All news: Friday 3 April 2026

2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates intercepts 18 ballistic missiles, four cruise missiles, and 47 drones from Iran. Falling debris from the interception kills one person and injures others at the Habshan oil facility in the Abu Dhabi emirate.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

Maltese-flagged CMA CGM Kribi, a container ship registered by French shipping company CMA CGM crosses the Strait of Hormuz after departing Dubai, making it the first ship from Western Europe to cross the strait since the war started.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines says that a liquefied natural gas oil tanker registered in Japan crosses the Strait of Hormuz for the first since the beginning of the Iran war. A third ship also crosses the strait.

Aviation shootdowns and accidents during the 2026 Iran war

Iranian forces shoot down a U.S. F-15E fighter jet in Iranian airspace. U.S. officials say a search is underway for the two crew members, one of whom, the pilot, is rescued. Iran's state media says a reward will be given to any citizen who helps capture an American pilot.

Aviation shootdowns and accidents during the 2026 Iran war

Two U.S. military helicopters are hit with small arms fire while conducting a search and rescue operation for the downed F-15E pilots.

Aviation shootdowns and accidents during the 2026 Iran war

A U.S. A-10 Warthog crashes near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by Iranian anti-aircraft fire. The pilot ejects and is rescued.

2026 Iran war

At least three people are killed in a strike on a residential area in Tehran, Iran.

2026 Iran war

The Kyrgyz emergency ministry says that Kyrgyzstan has dispatched over 100 tons of humanitarian aid to Iran. The shipment is ordered by Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov.

2026 Lebanon war

The U.S. embassy in Beirut warns Americans to leave Lebanon due to the situation in the country.

2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning says that peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan are advancing in an effort to end the war.

Russo-Ukrainian war

Six people are killed and five others, including a child, are injured in Russian drone and missile strikes across Ukraine.

2026 Jorm earthquake

A Mw5.8 earthquake hits parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, killing 12 people and injuring six others in Kabul and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Four people are killed when a small plane crashes into a restaurant in Capão da Canoa, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

One person is killed and at least 47 others are injured when a wall collapses at the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium in Lima, Peru.

At least 35 people are injured after a passenger train derails in Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia.

Italy–Saudi Arabia relations

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni visits Saudi Arabia to discuss mitigating the impact of the Strait of Hormuz crisis with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. Meloni becomes the first leader from a European Union, G20, and NATO member state to visit the Middle East since the start of the Iran war.

Russia–Sweden relations

The Swedish Coast Guard boards and seizes an EU-sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Baltic Sea after the vessel caused a 12-kilometer (8-mile) oil spill off the coast of Gotland.

2026 Myanmar presidential election

Myanmar's military ruler, General Min Aung Hlaing, is elected president by the Electoral College. Min secures 429 votes, against 126 for Nyo Saw and 29 for Nan Ni Ni Aye, who become first and second vice presidents, respectively.

Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid scandal

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reshuffles his cabinet after several officials were implicated in a European Public Prosecutor's Office investigation into alleged irregularities in the allocation of European Union farm subsidies.

2026 Iran war fuel crisis

Pakistan introduces free public transport in Islamabad and Punjab for one month and provides targeted subsidies in other regions to offset the impact of recent fuel price increases.

Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of China announces that former Party Secretary of Xinjiang Ma Xingrui is under investigation over suspected "serious violation of law and discipline", becoming the third member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party to be investigated by the commission.

2026 Cuban crisis

Cuba begins releasing political prisoners after announcing it will pardon 2,010 inmates amid U.S. pressure on the Cuban government.