January 8, 2014 (Wednesday)
Attacks and conflicts
- South Yemen insurgency:
- Two suspected Al-Qaeda militants are killed in a U.S. drone strike in the southeastern province of Hadhramaut. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- A Canadian National Railway train from Toronto carrying crude oil and propane derails and catches fire in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, in the northwest part of the province, causing 45 homes to be evacuated in a rural area. No one has yet been injured, and the fire has diminished, so far without the propane exploding. (MSN)[permanent dead link]
- Nine passengers on the Dehradun Express from Mumbai die when the train catches fire. (Gulf News) (BBC News) (CNN) (UPI)
- Two crew members are killed and another is missing after a U.S. Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter makes an emergency water landing off the Virginia coast, east of Virginia Beach; the two survivors are being treated at a Norfolk hospital. (NBC)
- An avalanche causes one death and temporarily traps three others outside the boundaries of Vail Ski Resort on Vail Mountain in Colorado. (CNN)
Arts and culture
- The nominees for the 67th British Academy Film Awards are announced in London. (BBC News)
Business and economy
- Facebook buys the Indian start-up Little Eye Labs. (The Economic Times)
Health
- Influenza A virus subtype H5N1:
- Alberta Health Services confirms first avian flu death in Alberta. A person admitted to hospital on January 1, 2014, died on January 3 in Calgary. (Calgary Herald)
Law and crime
- Imelda Marcos's former aide is sentenced in New York City for attempting to sell a painting of Claude Monet allegedly bought with embezzled funds. (GMA News)
- The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions the Sinaloa Cartel enforcer El Chino Ántrax under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, which virtually prohibits U.S. citizens from conducting any financial deal with the drug lord and freezes his assets. (The Wall Street Journal)
- A jury at the High Court, London returns an 8-2 majority verdict of lawful killing at the inquest into the death of Mark Duggan, whose death at the hands of Trident Gang Crime Command Metropolitan Police firearms officers in August 2011 sparked the 2011 England Riots. This verdict was reached despite the fact the jury also found that Mark Duggan was not holding a gun when he was shot by the police, sparking protests outside the court and in Tottenham. (BBC News)
Politics
- A book released by former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticizes President Barack Obama for his handling of the War in Afghanistan. (Fox News)
Sports
- FIFA secretary-general Jérôme Valcke, second in the FIFA hierarchy to president Sepp Blatter, tells Radio France that the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will not be played in summer between June and July and will be held in the winter time. FIFA responds by saying no official decision will be made until after the 2014 World Cup. (Sky News) (BBC Sport) (Times of India)
- Thomas Hitzlsperger, recently retired former German international, publicly announces he is gay, the most prominent association football player to do so. (BBC Sport)
- In baseball, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas are elected to the Hall of Fame in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. They will be inducted along with managers Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa, and Joe Torre on July 27 at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. (ESPN)
- U.S. sports personality and Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman defends his visits to North Korea after he is criticized by the family of an American detainee. (CNN)