January 31, 2012 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- The People's Republic of China claims that 29 Chinese citizens abducted while working on a construction project in the Sudan are still missing. (AP via ABC News America)[permanent dead link]
- Taliban insurgents attack a Pakistani military post in Jogi with the Pakistani Army suffering seven casualties and another 10 soldiers killed. (AFP via Google News)
- An Afghan woman was killed by her husband and mother-in-law 3 months after giving birth to her third daughter after not producing a son. (New York Times)
- Six aid workers are kidnapped in Yemen's Al Mahwit Governorate. (CNN)
Business and economy
- Former Royal Bank of Scotland CEO Fred Goodwin loses his knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II as a result of the near collapse of the bank in 2008. (BBC)
Disasters
- A search continues off Turkey's Black Sea coast for eight missing crew members of the Cambodia-flagged freighter the Vera. (AP via The Washington Post)
- Italian divers end their search for victims in the Costa Concordia disaster in the underwater section of the wreck. (BBC)
- The Alaska Volcano Observatory raises its alert warning for the Cleveland Volcano after it starts forming a new lava dome indicating that the mountain could explode. (AP)
International relations
- 2011–2012 Syrian uprising: The Arab League calls on the United Nations Security Council to back its proposal for the President of Syria Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to his deputy and prepare for elections. (Reuters)
- The International Atomic Energy Agency gives its approval to nuclear reactor safety checks made by Japan. (Al Jazeera)
Politics and elections
- China tightens control of monasteries and on main roads in Tibet following deadly protests in the region. (Indian Express)
- Voters in the US state of Florida go to the polls for a Republican primary with Mitt Romney projected to win. (Washington Post), (Reuters)
- The Cabinet of Japan approves a bill to put a 40-year cap on the life of nuclear reactors following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. (AP)
- The Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu comfortably wins a leadership election for the Likud Party defeating Moshe Feiglin. (Jerusalem Post)
- Democratic Party candidate Suzanne Bonamici wins a special election to represent the 1st congressional district of Oregon in the United States House of Representatives. (The Oregonian via OregonLive)