July 12, 2010 (Monday)
- A new cap on the destroyed oil well is put in place, and will undergo more than 2 days of testing. (AP via MSNBC)
Armed conflicts and incidents
- Afghan rights group Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM) releases its report stating that 2010 has been the most violent in the landlocked country since the United States led an invasion in 2001, though notes a reduction in airstrikes - a policy favoured by former General Stanley A. McChrystal - has led to less civilian deaths via this method in 2010. (Aljazeera)
- A gunman opens fire at a fiber optics plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, killing two and wounding four before committing suicide. (AP via Yahoo)
- At least eight people are injured after a tornado strikes the German island of Duene in the North Sea. (BBC)
Science and environment
- Files indicate that GlaxoSmithKline knew Rosiglitazone (Avandia) had high heart risks since 1999, and made efforts to cover up the findings. (The New York Times)
- The UK Ministry of Defence unveils Taranis, its new long-range unmanned plane intended to damage enemy territory. Tests are due to begin in 2011. (BBC) (CBS News) (The Scotsman) (The Sun)
Politics and elections
- An Israeli military probe into the naval raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla praises the naval commandos who killed eight Turks and one Turkish-American but criticises poor Israeli intelligence that did not have a sufficient backup plan for its troops in the event that the Flotilla's passengers reacted violently to the raid. (BBC) (The Guardian) (Aljazeera) (The Independent)
- The United States is pleased after Russia suggests Iran could build a nuclear weapon in future, an unusual admission from Moscow. (Reuters)
- French President Nicolas Sarkozy goes on national TV to dismiss allegations that he received illegal campaign donations from Liliane Bettencourt. (BBC News) (France24)
- The United Kingdom Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley outlines a radical proposal to reform the country's National Health Service, including the privatisation of hospitals. (BBC News)
- The EU agree to impose tougher sanctions against member countries that violate the Stability and Growth Pact. (Channel NewsAsia)
Law and crime
- The U.S.internet search company Google agrees to submit to official Chinese censorship of "law-breaking content". (Aljazeera)
- Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman due to be stoned to death for adultery, is given a temporary stay of execution. (Aljazeera)
- The International Criminal Court charges Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with three counts of genocide for his role in the Darfur conflict. (Aljazeera) (AP) (BBC) (Japan Today) (The Independent)
- Cuba releases 7 political prisoners and sends them into exile in Spain, the first in a wave of 52. (AP via Google News)
- Italian military police general Giampaolo Ganzer is sentenced to 14 years imprisonment and fined €65,000 for drug smuggling between 1991 and 1997. (BBC)
Arts and entertainment
- Switzerland rejects a request from the United States to extradite Franco–Polish film director Roman Polanski to face sentencing on charges of unlawful sex with a minor in 1977. (The Daily Telegraph)
- Two Russian men, Andrei Yerofeyev and Yuri Samodurov, are convicted of inciting hatred for setting up a Forbidden Art exhibition at the Sakharov Museum. (BBC) (The Independent)
- Singer Jon Bon Jovi opts to continue with Bon Jovi's world concert tour despite tearing his calf muscle at the end of a concert in New Jersey. (Reuters)
Sport
- Spain's victorious 2010 FIFA World Cup "campeones" return to Madrid where they are met by millions of people in the streets, the royal family and politicians. (BBC) (The Australian)
- Paul the Octopus retires. (BBC)