The day
Tuesday 3 February 2026
19 stories, biggest first.
- 1
CrimeEpstein files
The Metropolitan Police of Greater London, UK, launches an investigation into House of Lords peer Peter Mandelson following allegations of misconduct in public office.
- 2
NewsKyiv 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.
- 3
News2026 United States military buildup in the Middle East
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.
- 4
NewsAssassination 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.
- 5
News2026 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.
- 6
NewsSudanese 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.
- 7
NewsSomali Civil War
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.
- 8
NewsZaporizhzhia strikes
Two civilians are killed and eight others are wounded in a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia.
- 9
News2026 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.
- 10
PoliticsHungary 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".
- 11
PoliticsMyanmar 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.
- 12
News
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.
- 13
NewsDenmark–United States relations
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announces that Massachusetts has signed a economic deal with Denmark amidst ongoing tensions between the United States and Greenland.
- 14
CrimeCriticism 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.
- 15
CrimeCriticism of Twitter
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.
- 16
News
Fourteen migrants are killed after their boat collides with a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel and capsizes off the coast of Chios, Greece.
- 17
News
Three people are killed and dozens are injured after a bus plunges into a gorge in Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India.
- 18
News
More than 1,000 houses are destroyed when a massive fire sweeps through an inlet in Tawi-Tawi, Bangsamoro, Philippines.
- 19
Stories adapted from Wikipedia’s Current events portal for 3 February 2026, by Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.