Portal:Current events/2009 December 9
December 9, 2009 (Wednesday)
- An unexplained spiral light seen in the sky across large parts of Northern Norway confounds spectators. Authorities speculate that the light could come from a misfired Russian rocket, but Russian authorities deny this. (Daily Mail) (The Daily Telegraph)
- Thousands of Jewish settlers stage a protest at the curbs on settlement building in the West Bank. (BBC) (Xinhua) (Times of India)
- British Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling delivers the pre Budget report, with tax rises and spending cuts to reduce the government debt. (BBC) (Wall Street Journal)
- Irish Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan delivers the nation's Budget for 2010. (The Irish Times) (RTÉ) (BBC)
- The Irish Bishops Conference apologises for the sexual abuse suffered by its children after spending the first day of its winter conference examining the Murphy Report. (RTÉ) (Irish Independent) (Javno)[permanent dead link] (BBC)
- 24 people are charged with rebellion after 57 people were killed during the Maguindanao massacre in the southern Philippines last month. (Manila Bulletin) (Straits Times)
- A legal challenge to Ireland's abortion laws takes place at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. (RTÉ) (BBC)
- The Australian government is accused of "censorship" after it refuses visas to several North Korean artists who were to attend an international exhibition displaying their work. (The Times) (BBC) (AFP)
- India plans to secure its naval harbours with electric fences "against clandestine threats from the sea". (BBC)
- Chinese police recommend that prosecutors formally charge dissident Liu Xiaobo for "subversion of state power" after he was detained for a year without trial. (BBC) (Radio Television Hong Kong) (New York Times)
- Tens of thousands of people rally in several cities in Indonesia demanding the government do more to tackle political corruption. (CNN) (Xinhua) (Jakarta Post)
- Aung San Suu Kyi meets with an official from the military junta for the third time, as Burmese state media accuse her of being "dishonest". (Bangkok Post)[permanent dead link] (AP) (BBC)
- The United States government agrees to pay $3.4 billion to settle Cobell v. Salazar, a class-action lawsuit brought by Native American representatives who claimed that it has incorrectly accounted for Native American trust assets. (Los Angeles Times) (Xinhua) (Voice of America)
- For the first time since the return of democracy in 1986, the Congress of the Philippines is debating in a joint session to discuss whether to approve, revoke or extend the declaration of martial law in Maguindanao. (ABS-CBN News)
- North Korea announces for the first time an outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu virus in the country. (Yonhap) (Channel News Asia)