All news: Thursday 2 April 2026

2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain

Minor damage is reported near the Kizad area in Abu Dhabi after the United Arab Emirates air defenses successfully intercepts an Iranian missile.

2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries

Iran conducts strikes on Amazon Web Services servers in Bahrain and on an Oracle data center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. However, the Dubai government dismisses any reports the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has targeted the Oracle data center and says it's false.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi says that Iran and Oman are drafting a protocol to oversee maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

The United Kingdom hosts a summit with 40 countries to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Austria–United States relations

Austria denies United States aircraft use of its ‌airspace for military operations against Iran.

Karaj B1 bridge attack

The B1 highway bridge linking Tehran and Karaj, which was inaugurated earlier this year, is hit by Israeli–U.S. airstrikes. Eight people are killed and 95 others are injured.

2026 Iran war

The Pasteur Institute of Iran sustains heavy damage in Israeli–U.S. strikes.

Gaza peace plan

Delegation from Hamas holds talks in Cairo, Egypt to follow up on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

Foreign involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war

Kenya reports at least 16 Kenyans are missing after being recruited to fight for the Russian military in Ukraine, while 38 others are currently in Russian hospitals in unknown conditions as they are under restricted access. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi says the men were offered a US$2,700 monthly salary by Russian agents for joining the war.

Crimea attacks

A Russian Antonov An-72 is destroyed in a Ukrainian airstrike on Kirovske Air Base in Kirovske Raion, Russian-occupied Crimea.

Aftermath of the Battle of Khartoum

The United Nations reopens their headquarters in Khartoum for the first time since 2023 after it was relocated to Port Sudan following the outbreak of the war in mid-April 2023.

Sudanese civil war

Two Rapid Support Forces drones hit the Al-Jabalain hospital in White Nile State killing 10, including seven medical staff.

2026 North Maluku earthquake

One person is killed and another is injured when a building in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, collapses following a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia.

2025–26 European windstorm season

One person is killed and hundreds are trapped indoors by flooding in Nea Makri, Attica, Greece, amid gale-force winds along the Mediterranean coast.

Four people are killed when a Cessna 172 crashes into a field in Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico.

Both pilots are killed when a Beechcraft Model 18 operating on a cargo flight crashes in Coron, Palawan, Philippines.

Argentina–Iran relations

Argentina orders Iranian chargé d'affaires Mohsen Soltani Tehrani to leave the country within 48 hours after Iranian officials issued statements that Argentina described as false and offensive. The move follows Argentina's designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.

Moldova–Russia relations

Moldova's parliament approves the country's withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as the government says CIS's core values and principles are no longer respected, such as territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders, and refers to Russia's actions in the region, including the war against Ukraine and the illegal military presence on Moldovan territory.

2026 Cuban crisis

Cuba announces the pardon of 2,010 prisoners, with releases scheduled over the coming months based on criteria such as conduct and health.

Second cabinet of Donald Trump

U.S. president Donald Trump dismisses Pam Bondi as Attorney General, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche replacing her on an acting basis.

General Randy George, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, steps down upon U.S. defense secretary Pete Hegseth's request.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

Air China, China Southern Airlines, and its subsidiary XiamenAir increase fuel surcharges by ¥60–120 (US$8.70–17.50) on domestic flights in response to rising oil prices linked to the Iran war.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

Pakistan increases fuel prices, raising petrol by 42.7 percent and diesel by 54.9 percent in response to higher global energy costs linked to the Iran war.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

United States crude oil surges to over $113 per barrel.

The Somali Ministry of Ports and Maritime Transport announces that Somalia has registered the Guney (IMO 8230417) ship under the Somali flag, its first national-flagged vessel since 1991.

2025 Drents Museum heist

Dutch authorities recover the Helmet of Coțofenești and other treasures from the Dacian royal collection, which were stolen from the Drents Museum in Assen, Drenthe, in 2025.

Kampala school stabbing

Four children are killed in a mass stabbing at a school in Kampala, Uganda. The suspected perpetrator, an adult man, is arrested.

Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia

The Basmanny District Court in Moscow, Russia, sentences German sculptor Jacques Tilly in absentia to eight years and six months in prison for spreading false information about the military and offending religious believers through his public works and statements concerning Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Twelve people are injured when a masked man detonates two pyrotechnic explosives on a train in Siegburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. A 20-year-old man is arrested by Federal Police and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and violation of explosives law. A right-wing political motive is suspected.

Religion in the United Arab Emirates

Dubai moves worship services at churches, temples, and gurdwaras online or suspend in-person services due to the Iran war.