The U.S. Senate on March 23–24 confirmed Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in a 54‑45 vote, making him the agency’s new leader as it remains partially shut down. Mullin replaces Kristi Noem and inherits a department with roughly 100,000 employees working without pay and airport screening delays after widespread Transportation Security Administration call‑outs. Two Democrats, John Fetterman and Martin Heinrich, joined Republicans to back Mullin; Sen. Rand Paul broke with his party and voted no. During confirmation hearings Mullin signaled a less confrontational approach on some practices, pledging greater use of judicial warrants in most domestic operations, while refusing to rule out other controversial tactics. In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed energy executive Alan Armstrong—former Williams Companies CEO—to fill Mullin’s Senate seat through year‑end. Armstrong, who must pledge not to run in November under state law, is a longtime Stitt donor and industry figure. U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern has already declared for the full term and has President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

At least 66 people were killed and dozens injured when a Colombian Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Puerto Leguízamo in Putumayo on March 23, 2026. Military officials said the plane was carrying about 128 people — predominantly soldiers — with 57 rescued and four still missing. The aircraft came down roughly 1.5–2 kilometres from the runway, caught fire and, authorities say, detonated some ammunition on board. Local residents and first responders reached the remote jungle site before military teams; many of the injured were airlifted to hospitals in Bogotá. Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez and the air force commander reported no immediate signs of hostile action and opened an official investigation. President Gustavo Petro blamed bureaucratic delays in modernising military equipment and questioned the safety of ageing or secondhand aircraft acquired under past transfers. Lockheed Martin expressed condolences and offered to assist investigators. The crash is among the deadliest in recent Colombian military history and has prompted urgent scrutiny of maintenance, load and operational procedures.

Late on the night of March 22, 2026, an Air Canada Express regional jet (Flight 8646), a Bombardier CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle while landing on Runway 4 at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The collision, at about 11:40 p.m. ET, killed the plane’s pilot and co‑pilot and injured dozens. Port Authority officials said 41 people were taken to hospitals, 32 were later released and nine remained in serious condition. Audio from air traffic control indicates the fire truck had been cleared to cross the runway — responding to a separate United Airlines report of an odor onboard — and that a controller then urgently ordered the vehicle to stop seconds before impact. Flightradar24 data placed groundspeed at roughly 24 mph (39 kph) at the moment of collision. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a full investigation with FAA support; the Port Authority and Jazz Aviation are cooperating. LaGuardia was closed and subject to a ground stop until at least 2 p.m. Monday, triggering hundreds of cancellations and widespread travel disruption across the Northeast U.S.

On March 23-24, 2026, four ambulances operated by volunteer charity Hatzola were set alight in Golders Green, north London, in an attack police are treating as an antisemitic hate crime. CCTV shows three hooded suspects dousing vehicles with accelerant before they exploded as onboard oxygen cylinders detonated; no injuries were reported. Counter‑terrorism detectives are leading the probe and are working to authenticate an online claim by a little‑known group calling itself Harakat Ashab al‑Yamin al‑Islamia (HAYI), which has also claimed incidents in Belgium and the Netherlands and is alleged by some governments to have links to Iran. The Metropolitan Police said it was pursuing all lines of inquiry, deployed 264 extra officers and specialist teams to protect Jewish sites ahead of Passover, and appealed for footage and witnesses. The UK government has pledged to cover replacement ambulances while public fundraising topped more than £1.3m. King Charles accepted patronage of the Community Security Trust, the charity that monitors antisemitism. No arrests have been announced and authorities warned of a broader rise in national security cases involving hostile states.

Tiger Woods will make his first competitive appearance in more than a year when he plays for Jupiter Links in Match 2 of the TGL SoFi Cup finals on Tuesday night in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The 50-year-old, who has been recovering from a lumbar disc replacement in October 2025 and a ruptured left Achilles last spring, moved into the lineup after Jupiter lost the opening match 6-5 to Los Angeles Golf Club. TGL, the indoor simulator-based league he co-founded, announced the change after the match and Jupiter posted Woods' two-word message “I’m back” on social media. Woods has not played on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at the 2024 Open and is listed as an invitee for The Masters, which begins on April 9, but has not formally committed to Augusta. Jupiter must win Tuesday to force an immediate deciding match; it is unclear whether Woods would play a potential Match 3.

Two blockbuster ownership deals and a wave of operational changes have dominated the run-up to IPL 2026, which begins on March 28. A consortium led by Aditya Birla Group with Times of India, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone has signed a definitive agreement to buy Royal Challengers Bengaluru for about USD 1.78 billion, subject to BCCI and regulatory approvals; the transaction would take effect after the season. Separately, a Kal Somani-led consortium — reportedly backed by Walmart heir Rob Walton and other US investors — agreed to acquire Rajasthan Royals for roughly USD 1.63 billion. Both sales reflect sharply higher franchise valuations driven by lucrative media rights and global investor interest. Off the field, RCB and local authorities have announced tributes and strengthened stadium safety measures at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium after last year’s fatal stampede: 11 seats will be permanently reserved, a memorial plaque installed, AI-led CCTV and crowd-management upgrades funded (about Rs 7 crore reported), QR-only tickets, free metro travel for ticket-holders, and detailed traffic and parking restrictions for match days. The BCCI has also circulated updated playing conditions, including revised ball-change rules, and teams are managing late player withdrawals and leadership changes ahead of the opener.