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Worldwide current events
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Breitscheidplatz Christmas market

The United Nations Security Council adopts a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Syrian government forces retake control of the besieged areas of Aleppo.
More than 30 people are killed by government security forces as protests break out across the Democratic Republic of the Congo following Joseph Kabila's refusal to step down after the completion of his scheduled term in office.
An explosion at a fireworks market in Tultepec, Mexico, kills at least 32 people and injures more than 50 others.
A terrorist attack kills 12 people and injures 56 others, as a stolen truck is rammed into a Christmas market (pictured) in Berlin, Germany.

December 25, 2016 (Sunday)

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Arts and culture

Pope Francis pleads for peace in a Christmas Mass in the Vatican. (Voice of America )

Disasters and accidents

2016 Southern Chile earthquake
- A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Chile spurs tsunami warnings. (BBC)
2016 Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 crash
- A Russian Tu-154 military passenger airplane carrying 91 people including the Alexandrov Ensemble crashes into the Black Sea shortly after takeoff from Sochi. The airplane was headed towards Khmeimim, Syria. The Russian Armed Forces are actively involved in the Syrian Civil War. (The Telegraph), (Al Jazeera), (FOX News)
2016 Pacific typhoon season
- Typhoon Nock-ten (Nina) strikes the Philippines. (BBC)
The German city of Augsburg is evacuated after a World War II-era explosive is discovered in the town. (The New York Times)

Health

Pregnancy
- Medical research reveals shrinkage in mother’s brain as a result of pregnancy. Shrinking in regions indicate that loss of gray matter in these regions become more specialized for efficiency which helps a new mother better care for her baby and links to long-term changes in brain. (Science News Org), (Nature)

International relations

Afghanistan's first female Air Force pilot Niloofar Rahmani files for asylum in the United States. (Reuters)
Pakistan releases Indian fishermen caught in its territory as a gesture of goodwill. (Deutsche Welle)

Law and crime

2016 Turkish purges
- Turkey probes around 10,000 social media users allegedly for "terrorism." (BBC)
A producer of Al Jazeera is arrested in Egypt. (Reuters)

December 24, 2016 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- President Muhammadu Buhari announces that the Nigerian Armed Forces have successfully driven out Boko Haram militants from their last stronghold in the Sambisa Forest in northeastern Nigeria. (BBC News) (Business Insider)

Disasters and accidents

A passenger bus carrying 46 people, mostly school groups from Tonga, crashes in the Gisborne Region of New Zealand, approximately 30 kilometers south of the city of Gisborne. Two people died while several were injured, with some still hospitalized. (New Zealand Herald)

December 23, 2016 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- The bodies of over 100 Syrian Army POWs are reportedly found in what was the last rebel held territory of East Aleppo. Syrian Army officers claim they were executed by rebel forces. (Al-Masdar News)
2016 Berlin attack
- The 24-year-old Tunisian who is suspected of driving the truck that smashed through a Berlin market is killed in a shoot-out in Milan. (Reuters)
Afriqiyah Airways Flight 209
- An Afriqiyah Airways flight originating from Sabha, Libya, is hijacked and forced to make an emergency landing in Malta. Hijackers threaten to blow up the aircraft with grenades, but the standoff ends peacefully with all hostages released and both hijackers surrendering. (Chicago Tribune)

Arts and culture

Carrie Fisher, the actress best known for the role of Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, suffers a massive heart attack while on a flight and is rushed to a hospital near Los Angeles International Airport in critical condition. (Mirror)

Business and economy

As new Libyan production comes on line, the world price of crude oil falls below $55 a barrel. (Reuters)

Health

Convicted former Philippines president and current mayor of Manila Joseph Estrada is hospitalized for pneumonia. (Rappler)

International relations

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334
- The United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power abstains from voting in a 14–0 Security Council decision condemning Israeli settlement of the Palestinian territories. (The Washington Post)

Law and crime

Terrorism in Australia
- Australian police raid several Melbourne properties and arrest seven Arab Australian men, who were believed to be plotting a terrorist attack on several sites in Melbourne for Christmas Day, thereby preventing what would have been one of Australia's most serious terrorist incidents. (ABC News)

December 22, 2016 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War, Battle of Aleppo (2012–16)
- The Syrian Army says it is now in full control of the city of Aleppo following the evacuation of the last group of rebels to the Idlib Governorate. (BBC)
Yemeni Civil War
- Seven Pakistani crew members on Iranian cargo ship MV Joya, sailing from Egypt to Dubai, UAE, are killed in a rocket attack off Yemen's coast. (The News) (ARY News tv)

Business and economy

Residents of the economically struggling town of Pinos Puente in Granada, Spain, win the El Gordo lottery. (BBC)

Health

A vaccine for the ebola virus is discovered to be 99.78%–99.87% effective. (NPR)

International relations

U.S. president-elect Donald Trump calls President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, who then agrees to postpone a United Nations resolution regarding Israel. (al-Jazeera)

Law and crime

As many as 80 inmates take over a section of HM Prison Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. (BBC)
Philippine Drug War
- The Commission on Human Rights launches an investigation into alleged murders committed by current Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte. (BBC)
Claremont murders
- A man is charged in Australia for allegedly committing the 20-year old crimes. (The Australian)
U.S. president Barack Obama scraps the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), a registration system for Muslim immigrants. (The Washington Post)

Politics and elections

Presidential transition of Donald Trump
- President-elect Donald Trump names his former presidential campaign manager Kellyanne Conway as his Counselor to the President. (The Guardian)
- President-elect Donald Trump names RNC Communications director Sean Spicer as White House Press Secretary, and Jason Miller as the White House Communications Director. (CNN)
South Korean presidential election, 2017
- United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and liberal candidate Moon Jae-in plan to contest the position vacated by Park Geun-hye. (Reuters) (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Science and technology

It is discovered that the Limusaurus dinosaur shed its teeth as it matured. (The Guardian)

December 21, 2016 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Terrorism in Indonesia
- Indonesian police kill three people in a gunfight south of Jakarta after a bomb is found. Fourteen people are arrested in connection to alleged involvement in plans for suicide bomb attacks. (Reuters) (Reuters² via Free Malaysia Today)
2016 Berlin attack
- German officials offer a reward of up to 100,000 euros ($104,000) for 24-year-old Tunisian asylum-seeker Anis Amri, whose identifying information was found in the truck used in the attack. (Reuters)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- Five people are killed in a Taliban attack on Afghan Member of Parliament Mir Wali's home in Helmand Province. At least three security guards and two civilians were killed in the assault; Wali and others were injured. The gunmen are holding a number of occupants hostage. (PressTV) (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- Northern Raqqa offensive
  - U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces advance to eight kilometers (five miles) from the largest prison held by ISIL near the Tabqa Dam. (Straits Times)

Arts and culture

Musician James Taylor cancels a concert in Manila to protest the ongoing drug war. (Billboard)

Business and economy

The U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority fines several companies, including Wells Fargo, RBC Capital Markets, and LPL Financial, a combined $14.4 million for record-keeping problems that could have allowed company and customer documents to be altered. (Reuters)
Uber suspends tests of its self-driving cars in San Francisco, California, after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the registration of the vehicles in the state in response to two red-light violations. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

2016 San Pablito Market fireworks explosion
- Authorities say the death toll is now 31, and that 47 of the 60 people injured remain hospitalized. (Los Angeles Times)

Health

Sindh Government officials declare a health emergency in Malir, Karachi, as thousands of patients have been affected by the mysterious Chikungunya virus. The government states the aedes aegypti mosquito is responsible for spreading the Chikungunya virus in Pakistan's largest city. (Geo tv) (Daily Pakistan) (Dunya News tv)

International relations

China–Mongolia relations
- Mongolia bans the 14th Dalai Lama from leisure in the country after China cancels a Mongolian loan. (The New York Times) (AP via ABC News)
International recognition of Taiwan, One-China policy
- São Tomé and Príncipe breaks relations with the island country of Taiwan. (BBC)
Russia–United States relations, 2016 United States election interference by Russia
- The Kremlin says almost all communications channels with the United States are frozen. The U.S. State Department says the dialogue with Russia continues despite their differences. (Reuters) (The New York Times)

Law and crime

A bill protecting the rights of LGBT in the Philippines is finally up for debate 17 years after being first introduced in the upper legislature with the 2014 killing of a transwoman as the reason for its urgency. (Rappler)
Operation Car Wash
- Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht and affiliated petrochemical company Braskem plead guilty of violating American foreign bribery laws in connection with the Petrobras deal. (Reuters)
A federal jury orders DuPont to pay $2 million to a man with testicular cancer after finding the company liable for diseases linked to C8, a Teflon-making chemical. (Reuters) (CNBC)

Politics and elections

Two activists are arrested in Indonesia for advocating West Papuan independence. (Radio New Zealand)
2016 Turkish purges
- Turkey suspends another 1,980 teachers and school employees for alleged connections to the coup attempt. (Reuters)
Gambian presidential election, 2016
- Gambia's Chief Justice sets January 10, 2017, for the hearing by the Supreme Court, made up of judges from Nigeria and Sierra Leone, of President Yahya Jammeh's ruling party's legal challenge of the December 1 election results. (Reuters)
Presidential transition of Donald Trump
- President-elect Donald Trump names Carl Icahn as the Special Advisor to the President on Regulatory Reform. (The Hill)

Science and technology

Snow falls in the Sahara desert for the first time in 37 years. (CNN)

December 20, 2016 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Assassination of Andrei Karlov
- Six people are arrested in Ankara for alleged involvement in the murder of Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey. (Reuters via ABC News Australia)
Aleppo offensive (November–December 2016)
- The International Committee of the Red Cross claims that 25,000 residents of the rebel-held territories have been evacuated from Aleppo as Hezbollah warns remaining residents in the former rebel enclave to leave "as quickly as possible". (AP)
2016 Berlin attack
- The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility via Amaq News Agency for the truck attack in Berlin, Germany, which left at least 12 people dead and 49 injured. (BBC)
Philippine Drug War
- A news publisher is allegedly killed in the Philippine province of Catanduanes after publishing a story about the controversial drug purge campaign. (Committee to Protect Journalists)
Four police officers and one suspect have been killed following a raid on an apartment near Al-Karak in Jordan. Two more suspects have been arrested under suspicions of connections with Sunday's attack in the city by the Islamic State. (Al Jazeera)
December 2016 Congolese protests
- Clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters demanding the resignation of President Joseph Kabila reportedly leave more than 20 people dead in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Tupac Shakur, Joan Baez, and most of the members of Pearl Jam are to receive honors in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

2016 San Pablito Market fireworks explosion
- An explosion at a fireworks market in the city of Tultepec near Mexico City, kills at least 29 people and injures at least 70 others. Pyrotechnics is a major industry in Tultepec. (CBS Local) (CNN) (AP and NBC News)
2016–17 UK and Ireland windstorm season
- The Met Office issues warnings for parts of Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland as Storm Barbara prepares to make landfall. (The Telegraph)
An Aerosucre Boeing 727-200 Flight 4544, used as a cargo plane, crashes shortly after takeoff in Puerto Carreno's Germán Olano Airport en route to the Colombian capital Bogota killing five people and injuring one. (ABC Australia)

International relations

China–United States relations
- The People's Republic of China returns a United States unmanned underwater drone that it seized in the South China Sea last week. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Indonesia arrests hundreds of protesters in Indonesian Papua. (teleSur)

Science and technology

U.S. President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau jointly ban offshore oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean and parts of the Atlantic coast. (Washington Examiner) (Toronto Star)

December 19, 2016 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Assassination of Andrei Karlov
- The Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov is killed in a gun attack at an art gallery in Ankara. Russia calls the assassin, 22-year old police officer, Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, a "terrorist". Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu goes to Moscow for a planned trilateral meeting on Syria, saying "the incident will not impact relations between Turkey and Russia". (Reuters) (Daily Mirror UK) (New York Times) (Sputnik)
2016 Berlin attack
- Twelve are killed and more than 50 others are injured as a truck rams into a packed Christmas market in Breitscheidplatz, Berlin, Germany. A suspect has been arrested in connection with the attack. (Aljazeera) (Reuters)

Business and economy

Regulators in the European Union initiate a "public consultation" on Big Data looking at whether more regulation or supervision of the collection of high volumes of information on individuals is appropriate. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Companies shut down production in Beijing and cars are taken off the road after a red alert for smog is issued in northern China. Dozens of cities have closed schools due to the smog. (AP)

Law and crime

Polish protesters block the parliament in order to prevent the possibility of legalizing restrictions on press freedom. (The Washington Post)
A court in Paris finds International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde guilty of negligence in a 404 million euro "misuse of public funds" case. The court ruled that Lagarde won't be fined, won't serve any jail time, or receive a criminal record. The IMF Executive Board "looks forward to continuing to work with" her. (The New York Times) (CNN) (Fortune) (The Daily Telegraph)
2016 Zürich attack
- Three people are shot by a gunman at an Islamic centre near the Zürich Hauptbahnhof train station. A manhunt was conducted for the assailant, a 24-year-old Swiss citizen of Ghanian descent, whose body was was found close to the Islamic centre. (GlobalNews)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016
- Amidst a concerted effort to persuade electors to choose another candidate, Donald Trump earns the required Electoral College votes to be selected as the next President of the United States. (New York Times)
- A record number of electors break ranks and do not vote for their assigned candidate. Two electors from Texas vote for John Kasich and Ron Paul. Some of the electors from Washington cast three votes for Colin Powell and one vote for Faith Spotted Eagle. One elector from Hawaii votes for Bernie Sanders. (Politico)

Science and technology

ALPHA, a CERN experiment, has observed for the first time the spectrum of antihydrogen. (CERN)

More December 2016 events...

Ongoing events
Business Indian currency demonetisation Trans-Pacific Partnership Volkswagen emissions scandal Yahoo! data breaches Disasters Flint water crisis Oklahoma earthquake swarms UK and Ireland windstorm season Law Black Lives Matter protests Dakota Access Pipeline protests Philippine Drug War Timor Gap PCA hearings Political Brexit aftermath Ethiopian protests European migrant crisis (timeline) Presidential transition of Donald Trump South China Sea disputes More details on ongoing conflicts below Sport 2016–17 NBA season 2016–17 NHL season 2016 NFL season 2016–17 Premier League 2016–17 La Liga edit sidebar

Recent deaths
December 24: Rick Parfitt 22: Franca Sozzani 20: Michèle Morgan 19: Lionel Blue 19: Dick Latessa 18: Zsa Zsa Gabor 18: China Machado 17: Lawrence Colburn 17: Henry Heimlich 15: Craig Sager 13: Thomas Schelling 13: Alan Thicke 12: E. R. Braithwaite 12: Anne Deveson 12: Shirley Hazzard 12: Javier Echevarría Rodríguez 12: Walter Swinburn 10: Ken Hechler 10: Bill Dineen 10: A. A. Gill 8: John Glenn 8: Joseph Mascolo 8: Peter van Straaten 7: Warren Allmand 7: Cho Ramaswamy 7: Paul Elvstrøm 7: Junaid Jamshed 7: Greg Lake 6: Rashaan Salaam 6: Peter Vaughan 5: Jayalalithaa 3: Rémy Pflimlin 2: Sammy Lee 1: Don Calfa 1: Joe McKnight edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Africa Algeria and Tunisia Maghreb insurgency ISIL insurgency in Tunisia Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria Boko Haram insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Somalia Civil war South Sudan Ethnic violence (South Sudanese Civil War) Sudan War in Darfur South Kordofan conflict Sudanese nomadic conflicts Americas Mexico Mexican War on Drugs Peru Internal conflict in Peru Asia Afghanistan Afghanistan War China Xinjiang conflict India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Northeast India India and Pakistan Kashmir conflict Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines Moro conflict Cross border attacks in Sabah Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Papua conflict Myanmar Internal conflict in Myanmar Pakistan War in North-West Pakistan Balochistan conflict Philippines CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion Thailand South Thailand insurgency Europe Armenia and Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Georgia Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgian–Ossetian conflict Russia Chechen–Russian conflict North Caucasus insurgency Ukraine War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Middle East Egypt Sinai insurgency Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria Arab–Israeli conflict Iran Iran–PJAK conflict Iraq American-led intervention in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq Iraq and Syria (map) Military intervention against ISIL Israel and Lebanon Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israel and Palestine Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Syria American-led intervention in Syria Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War Turkish military intervention in Syria Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemen Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Al-Qaeda insurgency edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent December 1: Gambia, President 4: Austria, President (2nd round) 4: Italy, Constitutional referendum 4: Uzbekistan, President 7: Ghana, President, Parliament 11: Kyrgyzstan, Referendum 11: Macedonia, Assembly of the Republic 11: Romania, Chamber of Deputies, Senate 15: Turks and Caicos, House of Assembly 18: Côte d'Ivoire, National Assembly edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara Cambodia: Sam Rainsy China: Wan Qingliang, Ling Jihua, Zhoi Bin, Guo Boxiong Iran: Babak Zanjani Netherlands: Geert Wilders Philippines: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Nur Misuari, Joel Villanueva Romania: Liviu Dragnea, Gheorghe Ștefan, Gabriel Sandu, Dorin Cocoş, Dumitru Nicolae Spain: Lionel Messi United Kingdom: Chris Denning, Adam Johnson, Ched Evans United States: Bob McDonnell, Paul Anthony Ciancia International ICTY: Radovan Karadžić Ongoing China: Bai Enpei, Pan Yiyang, Yang Weize Germany: Beate Zschäpe Indonesia: Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Mary Jane Veloso Pakistan: Waseem Azeem, Mufti Abdul Qawi Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Leila de Lima, Rodrigo Duterte, Jovito Palparan Romania: Darius Vâlcov, Dan Șova, Elena Udrea, Radu Mazăre, Gheorghe Nichita, Marian Vanghelie, Cătălin Voicu Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil United States: Etan Patz United Kingdom: Rolf Harris International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo ICTY: Ratko Mladić Upcoming China: Wu Changshun Egypt: Mohamed Morsi Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi United States: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Rick Perry, Bill Cosby edit sidebar