July 8, 2011 (Friday)
Arts and culture
- Former First Lady Betty Ford, wife of former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford, dies at 93. (USA Today)
Business and economy
- A court in France announces a delay of an investigation into whether Christine Lagarde abused her authority as Finance Minister of that country. Lagarde is the new Director of the International Monetary Fund. (The New York Times)
Disasters
- Tropical Storm Calvin forms off the Pacific coast of Mexico. (National Hurricane Centre)
- A Hewa Bora Boeing 727 airliner crashes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo killing 74 people. (Reuters)
International relations
- The United Nations Security Council discusses sending a peacekeeping force to the Republic of South Sudan when it becomes an independent nation tomorrow. (AP via Washington Post)
Law and crime
- News of the World:
- Former editor of the News of the World, Andy Coulson, is arrested for questioning due to alleged involvement in a phone hacking affair. (The Guardian) (Sky News)
- Police also arrest former News of the World reporter Clive Goodman and raid the London offices of the Daily Star, Goodman's current employer. (Sky News)
- The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron announces that a judge will lead an inquiry into the scandal. (BBC)
- Prosecutors ask Strathclyde Police to investigate claims of phone hacking in Scotland by the News of the World. (BBC)
Politics
- A large protest with as many as a million people participating is planned for the Egyptian capital Cairo over perceived lack of progress since the 2011 Egyptian revolution. (Reuters)
Science
- The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off for the final mission of the US Space Shuttle program. (Reuters) (NASA)
Sport
- London Olympics
- More tickets go on sale for the 2012 Summer Olympics in the United Kingdom in the "second chance" phase. (BBC)
- The International Olympic Committee adopts a "no needle" policy preventing athletes from possessing syringes and other equipment that can be used for doping. (AP via USA Today)