October 8, 2012 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Mexican Drug War: Initial reports from the Mexican Navy indicate that Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, the top leader of the most dangerous Mexican criminal organization known as Los Zetas, may have been killed in a shootout. The forensic tests are currently on their way to confirm his identity. (USA Today)
Business and Finance
- The Tampa Tribune and sister site TBO.com are sold to Revolution Capital Group by Media General for $9.5 million. (Bay News 9)
Health
- Scientists warn of the dangers of using liquid nitrogen in drinks after a teenage girl from the United Kingdom required emergency surgery upon consuming a cocktail containing the substance. (The Telegraph)
Law and crime
- Partial replacement of members of the European Court of Justice takes place in Luxembourg. (Court of Justice)
- Police in Nigeria arrest 13 people in connection with the lynching of four university students who were accused of stealing laptops and mobile phones in Rivers state. (BBC)
- Thirty five people are killed after the Nigerian military opened fire after a bomb struck their convoy in Maiduguri; both civilians and military personnel are believed to be among the dead after the suspected Boko Haram attack. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Hugo Chávez wins a fourth term as President of Venezuela with 54.47% of the votes and a historically high turnout.(New York Times)
- Mustafa A.G. Abushagur, the first elected prime minister of Libya, is elected out of office after the Libyan parliament passed a vote of no confidence; Abdurrahim El-Keib assumes the post again. (France 24)
- President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines announces that the Philippine government has reached an outline peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front over the disputed Mindanao region. (BBC)
- Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe announces a new "sin tax" on gambling, alcohol, and cigarettes to pay for a new education fund. (Washington Post)
Science
- British scientist John B. Gurdon and Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka win the 2012 Nobel Prize for Medicine for the discovery that end stage cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent. (Reuters)
Society
- Strathclyde Police warns against use of the legal intoxicant Annihilation (or Mary Joy), which has previously been noted in the Shetland Isles, Lancashire and Tyneside. (BBC)