Portal:Current events/2026 April 2
April 2, 2026 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
- 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
- 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain, 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
- Minor damage is reported near the Kizad area in Abu Dhabi after the United Arab Emirates air defenses successfully intercepts an Iranian missile. (Khaleej Times)
- 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. (The Caspian Post) (Gulf News)
- 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain, 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
- 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. (AA)
- The United Kingdom hosts a summit with 40 countries to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters)
- Austria–United States relations
- 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. (Reuters via The Times of Israel) (Al Jazeera)
- The Pasteur Institute of Iran sustains heavy damage in Israeli–U.S. strikes. (The Telegraph)
- 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
- Gaza war
- 2026 Iran war
- Russo-Ukrainian war
- 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. (BBC News)
- Crimea attacks
- A Russian Antonov An-72 is destroyed in a Ukrainian airstrike on Kirovske Air Base in Kirovske Raion, Russian-occupied Crimea. (The Kyiv Independent)
- Foreign involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war
- Sudanese civil war
- 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. (Sudan Tribune)
- Two Rapid Support Forces drones hit the Al-Jabalain hospital in White Nile State killing 10, including seven medical staff. (Xinhua)
- Aftermath of the Battle of Khartoum
Arts and culture
- 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. (Gulf Business)
Business and economy
- 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. (AFP via The Standard)
- 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. (AFP via New Straits Times)
- United States crude oil surges to over $113 per barrel. (NBC News)
- 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. (FTL Somalia) (Anadolu Ajansı)
Disasters and accidents
- 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. (AFP via France 24)
- 2025–26 European windstorm season
- Four people are killed when a Cessna 172 crashes into a field in Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico. (PotosíNoticias in Spanish)
- Both pilots are killed when a Beechcraft Model 18 operating on a cargo flight crashes in Coron, Palawan, Philippines. (Xinhua)
International relations
- 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. (AFP via LBCI)
- Moldova–Russia relations, Accession of Moldova to the European Union
- 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. (Moldova Press) (TASS)
Law and crime
- 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. (AFP via CTV News)
- 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. (Al Jazeera)
- Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia, Protests against the Russo-Ukrainian war
- 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. (Reuters)
- 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. (Deutschlandfunk)
Politics and elections
- 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. (AFP via Free Malaysia Today)
- 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. (BBC News) (CNN)
- General Randy George, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, steps down upon U.S. defense secretary Pete Hegseth's request. (CBS News) (Reuters)
Category: