February 4, 2012 (Saturday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- Arab Spring:
- 2011–2012 Syrian uprising:
- The United Nations Security Council votes on an Arab League proposal to resolve problems in Syria with reports of hundreds of people dead in the past couple of days as a result of shelling in Homs - the People's Republic of China and Russia veto the resolution. (BBC) (Al-Arabiya) (Reuters via the Hindustan Times)
- Twelve people are arrested at the Syrian Embassy in London as part of a worldwide protest against the shelling. (BBC), (The Telegraph)
- Protesters are also reported to have stormed Syrian embassies in Kuwait, Egypt, Australia, Germany and Greece. (AP via Google News) (The Telegraph) (ABC News Australia)
- Tunisia is to withdraw its recognition of the Syrian government. (Reuters)
- The Arab Parliament calls for Arab countries to sever relations with Syria. (IOL)
- 2011–2012 Bahraini uprising: An increasing number of anti-government protests take place in Bahrain in the build up to the first anniversary of the start of the protests. (Al Jazeera)
- 2011–2012 Syrian uprising:
- The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan estimates that civilian deaths in the war in Afghanistan rose to a record level in 2011 of 3021 with insurgents responsible for most of the deaths. (AAP via Merald-Sun)
- Iran starts new military exercises as tensions rise over its nuclear program. (Washington Post)
- Egypt's tax authority building in Cairo is set alight as protests against the continuation of military rule carry on. (Al-Jazeera)
- Florence Green, the last known veteran from World War I, dies at the age of 110 in the United Kingdom. (Atlantic Wire)
Disasters
- Tens of thousands of people are stranded by floods in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland. (AFP via The West Australian)
- Filmmakers Mike deGruy of Santa Barbara, California and Andrew Wight of Victoria die in a helicopter crash in the Australian town of Berry, New South Wales. (The Daily Telegraph)
Law and crime
- Charlie White, the Secretary of State of the US state of Indiana, is convicted of multiple voter fraud related offences. (AP via Mercury News)
Politics and elections
- Three more Tibetan protesters set themselves on fire in Sichuan, China. (Straits Times)
- 2011–2012 Russian protests: Over 100,000 people protest for and against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow. (RIA Novosti)
- Julius Malema, formerly of the African National Congress Youth League, loses an appeal against a decision by South Africa's ruling African National Congress party to suspend him. (IOL)
- 2012 United States presidential election:
- Republican Party voters gather in Nevada for the party caucuses with Mitt Romney projected as the winner. (The Guardian) (NBC News)
- Republicans in the state of Maine start caucuses which will go on for a week. (WLBZ)