Portal:Current events/2020 February 8
February 8, 2020 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Nakhon Ratchasima shootings
- A soldier opens fire in a military camp and a shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, killing 29 people and injuring 58 others before being shot dead by police the next day. It is considered the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history. (Bangkok Post) (USA Today)
- At least ten people have been killed and dozens have been injured in ethnic clashes in Kazakhstan between Kazakhs and Dungans. About 30 houses and 15 commercial properties were destroyed during the clash. (BBC News)
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- A shootout during joint exercises with U.S. and Afghan soldiers in Nangarhar Province leaves between four and six Americans, and six Afghans dead. It is unknown if the Taliban or rogue Afghan forces were responsible. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner declares that the government will not pay back its US$57 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund until the country exits its recession. (Reuters)
Health and environment
International relations
- Syria–Turkey relations
- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif offers to mediate between Syria and Turkey over escalating conflicts between the two nations following the recent offensive in the Idlib Governorate. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2020 Irish general election
- Citizens of Ireland head to the polls in the country's latest general election. (The Guardian)
- Exit polls show the republican Sinn Féin, the ruling Fine Gael, and main opposition party Fianna Fáil in a virtual tie. (The Guardian)