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Worldwide current events
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Falcon 9 launch vehicle's first stage, following its successful landing

Falcon 9 rocket's first stage on the landing pad

After launching a Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX successfully lands the vehicle's first stage (pictured) in Cape Canaveral.
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the suspended presidents of FIFA and UEFA respectively, are banned from association football for eight years amid a corruption case.
More than 70 people are missing after a landslide in Shenzhen, China.
In the Spanish general election, the ruling People's Party, led by Mariano Rajoy, loses one third of its seats, but remains the largest single party.
Deep coal mining ceases in the United Kingdom with the closure of Kellingley Colliery.

Ongoing events:
- Syrian Civil War
- European migrant crisis
Recent deaths:
- Jimmy Hill
- Kurt Masur

December 27, 2015 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraq Civil War, Military intervention against ISIL, Battle_of_Ramadi_(2014–15)#Late-2015_encirclement_and_offensive
- The Iraqi army declares victory over Islamic State fighters as their forces retake an important government compound in Ramadi. (Reuters) (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season
- Storm Eva
  - Thousands of people are evacuated from their homes as flood waters continue to rise across large parts of northern England, with York particularly badly affected. (BBC)
Tornadoes of 2015
- At least 11 people are killed as tornadoes strike Dallas, Texas, and five people die in a flash flood in Illinois. A total of 34 people have died in this week's smörgåsbord of storms that started Wednesday. Mark Wiley of the National Weather Service says this rare run of December tornado storms in the South and Midwest, and spring-like temperatures across much of the North and East, in part to a strong El Niño. (USA Today) (AP via The Greeneville Sun)

December 26, 2015 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

At least one person is injured and another is arrested after a machete attack at Intu Bromley shopping centre in the United Kingdom during the busy annual Boxing Day sales. A motive or possible link to terrorism has not yet been established. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 Australian bushfire season
- A bushfire in Victoria state has destroyed 116 homes. The 2200-hectare Jamieson Track blaze razed 98 homes in Wye River and 18 at Separation Creek. The fire stopped just 500 meters short of Kennett River. A dousing of rain on Saturday was unlikely to do much in the long term as this blaze could continue into January or February, says emergency management commissioner Craig Lapsley. No injuries are reported. (Sky News) (BBC) (The Guardian)
2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season
- Storm Eva
  - Heavy rain from the fifth officially named storm of the season leads to serious flooding across Lancashire and Yorkshire in northern England. (BBC)
Tornadoes of 2015
- The death toll in the spring-like, tornado-laden storms that began Wednesday in the American South has risen to 18 with additional tornadoes hitting north-central Alabama Friday and one outside of Dallas, Texas, today. (NBC News) (USA Today)
December 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake
- Officials report at least four people died and more than 100 were injured, most in Pakistan, after Friday night's 6.3 magnitude earthquake in northeast Afghanistan. Casualty numbers may change since rescue teams have not reached all affected areas. (Latin American Herald Tribune)

December 25, 2015 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War, Russian military intervention
- Zahran Alloush, founder of Islamist rebel group Jaysh al-Islam (army of Islam), the group's deputy leader, and other officials die in Russian airstrikes on a meeting east of Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Jaysh al-Islam was one of the opposition groups at the December 10th conference that agreed on principles to guide peace talks, which both Bashar al-Assad and Russia rejected. (The News Hub) (BBC) (Irish Independent)

Business and economics

With the death of an 18-year-old killer whale at its San Antonio, Texas facility and the recent malfunction of the Sky Tower ride at its park in Orlando, Florida, SeaWorld’s problems in the wake of recent earning shortfalls, decline in attendance, and drop the values of its shares. In response, the company plans new pricing and attractions. (CNN) (CNN) (CNNMoney)

Disasters and accidents

December 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake
- At least 17 people are injured in Peshawar, Pakistan, and five people are hurt in Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. The epicenter is in Afghanistan's quake-prone Ishkashim district, a mountainous area where mainly impoverished farmers live in homes made with mud, according to Peshawar District Officer Muhmand Asim Khan. Other details about damage or casualties are not presently available. (NBC News) (CNN) (USGS) (BNO News)

International relations

Japan–South Korea relations
- South Korea announces that Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Seoul Monday to work toward a final settlement concerning sex slavery during World War II. The Nikkei reports that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe plans to create a new government-backed fund, containing over 100 million yen (US$831,200/£556,600) to help former South Korean "comfort women," and is also considering making an apology for the wartime sexual enslavement. (Reuters) (Bloomberg) (The Nikkei) (The Korea Times)
India–Pakistan relations
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is met by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore for a two-hour meeting. Modi's surprise stopover is the first since Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Pakistan in 2004. (CNN) (The Hindu)

December 24, 2015 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2015 Zaria Shia Massacre
- Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports Nigeria’s military has quickly buried the corpses of at least 300 Shia Muslims killed during raids at the house of Ibrahim Zakzaky in Zaria earlier in December. (BBC) (International Business Times)

Business and economy

Three business services companies are engaged in an auction to purchase Perot Systems from Dell. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

A fire at the Jizan General Hospital in Jizan, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 24 people and injures over 100. The blaze began on the first floor of the hospital which contains the maternity ward and intensive care unit. Government-controlled Al Ekhbariya television reports the cause of the fire seems to be electrical. (Al Jazeera) (The News Tribe) (Reuters) (Pakistan Today)
Tornadoes of 2015
- Officials report the casualties from yesterday's spring-like storm that triggered more than 20 tornadoes, destroyed homes, delayed and cancelled air flights, and caused power outages in the U.S. Midwest and Southeast have risen to at least 11 people killed with dozens injured. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant declares a state of emergency in areas affected by the storm. (NBC News) (Reuters)
Up to 100 people die in an explosion at an LPG gas plant in Nnewi, Anambra, in southern Nigeria. Sources indicate the accident was caused by a truck discharging its contents before the mandatory cooling time had expired. (BBC) (Vanguard)
Uruguay's National Emergencies System reports two people have died in flooding from heavy rains in its northern provinces, and almost 5,500 have been evacuated. The Uruguay River has risen close to three meters over safe levels in Paysandú, and almost four meters (13 feet) in Salto. (Fox News Latino) (Latin American Herald Tribune)

Health and medicine

The same day the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announces it is easing restrictions on medical research involving cannabidiol (CBD), a key component in marijuana, NYU Langone Medical Center researchers report a clinical trial suggests a pill containing CBD may reduce seizures for children and young adults with epilepsy. (CBS News) (Health Day via U.S. News & World Report) (Leafly.com)

International relations

Australia, the UK, France, and the United States, all issue security alerts for westerners in Sanlitun in the Chaoyang District of Beijing, a popular diplomatic and entertainment district. Chinese officials indicate they have taken appropriate measures in response to this information. (Reuters) (CNN) (Latin American Herald Tribune)

Law and crime

One person is shot and killed by a policeman at the Northlake Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. (TWC News)

Politics and elections

2016 United States federal budget, Iran hostage crisis
- The 53 Americans taken hostage in Tehran, Iran, in 1979, or their families, will receive compensation of $4.4 million each from the United States government as a result of a provision in the spending deal signed into law last week. (ABC News) (The Hill)

December 23, 2015 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
  - Amnesty International reports at least 200 civilians have been killed in Russian air strikes in Syria, indicating "serious failures by Russia to respect international humanitarian law". Moscow denies causing civilian deaths. (BBC)
Boko Haram insurgency
- An overnight raid by suspected Boko Haram militants on Niger's southern border town of Abadam, kills two Nigerien Army soldiers and three civilians. And, separately, a suicide-bomb attack on Lake Chad killed three of the attackers but no one else. A military convoy was also ambushed by militants in northern Cameroon, although there were no reported deaths. (Reuters)
Israeli-Palestinian conflict (2015)
- Two Palestinian attackers stab passers-by at the Old City's Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem, Israel, killing two and injuring one; the attackers are shot and killed by two Israeli Border Police officers. (CNN) (The Jerusalem Post)
2015 PKK rebellion
- Clashes continue between PKK militants and Turkish Army troops in the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakır in southeastern Turkey. At least one Turkish soldier is killed and several are wounded in a bomb attack. (Reuters)
Hacktivist collective Anonymous declares a cyber-war on Turkey, and claims responsibility for the major week-long cyber-attack between 14 and 21 December on Turkey, which it accuses of supporting the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and threatened additional attacks in case the alleged support continues. “We will continue attacking your internet, your root DNS, your banks and take your government sites down,” it said. “After the root DNS, we will start to hit your airports, military assets and private state connections. We will destroy your critical banking infrastructure,” the group added. (Hurriyet Daily News) (Independent)
Terrorism in Australia
- Australian police in Sydney arrest two men who, police say, were planning attacks on locations such as naval bases and police headquarters. New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn said Wednesday's activity brings the number of people arrested in connection with last year's Operation Appleby to 13. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (Reuters)

Arts and culture

The governments of Somalia, Tajikistan and Brunei ban celebrations of Christmas, with punishments ranging up to a five-year jail term. Each country has a majority-Muslim population. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

Tornadoes of 2015
- At least six people die and dozens injured as major storms, packed with tornadoes, move through the American South and Midwest. Three people died when a tornado hit northern Mississippi, one was killed in Arkansas and two more in Tennessee. Officials continue searching into the night for the missing. (CNN) (AP via The Washington Post) (Weather.com) (Reuters)

Health

South Korean MERS outbreak
- South Korea announces an end to the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak that has killed 36 people since May 2015. The virus infected 186 people, with nearly 17,000 people confined to their homes and thousands of schools temporarily closing at the peak of the largest MERS outbreak outside Saudi Arabia, where it first appeared in 2012. (AFP via FRANCE 24)

Brazilian health officials announce 2,400 babies (up from 147 in 2014) have been born this year with microcephaly, a neurological disorder that can result in incomplete brain development which can be caused by the mosquito-borne Zika virus, and advise would-be parents, especially in the country's northeast where most of the cases occurred, to avoid pregnancy. (CNN) (The Washington Post) (Medical Daily)

International relations

Yemeni Crisis
- The United Nations Security Council expressed “deep concern” at the number of violations of Yemen’s ceasefire. U.N. envoys warned that a fledgling peace process was hanging by a thread, and that Yemen faces permanent fragmentation if the conflict is not ended soon. (Reuters) (Time) (Saudi Gazette) (UN)

Law and crime

The public interest non-profit Cause for Action files a Freedom of Information Act request for United States Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter’s personal emails following his disclosure of using that account for official government emails, this in the wake of the former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton email controversy and the Office of Personnel Management data breach. The U.S. Federal Records Act restricts use of personal email for official business. (Federal Times)
A Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia report reveals that an agent with the Presidential Protective Service of the United States Secret Service had his weapon, shield, and other professional equipage stolen from his vehicle in broad daylight in downtown Washington, D.C. (CNN)
Russia issues an international arrest warrant for former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky on charges of organizing the murder of Vladimir Petukhov, mayor of Nefteyugansk in 1998. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Spanish general election, 2015
- Pedro Sánchez, leader of Spain's Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) rejects a pact with the ruling People's Party (PP). "We say 'no' to Rajoy and his policies," Sánchez told a news conference after meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. (Reuters)
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili unexpectedly announces his resignation, without giving any specific reason for his decision. (Civil Georgia)
Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović selects Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals executive Tihomir Orešković to be the new prime minister following the inconclusive November 8 election. The "technocrat" is the choice of conservatives and reformists, who have 78 parliamentary seats, enough for confirmation.

Science and technology

The United States National Center for Health Statistics reports the rate of twin births has hit an historic high. Researchers say the increase in twin births may be affected by changes in reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilization, and by more women giving birth later in life--a time when the occurrence of twins is higher. (Science World Report) (Daily Mail)

December 22, 2015 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi Civil War (2014–present), Battle of Ramadi
- The Iraqi Army advances into the center of Ramadi, the latest development in the effort, which began in November, to regain the city from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. (Reuters)
Islamist insurgency in Nigeria
- More than 1 million children have been forced out of school as a result of Boko Haram terrorism in northeastern Nigeria and its neighboring countries, which leaves the children more susceptible to violence, poverty and child marriage, Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF’s West and Central Africa regional director, said in a statement. (Huffington Post) (Reuters)
Mali declares a 10-day state of emergency effective at midnight, following a series of threats from unnamed jihadist groups, and last month's siege at a Bamako hotel, where 20 people were killed. (DW) (TV360Nigeria) (NDTV)

Business and economics

Turing Pharmaceuticals says that it is looking for a new CEO in the aftermath of the indictment of its old boss, Martin Shkreli, on securities fraud charges. Turing and Shkreli became infamous together in September 2015, when they hiked the price of an AIDS drug by 5000%. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

An Indian Border Security Force plane headed to Ranchi crashes just outside New Delhi, killing all 10 on board. The Super King Air turboprop aircraft hit an airport wall and landed in a small body of water. (Reuters) (AP via Fox News)
At least 30 people are injured from an explosion at a gas pipeline near Villahermosa, Mexico. (CNN)
European migrant crisis
- Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reports 11 migrants, including three children, drowned, and the Turkish coast guard rescued seven Syrians from a capsized boat headed to the Greek island of Samos. (AP via The Washington Post)

Health

The Philippines becomes the first country in Asia, and second in the world (after Mexico), to approve use of the dengue vaccine. (Rappler) (CNN)
According to industry sources, the Indian health ministry is considering Sanofi Pasteur's dengue fever vaccine for large-scale clinical trial exemption which would accelerate approval for marketing. India reported a record number of dengue fever cases this year. (The Economic Times)
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signs a decree fully legalizing medical marijuana. Growers must apply to the National Narcotics Council for a license. Earlier, Colombia decriminalized personal possession of up to 20 grams. (BBC) (VICE News)

Politics and elections

Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The Philippine Commission on Elections disqualifies presidential frontrunner Grace Poe, who is a rival of Mar Roxas, the candidate favored by President Benigno Aquino III. The move is widely believed to be politically motivated. (Inquirer), (GMA News),
- Petitioners alleged Poe doesn't meet the residency and citizenship requirments. The actual decision is still to be released. (CNN)
Central African constitutional referendum, 2015
- Central African Republic's National Election Authority announces voters approved (93%) the new constitution in the December 13 referendum. Amid sporatic violence, 39 percent of registered citizens voted in the two-day poll. The first round of the presidential elections and Parliamentary elections now can be held on December 27, 2015. Acting President Catherine Samba-Panza and current members of the legislature cannot participate. (Deutsche Welle) (Toronto Metro News)
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announces, effective February 1, 2016, that Virginia will no longer recognize concealed carry handgun permits from 25 (of the 30) states with reciprocity agreements with the commonwealth whose concealed handgun regulations are weaker than Virginia's. The state agreements with the other five states will not change. Virginia’s concealed carry permits will not be recognized by at least six states because they require mutual recognition of permits. (The Washington Post) (AP via Chicago Tribune)
Haitian presidential election, 2015, Haitian parliamentary election, 2015
- Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council postpones presidential and legislative runoff elections scheduled for Sunday, December 27, 2015. Authorities are waiting for findings from the not-yet-installed special commission evaluating the widely criticized first round of elections before determining how to proceed. (AP via The Washington Post) (Haitian-Caribbean News Network)

Science

American actor Nicolas Cage agrees to return to Mongolia a stolen dinosaur skull he bought in 2007 for $276,000. Cage says he was unaware the skull had entered the country illegally. (Reuters) (USA Today)
Falcon 9 Flight 20
- American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company SpaceX makes history by sending the first orbital rocket into space and landing the first stage back on the ground at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. (NBC News)

December 21, 2015 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- 2015 Bagram suicide bombing
  - A suicide-bomb attack on a joint Afghan-U.S. patrol near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan's Parwan Province, kills at least six U.S. soldiers and wounds another six. The Taliban's spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, claims responsibility for the attack in a message on Twitter. (Reuters) (The Washington Post)
- Taliban forces overrun the Sangin District in Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province following clashes with Afghan security forces which left dozens dead. Taliban militants have reportedly surrounded the local police compound with around 170 officers trapped inside the compound, according to a local official. (FRANCE 24)
- At least three rockets hit the capital Kabul, with two landing in the diplomatic zone of the Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood near the U.S. embassy building, while the other struck near the presidential palace complex. There were no reports of any casualties. (Reuters) (RT)
Terrorism in Kenya, War in Somalia
- At least two people are killed in an attack, near the north-eastern village of El Wak in Mandera County near the Somali border. A group of Kenyan Muslims traveling on a bus ambushed by suspected Al-Shabaab insurgents, protected Christian passengers by refusing to be split into groups, according to eyewitnesses. (BBC)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present), Military intervention against ISIL
- Around 20 people, including civilians and Islamic State militants, are killed in airstrikes on Mosul in northern Iraq. (Reuters)
2015 PKK rebellion
- Fighting continues to rage between the Turkish Army and PKK militants across southeastern Turkey, with the Kurdish-majority cities of Cizre and Silopi both becoming war zones as street-to-street fighting takes place. Turkish tanks shelled civilian houses in Silopi, while a Turkish military helicopter was damaged by PKK fire as it attempted to land in Cizre. Also, two Turkish soldiers were killed and six others wounded in a roadside bombing near the town of Bitlis. Many within Turkey are saying a civil war is now underway. (Al Jazeera)
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says military operations will continue in southeast Turkey and vowed that Kurdish rebels (PKK) along with their supporters, “will be buried in the trenches they have dug”. The state-run Anadolu Agency reports at least 115 PKK militants have been killed since December 15. (The Guardian)

Arts and culture

Pope Francis, in his annual pre-Christmas speech, urged the Roman Curia (cardinals and bishops who direct Holy See actions), to follow his "catalogue of virtues," e.g., to show more maturity, honesty, humility, and sobriety in their tasks. He listed "Curial antibiotics" to treat the "15 ailments of the Curia" he outlined last year and which still plague the Vatican. (AP via Berlin Record) (National Catholic Reporter)

Health and medicine

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifts the 32-year-old, lifetime ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. Men can donate if they haven't had sex with another man in the previous year. The FDA stance is in line with other countries, such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, and the U.K., and is consistent with rules on recent blood transfusion or accidental exposure to another individual's blood. (The Guardian) (The Washington Post) (FDA)

International relations

Armenia–Russia relations
- Russia reinforces the joint Armenian-Russian run Erebuni Airport, home to the Russian 3624th Air Base, with six attack and transport helicopters. The Russian Defence Ministry said the Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters had been transferred from a military base in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar Krai to the air base in Erebuni, Armenia. (Radio Free Europe)
War in Donbass
- The European Union extends Russian sanctions for interference in Ukraine another six months, until 31 July 2016. The EU says it's extending the sanctions because the Minsk peace accords would not be fully implemented by the end of this year. (Bloomberg) (Voice of America)

Politics and elections

Slovenian same-sex marriage referendum, 2015
- Slovenian voters reject a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the country with only 36% of registered voters supporting it, while over 63% of voters voted against the bill. (CNN)
Spanish general election, 2015
- In Sunday's elections, Spain's center-right ruling People's Party (PP) wins 123 seats (35.1%), and the center-left Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) takes 90 (25.7%) of the 350 seats in parliament, thereby ending Spain's two-party system since neither major party won an absolute majority. Turnout was 73 percent. Spain's new political forces, Podemos and Ciudadanos (C's), get 69 and 40 seats, respectively. Smaller parties split the remaining 28 seats, 17 to Catalonia parties which favor secession. It appears that a coalition government will be necessary. PSOE has declined to join the PP, which actually doesn't want that either. King Felipe, who ascended the throne in June 2014, is constitutionally empowered to mediate. (Stratfor) (Fortune) (International Business Times) (BBC)
United States presidential election, 2016, Republican Party presidential candidates, 2016
- South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham ends his campaign for the Republican Party nomination for President. During his campaign he has failed to poll above single digits nationally or in the early voting states. (USA Today)
Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom (Likud party) resigns because of allegations he sexually harassed several women during his career. Israel's attorney general has started an investigation of Shalom, who also resigned his Interior Minister position and Knesset seat. (Reuters) (UPI)
Future Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum
- President Massoud Barzani of Iraqi Kurdistan instructs senior party officials to work on preparations for holding a referendum to decide whether to secede from Iraq, a long-standing Kurdish aspiration. (Today's Zaman)

Sports

2015 FIFA corruption case
- FIFA's ethics committee issues an eight-year ban on President Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini from any football-related activity for a CHF 2,000,000 (£1.3m/US$2.02m) payment to Platini that Blatter approved. Ethics judges decided the pair, who were also fined, broke rules on conflict of interest, breach of loyalty, and offering or receiving gifts. Both men deny wrongdoing and intend to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). (BBC Sport) (Reuters) (Al Jazeera) (FIFA text via Channel NewsAsia)

More December 2015 events...

Ongoing events
Political War in Afghanistan Boko Haram insurgency Burundian unrest Iraqi Civil War Military intervention against ISIL American-led Iranian Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015) Lebanese anti-government protests Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Nepal fuel crisis PKK rebellion Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention Second Libyan Civil War Sinai insurgency South China Sea disputes Syrian Civil War American-led intervention Russian military intervention War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Sports 2015-16 UEFA Champions League 2015–16 La Liga season 2015–16 NBA season 2015–16 NHL season 2015–16 Premier League season More details on ongoing conflicts below edit sidebar

Recent deaths
December 25: Zahran Alloush 25: George Clayton Johnson 25: Jim Carlton 25: Robert Spitzer 24: William Guest 23: Don Howe 23: Bülent Ulusu 20: Patricia Elliott 19: Jimmy Hill 19: Greville Janner 19: Kurt Masur 18: Léon Mébiame 16: Gabre Gabric 16: Bob Krause 15: Licio Gelli 15: Kathy Secker 15: Harry Zvi Tabor 14: Scat Daddy 14: Glen Sonmor 14: Lillian Vernon 13: Benedict Anderson 13: John Bannon 12: Abu Ali al-Anbari 12: Jon Gadsby 12: Sharad Anantrao Joshi 12: Evelyn S. Lieberman 12: I. Howard Marshall 11: Harry Butler 11: John "Hot Rod" Williams 10: Ron Bouchard 10: Arnold Peralta 10: Dolph Schayes 9: Juvenal Juvêncio 8: Gus Gil 8: Alan Hodgkinson 8: Douglas Tompkins 8: John Trudell 8: Elsie Tu 7: Ko Chun-hsiung 7: Gerhard Lenski 7: Shirley Stelfox 6: Ken Beatrice 6: Nicholas Smith 6: Holly Woodlawn 5: Zafar Altaf 5: William McIlvanney 5: Hack Meyers 5: Tibor Rubin 5: Chuck Williams 4: Robert Loggia 4: Xu Ming 4: Yossi Sarid 3: Gladstone Anderson 3: Shared Belief 3: Scott Weiland 2: Sandy Berger 2: John Eaton 2: Gabriele Ferzetti 2: A. Sheriff 1: Joseph Engelberger 1: Jim Loscutoff November 30: Alex Kersey-Brown 30: Marcus Klingberg 30: Fatema Mernissi 30: Shigeru Mizuki 29: Wayne Bickerton 29: Joe Marston 28: Doug Lennox 28: Luc Bondy 28: Gerry Byrne 28: Marjorie Lord 28: Olene S. Walker 27: Maurice Strong 27: Philippe Washer 26: Amir Aczel 26: Eldzier Cortor 26: Guy Lewis 26: Tom Moss edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Africa Algeria, Tunisia and Niger Maghreb insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Katanga insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger Boko Haram insurgency Somalia Civil war South Sudan South Sudanese Civil War Sudan War in Darfur South Kordofan conflict Americas Colombian conflict Internal conflict in Peru Mexican War on Drugs Asia Afghanistan War China Xinjiang conflict India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Northeast India India and Pakistan Kashmir conflict Pakistan War in North-West Pakistan Balochistan conflict Philippines CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion Moro conflict Moro conflict in Sabah Southeast Asia Internal conflict in Burma Papua conflict South Thailand insurgency Europe Georgia Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgian–Ossetian conflict Chechen–Russian conflict North Caucasus insurgency War in Ingushetia Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Ukraine War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Middle East Arab–Israeli conflict Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Egypt Sinai insurgency Iran Iran–PJAK conflict Iraqi civil war American-led intervention in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq Syrian Civil War American-led intervention in Syria Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemeni crisis Houthi rebellion Al-Qaeda insurgency South Yemen insurgency edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent December 3: Denmark, EU referendum 3–5: Seychelles, President (1st round) 6: Armenia, Constitutional referendum 6: Venezuela, National Assembly 9: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, House of Assembly 13: Central African Republic, Constitutional referendum 16–18: Seychelles, President (2nd round) 18: Rwanda, Constitutional referendum 20: Slovenia, Same-sex marriage referendum 20: Spain, Cortes Generales Upcoming December 27: Central African Republic, President, National Assembly (1st round) 27: Haiti, President 30: Kiribati, House of Assembly (1st round) January 16: Taiwan, President, Legislative Yuan edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Brett Peter Cowan, Craig Thomson, Robert Hughes Brazil: Mensalão scandal Canada: Luka Magnotta China: Ji Jianye, Li Chuncheng, Jiang Jiemin, Liao Shaohua, Ni Fake, Chen Baihuai, Zhou Yongkang, Gu Junshan Croatia: Ivo Sanader Egypt: Hosni Mubarak, Peter Greste, Mohamed Morsi Germany: Bernie Ecclestone, Uli Hoeness, Christian Wulff Iran: Mohammad Reza Rahimi Israel: Hussam Qawasmeh Jordan: Abu Qatada Philippines: Joseph Scott Pemberton Romania: Liviu Dragnea, Dan Diaconescu Russia: Leonid Khabarov, Eston Kohver, Vladimir Kvachkov South Africa: Shrien Dewani, Oscar Pistorius Turkey: Kenan Evren, Tahsin Şahinkaya United Kingdom: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, Kweku Adoboli, Tony McCluskie, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Chris Huhne, Nicola Edgington, Vicky Pryce, Derek Rose, Mick Philpott, Mairead Philpott, Paul Mosley, Stuart Hazell, Mark Bridger, Andrew Lancel, Dale Cregan, Ray Wilkins, Liam Adams, R v Grillo and Grillo, Ian Watkins, William Roache, Dave Lee Travis, Nicholas Jacobs, Nigel Evans, Max Clifford, Stuart Hall, Dappy, Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson, Rolf Harris, Tulisa Contostavlos, Chris Denning, Ray Teret, Gary Glitter, Fred Talbot United States: Abu Hamza al-Masri, Michael Grimm, Jesse Jackson Jr., Bob McDonnell, Vilma Bautista, Jared Lee Loughner, Lauryn Hill, Kermit Gosnell, George Zimmerman, Chelsea Manning, Ariel Castro, Whitey Bulger, Robert Bales, Nidal Malik Hasan, Jodi Arias, Anas al-Libi, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, James Eagan Holmes, Sheldon Silver International ECCC: Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan ICC: Germain Katanga ICTY: Momčilo Perišić, Mladen Markač, Ante Gotovina, Zdravko Tolimir Ongoing China: Yao Mugen, Guo Youming, Zhu Zuoli Germany: Beate Zschäpe Iran: Babak Zanjani, Jason Rezaian Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Janet Lim-Napoles, Jovito Palparan Romania: Darius Vâlcov, Dan Șova, Elena Udrea, Radu Mazăre, Gheorghe Nichita, Marian Vanghelie, Cătălin Voicu, Relu Fenechiu, Gheorghe Ștefan, Gabriel Sandu, Dorin Cocoş, Dumitru Nicolae Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: MV Sewol crew members United States: Dean Skelos International ICTY: Radovan Karadžić, Ratko Mladić PCA: China Upcoming China: Wu Changshun, Ling Jihua Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Spain: Lionel Messi United States: Paul Anthony Ciancia, Javaris Crittenton, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Dylan Quick, Aaron Hernandez, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Rick Perry International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo edit sidebar