10 Things Global News - 9th February 2026
Succinct, unbiased news from around the world
Portugal Elects Socialist Seguro as President in Landslide
Japan Markets Rally After Takaichi Secures Election Mandate
Jimmy Lai Sentenced to 20 Years Under Security Law
Thai Conservatives Win Big as Progressives Falter
Ukraine Urges Trump Push for Leader-Level Peace Talks
Russia Says UAE Helped Arrest Suspect in Attack on General
Iran Arrests Senior Reformists Amid Crackdown and US Talks
US Plans Submarine Deployment at Australian Base to Deter China
Starmer Chief of Staff Resigns After Mandelson Appointment Row
Machado Ally Kidnapped Hours After Release From Venezuelan Prison
Portugal has elected centre-left Socialist António José Seguro as president, delivering a decisive defeat to far-right challenger André Ventura. With more than 95 percent of votes counted, Seguro secured about two-thirds of the vote, winning a five-year term and becoming the first Socialist head of state in 20 years.
Seguro campaigned as a moderate figure and pledged loyalty and institutional cooperation with the centre-right minority government. In his victory speech, he said he would be a demanding and vigilant president but never a counter-power, reflecting the largely ceremonial nature of the role, which traditionally acts above party politics.
Ventura’s Chega party nonetheless recorded its strongest presidential result to date, taking roughly one-third of the vote and more than one and a half million ballots. Ventura said the result confirmed his leadership of the right, underscoring the growing influence of the far-right in Portugal despite its failure to capture the presidency.
Sources: Euronews, South China Morning Post
Japanese markets surged after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party secured a landslide victory in a snap lower house election, reinforcing confidence in her fiscal agenda. Stocks climbed to record highs as investors welcomed reduced political uncertainty and a strong mandate for government policy.
The Nikkei 225 rose as much as 5.7 percent to an unprecedented 57,337, while the broader Topix also reached a record. Super-long government bonds steadied after early weakness, with 30-year yields ending flat, as markets took comfort from Takaichi’s repeated assurances that stimulus and tax relief would remain fiscally responsible.
The yen initially weakened to record lows against the Swiss franc before reversing after officials warned of possible currency intervention. With the LDP securing 316 seats and avoiding reliance on opposition parties, investors judged the result as supportive for markets, even as attention remains on debt levels, bond yields and the risk of renewed currency pressure.
Sources: Reuters, The Guardian
A Hong Kong court has sentenced pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, 78, to 20 years in prison following a national security trial. Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, was found guilty in December on two counts of foreign collusion and one count of seditious publication under a law imposed by Beijing in 2020.
Judges said two years of the new sentence will overlap with Lai’s existing prison term, meaning he will serve an additional 18 years. Lai has been behind bars since 2020. He sat impassively as the sentence was read out, and waved solemnly to people in the public gallery as he was led away.
Rights groups condemned the sentence as a grave injustice. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he raised Lai’s detention with Xi Jinping last month, and US President Donald Trump has called for Lai’s release.
Sources: The Times, Le Monde
Thailand’s conservative Bhumjaithai Party surged to a surprise election victory, extending the mandate of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul after he called a snap vote just months after taking office. The contest was cast as a test of the progressive People’s Party reform agenda.
With about 94 percent of polling stations counted, preliminary results put Bhumjaithai on track for about 191 seats in the 500-member House, almost triple its 2023 tally. The pro-democracy People’s Party, which led pre-poll surveys, was projected at about 115 seats, while Pheu Thai trailed on roughly 73.
Voters also backed a referendum on replacing the current military-drafted constitution, with 60 percent in favour, opening lengthy talks and further referendums. Anutin said he planned talks on forming a coalition, while People’s Party leaders said they planned to stay in opposition. A new government may still be weeks away as the election agency has up to 60 days to certify the result.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukrainian and Russian leaders need to meet in person to resolve the hardest remaining issues in U.S.-brokered peace talks, arguing only U.S. President Donald Trump has the power to bring about an agreement. He said Ukraine wants to speed up efforts to end the four-year-old war and use current momentum before campaigning for U.S. Congressional mid-term elections in November.
Sybiha said only a few items remain outstanding from a 20-point peace plan, including issues such as land and Ukraine’s demand for control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Russia has maintained its demand that Ukraine cede the remaining 20% of the eastern region of Donetsk.
After a second round of talks in Abu Dhabi this week, an exchange of 314 prisoners of war was concluded on Thursday. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the U.S. proposed a new round of talks in Miami in a week, and Kyiv agreed.
Sources: Reuters, Pravda
Russia says it has arrested a suspect in Dubai and brought him to Moscow after an assassination attempt on Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, the first deputy head of Russia’s GRU military intelligence. The FSB said the suspect, Russian national Lyubomir Korba, fled hours after Friday’s attack and was detained in Dubai with help from United Arab Emirates partners; the Kremlin said Vladimir Putin thanked UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Russia’s Investigative Committee claimed the suspect arrived in Moscow in late December on instructions from Ukrainian intelligence services, without providing evidence. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the shooting a terrorist act aimed at sabotaging peace talks that had concluded in Abu Dhabi with a prisoner swap but no breakthrough. Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine had nothing to do with the attack. Alekseyev was shot in the stairway of his Moscow apartment building and has undergone surgery.
Sources: Politico Europe, Al Jazeera
Iranian authorities have arrested at least four senior reformist politicians, accusing them of acting against the Islamic system as pressure mounts after weeks of deadly unrest and amid renewed talks with the United States. State media said the arrests were carried out on Sunday and targeted figures linked to reformist parties and calls for political change.
Those detained include Azar Mansouri, head of the Reformist Front, former deputy foreign minister Mohsen Aminzadeh, and veteran politician Ebrahim Asgharzadeh. The identity of a fourth detainee was not disclosed. State-affiliated outlets accused those held of undermining national solidarity, coordinating with hostile propaganda, and acting during what officials described as military threats from the US and Israel.
The arrests follow widespread protests and a violent crackdown. Iranian authorities say 3,117 people were killed during the unrest, while a US-based rights group has reported more than 6,800 deaths. The detentions coincide with renewed diplomatic engagement, after Iran and the US held talks on Friday and agreed to continue negotiations.
Sources: Al Jazeera, FT
The United States plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines to HMAS Stirling in Western Australia from 2027, strengthening deterrence against China and deepening military integration with Australia and the UK. The base would provide a forward berth and maintenance option closer to potential flashpoints such as Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Washington currently operates submarines from Guam, which analysts say could be targeted early in a conflict, limiting operational flexibility. Stirling would offer an alternative for repairs and resupply beyond Guam, Hawaii or the US mainland. US and Australian personnel have already carried out joint maintenance work during recent submarine visits.
Australia is investing about A$5.6 billion in upgrading Stirling, including training facilities, housing, and infrastructure to handle radioactive waste, while a nearby maintenance and shipbuilding precinct is also planned. Although Australia does not allow foreign bases and describes the US presence as rotational, preparations suggest submarines could remain for extended periods, with about 1,200 US and UK personnel expected to rotate through the area.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, Taipei Times
Morgan McSweeney resigned on Sunday as chief of staff to Prime Minister Keir Starmer after mounting pressure over his role in appointing Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States. McSweeney said the decision to appoint Mandelson was wrong and accepted responsibility for advising the prime minister to proceed.
The resignation follows the release of emails by the US Justice Department showing a closer relationship than previously known between Mandelson and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Starmer dismissed Mandelson from the ambassadorial post in September after citing new information, and Mandelson later resigned from the House of Lords. The prime minister has apologised publicly for the appointment and referred Mandelson to police over possible mishandling of government information.
Two deputy chiefs of staff, Jill Cuthbertson and Vidhya Alakeson, will act jointly in the role. McSweeney’s departure removes a central figure from Starmer’s inner circle as Labour faces internal anger, falling approval ratings, and a police investigation that continues to threaten the prime minister’s authority.
Sources: New York Times, BBC
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said a close ally was kidnapped hours after being released from prison, casting doubt on government claims of political openings. Juan Pablo Guanipa was taken around midnight from a residential area of Caracas after being freed earlier on Sunday.
Machado said heavily armed men in civilian clothes arrived in multiple vehicles and violently took Guanipa away. His son said the group included about 10 unidentified people and demanded proof of life. Prisoners’ rights group Foro Penal said it had no clear information on who was responsible and called for his immediate release.
Guanipa’s abduction followed the release of at least 30 opposition figures after lengthy politically motivated detentions. The releases came as acting president Delcy Rodríguez faces domestic and international pressure to free political prisoners after the January capture of Nicolás Maduro by US forces. Human rights groups and opposition figures say the kidnapping undermines confidence in the release process.
Sources: Associated Press, The Guardian
On this day …
On this day in 1950, US Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed he possessed a list of communists working inside the federal government.
The allegation was never substantiated, but it marked the beginning of an intense period of political fear, investigations, and loyalty tests across American institutions. The resulting climate of suspicion affected civil servants, universities, media organisations, and the entertainment industry, often with lasting personal and professional consequences.
McCarthyism became shorthand for the use of accusation and pressure in political life, shaping debates about national security, free speech, and due process for decades.
It remains a cautionary reference point in democratic societies.