January 12, 2011 (Wednesday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- Attacks by men armed with rifles and machetes kill 19 people in three villages, including Kuru Station and Fagawon in central Nigeria. (IOL)
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2021):
- At least four people are killed in a suicide bombing in the Afghan capital Kabul. (BBC)
- The Jamaican Coast Guard intercepts a Honduran vessel fishing near Pedro Cays, killing the captain and wounding two crewmen. (AP via ABC)
Business and economy
- Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, reaffirms that country's support for the euro in a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi. (Bloomberg)
Disasters
- Australian floods
- The floods in Queensland, Australia, worsen further with 20,000 properties in the capital Brisbane expected to be flooded and 4,000 homes flooded in the nearby city of Ipswich. (ABC News Australia)
- The death toll from the floods reaches at least 12 with at least 67 people missing. (News Limited)
- At least 18 people are killed and one million are made homeless following flooding in Sri Lanka. (Sify India)
- Floods in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, kill more than 250 people. (BBC) (Reuters)
- Haitians commemorate the first anniversary of the 2010 earthquake. (AP via Yahoo! News)
International relations
- The South Korean Ministry for Reunification advises that it has reopened Red Cross communications with North Korea over the Panmunjom Border Area. (CNN) (Yonhap)
- Palestinian militants on the Gaza Strip tell Hamas that they will cease firing rockets at Israel in order to prevent an Israel Defense Forces offensive. (Reuters)
Politics
- 2010–2011 Tunisian protests:
- Tunisia's Interior Minister Rafik Belhaj Kacem is sacked by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who also orders the release of most people detained during recent unrest. (BBC)
- Tunisian troops are deployed for the first time in the capital Tunis. (Al Jazeera)
- The Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement estimates that turnout in the Southern Sudanese independence referendum has passed the 60% threshold for the result to be declared valid. (AFP) (Al Jazeera)
- Lebanon's Government led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri collapses following the withdrawal of Hezbollah. (Fox news) (The Australian)
- The President of the United States Barack Obama addresses the nation about the 2011 Tucson shooting following a visit to Representative Gabby Giffords in hospital. (Associated Press)
- Burma has passed a law enacting conscription for both males and females.(AP via Google)(Democratic Voice of Burma)(Mizzima)
Science and medicine
- The World Health Organization launches a plan to prevent the global spread of an artemisinin-resistant malaria. (Reuters)
- NASA GISS data shows that global temperatures in 2010 were tied with 2005 for the warmest year on record. (GISS Research News) (The Associated Press) (PR Newswire)