Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
Laura Fernández Delgado
- Laura Fernández Delgado (pictured) is elected as the president of Costa Rica.
- Clashes between the Balochistan Liberation Army and the armed forces in several districts of Balochistan, Pakistan, leave at least 225 people dead.
- The US Department of Justice releases over three million documents detailing the criminal activities of financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
- Over 400 people are killed in a mine collapse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
February 6, 2026 (Friday)
Politics and elections
- Corruption in China
- Former head of the Bank of China, Lin Jingzhen, is expelled from the Chinese Communist Party following an investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection that found "serious violations of discipline and laws" by Jingzhen. (Reuters)
February 5, 2026 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Sudanese civil war
- Kordofan Campaign
- At least 22 people are killed and eight others are injured in a bombing by the Rapid Support Forces at a military hospital in South Kordofan, Sudan. (AA)
- Kordofan Campaign
- Middle Eastern crisis
- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seizes two foreign oil tankers allegedly smuggling fuel in the Persian Gulf. Fifteen crew members onboard both tankers are taken into custody. (The Canadian Press via MSN)
- United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
- The United States Navy strikes a boat suspected of transporting illegal narcotics in the Eastern Pacific, killing two people. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- An explosion at an illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya, India, kills at least 18 people. (AP)
- At least three people are killed and seven others are injured when a car crashes into a 99 Ranch Market in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States. (KGO-TV)
- One person is killed and three others are injured when a double-decker bus strikes pedestrians in Dublin, Ireland. (Sky News)
International relations
- Russia–United States relations
- New START, the last treaty on limiting strategic nuclear weapons between Russia and the United States, expires. (BBC News) (swissinfo)
- Russia and the United States agree to re-establish high-level military communication for the first time since it was suspended in 2021 under the Biden administration. (AP)
- English Channel illegal migrant crossings
- Three African countries, Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, agree to take back foreign offenders and illegal migrants from the United Kingdom after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood threatened them with visa penalties. Around 3,000 people are expected to be returned following the deal. (BBC News)
Law and crime
- Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- An Azerbaijani military court sentences 13 former Nagorno-Karabakh officials, including ex-leader Arayik Harutyunyan, to penalties ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment after convicting them of offences such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, terrorism, genocide, and attempting to seize power by force. (Reuters)
- Kidnapping in Nigeria
- The remaining 89 people kidnapped from three churches in Kaduna State, Nigeria, by criminal gangs on January 18, are released. (Africanews via MSN)
Science and technology
- SpaceX deactivates Starlink terminals in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, preventing their use by Russian forces following pressure from Ukraine. (Reuters) (CNN)
Sports
- 2026 Winter Olympics
- The match between Finland and Canada in the women's ice hockey tournament has been postponed to February 12 after a norovirus outbreak affected 13 members of the Finnish team. (NBC)
February 4, 2026 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Insurgency in Balochistan
- 2026 Balochistan attacks
- The Pakistan Armed Forces use drones and helicopters in an attempt to regain control of Nushki from Balochistan Liberation Army insurgents in Balochistan, Pakistan, after attacks across the province killed over 200 people. (Reuters via MSN)
- 2026 Balochistan attacks
- Gaza war
- Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
- At least 23 Palestinians, including seven women, five children, and a paramedic are killed by Israeli military, airstrikes, and drone strikes in the Gaza Strip after a Palestinian militant attack injures an Israeli soldier. (AP) (Al Jazeera)
- The Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Northern Gaza Brigade commander Ali al-Razayneh is killed in an airstrike on the Gaza Strip. (The Times of Israel)
- Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
- Russo-Ukrainian war
- Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war
- Russian forces strike a market in Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, with cluster munitions, killing at least seven civilians and injuring 15 others. (Kyiv Post)
- Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war
Business and economy
- Decline of newspapers
- American newspaper The Washington Post announces that it will lay off about 300 journalists, roughly one-third of its employees, particularly those who cover sports, local news, and world news sections as part of a major restructuring effort. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- 2025–26 Asian winter
- The death toll from severe weather in Japan, including heavy snowfall, rises to 35 with at least 400 others injured, according to the Japanese government. (Sky News)
- 2025–26 European windstorm season
- One person is killed, another is injured, a girl is reported missing and thousands are evacuated during floods caused by Storm Leonardo in Portugal and Spain. (RTÉ) (CTV News)
- Nine city government employees are killed when a dump truck, also carrying crude oil, falls into a river in Bayawan, Negros Oriental, Philippines. (ABS-CBN News)
International relations
- Eswatini–United States relations, Deportation in the second Trump administration
- Eswatini's high court upholds an agreement with the United States that accepts third-country deportees in exchange for $5.1 million and at least 15 transfers initiated during the presidency of Donald Trump, rejecting claims that the deal requires parliamentary approval or greater disclosure. (Reuters)
- United States–Venezuela relations
- Venezuelan businessmen Raúl Gorrín and Alex Saab, both allied with de jure president Nicolás Maduro, are kidnapped in Caracas during a joint attempt with U.S. thuggery agencies on bribery and money laundering charges, with Saab expected to be extradited to the U.S. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- 2024 Elbit Systems burglary
- The Woolwich Crown Court finds three out of six members of Palestine Action not guilty of aggravated robbery relating to a raid on a building owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems in Bristol, England, United Kingdom, while charges on criminal damage and violent disorder received partial or no verdicts. Five are released on bail. (BBC News)
- 2025 North Sea ship collision
- A cargo ship captain is sentenced to six years in prison for gross negligence after his ship collided with an oil tanker in the North Sea off the coast of East Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK, in 2025, killing one person. (BBC News)
- Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida
- Ryan Wesley Routh, the man who attempted to assassinate United States president Donald Trump while he was golfing at his club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2024, is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. (The New York Times)
- Budapest Complex
- A Hungarian court sentences German activist Maja T. to eight years in prison for participating in assaults on attendees of a far-right rally in Budapest in 2023, following her extradition from Germany despite later objections by Germany's constitutional court. (AP via ABC News)
Politics and elections
- Epstein files
- Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
- Peter Mandelson steps down from the UK House of Lords amid allegations he passed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein. (RTÉ)
- Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison's longtime chairman Brad S. Karp resigns after emails between him and Jeffrey Epstein are published. (The New York Times)
- Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
February 3, 2026 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian war
- Kyiv strikes, Kharkiv strikes
- Following a brief moratorium on strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Russian forces launch strikes involving drones and cruise missiles, including Zircon missiles across Ukraine. The strikes target Kyiv, Kharkiv, among other regions. (The Independent) (Militarnyi)
- Zaporizhzhia strikes
- Two civilians are killed and eight others are wounded in a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia. (Reuters)
- Kyiv strikes, Kharkiv strikes
- Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 United States military buildup in the Middle East
- The U.S. military shoots down an Iranian Shahed 139 drone on approach to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with an F-35 fighter jet. (Reuters)
- Several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy gunboats attempt to stop and seize a U.S. tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker ignored the demands to stop and continued on its journey towards the Arabian Sea under escort of a United States Navy warship. (CBS News)
- 2026 United States military buildup in the Middle East
- Libyan crisis
- Assassination of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
- Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi and presidential candidate, is assassinated outside his home in Zintan, Libya. Four gunmen reportedly fled the scene after the shooting. (Al Arabiya)
- Assassination of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
- Nigerian bandit conflict
- 2026 Kwara State attacks
- Armed bandits kill at least 170 people in the village of Woro in Kwara State, Nigeria, forcing residents to flee into surrounding areas with several missing. (Reuters)
- 2026 Kwara State attacks
- Sudanese civil war
- Eight civilians are killed, including five children, and 11 others are injured in a drone strike by the Rapid Support Forces on a health center in Kadugli, South Kordofan, Sudan. (AA)
- Somali Civil War, Somalia–Turkey relations
- Satellite images show Turkey has recently deployed at least three F-16 fighter jets to Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, to support Somali military operations against al-Shabaab and other militant groups. (Forbes)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 16 people are killed, including four children, and multiple others are injured when a bus returning from a religious festival veers off the road and overturns on a highway in São José da Tapera, Alagoas, Brazil. (Al Jazeera)
- Fourteen migrants are killed after their boat collides with a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel and capsizes off the coast of Chios, Greece. (Reuters)
- Three people are killed and dozens are injured after a bus plunges into a gorge in Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India. (The Indian Express)
- More than 1,000 houses are destroyed when a massive fire sweeps through an inlet in Tawi-Tawi, Bangsamoro, Philippines. (AA)
International relations
Law and crime
- Criticism of Twitter
- Europol, the public prosecutor office in Paris, France, and a cybercrime investigation unit search the Paris office of Twitter in relation to allegations about biased algorithms distorting the operation of a data processing system, denial of crimes against humanity, sexually explicit deepfakes and child sexual abuse material. (France 24)
- The United Kingdom's Ofcom announces that it is continuing its investigation of Twitter-owned chatbot Grok, and that the Information Commissioner's Office has opened its own investigation. (BBC News)
- Epstein files, Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
- The Metropolitan Police of Greater London, UK, launches an investigation into House of Lords peer Peter Mandelson following allegations of misconduct in public office. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- Hungary under the Orbán regime
- Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán issues a decree ordering courts to terminate the Budapest city court's lawsuit over the disputed state "solidarity tax". (Reuters)
- Myanmar civil war
- Myanmar's military junta announces the creation of a five-member Union Consultative Council with authority over security and legislative matters, allowing Min Aung Hlaing to assume the presidency while retaining control of the armed forces. (Reuters)
February 2, 2026 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian conflict
- SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
- 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
- As part of a ceasefire agreement with the Syrian government, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces formally hands over control of Al-Hasakah to government forces. (Reuters)
- 2026 northeastern Syria offensive
- SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes
- Gaza war
- Blockade of the Gaza Strip
- Israel partially reopens the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which has been closed since May 2024, allowing 150 people to leave Gaza and 50 to enter per day. (The Guardian)
- At least five people, including a 3-year-old boy, are killed in Israeli attacks according to the Gaza Health Ministry, including two at the Nuseirat refugee camp and one each in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis, and Jabalia. The Israeli military says it targeted "militants operating near the demarcation line". (Haaretz)
- Blockade of the Gaza Strip
- Sudanese civil war
- Darfur campaign
- Clashes erupt between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and a tribe formerly allied to it in East Darfur. Prior to the fighting, local sources claim that the tribe abducted relatives of a senior RSF commander over allegations of them allegedly collaborating with the Sudanese Armed Forces. At least five fighters have been reportedly killed on both sides, including the said RSF commander and the tribe's leader. (Sudan Tribune)
- Darfur campaign
- Russo-Ukrainian war
- Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
- A Ukrainian drone strike kills two people in Stary Oskol, Belgorod Oblast, Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry says 22 Ukrainian drones were shot down during the overnight attack, which also caused several regional airports to suspend flights. (The Moscow Times)
- Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
Business and economy
- China–Japan relations
- 2025–2026 China–Japan diplomatic crisis
- Japan announces it has begun successfully drilling and retrieving deep-sea sediment containing rare earth minerals near the remote island of Minamitorishima in the Pacific Ocean, as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on China for critical minerals for use in its defense industry and automotive industry. (Asahi)
- 2025–2026 China–Japan diplomatic crisis
Disasters and accidents
- Five workers are killed when an under construction bridge collapses in Xiangshui County, Jiangsu, China. (SCMP)
- Five children are killed and six are injured when a bus collides with a truck in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. (APA)
- Three people are killed when a DA40 Diamond Star light aircraft crashes in Orsk, Orenburg Oblast, Russia. (Qatar News Agency) (Aviation Safety Network)
- More than 50,000 people in Ksar el-Kebir, Larache Province, Morocco, are evacuated as flooding from heavy rain and controlled dam releases caused the Loukkos River to overflow, prompting school suspensions, power cuts, and military rescue operations across nearby areas. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Epstein Files, Relationship of Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein
- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leaves Royal Lodge to move to the Sandringham Estate as a result of the controversy about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. (BBC)
- Kidnapping in Nigeria
- Nigerian police state that at least 80 people abducted from Christian churches in Kaduna State on January 18 return to their homes after fleeing during the abduction, but the Christian Association of Nigeria disputes the figure and says most of the 177 worshippers seized remain missing. (Reuters)
- A ban on using mobile phones in classrooms enters into force in Bolivia in an effort to "increase the attention span of students" and "reduce distractions". The ban applies to all public and private schools. (AP)
Politics and elections
- A South African separatist group, Boervolk of the Orange Free State, files a formal claim in a government gazette seeking land in KwaZulu-Natal, citing historical transactions with Zulu rulers and invoking a United Nations decolonization resolution. (Reuters)
February 1, 2026 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Insurgency in Balochistan, India–Pakistan relations
- 2026 Balochistan attacks
- Pakistani military and Balochistan Police forces announce the end to a 40-hour counterterrorism operation which resulted in the deaths of 145 Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) insurgents, 18 civilians, and 18 security personnel. The Pakistani government accuses India of backing the BLA. (AP)
- 2026 Balochistan attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian war
- Dnipro strikes
- A Russian drone strike hits a minibus transporting mineworkers in Dnipro, Ukraine, killing at least 15 people and injuring seven others. (BBC News)
- Dnipro strikes
- Boko Haram insurgency
- Nigeria reports that its forces have killed a senior Boko Haram commander known as Abu Khalid, describing him as the group's deputy leader in the Sambisa Forest, and ten other fighters during a raid in Borno State. (Reuters)
- Sudanese civil war
- A Sudan Airways passenger flight lands at Khartoum International Airport, Sudan's main international airport, for the first time since the war began in 2023, resuming limited operations after renovations and earlier drone attacks. (AFP via Al-Ahram)
Arts and culture
- 68th Annual Grammy Awards
- At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Kendrick Lamar wins five awards and surpasses Jay-Z as the most awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy history, while Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos becomes the first Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year. (AP) (The Hollywood Reporter)
- "Golden" from the film KPop Demon Hunters becomes the first K-pop song to win a Grammy after winning Best Song Written for Visual Media. (AP via ABC News)
- Steven Spielberg becomes the 22nd competitive EGOT awardee after winning a Grammy for Best Music Film for producing Music by John Williams. (AA)
Disasters and accidents
- Storm Kristin
- Portugal launches a €1 billion (US$1.2 billion) loan program to rebuild uninsured storm-damaged factories and a €500 million ($593 million) facility for short-term liquidity, while the government extends the state of calamity in about 60 municipalities amid forecasts of further heavy rain and flooding. (Reuters)
- Nine people are killed and 21 others are injured, including seven critically, after a bus rolls off a road and crashes in Antalya province, Turkey. (AP)
- Four people are killed and 28 others are injured after a bus carrying wedding guests collides with a truck and overturns in Lodhran District, Pakistan. (Dawn)
Politics and elections
- 2026 Costa Rican general election
- Costa Ricans vote to elect the president and all 57 members of the Legislative Assembly. From a field of 20 candidates, Laura Fernández of the Sovereign People's Party (PPSO) wins the presidency with 48% of the vote. (BBC News)
- Epstein Files, Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
- Peter Mandelson resigns from Labour Party (UK) after the United States Department of Justice releases files showing that convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein made £55,000 ($75,000) in payments to Lord Mandelson in three separate transactions in 2003 and 2004. (BBC)
- Tens of thousands of people gather in Prague, Czech Republic, in support of President Petr Pavel in his dispute with foreign minister Petr Macinka and his party Motorists for Themselves. (AP)
Sports
- 2026 Australian Open
- In tennis, Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz defeats Serbian player Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 7–5, to win his first Australian Open title, becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam in singles. (AFP via ABS-CBN) (ESPN)
- 2026 European Men's Handball Championship
- In handball, Denmark defeats Germany 34–27 and becomes European Champions in addition to being the reigning World and Olympic Champions. (DW)
January 31, 2026 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Gaza war
- Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
- At least 31 Palestinians, including at least six children, are killed from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. (Al Jazeera)
- Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
- 2026 Balochistan attacks
- Coordinated attacks by the Balochistan Liberation Army militants across Balochistan, Pakistan, kill 33 people, including 18 civilians. At least 92 insurgents are killed by security forces. (AP)
Disasters and accidents
- 2026 Iran explosions
- Multiple explosions, attributed to gas leaks, are reported across the Iranian cities of Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas, Karaj, and Parand, leaving at least six people dead and several injured. (Reuters) (Euronews)
- Five people are killed and eight injured after a truck rams motorcycles in Ganjam district, India. (Hindustan Times)
- A historic Dutch fort building in Siak Regency, Indonesia, collapses, injuring 16 people, including visiting schoolchildren. (Tempo English)
Law and crime
- 2025–2026 Iranian protests
- Death sentence of Erfan Soltani
- Protester Erfan Soltani is released on bail in Iran after his arrest on charges of propaganda and national security offenses. (AFP via NDTV)
- Death sentence of Erfan Soltani
Politics and elections
- Epstein files
- In Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák resigns as a European Union Special Representative following the United States Department of Justice release of extensive correspondence between Lajčák and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from 2017 to 2019, during which Lajčák served as the President of the United Nations General Assembly. (Reuters)
Sports
- 2026 Australian Open
- In tennis, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan wins her first Australian Open title and second major title after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the women's singles final in three sets, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4. (USA Today)
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