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In the London Marathon, Sabastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa win the men's and women's races, both setting world record times.
- The 2026 London Marathon was the 46th running of the London Marathon, which took place on 26 April 2026. The race was the third of seven World Major Marathon events and was a platinum label race. The route featured three separate starting points — one by Greenwich Park and two on Blackheath common — and ended on The Mall. Notable landmarks en route included Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and Buckingham Palace. The race was historic for several reasons: it was the first marathon completed in under two hours, with Sabastian Sawe achieving a time of 1:59:30. The elite men's runner-up, Yomif Kejelcha, also finished the race in under two hours (1:59:41), recording the fastest non-winning marathon time and the fastest marathon debut in history. Third-place finisher Jacob Kiplimo also finished under the previous world record. In the women's elite field, Tigst Assefa set a new world record for a women-only marathon.
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A train crash near Jakarta, Indonesia, kills 16 people and injures 91 others.
- On 27 April 2026, two trains collided at Bekasi Timur railway station in the suburb of Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia. The crash involved the Argo Bromo Anggrek, a long-distance express on the Gambir–Surabaya Pasarturi route as the KA 4 service, and a Cikarang Loop Line Commuterline local on the Kampung Bandan–Cikarang as the PLB 5568A service.
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In Mali, the Azawad Liberation Front and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin launch a joint offensive against the government.
- Since 25 April 2026, a series of joint coordinated attacks have been carried out by Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) across multiple locations in Mali. The JNIM fighters launched attacks in Bourem, Bamako, Kati, Sévaré, Senou and Mopti. The FLA claimed control of Kidal and parts of Gao.
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Afghanistan–Pakistan war (ongoing)
- A war began in late February 2026 between Pakistan and Afghanistan following Pakistani airstrikes on militant targets in eastern Afghanistan. Pakistan said the strikes targeted militant camps belonging to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS–K), in retaliation for recent attacks in Pakistan, while Taliban authorities and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported casualties, though with different figures.
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Iran war (ongoing)
- Since 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel have been engaged in a war with Iran and its regional allies. The conflict began when the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran targeting military and government sites and assassinating several Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The surprise attacks were launched during negotiations between Iran and the US regarding Iran's nuclear program. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes against Israel, US bases, and US-allied Arab countries in West Asia, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global trade.
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Lebanon war (ongoing)
- Since 2 March 2026, there has been an ongoing war in Lebanon between Israel and the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah. It is a resumption of major fighting in the Hezbollah–Israel conflict that began in late 2023, and is part of the wider conflict in the Middle East. The war has killed more than 2,600 militants and civilians in Lebanon and displaced over 1 million, 20% of the country's population, creating a humanitarian crisis.
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Russo-Ukrainian war (ongoing)
- On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Russia attacked Ukraine in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties. As of April 2026, Russian troops occupy roughly 20% of Ukraine. From a population of 41 million, about 8 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced and 6–7 million have fled the country, creating Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.
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Sudanese civil war (ongoing)
- Since April 2023, there has been a civil war in Sudan between two primary factions of the country's military government. The conflict involves the internationally recognized government, controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Hemedti, who commands the broader Janjaweed coalition. Smaller armed groups have taken part. Fighting began on 15 April 2023 following a power struggle within the transitional administration established after the 2021 coup. As of 5 February 2025, the conflict has forcibly displaced 12 million people, with 3.5 million fleeing the country as refugees, making it one of the largest displacement crises in recent history.
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