Portal:Current events/2014 December 11

December 11, 2014 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Taliban insurgency
- A Taliban suicide bomber kills at least six Afghan National Army soldiers in Tangi Tarakhil on the outskirts of Kabul. (AFP via France 24)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
- A suicide bomber attacks a cultural center putting on a play critical of terrorist attacks, killing a German national and wounding 16 others. (Reuters/AFP via ABC News Australia)
- The Obama Administration orders the closing of the last US-run detention facility in Afghanistan at the Bagram Airfield. (New York Daily News)
Islamist insurgency in Nigeria:
- Two bombs explode in the central Nigerian city of Jos with at least 40 people dead. (Reuters via Daily Mail)
A study by BBC World Service and King's College London finds the death toll from jihadist attacks during the month of November surpassed 5,000. (BBC)

Arts and culture

The oldest time capsule in the United States is unearthed at the Massachusetts State House. The capsule was first buried in the cornerstone by Samuel Adams in 1795 and reburied by Henry Gardner in 1855. Wrapped in cowhide, four silver coins fell out when it was found. (ABC), (CNN)
Director of the Holy See Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, announces that Pope Francis will hold a consistory for the creation of new cardinals Feb. 14-15, 2015. Fr. Lombardi spoke during a briefing with media at the end of the Council of Cardinals that met in the Vatican Dec. 9 – 11. (Catholic News Agency)

Disasters and accidents

The American state of California prepares for its worst storm in five years with schools closed in the San Francisco Bay Area. (USA Today)
Typhoon Hagupit (Ruby)
- The death toll from Typhoon Hagupit rises to 18. (Phil Star)

Law and crime

The National Truth Commission set up to investigate human rights abuses by the Brazilian military government of 1964-1985 draws a link between regime era killings and kidnappings to the high number of killings by today's police force. (AP via Washington Post)
Former British radio DJ Ray Teret is jailed for 25 years for a series of sexual assaults on 11 girls in the 1960s and 1970s conducted in association with Jimmy Savile. (Billboard)
British police charge Aravindan Balakrishnan or Comrade Bala with 25 offences including rape in relation to the Lambeth slavery case. (AP via CTV News)
Alleged Brazil serial killer, Sailson Jose das Gracas, confesses to 42 murders in Rio de Janeiro. (Reuters)
In R. v. Fearon, the Supreme Court of Canada rules by 4–3 vote that searching for cell phones without a warrant during an arrest does not violate the Section Eight of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. (Global News)

Politics and elections

2014 Hong Kong protests
- Authorities start clearing the main protest site in Hong Kong following a recent court order for protesters to vacate the site in Admiralty area. (Wall Street Journal)
The United States House of Representatives narrowly passes a budget spending bill to avoid a potential government shutdown. (NBC News)

Science and technology

The US Navy initiates the operation of laser weapons. The first use is to protect ships deployed in the Persian Gulf. (Military.com via FOX News)