June 3, 2014 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine:
- Heavy fighting between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian militants takes place in and around the rebel-held eastern city of Sloviansk. (BBC News)
- Islamist insurgency in Nigeria:
- Boko Haram militants kill dozens of people in fresh attacks on villages in Borno state. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- India's Rural Development Minister, Gopinath Munde, dies in a road accident while on his way to Delhi Airport. (IANS via Biharprabha)
Health and environment
- Saudi Arabia announces 113 previously unreported cases of MERS, revises the death toll to 282, and fires its minister of health. (Reuters)
International relations
- Amid the crisis in Ukraine, President of the United States Barack Obama announces the European Reassurance Initiative—a $1bn plan to fund the increase of the United States military presence in Europe and step up defense capabilities of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. (BBC News) (Euronews)
Law and crime
- London police arrest the leader of Pakistan's MQM party, Altaf Hussain, on suspicion of money-laundering. (BBC News)
- Nigerian police in Abuja ban all protests planned in support of the 276 girls kidnapped from northern Nigeria by Boko Haram. (CNN)
Politics and elections
- Syrian presidential election, 2014:
- Voters in Syria go to the polls for a presidential election with incumbent President Bashar al-Assad all but certain to win amidst an opposition boycott. On Wednesday, the Syrian government claimed that he had won with 88.7% of the vote. (AFP via GlobalPost) (Reuters)
- 2014 Abkhazian political crisis:
- Former president Aleksandr Ankvab announces his intentions to run in the upcoming elections. (ITAR-TASS)