Portal:Current events/2022 February 8

February 8, 2022 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war
- Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war
  - Israel says that the Syrian military fired an anti-aircraft missile towards its territory, which exploded in mid-air over the north of the country, triggering air raid sirens. However, Syrian state television reports that an Israeli Air Force airstrike occurred near Damascus. (Reuters)
  - The IDF says it has struck several Syrian air defense batteries and radars in response to the missile entering Israeli airspace. (Times of Israel)
Insurgency in the Maghreb
- W National Park land mine attack
  - Eight people, including five park rangers and a soldier are killed by land mines in the W National Park in Benin. (Al Jazeera)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Shin Bet officers kill three Palestinian al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades militants in the West Bank after opening fire on their vehicle. Israel says that the men were armed and were responsible for a series of drive-by shootings in recent weeks. Protests occur in the West Bank in response to the killings. (Reuters)
Islamic State insurgency in Iraq
- An Iraqi airstrike kills seven Islamic State members in Hatra District, Nineveh Governorate. (ANI)
Kurdish–Turkish conflict
- In an operation against the PKK, the Turkish Air Force bombards a city in Erbil District. No known casualties are recorded. (Rudaw)
Mali War
- A joint operation by the Malian Armed Forces and the French-led Takuba Task Force kills at least 30 jihadists. A Mirage 2000 fighter jet was involved in the operation, bombing a group of militants on motorbikes. (Reuters)
Felix Tshisekedi and his office report an attempted coup d'etat in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (ABC News)

Business and economy

A planned US$66 billion merger between British semiconductor company Arm Ltd. and American hardware company Nvidia is cancelled after facing regulatory pressures from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and China. Arm says that it will instead go public sometime before March 2023. If the deal were successful, it would have been the largest merger in the history of the semiconductor industry. (Reuters) (Ars Technica)

Disasters and accidents

2022 Colombia landslides
- Landslides kill at least 14 people and injure 35 in Dosquebradas, Risaralda Department. (BBC News) (DW News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
    - Hong Kong reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 625 new COVID-19 cases, prompting the government to impose strict social distancing measures in places of worship and hair salons as well as limiting private gatherings to two people beginning on February 10. (Al-Arabiya)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan reports a record 159 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Jiji Press)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
  - Poland indefinitely postpones its deadline of March 1 for mandatory full vaccination of teachers, members of the army and police officers, due to the current vaccination rate. (AP)

International relations

Slovakia–United States relations
- Thousands of Slovaks protest in Bratislava against a potential military defense treaty between Slovakia and the United States. Police prevented some protesters from entering the National Council building, where the bill is being debated by lawmakers. (ABC News)

Law and crime

Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Europe
- In a letter published by the Vatican, ex-Pope Benedict XVI expresses "my profound shame, my deep sorrow and my heartfelt request for forgiveness," in response to inquiry into his handling of child sex abuse when he was Archbishop of Munich and Freising between 1977 and 1982. In a statement published with the letter, his aides insist that "as an archbishop, Cardinal Ratzinger was not involved in any cover-up of acts of abuse". (France 24)

Science and technology

Mars sample-return mission
- NASA awards Lockheed Martin a contract to build a next-generation "Mars Ascent Vehicle" to return the first rock samples from Mars to Earth in the 2030s. (Phys)

Sports

2022 Winter Olympics
- Italy at the 2022 Winter Olympics
  - Unexpectedly undefeated in all 11 competitions at the Olympic curling mixed doubles tournament, Italy wins a first historic gold medal in the sport: the curling broom used in the final has been donated to the Olympic Museum. (Eurosport)