February 8, 2012 (Wednesday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- Pakistani officials claim that US drone missiles have killed ten people in Spalga village in North Waziristan. (AP via Google News) (Reuters)
- The Syrian government launches an offensive in Homs, with tanks reported in neighbourhoods and dozens of people reported as dying over the past few hours. (Al-Jazeera) (BBC/AFP via ABC Online)
- The Islamist group Al-Shabab claims responsibility for a car bombing in the Somalian capital Mogadishu which claims at least ten people and injures at least 20. (BBC)
Business and economy
- Histadrut, Israel's trade union organisation, calls a nationwide strike with Ben Gurion Airport to be closed until midday. (AP via Google News)
- Air France cancels long-haul flights due to a strike by staff. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
- Airbus announces that it will inspect the wings of all Airbus 380 aircraft for cracks. (BBC)
- A meeting of the leaders of the parties comprising the Greek Government breaks up without agreeing to cuts prescribed by the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. (AP via Google News)
Culture
- Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro artworks, from the personal collection of Elizabeth Taylor, sell for £13.7 million at Christie's in London. (BBC)
- Zsa Zsa Gabor, suffering from life-threatening health problems, has a party for her 95th birthday. (Daily Mail) (Reuters)
Disasters
- The death toll from a factory collapse in Lahore, Pakistan, rises to 21. (AP via MSNBC)
- The New Zealand Royal Commission on the Pike River Mine disaster hears that a collapse in the coal extraction area was the most likely cause of the fatal blast in the mine on November 19, 2010 that claimed 29 lives. (TV New Zealand)
- Early 2012 European cold wave: The death toll throughout Europe rises to over 400 with the Danube River freezing over for 170 km. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Politics
- The new President of the Maldives Mohammed Waheed Hassan calls for the formation of a national unity government while supporters of former President Mohamed Nasheed riot. (AP via Herald-Sun) (AP via Christian Science Monitor)
- Three Bharatiya Janata Party Ministers in the Indian state of Karnataka – Laxman Savadi, C C Patil and J. Krishna Palemar – are forced to resign after footage is shown of them watching a pornographic video in the Legislative Assembly. (Reuters)
- The Washington State Legislature in the United States approves a bill that will allow same-sex marriage in the state. (CNN)
- Wang Lijun, former police chief of the central Chinese city of Chongqing, unexpectedly leaves his position and goes to the Chongqing U.S. Consulate, sparking rumours of his political downfall. (BBC)
Law and crime
- Three investigating judges from the Cour de Justice de la République file preliminary charges against former French Minister of Labor, Solidarity and Public service Éric Woerth over "passive influence peddling" in relation to the affairs of L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt. (AP)
- In Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., the prosecution and defense both make their opening statements in the trial of former University of Virginia men's lacrosse player George Huguely on murder charges in the 2010 death of former UVA women's lacrosse player Yeardley Love. (AP via ESPN)
Sport
- English football:
- Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp is cleared of tax evasion at a London court. (BBC)
- Fabio Capello resigns as the manager of England over continuing clashes with The Football Association (FA) following the sacking of John Terry as team captain, with Terry facing charges of racist abuse. (The Guardian) (Daily Mail) (Sky News)
- Fabio Capello attacks the English FA following his shock resignation as England manager, accusing them of interfering, insulting him, destroying his authority and contradicting "the much-vaunted Anglo-Saxon sense of justice, as they are the first to claim that everyone is innocent until proven guilty". (RTÉ Sport)
- The FA announces a press conference to be held at Wembley tomorrow noon. (The Daily Telegraph)
- The semi-finals of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations take place in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. (BBC Sport)