Anthropologist Anthropologists claim to have proven that Yersinia pestis was responsible for the Black Death in Medieval Europe.
Cosmonaut Two Russian cosmonauts, Aleksandr Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka, and American astronaut Scott Kelly leave on mission Soyuz TMA-01M for the International Space Station from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Murray-Darling Basin Authority The Australian Murray-Darling Basin Authority issues a report calling for water consumption in the 19 catchments of the Murray–Darling basin to be cut by up to half.
North Korea A senior North Korean official, Yang Hyong Sop, confirms that Kim Jong-un will succeed his father Kim Jong-il in an interview with the Associated Press.
U.S. National Security Advisor United States National Security Advisor General James L. Jones announces his resignation effective in two weeks; his deputy Thomas E. Donilon is expected to replace him.
Burma The Supreme Court in Burma agrees to hear an appeal by Aung San Suu Kyi against her house arrest.
Chief of Army Staff Pakistani army Chief of Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani orders an investigation into a video showing the firing squad execution of 6 blindfolded Pakistanis by men dressed in what appear to be Pakistani army uniforms.
International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court orders the resumption of the war crimes trial of Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga, who is on trial for using children under the age of 15 to fight for his militia during the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Arab League Arab League leaders meeting in Libya announce their support for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's decision to stop peace talks with Israel over Israe]'s recently expired moratorium on construction in the West Bank.
Breakfast TVNZ "Breakfast" race row: New Zealand issues an apology to India's External Affairs ministry over the "gratuitous and insulting" behaviour of its now suspended broadcaster Paul Henry, who works for the government-owned corporation television network TVNZ.
Winner Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu remarks in a press release that the Nobel Peace Prize has been "desecrated" and this event could damage ties between the countries.
Imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo is announced as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. China blocks internet coverage of the award.
Wen Jiabao Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao holds talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara.
Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze One person died and 42 others remain hospitalized in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze. Over 100 people, mostly tourists and hotel staff, were affected.
Malta Maltese chemical tanker YM Uranus is reported to be sinking following a collision with the Panamanian cargo ship "Hanjin Rizhao" off the coast of Brittany, France.
Accident earlier this month MAL Hungarian Aluminium Production and Trade Company, the company responsible for the Ajka alumina plant accident in Hungary, offers $150,000 for local authorities to help deal with the disaster while not admitting fault.
Greenpeace say samples taken in Kolontár indicate "surprisingly high" levels of toxic substances, including arsenic, chrome and mercury.
2 more corpses are discovered, bringing the death toll to 7, as Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán plays down the disaster on the Danube.
Wen Jiabao Premier Wen Jiabao of the People's Republic of China denies reports that China is using its control over minerals crucial to high technology (called "rare-earth") as a bargaining chip, especially in a dispute with Japan over Japan's arrest of a Chinese fishing-boat captain
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates announces that it will not implement a proposed ban on all BlackBerry services due to go into effect from next year.
Gospel United States gospel music singer Albertina Walker, known as the "Queen of Gospel" dies in Chicago.
Israeli–Palestinian conflict Two Palestinian boys stoning an Israeli car in Shiloach are hurt when the driver of the car, the director of the Ir David Foundation, crashes into them while trying to escape the crowd of youths stoning his car. One of them is hospitalized.
Two Hamas militants are killed, several others are injured and more are detained in an overnight Israeli military raid on Hebron in the Palestinian territories. A Hamas-affiliated group, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, threatens revenge attacks.
Taiwan A Taiwanese ship initially believed to have been hijacked off the coast of Madagascar is later found safe.
Islamic terrorist German officials say that Islamic militants whose disclosures have triggered a Europe-wide terror alert, have links to the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.
Kunduz Province At least 16 people, including the governor of Kunduz Province, Mohammad Omar, are killed in a bombing.
Khyber Agency Several militants are killed in Khyber Agency when security forces targeted militant hideouts with gunship helicopters.
Xinjiang Four miners were killed and another was seriously injured after a colliery collapsed in Xinjiang. A pit owned by Xinjiang Shenhua Tiandian Mining in Hutubi County in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture caved in.