January 18, 2012 (Wednesday)
Disasters
- Italian cruise ship captain Francesco Schettino admits having made navigational errors that led to the capsizing of the Costa Concordia in Italian waters on January 13, killing at least 11 people. (BBC)
Law and crime
- Severed human hands and feet are found near the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, California, close to where a man's severed head was recently discovered. Los Angeles police continue their search for more body parts connected with the case. (Huffington Post)
- Federal prosecutors in the United States charge seven people with insider trading in shares of computer firm Dell Inc., alleging that the ring made a criminal profit of nearly $62 million. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Protests against Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act:
- Several major websites, including Reddit and the English Wikipedia, undergo blackouts in protest against controversial internet legislation proposed by the United States Congress. The two pieces of legislation in question are designed to combat online piracy, but are feared to inadvertently threaten online innovation and freedom of speech. (New York Times)
- A number of American lawmakers, including SOPA co-sponsor Marco Rubio, withdraw their support for the SOPA proposal. (BBC) (O'Reilly Radar) (Washington Post)
- The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousuf Raza Gilani, appears before Pakistan's Supreme Court, facing contempt proceedings that could see him barred from holding public office if found guilty. (BBC)
Science
- A new Neptune-sized exoplanet is discovered by an amateur astronomer in Peterborough, England. (BBC)