February 8, 2013 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war:
- Over 110 people are killed nationwide by the Syrian army in Syria. (Al Arabiya)
- Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- A string of bombings kill at least 29 people and injure 69 others in central Iraq, including twin blasts in Baghdad's Kadhimiya neighborhood, as well as the city of Hilla. (Al Jazeera) (Japan Today)
- Northern Mali conflict (2012–present):
- The country's first reported suicide bomber blows himself up in Gao, injuring one Malian soldier. In the north, French and Chadian forces retake the city of Tessalit. (BBC) (AP via Yahoo! News)
- War in North-West Pakistan:
- A bomb at a market kills 16 people and wounds 27 others in Kalaya, capital of Orakzai Agency in Pakistan. (BBC)
- Nigerian Sharia conflict:
- Nine women are shot to death in the Nigerian city of Kano. According to reports, all of them were involved in a polio vaccination policy and were most probably killed by the Islamist movement Boko Haram, which has previously threatened to target those involved in vaccinations. (BBC)
Arts and culture
- The cover of the latest edition of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables arouses controversy among readers as the orphan with the "very thick, decidedly red hair" and the "much freckled" face is transformed into a blonde, buxom farm girl with come-hither eyes. This follows the recent controversy over a new cover for Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar which portrays a young woman applying make-up. (The Guardian)
Business and economy
- The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which hears all appeals in U.S. patent cases, hears arguments in CLS Bank v. Alice, a case that may sharpen standards for patentability in the fields of computer software, business methods, and financial services. (Bloomberg)
Disasters and accidents
- February 2013 nor'easter: A massive blizzard hits the northeastern United States and southeastern regions of Canada, with over 5,000 flights cancelled and at least 600,000 thousand people losing power. (BBC) (CNN) (NBC News) (CBC News)
- A ferry carrying 100 passengers capsizes in the Meghna River in Bangladesh's Munshiganj District near the capital Dhaka. (AP via The New York Times)
Law and crime
- Authorities are investigating how a hacker obtained access to the e-mail accounts of George H. W. Bush as well as several of the former U.S. President's relatives and close friends. (MSN Today News)
- A murder-suicide on Interstate 80, near Salt Lake City, United States, causes the death of two people. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
Politics and elections
- 2013 Bangladesh protests: In Bangladesh, over 100,000 people join in a mass movement to demand justice for atrocities committed during the Bangladesh Liberation War. (BBC)
- 2010–2013 Greek protests: As demonstrations, protests and rallies against the government decisions to close down or downgrade schools and hospitals continue, in Ierapetra, Crete, over 7,000 people, including students, stage a peaceful march, holding candles and torches, to protest the forthcoming closure of the one of two technical schools and the only hospital of the region. (Zougla.gr)
- In Tunisia, the funeral of the opposition politician Chokri Belaid takes place as over a million people gather in mourning amid major protests. A general strike is declared. Tunis Airport is closed and all flights suspended. (BBC)
Science and technology
- TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away From Keyboard, a film documentary about the trial for Internet piracy of the popular torrent website The Pirate Bay, is released online. (The Verge)
- Some scientists express concern that an influenza vaccine marketed by GlaxoSmithKline called Pandemrix may be responsible for an increase in cases of narcolepsy in Europe. (Reuters)