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NASA launches the lunar flyby mission Artemis II , the first crewed mission past low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
- Artemis II is a NASA-led spaceflight mission that sent four astronauts on a flyby around the Moon. Launched on April 1, 2026, the ten-day mission is crewed by NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Artemis II is the second flight of the Space Launch System (SLS), the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft (named Integrity by the crew), and the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
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In Mongolia, Nyam-Osoryn Uchral is sworn in as prime minister following the resignation of Gombojavyn Zandanshatar.
- Nyam-Osoryn Uchral (born 2 January 1987) is a Mongolian politician and businessman who has been the prime minister of Mongolia since 31 March 2026 and the Chairman of the Mongolian People's Party since 15 November 2025. A member of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP), he was elected a member of the State Great Khural in 2016, 2020, and 2024. Uchral was previously appointed the Chief Cabinet Secretary of Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene following the 2024 parliamentary elections. Uchral rose to national prominence in November 2025 when he was elected leader of the MPP and speaker of the State Great Khural at the age of 38. His elevation occurred in the aftermath of a managed party congress that ended months of internal deadlock between MPP factions.
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- Gombojavyn Zandanshatar (Mongolian: Гомбожавын Занданшатар; born 8 March 1970) is a Mongolian politician who served as Prime Minister of Mongolia from 13 June 2025 until his resignation on 27 March 2026. He remained as caretaker until the midnight of 31 March 2026, when Nyam-Osoryn Uchral succeeded him.
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Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict (ongoing)
- An armed conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan began in late February 2026 following Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan's Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces. Pakistan said the strikes targeted militant camps and hideouts linked to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS–K), and described them as retaliation for recent terrorist attacks in Islamabad, Bajaur, and Bannu. Taliban officials and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), however, said the attacks caused civilian casualties, although they reported different figures.
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Iran war (ongoing)
- On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel started a war with surprise airstrikes on sites and cities across Iran, assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several other Iranian officials and inflicting over a hundred civilian casualties. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes against Israel, US bases, and US-allied countries in the Middle East, and by closing the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global trade.
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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 factions of the country's military government. The conflict involves the internationally recognized government controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and consisting of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Republican Guard; and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Hemedti, who leads the broader Janjaweed coalition. Smaller armed groups have taken part. Fighting began on 15 April 2023 after a power struggle within the government that had taken power following the 2021 coup. As of 5 February 2025, the conflict has caused 12 million people to be forcibly displaced, 9 million internally, and 3.5 million have fled the country as refugees, making it one of the largest displacement crises in recent history.
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