May 9, 2012 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Mexican Drug War:
- 15 mutilated bodies are found inside two abandoned SUVs in the state of Jalisco, a region that is under dispute between Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel. The Mexican authorities believe the massacre is a response by Los Zetas for the 2012 Nuevo Laredo massacres reportedly carried out by Joaquín Guzmán Loera (a.k.a. El Chapo), Mexico's most-wanted drug lord. (BBC) (Houston Chronicle)
- A bomb explodes in Daraa, Syria, near a convoy carrying several United Nations observers in the country. (BBC)
- Missile strikes kill eight militants near the Al-Qaeda stronghold of Jaar in southern Yemen. (Reuters)
Art and culture
- Mark Rothko's Orange, red, yellow sells at auction for $86.9 million at Christie's. (BBC)
- Andy Warhol's Double Elvis sells at an auction for $37 million at Sotheby's in New York City. (CNN)
Business and economics
- Portugal scraps four public holidays as an austerity measure. (BBC)
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is to close after 15 months due to slumped ticket sales. (BBC)
- The Jockey Club, British horse racing's largest commercial group, is to increase prize money after a rise in turnover and profits. (BBC)
Disasters
- 17 people are killed in a blaze at a clothing store in Butuan City, Philippines. (Manila Bulletin)
- A Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger jet disappears after taking off from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, with 44 people on board. (BBC) (CNN)
International relations
- India halts a plan to re-introduce cheetahs to the country by shipments from Africa. (Straits Times)
- Two Palestinian prisoners held in Israel enter the 71st day of their hunger strikes. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern about the condition of the hunger strikers. (Daily Mail) (UN News Centre)
Law and crime
- Adam Mayes, wanted by authorities on suspicion of four charges of kidnapping and two charges of first-degree murder, is spotted on store cameras in a Guntown, Mississippi store and is added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted List. (MSNBC)[permanent dead link]
- A Honduras radio journalist is kidnapped days after another journalist is killed. (Yahoo News)
Politics
- Jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko is moved to a hospital after a political compromise, and ends her hunger strike. (Reuters)
- United States President Barack Obama officially states that he supports the right for same-sex partners to marry. (CNN)
Sport
- Atlético Madrid defeat Athletic Bilbao in the 2012 UEFA Europa League Final in Bucharest to win the competition for the second time in three years. (BBC)
- Lionel Messi is embroiled in a racism scandal. (GOAL)