January 31, 2008 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in Afghanistan:
- A suicide bomber at a mosque in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan kills the deputy governor of Helmand Province, Pir Mohammad, and five others. (AP via the San Jose Mercury News)[permanent dead link]
- Western officials and al-Qaeda websites claim Abu Laith al-Libi, a senior al-Qaeda leader in Afghanistan, has been killed in recent fighting. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- Internet failure affects parts of Asia and Africa after two undersea cables, SEA-ME-WE 4 and FLAG, are damaged. (CNN)
Health
- A new disease, progressive inflammatory neuropathy (PIN), is found in pig slaughterhouse workers in southeastern Minnesota. (CDC)
Law and crime
- All government ministers in French Polynesia resign en masse in solidarity with one of their colleagues, who was fined for corruption. (Radio New Zealand)
Politics and elections
- 2008 United States presidential election: Democratic Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama hold the first two-person debate. (CNN)