines from our coverage of the Iran War 6 days a week.

In other news

  • Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets didn't have enough missiles to shoot down Russian drones and missiles for more than three weeks after supplies from Kyiv's partners dried up, three sources said. Read our exclusive. 
  • Nearly six months after a wave of youth-led protests and the deaths of 77 people forced Nepal's then prime minister to quit, people began voting in a general election that will choose a ‌new parliament.
  • A power outage struck most of Cuba, ‌including Havana, the state electric utility said, as the Communist-run government grapples with increased pressure from the Trump administration.
  • European Union countries gave their final ‌sign off to a new climate target to cut greenhouse ⁠gas emissions by 90% by 2040, and outsource 5% of that target to countries outside the bloc ‌via ⁠carbon credits.
 

Business & Markets

 
  • China set out a five-year roadmap to turbocharge scientific breakthroughs and embed AI across its industrial economic machine, framing technological dominance as a core national security goal.
  • Oil prices rose on Thursday, extending a rally as the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran disrupted supplies and shipping, ‌prompting some major producers to cut output.
  • Europe's already huge task of refilling gas storage for next winter has suddenly become far riskier and far more expensive, as fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran disrupts LNG production and shipments.
  • The Pentagon is weighing a move that could label AI startup Anthropic a “supply‑chain risk,” a designation that could bar thousands of defense contractors from using its technology. Reuters tech correspondent Jeffrey Dastin joins the Reuters World News podcast to explain the stakes - listen now.
  • Talks on landmark crypto legislation have hit a new impasse after banks said they could not back a compromise pushed by the White House.
  • Attacks launched by the US and Israel led to immediate escalation, embroiling neighboring countries and imperiling key oil and gas shipping routes. In this week’s Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists debate the lasting impact on the region and the world.
 

For Mexico's security chief El Mencho killing was personal

 

People arrive to the Recinto de la Paz cemetery, in Zapopan, Mexico, March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

Mexico’s security chief, the man who helped lead the operation that killed the drug lord known as “El Mencho,” spends his days and nights inside fortified office buildings, including a one-bedroom apartment in the security ministry built for him.

Omar Garcia Harfuch has lived this way since 2020, when on his ‌commute to work a truck cut off his armored Suburban and gunmen disguised as road workers sprayed his vehicle with more than 400 bullets. 

The security chief blamed the assassination attempt on Nemesio Oseguera, better known as El Mencho, leader of the brutal Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Six years later, bringing down the cartel leader was a deeply personal moment for Harfuch.

Read more
 

In Pictures

Hindu devotees are daubed in colored powder in a temple’s premises during Holi celebrations in Ahmedabad, India, March 4. REUTERS/Amit Dave

The Hindu festival of Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, heralds the beginning of spring. 

Choosing just one picture for this section was almost impossible. Check out our best photos from the celebration and let me know if I made the correct choice.

View gallery