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Wednesday, February 4th, 2026 

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) 

Vanguard Tech claims 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) 

The U.S. military claims to shoot down an Iranian Shahed 139 drone on approach to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with an F-35 fighter jet. (Reuters) 

Peter Mandelson steps down from the United Kingdom House of Lords amid allegations he passed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein. (RTÉ) 

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) 

At least 19 Palestinians, including seven women, five children, and a paramedic, are killed by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip. (AP) 

Nine city government employees are killed when a dump truck, also carrying crude oil, overshoots and falls into a river in Bayawan, Negros Oriental, Philippines. (ABS-CBN News) 

Tuesday,  February 3rd, 2026 

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) 

The United Kingdom’s Ofcom announces that it is continuing its investigation of X-owned chatbot Grok, and that the Information Commissioner’s Office has opened its own investigation. (BBC News) 

Criticism of X (formerly Twitter) Europol, the public prosecutor office in Paris, France, and a cybercrime investigation unit search the Paris office of X (formerly 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) 

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) 

Myanmar and Russia sign a five-year military cooperation pact, which will last until 2030. (CNA) 

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) 

Two civilians are killed and eight others are wounded in a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia. (Reuters) 

Armed bandits kill at least 35 people in a village in Kwara State, Nigeria, forcing residents to flee into surrounding areas with several missing. (Reuters) 

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 Sirmour district, Himachal Pradesh, India. (The Indian Express) 

Monday, February 2nd, 2026 

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) 

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) 

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) 

Five children are killed and six are injured when a bus collides with a truck in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. (APA) 

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) 

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) 

Sunday, February 1st, 2026 

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) 

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) 

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.  (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 (2024). (AA) 

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) 

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) 

The End