AnewZ Morning Brief - 18 March, 2026

Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 18th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.

Head of Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, dies aged 93

Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch who led the Georgian Orthodox Church for over four decades, has died at the age of 93 following a sudden hospitalisation for massive internal bleeding. Elected in 1977 during strict Soviet control, he steered the institution through the collapse of the USSR and Georgia’s subsequent independence, overseeing a profound expansion of the church's influence and the reopening of hundreds of monasteries. Highly revered across the nation, Ilia II occasionally served as a crucial mediator during periods of political instability, cementing the Georgian Orthodox Church as one of the country's most powerful and constitutionally recognised institutions.

Morocco declared 2025 AFCON winners as Senegal stripped of title

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially stripped Senegal of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, declaring Morocco the tournament champions following a dramatic appeal. The ruling relates to January's final in Rabat, where the Senegalese team temporarily walked off the pitch in protest over a stoppage-time penalty awarded to Morocco; although Senegal returned after 17 minutes and eventually won 1-0 in extra time, CAF determined their initial refusal to play violated Article 82 of the tournament regulations. Consequently, the match result has been overturned to a 3-0 forfeit in favour of Morocco, a decision the Senegalese Football Federation has branded "unfair and unacceptable" as they prepare an immediate appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

'Like doomsday': Survivors recount horrific Kabul hospital airstrike

Survivors of Monday night's devastating airstrike on a Kabul drug rehabilitation centre have described apocalyptic scenes, recounting how patients were engulfed in flames as explosions tore through the 2,000-bed facility. Afghan officials report that over 400 people were killed and 250 wounded when the state-run Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital—housed in a former NATO military base—was bombarded just as residents concluded their evening prayers. While Kabul insists the site was a strictly civilian medical facility, Pakistan has rejected the accusations as "false and misleading", maintaining that its forces precisely targeted terrorist infrastructure and military installations amidst both countries' fiercest cross-border fighting yet.

Iran vows retaliation following Israeli assassination of security chief

Tensions in the Middle East have reached boiling point once again as Iran vows a "decisive" response following the assassination of its top security chief, Ali Larijani, in overnight Israeli airstrikes. The Basij Militia commander Soleimani, Larijani's son and his deputy, Alireza Bayat were also killed in Monday night's attack. The targeted killing of the senior official marks yet another significant escalation in the ongoing regional conflict, further inflaming hostilities between Tehran and the US-Israeli alliance as the war approaches its third week.

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns in protest over 'unjustified' Iran war

Joseph Kent, the head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, has dramatically resigned, becoming the most senior official in the Trump administration to step down over the ongoing war in Iran. In a blistering resignation letter posted on X, Kent stated he "cannot in good conscience support" the conflict, asserting that Tehran posed no imminent threat to the United States and claiming the war was launched due to pressure from Israel and its powerful lobbying network. The resignation has stunned intelligence circles and highlights deepening internal dissent regarding the legal and strategic justification for President Donald Trump's military campaign.

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