* British Home Secretary Sajid Javid on February 3 dismissed newspaper speculation of a snap general election in June, saying that "last thing we want is an election, the people will never forgive us."
* Colombia's ELN rebels have freed three civilian helicopter crew members captured more than three weeks ago, the country's high peace commissioner said on February 3.
* Pope Francis arrived in the United Arab Emirates on February 3, the first visit by a pontiff to the Arabian Peninsula, where he will meet with Muslim and political leaders and celebrate an outdoor mass in the capital Abu Dhabi.
* British Prime Minister Theresa May said Sunday she plans to return to Brussels to battle for Britain and Northern Ireland in her quest to secure a Brexit deal.
* The European Commission has agreed to compensate Irish farmers for a collapse in beef and dairy prices in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the Irish edition of the Sunday Times newspaper said, quoting Irish government and EU sources.
* The Egyptian parliament discussed on February 3 extending the presidential term from four to six years and introducing the post of vice president, based on a petition submitted by one fifth of the total 596 lawmakers, official MENA news agency reported.
* At the invitation of Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, King Abdullah II of Jordan paid a state visit to Tunisia on February 3, accompanied by his wife Queen Rania Al-Abdullah. The two leaders exchanged views on a number of issues that will be discussed at the summit, including the Palestinian cause.
* An Egyptian coalition of lawmakers submitted an official request to the country's parliament speaker on February 3 to amend the Egyptian constitution, official MENA news agency reported.
* The death toll from a devastating tornado that tore through Cuba's capital Havana a week ago reached six, health officials said on February 3. According to authorities, 1,238 homes suffered some damage, including 347 that were completely destroyed.
* The presidential elections in El Salvador began Sunday morning with the opening of more than 9,000 polling stations throughout the country. More than 5.2 million voters were registered by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), while about 6,000 Salvadorans signed up to send their vote from abroad.
* Representatives from Yemen's warring factions started talks aboard ship to discuss peace efforts in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on February 3, a government official told Xinhua.
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on February 3 that Israel "will not hesitate" to use force against the Gaza Strip if the protest near the fence continues.
* The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said it is expected to draw down soldiers by 1,000 this month in Somalia's HirShabelle State, where Burundi troops operating under AMISOM now have their main base in Jowhar, the capital of HirShabelle.
* The Libyan eastern-based army's air force on February 3 attacked Chadian opposition militants in the southern town of Murzuk, some 900 km south of the capital.
* More than 1.5 million people in Somalia are still facing acute food insecurity through June due to impacts of below-average Deyr season rainfall, said a United Nations-backed report released in Mogadishu on February 3.
