Mayor Mayor of Toronto Rob Ford takes a leave of absence to help with substance abuse, according to his lawyer.
Nigeria Protesters in the Nigerian capital Abuja hold a "million woman" march over the mass kidnapping of schoolgirls by the Boko Haram terrorist group two weeks ago.
Indian general election One hundred and thirty-eight million people are to vote today in India. The fate of big politicians like, Sonia Gandhi, Narendra Modi, LK Advani and Arun Jaitley will be decided in today's polling.
Iraq Voters in Iraq go to the polls for parliamentary elections that have already been marred by violence from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Sawmill A shooting occurs at a sawmill in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, killing two people and injuring two others. A former employee is arrested.
Hassanal Bolkiah The Sultan of Brunei has announced a controversial new penal code that will eventually include stoning, amputation and flogging as punishments, as 'Phase one' of Islamic law.
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams is arrested by police for the murder of Jean McConville, a 37-year-old widowed mother of ten, who was abducted from her home in 1972.
Pensacola, Florida A gas explosion in a prison in the US town of Pensacola, Florida reportedly kills at least two people, injures 100 and forces an evacuation.
Ground stop A ground stop is issued by the Federal Aviation Administration for multiple airports in Southern California due to a computer issue.
India India has become the world's third-largest economy in purchasing power parity after the United States and China, moving ahead of Japan according to World Bank report. The last survey in 2005 had placed India in 10th place.
The attack An explosion in the Ürümqi Railway Station results in three people killed, with another 79 people injured.
Syrian civil war The Local Coordination Committees of Syria announces that 25 children were killed on Wednesday when Syrian army forces dropped barrel bombs on an elementary school.