The Times of Central Asia   Dr. Robert M. Cutler 4 March 2026

On February 26, 2026, the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan met in London with United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper at Lancaster House for the inaugural “Central Asia–UK” (CA5+UK) ministerial. Official statements described it as the first time since independence that all five Central Asian foreign ministers have met jointly with a UK foreign secretary in a single forum.

Navy Times  By J.D. Simkins and Riley Ceder, Mar 4, 2026

A United States Navy submarine sunk an Iranian ship with a single torpedo as the frigate was transiting the Indian Ocean, marking the first such kill by a U.S. submarine since World War II, the Pentagon confirmed on Wednesday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike during a Pentagon press briefing on Operation Epic Fury alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.

Euronews  Published on 04/03/2026

The IRIS Dena sank off the coast of Sri Lanka with the country's navy recovering 87 bodies and rescuing 32 people. A US submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sri Lanka, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday.

Ειδήσεις 04 Μαρτίου 2026

Reuters , March 4, 2026 , Reporting by Yukun Zhang ​and Ryan Woo Editing by Mark Potter

BEIJING, March 4 (Reuters) - China will send a special envoy to the ​Middle East for mediation, Foreign ‌Minister Wang Yi told his Saudi Arabian and UAE counterparts on ​Wednesday according to statements ​from his ministry, as conflict ⁠in the region continued to ​escalate.

Ειδήσεις 04 Μαρτίου 2026

Globaltimes  Published: Mar 04, 2026 

The National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, held a press conference on Wednesday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, one day ahead of the opening of its annual session. Lou Qinjian, spokesperson for the fourth session of the 14th NPC, briefed the press on the session.

 Independent  Maira Butt Wednesday 04 March 2026

Kurdish forces could be armed to fight Iranian security forces, galvanise protesters and create a buffer zone for Israel, according to reports. The CIA is preparing to arm Kurdish forces to incite an uprising against the Iranian government, according to reports.

   Eurasianet Mar 3, 2026

A major roadblock for efforts to carve out a route to the sea.  Largely overlooked because of the burgeoning conflict in the Middle East, “open war” has erupted between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership. The fighting all along its southern rim represents a major setback for Central Asia’s global trade agenda. The Pakistani-Afghan conflict shows no signs of easing after almost a week of fighting.

ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ Τρίτη 3 Μαρτίου 2026

Περισσότεροι από 58.000 άνθρωποι έχουν εκτοπιστεί εξαιτίας των ισραηλινών πληγμάτων στον Λίβανο, ανακοίνωσαν σήμερα οι αρχές του Λιβάνου, καθώς η χώρα υφίσταται σφοδρούς βομβαρδισμούς σε απάντηση σε επιθέσεις της φιλοϊρανικής Χεζμπολάχ. Ο αριθμός των εκτοπισμένων διπλασιάστηκε μετά τον απολογισμό που ανακοινώθηκε χθες, σύμφωνα με τη μονάδα διαχείρισης των καταστροφών της κυβέρνησης.

Euronews  By Gavin Blackburn & Emma De RuiterPublished on 03/03/2026 

Air strikes continued across the region on Tuesday as Iran showed no signs of backing down after the US and Israel launched an attack at the weekend that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

  Οικονομικός Ταχυδρόμος  Ρεπορτάζ Λάμπρος Καραγεώργος 02.03.2026

Πάνω από 1.000 πλοία και έως 25.000 ναυτικοί βρίσκονται στη Μέση Ανατολή – ICS, Ευρωπαίοι και Ασιάτες εφοπλιστές ζητούν διεθνή παρέμβαση.  Έκκληση στη διεθνή κοινότητα να διασφαλίσει συνθήκες ασφαλείας για τα πληρώματα των πλοίων που πλέον στην εμπόλεμη ζώνη της Μέσης Ανατολής απευθύνει η διεθνής ναυτιλιακή κοινότητα. Σε κοινή δήλωση τους το Διεθνές Ναυτιλιακό Επιμελητήριο (ICS), η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση Εφοπλιστών|ESCA και η Ένωση Ασιατών Εφοπλιστών εκφράζουν την ανησυχία τους για τις επιθέσεις σε πλοία και ζητούν μέτρα που θα διασφαλίσουν την ασφάλεια των ναυτικών.

 The Times of Central Asia  By Sadokat Jalolova   2 March 2026