Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 2nd of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
UK's Mandelson quits Labour over fresh Epstein payment claims
Former British cabinet minister Peter Mandelson has resigned from the Labour Party following new reports alleging he received $75,000 in payments from disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, who was dismissed as Britain’s ambassador to the US last year over similar connections, strongly denied the claims but stated he was stepping down to avoid causing "further embarrassment" to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s party.
Iran warns U.S. attack would ignite regional war
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that any American military strike would trigger an escalating regional conflict, even as Tehran pursues diplomatic channels through Türkiye and Russia. While Washington has deployed a naval force to the region following warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump, Iranian officials insist they remain open to negotiations despite their forces being on high alert.
Hundreds feared dead in DR Congo mine collapse
More than 200 people are believed to have died after a massive landslide struck the rebel-held Rubaya coltan mine in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The disaster, blamed on heavy rains and unstable ground in the M23-controlled North Kivu province, has claimed the lives of miners and local traders, though rescue efforts remain hampered by communication blackouts and insecurity in the region.
Israel reopens Rafah crossing in pilot scheme
Israel has reopened the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt for a "pilot operation," marking the first significant movement at the terminal in nearly two years. The reopening, a key component of the current ceasefire framework, will initially allow a limited number of Palestinian patients and their families to leave for medical treatment, with operations supervised by Egyptian and EU officials.
Pakistan security forces kill 145 militants in Balochistan
Pakistan’s security forces have killed 145 militants in the southwestern province of Balochistan during a 40-hour clearance operation following a wave of coordinated attacks by the separatist Baloch Liberation Army, according to authorities. The violence, which targeted multiple districts including Gwadar and Quetta, left at least 17 security personnel and 31 civilians dead, with Islamabad accusing external actors of fuelling the insurgency.
U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to make the Strait of Hormuz part of U.S. territory have been mocked by Iran's Deputy Foreign Ministe...
For fishermen along Pakistan’s southwestern coast, the consequences of the U.S.-Iran conflict are being felt far from the battlefield....
At least 47 people have been killed after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, ...
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or rerouted at Catania Airport over the past week as ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing eruption continues to disrupt air travel in Sicily.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
Wildfires across England and Wales have reached their highest level on record, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council, as firefighters struggle to contain outbreaks following a spell of extreme heat.
Record rainfall in Japan killed eight people and stranded thousands of travellers at Tokyo's Narita Airport on Friday, as flooding disrupted transport and cut power to 20,000 homes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised deepening ties with North Korea, saying Moscow and Pyongyang are coordinating their efforts to ensure “regional security and stability”.
Russia and Ukraine traded large-scale overnight attacks targeting energy, industrial and military facilities on Saturday, with a three-month-old baby killed and 11 people injured in a Russian drone strike on a residential building in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region.
At least 47 people have been killed after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, triggering small tsunami waves and dozens of aftershocks, officials say.
Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge professor at the centre of a plagiarism row, has been found dead. He was appointed Cambridge's youngest ever Black professor in 2023, but quit on 5 August, after being accused of lifting passages from his PhD from the work of other academics.
Wildfires across England and Wales have reached their highest level on record, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council, as firefighters struggle to contain outbreaks following a spell of extreme heat.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment