Portal:Current events/2026 February 8
February 8, 2026 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian war
- Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
- A 65-year-old man accused of shooting and critically injuring lieutenant general Vladimir Alekseyev on February 6 is detained in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is deported to Moscow, Russia. (Sky News)
- Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
- Nigerian bandit conflict
- One person is killed in a shooting attack by heavily armed bandits in a community in Kwara State, Nigeria. (The Punch)
- Sudanese civil war
- Three people are killed when an airstrike carried out by the RSF hits a humanitarian aid vehicle in North Kordofan, Sudan (Sudan Tribune)
- Myanmar civil war
- Sixty homes and a Buddhist Dharma hall are damaged, and 3 civilians die in airstrikes carried out by the SAC in Chin State, Myanmar (Burma News International)
Business and economy
- United States embargo against Cuba
- Cuba suspends refueling for airliners at its airports, including José Martí International Airport, saying it has exhausted the country's fuel supply due to the U.S. blockade of the island and the end of fuel supplies from Venezuela. (First Post)
Disasters and accidents
- More than 30 people are killed and many others are seriously injured in a traffic accident in Gezawa, Kano State, Nigeria. (The Punch)
- Fifteen people are killed and eight others are injured when two adjoining five-story residential buildings collapse in Tripoli, Lebanon. (Reuters)
- Five people are killed and three others are injured when their truck crashes into a fence in Valencia, Bukidnon, Philippines. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
- Three people are killed and three others are injured in a multi-vehicle crash in Al Batinah North Governorate, Oman.(Gulf News)
International relations
- Cuba–Nicaragua relations
- Nicaragua terminates visa-free entry for Cubans, revoking a policy that previously allowed thousands to transit through the country on their way to the United States. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- 2026 political prisoner release in Venezuela
- Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa is released from prison after more than eight months of incarceration in Caracas. (AP) Several hours later he is kidnapped by heavily armed men in civilian clothing.
- Censorship in Iran
- An Iranian court sentences 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to seven years and six months in prison and two years of internal exile in South Khorasan for collusion and propaganda-related charges, with the penalties running concurrently. (AFP via GMA News)
- Human trafficking in Senegal
- Senegalese gendarmerie arrest 14 people in Dakar and Kaolack who are allegedly involved in a human trafficking network run by a French national. (AP)
Politics and elections
- Connections of Jeffrey Epstein
- Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
- Morgan McSweeney, the chief of staff to British prime minister Keir Starmer, resigns over his role in Peter Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to the U.S. (The Guardian)
- Mona Juul, Norway's ambassador to Iraq and Jordan, resigns after the foreign ministry opened an inquiry into her past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, amid media reports that Epstein left money to her children. (AFP via Daily Tribune)
- Relationship of Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein
- 2026 Spanish regional elections
- 2026 Aragonese regional election
- In Aragon, Spain, the ruling People's Party wins the election, albeit without a majority and losing two seats, while the Socialists' Party comes second matching its worst result ever and the far-right Vox party doubles its votes and seats. (elDiario.es)
- 2026 Aragonese regional election
- 2025–26 Republika Srpska presidential election
- Independent Social Democrat candidate Siniša Karan wins a partial rerun of the Republika Srpska presidential election held after irregularities in the November vote, defeating Serb Democratic Party candidate Branko Blanuša in balloting limited to 136 polling stations. (Reuters)
- 2026 Japanese general election
- Japanese citizens vote to elect all 465 seats in the House of Representatives, with the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party winning an overwhelming majority. (AP)
- 2026 Portuguese presidential election
- Socialist Party candidate António José Seguro is elected President of Portugal, defeating CHEGA leader André Ventura in the second round. (Reuters)
- The postponement of elections in some municipalities is expected due to recent windstorms, including impacts from Storm Kristin. (AFP via RFI) (Politico)
- 2026 Thai general election, 2026 Thai constitutional referendum
- Thai citizens vote to elect all 500 seats in the House of Representatives, with the conservative Bhumjaithai Party winning the most seats. Voters also approved the beginning of a multi-stage drafting process to replace the current constitution. (AP) (DW)
- Politics of Australia
- The Liberal–National Coalition of Australia reforms in Opposition following its second split in the span of a year. (The Guardian)
Sports
- Super Bowl LX
- In American football, the Seattle Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots, 29–13, to win their second Super Bowl, and their first in 12 years. Seahawks running back (RB) Kenneth Walker III is awarded MVP, the first RB to receive the award in 28 years. (ABC News) (NFL)