World News Update: February 3, 2026
International tensions rose in the Arabian Sea as the U.S. military downed an Iranian drone, while in Libya, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was reportedly assassinated. Meanwhile, in Australia, a teenage boy survived a grueling swim to save his family, and in the UK, an Air India flight was grounded due to a potential fuel control switch defect.
The U.S. military announced on Monday that it had shot down an Iranian-owned drone in the Arabian Sea, Euronews reported. According to CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins, the incident occurred amidst increased American military presence in the region, intended to counter air threats and secure shipping routes. Gen. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, stated that Iran's "continued nuisance and threats in international waters and airspace would no longer be tolerated," Euronews noted.
In Libya, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was reportedly killed by four gunmen near the city of Zintan, Euronews reported. Abdullah Othman, Gaddafi's political advisor, confirmed the death in a Facebook post, but did not specify the circumstances or identify those responsible. His French lawyer, Marcel Ceccaldi, told AFP that the identity of the assailants remained unknown, stating, "For now, we don't know" who was behind the killing, Euronews reported.
In Australia, a 13-year-old boy, Austin Appelbee, swam for four hours to shore to raise the alarm after his family was swept out to sea on Friday, Sky News reported. Appelbee was with his mother, brother, and sister on an inflatable kayak and paddleboards when strong winds picked up. Appelbee said he was "thinking happy thoughts" to get him through his gruelling swim, while the rest of his family were "singing and joking to keep their spirits up" while they waited for rescue, according to Sky News.
In aviation news, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was grounded at Heathrow Airport after reports of a "possible defect" with a fuel control switch, Sky News reported. The flight, AI132, was scheduled to fly from Heathrow to Bengaluru on Monday. Air India stated it was getting "the pilot's concerns checked on a priority basis" after the incident, Sky News noted. The potential fault was on the same model of aircraft which crashed in Ahmedabad last June.
In other news, Finland is set to build new icebreakers for the U.S. as Arctic competition intensifies, Euronews reported. The deal highlights Finnish expertise in icebreaking, but US interest in Greenland and strained EU-US ties have raised concerns over the partnership.
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