While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, March 17, 2026
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A coastguard boat approaches an Indian liquefied petroleum gas carrier, Shivalik, as it arrives at Mundra Port via the Strait of Hormuz in Gujarat, India on March 16.
PHOTO: REUTERS
US allies rebuff Trump’s request for support in Strait of Hormuz
Several US allies rebuffed Mr Donald Trump’s call on March 16 to send warships to escort shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, drawing criticism from the US president, who accused Western partners of ingratitude after decades of support.
The US-Israeli war on Iran is in its third week with no end in sight, largely shutting the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flow, raising energy prices and fears of inflation.
Israel said on March 16 it had drawn up detailed plans for at least three more weeks of war as it pounded sites across Iran overnight, while Iranian drone attacks temporarily shut Dubai airport and hit a key oil facility in the United Arab Emirates.
A number of US partners including Germany, Spain and Italy said they had no immediate plans to send ships to help reopen the strategic waterway, which Iran has effectively shut with drones and naval mines.
Trump seeks to delay meeting with China’s Xi by ‘a month or so’
PHOTO: REUTERS
US President Donald Trump on March 16 said he is seeking to delay a highly anticipated trip to China in early April by about a month because of the Iran war.
“We’ve requested that we delay it a month or so,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House.
China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
NATO looking to boost missile defence at Turkey airbase
PHOTO: AFP
NATO is looking into reinforcing further its ballistic missile defence capacity in Turkey against threats from neighbouring Iran, according to people familiar with the matter.
The military alliance already deployed a battery in eastern Turkey to protect an early-warning radar used to track missiles across the Middle East.
It’s now considering sending another Patriot missile-defence system to bolster an airbase where American troops are stationed, one of the people said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the planning.
Cuba’s national electric grid collapses, plunging millions into island-wide blackout
PHOTO: REUTERS
Cuba's national electric grid collapsed on March 16, the country's grid operator said, leaving around 10 million people without power amid a US-imposed oil blockade that has crippled the island's already obsolete generation system.
Grid operator UNE said on social media it is investigating the causes of the blackout, the latest in a series of widespread outages that last for hours or days and that this weekend sparked a rare violent protest in the communist-run country.
The United States has ratcheted up pressure in 2026 on long-time foe Cuba since capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro - Cuba's most important foreign benefactor - in January.
Mediterranean states say adrift Russian tanker poses ‘imminent and serious’ threat
PHOTO: REUTERS
Italy, France and seven other nations told the European Commission that a Russian liquefied natural gas tanker adrift in the Mediterranean represents an ecological threat, and they urged swift action, a letter showed on March 16.
Russia's Foreign Ministry acknowledged that the vessel was adrift in the Mediterranean and said Russia's further involvement in resolving the situation depended on "concrete circumstances".
The letter from EU states to the European Commission said the Arctic Metagaz was drifting in waters between Malta and Italy.
