Portal:Current events/2012 December 20

December 20, 2012 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says there is no prospect of an end to the conflict in Syria. (Al Jazeera)
2012 Northern Mali conflict:
- The United Nations Security Council authorises African-led military intervention in northern Mali to oust Islamists and help reunify the country. (France 24)

Business and economy

Disasters and accidents

The midwestern United States is hit by a massive storm causing major disruption to traffic. (AP via Time)
The UN refugee agency reports at least 55 people have drowned after an overcrowded boat capsizes off the coast of Somalia on 18 December. (Reuters) (BBC) (CNN) (Al Jazeera)

International relations

Julian Assange issues a statement to supporters from a balcony of London's Ecuadorean embassy, in which he refers to the U.S. Pentagon's recent description of the existence of WikiLeaks as an "ongoing crime" and suggests it is the intention of WikiLeaks to release a million more documents in 2013. (BBC)
ASEAN members and India conclude free trade agreements in services and investment. (Bangkok Post)^{[permanent dead link‍]}

Law and crime

Police in China arrest almost 1,000 people belonging to the doomsday Almighty God Christian cult for spreading rumours about the end of the world. (BBC)
Dozens of Michigan schools close early for holidays, sending home 80,000 students, due to rumors related to the Mayan doomsday and the Connecticut shooting. (Detroit News) (NY Times)
A U.S. soldier who urinated on the corpse of a dead Afghan combatant is sentenced to 30 days in jail after admitting his action at a court martial. Reports suggest he will not be sent to jail because of a plea deal reached with military prosecutors. (BBC)
Laos denies knowledge as to the fate of missing activist Sombath Somphone, who disappeared last week in the capital Vientiane. (AFP via Google News)
Former Rwandan minister Augustin Ngirabatware is sentenced to 35 years imprisonment for his role during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. (CNN)

Sport