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Portal:Current events/2018 February 8

{{Current events|year=2018|month=02|day=8|content=

;Armed conflicts and attacks

  • Syrian Civil War
  • American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War
  • Syria and the Russian Federation once again state that the United States' military presence in Syria is "illegal". United States and US-backed forces now have control of about a quarter of Syrian territory. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/syria-accuses-us-of-aggression-after-its-warplanes-strike-pro-government-forces/2018/02/08/bab1502a-0cb4-11e8-8890-372e2047c935_story.html (The Washington Post)]
  • Battle of Khasham
  • A force of five hundred Syrian pro-government troops supported by tanks and artillery launched a ground assault on a local headquarters of the Syrian Democratic Forces near the town of Khasham, in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate. More than one hundred Syrian government fighters were killed in the battle, including Russian private military contractors of Wagner Group. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/02/09/in-syria-russian-bad-faith-turns-fatal/ (The Washington Post)]

;Business and economy

  • Economy of Germany
  • Germany's trade surplus shrank in 2017 for the first time since 2009, reflecting strong domestic demand. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-trade/germanys-trade-surplus-shrinks-for-first-time-since-2009-idUSKBN1FS0VD (Reuters)]
  • Japan–United Kingdom relations
  • After a meeting with top Japanese business and British government executives in 10 Downing Street, Japan's ambassador to Britain warns that companies may discontinue their UK operations if a Brexit without a new trade deal makes them unprofitable. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/02/08/japan-issues-stark-warning-trade-deal-no-10-meeting/ (The Telegraph)]

;International relations

;Law and crime

  • LGBT rights in Bermuda
  • Bermuda repeals same-sex marriage, becoming the world's first jurisdiction to legalise, then repeal same-sex marriage. However, about half a dozen same-sex marriages that took place in Bermuda between the Supreme Court ruling in May 2017 and the repeal will continue to be recognised. [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/08/bermuda-repeal-same-sex-marriage (The Guardian)]
  • Crime in Toronto
  • The remains of six people found on a property in East York are linked to alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur. [https://globalnews.ca/news/4014121/bruce-mcarthur-investigation-update/ (Global News)] [http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/newsalert-police-recover-remains-of-six-people-in-bruce-mcarthur-investigation (National Post)]
  • Mexican Drug War
  • Mexican authorities arrest American-born Jose Maria Guizar Valencia, the alleged leader of the Zetas drug cartel, as he was entering a hotel in Mexico City's upscale neighborhood of Roma. [http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-mexico-zetas-cartel-20180209-story.html (Los Angeles Times)] [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-43011495 (BBC)]

;Politics and elections

  • 2017–18 United States political sexual scandals
  • Jeff Kruse announces his resignation from the Oregon State Senate, effective March 15, amid allegations that he sexually harassed female colleagues and other staffers. Kruse denies the allegations. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/08/oregon-state-sen-jeff-kruse-resigns-over-sexual-harassment-claims/322222002/ (USA Today)]

;Sports

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