Portal:Current events/2018 February 7

February 7, 2018 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Israeli involvement in the Syrian Civil War
- Syrian state media say that Israeli warplanes attacked a military position in Jamraya, Rif Dimashq Governorate, from Lebanese airspace, with the Syrian Air Defense Force intercepting most of the missiles. The target is rumored to be a weapon research facility. (Xinhua)
American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War, United States attacks on the Syrian government
- United States Central Command says that it killed more than 100 pro-government troops in "self-defense" strikes 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) east of the Euphrates de-confliction line that was reportedly agreed with Russia. (AFP via Rappler)

Business and economy

Procter and Gamble announces that it will close its plant in Kansas City, Kansas, and reduce operations at its plant in Iowa City, Iowa, as the company plans to shift production to factories in Tablers Station, West Virginia, and Cincinnati, Ohio, by 2020. (USA Today), (Kansas City Star)

International relations

Macedonia naming dispute
- Prime Minister of Macedonia Zoran Zaev states that his country is ready to add a geographical qualifier to its name in order to end the dispute. He also says that his government renamed the country's main airport and a key highway. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Politics of the European Union
- The European Parliament votes 447–196 to dismiss Ryszard Czarnecki (PiS) as one of its 14 vice-presidents, for calling fellow Polish parliamentarian Róża Thun (Civic Platform) a "szmalcownik" (meaning Nazi collaborator). It is the first time that the parliament invokes the powers of Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union to dismiss a senior office holder. Czarnecki remains a Member of the European Parliament. (Deutsche Welle)
Weinstein effect
- Rob Porter resigns as White House Staff Secretary after two of his ex-wives make allegations of physical and emotional abuse. Porter denies the allegations, which were first published by the Daily Mail. (The Guardian)
DREAM Act
- Nancy Pelosi breaks the record for the longest speech in the United States House of Representatives. The 77-year-old Democrat spoke for eight hours non-stop, pleading for a vote to protect "Dreamer" immigrants who illegally immigrated and face the threat of deportation. (Sky News)

Science and technology

Prehistoric Britain
- Without peer-review publication researchers at London's Natural History Museum state that the DNA extracted from "Cheddar Man" reveals that early inhabitants of Great Britain had blue eyes and dark skin. The name "Cheddar Man" was given to a fossil of a human man that lived thousands of years ago, which was discovered in 1903. Some scientists in the field state that the sample may have been contaminated with modern DNA weakening the results. (BBC), (The New York Times), (Gene Expression)