Portal:Current events/December 2018
December 2018 was the twelfth and final month of that common year. The month, which began on a Saturday, ended on a Monday after 31 days.
Portal:Current events
This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from December 2018.
Disasters and accidents
International relations
- 2018 China–United States trade war
- The White House announces that the United States and China agree to halt new trade tariffs for 90 days to allow for talks. (BBC) (NBC News)
Politics and elections
- Presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador
- Andrés Manuel López Obrador is sworn in as the 58th President of Mexico. (The Guardian)
- Yellow vests movement
- Protesters clash with police in Paris. (Reuters)
- 2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis
- Jordi Sànchez, jailed Catalan separatist leaders accused of rebellion, start a hunger strike. (The Washington Post) (The New York Times)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- A senior Taliban commander, Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund, is killed in a U.S. air strike in Afghanistan. (BBC)
- Papua conflict
- At least 19 people
Politics and elections
- COP24
- The 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change convenes in Katowice, Poland. (BBC News)
- At least 65,000 people gather in Brussels, Belgium, in a march for more action on protecting the climate. (De Standaard)
- The
- Elections in Spain, 2018 Andalusian regional election
- The Socialist and current regional President Susana Díaz wins the election, but loses 14 seats. (El Mundo)
- The far-right and anti-immigration Vox enters a legislative chamber after winning 12 seats, for the first time in the history of Spanish democracy. (CNN) (The New York Times)
Sport
Business and economy
- Qatar announces that it is withdrawing from OPEC in January 2019, after almost 60 years of membership, to focus on natural gas production. (The Guardian)
Law and crime
- The FBI raids the house of Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam. (The New York Times)
Politics and elections
- Death and state funeral of George H. W. Bush
- The body of former
- The United States Postal Service announces it will suspend regular mail deliveries, retail services and administrative office activity on December 5 as part of President Trump's declared national day of mourning. (CNN)
- 2017-18 Spanish constitutional crisis
- Jailed Catalan independentists leaders
Science and technology
- 2018 in spaceflight
- NASA's space probe OSIRIS-REx arrives at the asteroid Bennu. (The New York Times)
- Soyuz MS-11 successfully launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan carrying Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, NASA astronaut Anne McClain, and CSA astronaut David Saint-Jacques for Expedition 58 to the International Space Station. (CBC)
Sport
- 2018 Ballon d'Or
- In association football, Croatian midfielder Luka Modrić wins the Ballon d'Or and becomes the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award since Kaká in 2007. (Reuters)
- Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg wins the inaugural Women's Ballon d'Or. (The Guardian)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Operation Northern Shield
- Israel announces an operation to clear Hezbollah tunnels from Lebanon-Israeli border. (The Times of Israel)
Arts and culture
- Russians vote to rename the two main airports of Moscow, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo, after poet Alexander Pushkin and scientist Mikhail Lomonosov, respectively. (TASS)
Law and crime
- The alleged boss of the Cosa Nostra mafia clan is arrested along with 45 suspected accomplices in the province of Palermo, Italy. They are accused of aggravated extortion. (Euronews)
Politics and elections
- Yellow vests movement
- Following large protests against French President Emmanuel Macron's planned increases on fuel taxes, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announces that these plans will be suspended for at least six months. (Bloomberg)
- Brexit negotiations
- The Government of the United Kingdom is found to be in contempt of parliament for the first time in history. The motion, which passed by 311 to 293 votes in the House of Commons, was triggered by Theresa May's government failing to publish its legal advice on its Brexit withdrawal plan. (CNN)
- Frank Scott Jr. is elected Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas, defeating Baker Kurrus in the runoff. Scott will become the city's first African-American mayor. (USA Today)
Sports
Business and economy
- The deputy governor of Sweden's central bank, the Riksbank, says that the country is likely to become a cashless society within the next three to five years. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- Two people died while 18 others are injured when a tank truck caught fire and exploded in the city of Rieti, Italy. (Sky Tg24)
- Loyalty Islands. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- A search and rescue operation is underway for 7 servicemen after an incident involving a
Law and crime
- The chief financial officer of Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested on 1 December in Vancouver, Canada. She faces extradition to the United States. Huawei says she faces unspecified charges. (CNN)
Politics and elections
- Head of Government of Mexico City, becoming the first woman and first Jewish person to serve as Mexico City's mayor. (JTA)
- Politics of Luxembourg
- coalition government plans to make all public transport completely free by next summer, a world's first. (The Irish Times)
- Death and state funeral of George H. W. Bush
- The casket for former U.S. President George H. W. Bush arrives at the National Cathedral. (Politico)
- Prince Charles. (The Guardian)
Science and technology
- CRS-16 on its way to the International Space Station. The first stage crashes into the ocean near Cape Canaveral and is later recovered. (Universe Today)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- A car bomb explodes near a police post in Chabahar, Iran. Two police officers are pronounced dead and around 40 people were wounded in the attack. Islamic militant group Ansar Al-Furqan claims responsibility. Iran accuses the perpetrators of being "foreign-backed terrorists". (Middle East Eye)
Arts and culture
- The Game Awards 2018
- God of War is named Game of the Year at The Game Awards annual awards ceremony in Los Angeles. (The Telegraph)
Disasters and accidents
- Two mid-air refueling. One serviceman is rescued by Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, while one is found dead and five are still reported missing. (The Japan Times)
International relations
- A U.S.-sponsored resolution to condemn Hamas fails to get adopted at the United Nations General Assembly. (AP via Minneapolis Star Tribune)
Law and crime
- The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs demands that Canada and the United States clarify the reasons behind the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, also asking for her immediate release. (The Guardian)
- December 2018 Time Warner Center bomb threats
- Time Warner Center in New York City during CNN Tonight with Don Lemon after a bomb threat was called into the building. (CNN) (Variety)
Politics and elections
- Afghan parliamentary election, 2018
- voter fraud and other cases of mismanagement. (Reuters)
- Death and state funeral of George H. W. Bush
- Former U.S. President his Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. (NBC News)
- Former U.S. President
- Yellow vests movement
- The French police union Vigi calls on police officers to begin an indefinite strike on December 8 and join anti-government protesters, noting that "a majority of the French continue to back the movement". (Sputnik News)
- Major landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre are to shut down amid expected protests this weekend. (The Guardian)
International relations
- European migrant crisis
- Aquarius 2 ends migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea, citing sustained attacks on search and rescue by European governments, particularly Italy. (BBC)
Law and crime
- Eleven people die, including five hostages, as armed police battle robbers who had tried to raid two banks in Milagres, Ceará, Brazil. (BBC)
- Mueller special counsel investigation
- American attorney Robert Mueller is set to reveal more details about the Special Counsel investigation as he faces court deadlines in the cases of two men who worked closely with Donald Trump. (Huffington Post)
- Jamaican reggae artist Buju Banton (Mark Anthony Myrie) is released from a U.S. prison and deported back to Jamaica, after serving 7 years of a 10-year drug charge conviction. (Tampa Bay Times)
- Charlottesville car attack
- A jury finds James Alex Fields guilty of the murder, in the first degree, of Heather Heyer at a 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Al Jazeera)
- Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou attends a bail hearing in Vancouver while she awaits extradition to the United States. She is charged by Canadian and American prosecutors with conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions in order to commit evasion of United States sanctions against Iran so as to conduct business with Iran. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Political appointments by Donald Trump
- 2018 Christian Democratic Union of Germany leadership election
- Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer succeeds Angela Merkel as the new chairperson of the Christian Democratic Union, one of the major political parties in Germany. (The Guardian)
Science and technology
- Discoveries of exoplanets
- Scientists from the University of Geneva announce that a previously-known Neptune-sized exoplanet, HAT-P-11b, has a slowly-escaping helium atmosphere. (International Business Times) (Phys.org)
- Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
- The China National Space Administration successfully launches Chang'e 4 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center which will attempt the first ever robotic landing on the far side of the Moon in 2019. (BBC)
Disasters and accidents
- Corinaldo stampede
- Six people are killed and dozens more injured in a
- Two buses crash head-on on a highway in Achacachi, Bolivia, leaving at least 17 people dead and 10 injured. (New Zealand Herald)
Politics and elections
- Presidency of Donald Trump
- White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly is set to resign by the end of the month according to U.S. President Donald Trump. (CNN)
- President Trump announces his nomination of army general Mark A. Milley to succeed marine general Joseph Dunford as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Reuters)
- Yellow vests movement
- 125,000 people demonstrate across France, according to the Minister of the Interior, with about 89,000 police officers on duty. 1,385 people are detained. Tear gas and pepper spray are used against the protesters and 135 people are injured. (Al Jazeera) (CBC)
- Federal Government of Belgium
- Prime Minister Charles Michel says that the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) party quits the coalition. N-VA cites its disagreement over the signing of the United Nations Global Compact for Migration. Michel plans to continue with a minority cabinet until the next scheduled election. (Het Laatste Nieuws) (Channel NewsAsia)
Science and technology
- The ULA launch of a Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the NROL-71 mission is called off 7 seconds before liftoff time. (NBC San Diego) (NASA Spaceflight)
Sports
- In its second season, Atlanta United FC wins the MLS Cup, defeating the Portland Timbers 2–0 in front of a record crowd of 73,019 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (The Guardian)
Disasters and accidents
- Two people die and 38 others are hospitalized after a fire erupted in a building in Reggio Emilia, Italy. (Gazzetta di Reggio)
- A helicopter crash in eastern Al-Qadarif state governor Mirghani Saleh and at least four other officials. (BBC)
- Severe winter storms in the southeastern United States kill three people and leave 310,000 others without power. (BBC)
Health and environment
- A beaver is seen in Northern Italy on camera, a species that has not been seen in the country since 1471. (CBC)
Law and crime
- Death of Grace Millane
- The body of missing tourist Grace Millane is found outside of Auckland, New Zealand. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- 2018 Armenian parliamentary election
- Velvet Revolution. (VOA)
Sports
- 2018 UK Championship
- Barbican Centre, York. (BBC)
- 2018 NFL season
- In American football, Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals passes Jerry Rice to become the all-time receptions leader with one team. (USA Today)
- 2018 Copa Libertadores
- In international
- 2019 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
- In Major League Baseball, the Hall of Fame announces the first members of its 2019 induction class, with Harold Baines and Lee Smith voted in by one of four special committees. They, along with any players elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in January 2019, will be formally inducted at the Hall's facility in Cooperstown, New York on July 21, 2019. (AP via ESPN)
Business and economy
- The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Urjit Patel, resigns abruptly. (Reuters)
International relations
- Brexit
- The Court of Justice of the European Union rules that an EU member state's invocation of Article 50 TEU is unilaterally revokable. (BBC)
- Prime Minister meaningful vote on the UK's negotiated withdrawal agreement from the European Union that was scheduled for tomorrow. (BBC)
- 164 countries adopt the non-binding
Law and crime
- Death of Grace Millane
- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern makes a public apology to the family of Grace Millane, who was murdered in Auckland on 1 or 2 December 2018, saying that "your daughter should have been safe here". (The Guardian)
- Thirty-three people are hospitalized in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy, after pepper spray was fired inside the gym of a school. This is the second pepper spray-related incident in the country in three days. On 8 December, six people died when someone fired the spray inside a nightclub, causing a stampede. (Il Messaggero)
- Russian serial killer and former policeman Mikhail Popkov is convicted of an additional 56 murders between 1992 and 2007. All of his victims were women. (Sky News)
- the murder of Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows. He had been tried and found not guilty of the crimes in 1987, but the acquittal was quashed as new evidence in the form of DNA was now available. Bishop had been convicted in December 1990 of the abduction, indecent assault and attempted murder of a seven-year-old girl in February of that year. (The Guardian)
- Nissan, the company's former chairman Carlos Ghosn, and an aide are indicted on charges that Ghosn underreported about ¥5 billion ($44.5 million) of his income. Ghosn's arrest warrant is renewed. (Kyodo News)
- Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr asks for a Canadian passport to travel to Saudi Arabia and speak with his sister Zaynab Khadr. (CBC CA) (Calgary Herald)
Politics and elections
- Yellow vests movement
- French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the country following the yellow vests protests. While refusing to reinstate a wealth tax or back down on the current reform agenda, he promises an increase to the minimum wage and to remove some taxes on low income earners. (Reuters)
- 2018 Armenian parliamentary election
- Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's My Step Alliance bloc wins 70.4% of the vote. (Armenpress) (Reuters)
Science and technology
- NASA announces that Voyager 2 entered into the interstellar medium after exiting the heliosphere on November 5. (NASA)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2018 Strasbourg attack
- A gunman kills two people and injures 14 others in a mass shooting in Strasbourg, France, during the annual Christmas market. The shooter flees the scene but is identified by police as a known extremist. The incident is being treated as an act of terrorism. (BBC) (The Daily Telegraph) (The Guardian)
Disasters and accidents
- Five U.S. Marines who were missing after two aircraft collided mid-air off the coast of Japan on December 6 are declared dead. (The Japan Times)
International relations
- Philippines–United States relations
- The Balangiga in 1901 during the Philippine–American War, were returned to the Philippines after 117 years under the possession of the United States. (CNN Philippines)
- The
Law and crime
- Campinas Cathedral shooting
- Cannabis in New Zealand
- New Zealand's government passes an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 to allow chronic and terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis without facing the possibility of prosecution. (The Guardian)
- In the United Kingdom, a man is tasered by police at the gates of the Palace of Westminster. The area is placed on lockdown. (Daily Telegraph)
- Bill Cosby sexual assault cases
- The lawyers of Bill Cosby file a list of nearly a dozen alleged trial errors as they appeal his sexual assault conviction and three-to-10-year prison term. (CBS News)
- Detention of Meng Wanzhou
- Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Huawei who was arrested in Canada for an extradition request from the United States for alleged US sanction violation against Iran, is granted bail with restrictions by a Canadian judge. (CBC)
- International Crisis Group confirm one of it's worker Michael Kovrig is detained in People's Republic of China. Kovrig is a former Canadian diplomat and his detainment come after the China warned Canada of severe consequences if Meng was not released. (reuters)
Politics and elections
- Thousands of students at the University of Tirana in Albania demonstrate against tuition fees. The government appeals for calm. (AP via U.S. News & World Report)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- The Afghan National Army abandons the western Shib Koh District after the government failed to resupply troops stationed there. The district, which borders Iran, is now effectively under Taliban control. (Reuters)
- The Taliban claims responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed 12 people, including 8 civilians in Kabul. (Tolo News)
- The
- Two police officers are injured after a man throws a grenade at them at a shopping centre in Nazran, Ingushetia, Russia. The attacker and his accomplice are later shot dead. (Xinhuanet)
Arts and culture
- Council of Cardinal Advisers. Both are accused of covering up child sexual abuse scandals. Former Archbishop of Kinshasa Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya also leaves the Council for unrelated reasons. (BBC)
International relations
- North Korea–South Korea relations
- Soldiers from North Korea and South Korea peacefully cross the Korean Demilitarized Zone for the first time since it was created in 1953. (CBS News)
- United States–Venezuela relations
- John R. Bolton of personally leading a plot to assassinate him, declining to provide evidence. (BBC)
Law and crime
- Michael Cohen, the former lawyer of U.S. President Donald Trump, is sentenced to three years in prison for making illegal hush money payments to two women with whom Trump allegedly had affairs, and a concurrent sentence of two months for making false statements to Congress about a possible Trump Tower deal in Russia. (South China Morning Post)
- Prosecutors in Oprah's Next Chapter. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Politics of the United Kingdom, Future Conservative Party leadership election
- By a vote of 200 to 117, British Prime Minister Theresa May survives a motion of no confidence within the Conservative Party. (BBC)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Northern Mali conflict
- Jihadists on Tuareg camps in Mali. (CBC News)
- Jihadists on
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Two Israeli soldiers are killed and two others seriously wounded after a shooting at a bus stop in the Jewish settlement of Giv'at Asaf, West Bank. (CNN)
- A knife-wielding Palestinian assailant is shot dead in Jerusalem's Old City, after lightly injuring two police officers by stabbing them. (Al Jazeera)
- 2018 Strasbourg attack
- Chérif Chekatt, the perpetrator of an attack in Strasbourg, France, two days ago, which killed two and wounded 14, is found and killed by French police. (BBC)
- A Frenchman originally from Afghanistan who was wounded and left brain-dead from the attack dies from his injuries. (Euronews)
- Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Battle of Al Hudaydah
- A UN-brokered ceasefire is agreed upon between the two warring factions in Al Hudaydah, Yemen. Troops from both sides will withdraw from the port city within three weeks to allow humanitarian aid coming into the country, which has been plagued by war and famine. (The Guardian)
- Battle of Al Hudaydah
Arts and culture
- YouTube Rewind 2018 becomes the most disliked YouTube video of all time, with well over 10 million dislikes, achieving the feat in a mere seven days. (Indystar)
Disasters and accidents
- Ankara train collision
- A high-speed train crashes at Marşandiz railway station in Ankara, Turkey, killing at least nine people and leaving dozens injured. (BBC)
- flash flooding caused minor damage in the area. (Daily Hive)
International relations
- Chinese state media reports a second Canadian national, Michael Spavor, has been detained on suspicion of endangering state security, while the China foreign ministry say two Canadian nationals are detained in the country. The Spavor investigation follows the detention of former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig on December 10 and Canada's December 1 arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. (Reuters) (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Operation Car Wash
- A tribunal in Colombia disqualifies the Brazilian multinational corporation Odebrecht from operating in the country for 10 years amid ongoing investigations against the company for inciting corruption. (El Tiempo)
- Iranian political activist Vahid Sayadi Nasiri, who was jailed for his messages on social media, dies after spending 60 days on hunger strike. He was accused of insulting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. (BBC)
- 2018 Bitcoin bomb threats
- Fake bomb threats are sent to dozens of businesses around Canada and the U.S., demanding ransoms in bitcoin. Some of the threats forced evacuations. (The Independent)
- Human rights in Venezuela
- It is reported that a German journalist was kidnapped and imprisoned by the Venezuelan government three weeks ago, with diplomats from both nations denied to see him. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- 2018 Sri Lankan constitutional crisis
- A seven-bench Supreme Court unanimously rules that President Sirisena's dissolution of Parliament on 9 November 2018 was unconstitutional. (BBC) (The New Indian Express)
Science and technology
- Karman Line. (BBC)
- Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
- Chang'e 4 successfully enters orbit around the Moon ahead of a historic landing on the far side of the Moon in early 2019. (The Guardian)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- The
- 2018 Strasbourg attack
- An Italian journalist to the European Parliament who was wounded during a terrorist attack in Strasbourg, France, dies of his injuries, raising the death toll to four. (Reuters)
- Six government officials are killed and 14 others are wounded in an attack in Balochistan, Pakistan. The BLA claims responsibility. (Al Jazeera)
Business and economy
- American conservative weekly opinion magazine The Weekly Standard announces that it will shut down this month after 23 years in print. (CNN)
Law and crime
- On the sixth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, the school is evacuated due to a bomb threat. It is not believed to be connected with the 2018 Bitcoin bomb threats. (CNN)
Politics and elections
- Military of Kosovo
- The Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo votes to create a proper army out of the lightly-armed Kosovo Security Force, with eleven minority Serb deputies boycotting the vote. While the United States lauds the decision, criticism has come from both NATO and the neighbouring country of Serbia. (Reuters)
- Cabinet of Donald Trump
- President Donald Trump appoints incumbent Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney as Acting White House Chief of Staff, to replace John F. Kelly at the end of the year. (NPR)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Kashmir conflict
- Indian soldiers and counterinsurgency police exchange gunfire with militants in the southern district of Pulwama, resulting in the deaths of one soldier and three militants. The soldiers then opened fire on a crowd of anti-government protesters who gathered after the battle, killing seven civilians and injuring 40 others. (The Independent)
Disasters and accidents
- 20 people died and 14 others are injured when a truck carrying mourners returning from a funeral ritual plunged around 400 metres (1,300 feet) onto a river bank in central Nepal. (Times Now)
International relations
- Australia–Israel relations
- Australia formally recognizes West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state but will not move its embassy from Tel Aviv until a peace settlement is reached with the Palestinians. (Sky News)
- 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference
- Representatives from 196 nations
- Afghanistan–Pakistan relations
- Pakistani, Afghan and Chinese officials hold talks in Kabul aimed at ending the region's conflicts. (Al Jazeera)
Politics and elections
- 2018 Sri Lankan constitutional crisis
- Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns as prime minister, effectively ending the constitutional crisis. (BBC)
- 2018 Moscow–Constantinople schism
- Cabinet of Donald Trump
- U.S. President Donald Trump tweets that Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke will quit his post at the end of the year. (Reuters)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2018 Strasbourg attack
- A Polish national who was wounded during a terrorist attack in Strasbourg, France, dies of his injuries, raising the death toll to five. (BBC)
- Tulare County shootings
- A gunman kills two people and wounds seven others in a shooting spree across Tulare County, California. The gunman is identified as an undocumented immigrant. (The Washington Post)
Disasters and accidents
- A gas blast in a restaurant in Sapporo, Japan, injures 42 people. (BBC)
- A bus crash in Zurich, Switzerland, kills one person and injures 44 others. (Tgcom24)
Politics and elections
- 2018 Sri Lankan constitutional crisis
- Ranil Wickremesinghe is sworn in as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. (Reuters)
- Georgian presidential election, 2018
- Salome Zurabishvili takes office as President of Georgia. Zurabishvili is the first woman in office and the last president to be elected by popular vote. (Deutsche Welle)
Sports
- 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup
- In field hockey, Belgium wins the title, defeating the Netherlands 3–2 in a sudden death shootout. After regular playing time, the score was 0–0. (Times of India)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Somali Civil War (2009–present)
- Six U.S. air strikes over the weekend kill at least 62 Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, according to The Pentagon. (BBC)
- Two Atlas mountains, near the tourist village of Imlil, Marrakesh-Safi. 13 men are arrested with links to a Jihadist group. (The Guardian)
Arts and culture
- Miss Universe 2018
- Catriona Gray from the Philippines is crowned Miss Universe at the IMPACT Arena in Thailand. (CNN)
Business and economy
- Tolls are scrapped for the Severn crossing bridges connecting England and South Wales, making travel across the River Severn free for all commuters for the first time in 800 years. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- Politics of Poland
- Polish President Andrzej Duda signs into law the bill, passed by the Parliament of Poland three weeks ago, reinstating the Supreme Court judges who had been forced out of their jobs when legislation to lower the judges's mandatory retirement age was enacted in July. This addresses one of the issues that has been in dispute with the European Union. (The New York Times)
Science and technology
- 160 million-year-old
- Astronomers announce the discovery of trans-Neptunian object 2018 VG18, the most distant object in the Solar System ever observed at a distance of ~120 AU. (Space.com)
Disasters and accidents
- refloated off Gyllyngvase, Cornwall, and taken to anchor in Falmouth Bay for inspection, according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. (BBC)
- A powerful tornado touches down near Port Orchard, Washington. Several structures are severely damaged or destroyed. (Global News)
Law and crime
- Personal and business legal affairs of Donald Trump
- The Donald J. Trump Foundation agrees to dissolve under judicial supervision while a lawsuit in the state of New York is ongoing. (CNN) (The Daily Beast)
- Gun law in the United States
- The automatic weapons and became infamous following the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. It is scheduled to go into effect on March 21, 2019. (The New York Times)
- The
Politics and elections
- Space policy of the Donald Trump administration
- executive memorandum to re-establish the United States Space Command. (CNN)
- Politics of Belgium
- Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel submits the resignation of his cabinet to King Philippe, after the biggest party in his coalition, the New Flemish Alliance, formally quit on 9 December over the government's support for the Global Compact for Migration. The King is withholding his decision. (ABC News (Australia))
Science and technology
- Transportation in Los Angeles
- Elon Musk opens the 1.6km-long Boring Test Tunnel in Hawthorne, California, which is designed to demonstrate technology that will transport cars at high speeds below the city. (BBC)
- Kamchatka meteor
- A meteor, which measured several metres in size, exploded 26km over the Bering Sea, near the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. (BBC News)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- ISIL-held territory but also that the campaign is not over. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2018 Kivu Ebola outbreak
- Over 300 people have died of Democratic Republic of Congo and the World Health Organization is concerned the outbreak is not being contained. (CNN)
- Over 300 people have died of
Law and crime
- Nisour Square massacre
- In a third trial, former Blackwater private military contractor Nicholas Slatten is convicted on one count of first-degree murder over the 2007 mass shooting. (NBC News)
Politics and elections
- 2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis
- Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Turull to end the hunger strike they started on 1 December. (eldiario.es)
Science and technology
- EnviroBuild, a U.S President Donald Trump, in disagreement with his environmental policy. (HuffPost) (Business Insider)
Arts and culture
- Parts of the Ventura Freeway in Southern California is renamed as “President Barack H. Obama Highway” in honor of former President Barack Obama. (Pasadena Star News) (ABC News)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- Reacting to yesterday's announcement by the ISIL has not yet been driven out of Syria. (Reuters)
- Reacting to yesterday's announcement by the
- Northern Rakhine State clashes
- Maramagyi villagers were kidnapped and stabbed but managed to escape their abductors. (AFP via South China Morning Post) (Radio Free Asia)
Business and economy
- Gatwick Airport drone incident
- Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, England, is shut down intermittently since Wednesday night, after drones are seen flying over the airfield. Police believe it is "a deliberate act to disrupt the airport". Hundreds of thousands of passengers are affected. (The Argus) (CNN)
Disasters and incidents
- The annual civil war, is a close second. (South China Morning Post)
- December 2018 British Columbia storms
- Severe windstorms in Vancouver and Vancouver Island damage houses, damage roads, and destroy a 100 year old pier in White Rock, British Columbia. One person stranded on the pier is rescued by helicopter. Several highways were closed due to trees falling. (Surrey Now)
- Severe
- The Mayor of Skagway, Alaska, Monica Carlson, as well as her mother, are killed after being struck by a tour bus in Washington, D.C. while preparing to visit the White House. (WTOP)
Law and crime
- Ten years after the collapse of
- Denmark passes a law that requires new citizens to shake hands with a Danish official at their naturalization ceremony. It is widely believed that the law was made to spite potential Muslim immigrants, who usually refuse to shake hands with people of the opposite gender. Several Danish municipalities are openly looking for loopholes in the law. (The New York Times)
- Protests break out across Sudan over rising prices of bread and fuel, resulting in at least eight deaths. (Al-Jazeera)
- Abortion in the Republic of Ireland
- Irish President Michael D. Higgins signs a bill making abortion legal in the Republic of Ireland for the first time. (Irish Times)
Politics and elections
- Cabinet of Donald Trump
- U.S. Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis announces his resignation at the end of February 2019. Mattis says that his views are not well "aligned" with those of the President. (Reuters) (CNN)
- 2018 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election
- The CENI electoral commission delays the election to 30 December after 80% of the voting machines in the capital were destroyed in a suspected arson last week. (NPR)
Science and technology
- Soyuz MS-09 lands safely on the steppe in Kazakhstan. (NASASpaceFlight.com)
- U.S. researchers say that the Ebola virus disease, which too may be spread by bats. (NBC News)
Sports
- Cuba's baseball federation and Major League Baseball reach a deal that will allow Cuban players to compete in the USA without defecting. (BBC)
Armed conflicts and attacks
Business and economy
- Gatwick Airport drone incident
- Two people are arrested by Sussex Police and charged with "criminal use of drones". (The Guardian)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 23 people are killed and 14 injured in
- At least 13 miners, eleven Karvina, Czech Republic. (BBC)
- Five people are killed and dozens injured when a train slams into a bus carrying school students in Niš, Serbia. (BBC)
Law and crime
- Criminal justice reform in the United States
- U.S. President Donald Trump signs the First Step Act, a bipartisan prison and sentencing reform bill, into law. (The Guardian)
- Carlos Ghosn, formerly the chairman of Nissan, is arrested again on suspicion of shifting personal losses to the company. (Wall Street Journal)
- A Canadian judge denies former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr's request for relaxed bail conditions and a Canadian passport. (Seattle Times) (CBC)
Politics and elections
- 2019 United States federal budget
- The U.S. Congress adjourns for the night before reaching a new budget agreement, starting a partial federal government shutdown that began the next day at 12:00 a.m. EST (05:00 UTC). (NBC News)
- The U.S. Congress adjourns for the night before reaching a new budget agreement, starting
- A motion of no confidence is passed by the National Assembly of Guyana with a vote of 33–32, triggering early elections scheduled for 2019. (St. Lucia News Online)
Science and technology
- Largest known prime number
- The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search announces the discovery of a new Mersenne prime, 282,589,933-1. It has 24,862,048 decimal digits, which surpasses the previous record by over 1.5 million digits. (NPR)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Somali Civil War
- A car bomb near the presidential palace in Mogadishu kills at least 16 people and injures more than 20 others. (The Guardian)
Arts and culture
- Simcha Rotem, the last surviving fighter of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, also a participant in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, dies at the age of 94. (Deutsche Welle)
Disasters and accidents
Politics and elections
- The draft of a new constitution is approved by the parliament of Cuba. It will be put up for referendum on February 24, 2019. (Reuters)
- The Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk's resignation, effective December 31. President Trump describes the resignation as a "nothing event". (Associated Press) (BBC)
Law and crime
- Gatwick Airport drone incident
- The two people arrested by police two days earlier are released without charges. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Politics of Italy, Italian government debt
- The Senate of Italy passes the 2019 budget by 167 votes to 78 and three abstentions, following the agreement on December 19 with the European Commission on the size of the structural deficit. (Channel NewsAsia)
Business and economy
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average drops 2.9%, its worst performance ever on Christmas Eve. (NPR)
Disasters and accidents
- 2018 Sunda Strait tsunami
- The death toll following the tsunami caused by the
- 2018 Puebla helicopter crash
- Martha Erika Alonso and Senator Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas are among several fatalities in a helicopter crash near Puebla, Mexico. (New York Times via Reuters)
- Mount Etna erupts, causing the closure of Catania–Fontanarossa Airport in Sicily, Italy. (BBC) (China Economic Net)
Law and crime
- Corruption in Pakistan
- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of corruption. (CNN)
Politics and elections
- Chairman of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council and former Chief Justice Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi dies at the age of 70. (Euronews)
- The coalition government of Benjamin Netanyahu dissolves the Knesset and sets early elections for April. The coalition has been struggling after failing to pass a new bill that would extend the military draft to ultra-Orthodox Jews and the resignation of Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, leader of one of the parties in the coalition. (CNN)
- Burundi moves its capital from Bujumbura to Gitega. (QZ)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- The Afghan health ministry says that yesterday's attack by a suicide bomber and three gunmen on a government building in Kabul killed at least 43 people. No group has claimed responsibility. (CBS News) (Daily Sabah)
- Second Libyan Civil War
- Three people are left dead in an attack against Libya's Foreign Affairs ministry in Tripoli. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
Business and economy
- The Nikkei index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange drops 5% to below 20,000, its lowest level since September 2017. (Bloomberg)
International relations
- North Korea–South Korea relations
- North Korea and South Korea hold a ceremony for a project to reconnect rail and road links, although construction cannot start while sanctions over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs remain in place. (Gulf Today) (Sun Herald)
Law and crime
- A man stabs a local government official and a police officer to death in the streets of Longyan, China, then hijacks a bus and drove it into pedestrians, killing eight people and wounding 22 others. Authorities said the perpetrator "took revenge on society" after a dispute with local officials about his father's veteran benefits. (CNN)
- Cannabis in Thailand
- Thailand approves marijuana for medical use and research. The country voted to amend the Narcotic Act of 1979 prior to the New Year’s holiday. (BBC) (CNBC)
Arts and culture
- Al Asad Airbase in Iraq, their first visit to a combat zone since taking office. (BBC) (The Washington Post)
- After a 53-day trek, American professional endurance athlete Colin O'Brady allegedly becomes the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided; his claim of being unaided has been disputed, and the first person to really cross Antarctica alone and unaided was Børge Ousland in 1996 and 1997. (BBC)
Business and economy
- commercial whaling in July 2019 after withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission. (NBC News)
Politics and elections
- Martial law in Ukraine ends a month after an attack on three Ukrainian Navy vessels near the Kerch Strait. (NBC News)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Street battles between anti-government protesters and riot police in Sudan leave at least 19 people dead, including two policemen, as well as hundreds injured. Amnesty International puts the death toll at 37. (Al Jazeera)
Arts and culture
- Richard Arvin Overton, the oldest U.S. veteran from World War II, as well as the oldest American man, dies at age 112. (Newsweek), (CNN)
- Argentina lifts a travel ban on Canadian singer Justin Bieber, who had been previously banned from the country for his role in the beating of a photographer in November 2013. A Document of Resolution was signed last week, officially ending Bieber's ban, so Bieber may now freely return to the country. (Daily Mail)
Disasters and accidents
- The New York City sky lights up in blue after a transformer in Astoria, Queens, explodes. (The Guardian), (NBC New York)
International relations
- Iraq–United States relations
- Al Asad Airbase. An extraordinary session to debate the matter is planned. (The Guardian)
- Foreign relations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- The DRC government gives the European Union 48 hours to recall its envoy in the country after the EU imposed sanctions on 14 Congolese officials. (Vanguard News Nigeria)
Law and crime
- Five Christian monks are tied up and then left injured, one of them seriously, after a robbery at a church in Vienna, Austria. (The Guardian)
Science and technology
- The Chaos Computer Club holds their 35th Chaos Communication Congress, a hacker convention, in Leipzig, Germany. (Handelsblatt)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- The
- An explosion caused by a roadside bomb hits a tourist bus in Cairo, Egypt, near the Giza pyramid complex. Three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian tour guide are killed, while 12 others are injured. (BBC)
Arts and culture
- After a 56-day trek, British Army captain Lou Rudd becomes the second person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided, over two decades after the first solo crossing by Norwegian Børge Ousland. (BBC)
International relations
Law and crime
- 2018 Leicester explosion
- The three men suspected of causing an explosion at a shop in Leicester in February are convicted of murder. The explosion destroyed the shop and the flat above it, killing five people. The three men were also convicted of conspiracy with one of the victims to commit insurance fraud. (The Guardian)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- In response to a roadside bombing that killed three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian tour guide the previous day, Egyptian police kill 40 suspected militants. (The New York Times)
- Yemeni Civil War
- Hodeida to the coast guard and local administrators. The Yemeni government disputes this claim. (AP via Seattle Times)
Disasters and accidents
- An equipment failure causes a Baltimore–Washington International Airport to collapse, injuring seven people. (The Baltimore Sun)
Law and crime
- A cyberattack disrupts distribution of newspapers published by Tribune Publishing. (Reuters)
- Four people are killed in a shooting in St. Charles, Missouri, United States. Another person was stabbed but survived. A suspect was arrested soon after. (Associated Press), (The Daily Beast)
Politics and elections
- United States federal government shutdown of 2018–2019
- U.S. President Donald Trump issues an executive order freezing federal workers' pay raise in 2019, excluding that of military personnel. (CNN)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in Afghanistan
- The Afghan government. (Reuters)
- The
Disasters and accidents
- A rescue helicopter crashes near the world's longest zipline in the United Arab Emirates, killing four people. (BBC)
Law and crime
- A French man is detained in Sagrada Familia with a suitcase containing ammunition. The Catalan police do not consider it an act of terrorism. (Mirror)
Politics and elections
- 2018 Bangladeshi general election
- Voters in Bangladesh head to the polls to elect 299 representatives to parliament. Seventeen people were killed in deadly clashes between supporters and opponents of the country's ruling party. (BBC)
- The Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina is declared as the winner of the election with Hasina to serve her third consecutive term as Prime Minister of Bangladesh. (BBC)
- 2018 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election
- Voters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo head to the polls to determine a successor to incumbent President Joseph Kabila. Elections are also held for the National Assembly and local councils. (BBC News) (The Telegraph)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- A bomb explosion outside a busy shopping mall in the city of Cotabato, Philippines, kills 2 people and injures 34 others. (CNN)
- Manchester Victoria stabbing attack
- Three people are injured after being stabbed in an attack at Manchester Victoria station. The attacker shouted "Allah" during the attack. The attack is being treated as a terror-related incident, police have confirmed, and due to concerns over his mental health, the suspect is being held under the Mental Health Act. (BBC)
Disasters and accidents
- 2018 Pacific typhoon season
- At least 69 people are reported dead from flooding caused by Tropical Depression Usman in the Philippines. (Stuff.co.nz) (The Guardian)
- 2018 Magnitogorsk building collapse
- An explosion caused by a gas leak devastated a block of flats in Magnitogorsk, Russia, killing 14 people while 27 others are missing. (BBC)
International relations
- Russia's FSB state security agency says it has arrested a U.S. citizen "caught spying" in Moscow. According to former CIA officials the arrest was done as a retaliation for the arrest of alleged Russian spy Maria Butina. (BBC) (Daily Beast)
Politics and elections
- 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Joining several other Democrats in the race, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts announces the formation of a presidential exploratory committee for running in the 2020 presidential election. (CNN)
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| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
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| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 31 |
Ongoing events
Business
- 1MDB scandal
- Turkish currency and debt crisis
Disasters
- 2018–19 European windstorm season
- 2018 Kivu Ebola outbreak
- Yemeni famine
Politics
- Brexit negotiations
- timeline)
- Gilets jaunes protests
- Iranian protests
- Iraqi protests
- Nicaraguan protests
- Qatar diplomatic crisis
- Rohingya persecution in Myanmar
- Spanish constitutional crisis
- Trump administration family separation policy
- Turkish purges
- U.S. Special Counsel investigation (timeline)
Religion
- Moscow–Constantinople schism
Sports
More details – ongoing conflicts
Elections and referendums
Recent
- December
Upcoming
- February
- 3: El Salvador, President
- 16: Nigeria, President and Parliament
- 24: Cuba, Constitutional referendum
- 24: Moldova, Parliament
Recently concluded
- Australia: George Pell
- Bahrain: Ali Salman
- Guatemala: Roxana Baldetti
- India: Sajjan Kumar
- Philippines: Imelda Marcos
- United States: Patrick Ho
Ongoing
- Guatemala: Otto Pérez Molina, Roxana Baldetti, Juan Carlos Monzón and others
- Israel: Faina Kirschenbaum
- Malaysia: Siti Aisyah and Đoàn Thị Hương
- Philippines: Leila de Lima
- Spain: Bárcenas affair
- United States: Joaquín Guzmán
- International
Upcoming
- Egypt: Mohamed Morsi
- Guatemala: Alvaro Colom, Manuel Baldizón, Juan Alberto Fuentes
- Iran: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
- Philippines: Andal Ampatuan Jr.
- South Africa: Jacob Zuma
- Spain: Jordi Pujol
- Ukraine: Roman Nasirov
- United Kingdom: Football sex abuse scandal
- United States:
- Zimbabwe: Ignatius Chombo
- Association football
- Women's association football
- American football
- Basketball
- Golf
- 2019 European Tour
- 2019 PGA Tour
- Ice hockey
- Rugby sevens
- Rugby union
- Other sports seasons
- 2018–19 international cricket season
- 2018–19 curling season
- 2018–19 figure skating season
- 2018–19 snooker season
More details – current sports events
Recent deaths
December 2018
- 31: Ray Sawyer
- 30: Mrinal Sen
- 29: Ringo Lam
- 28: Amos Oz
- 28: Shehu Shagari
- 28: June Whitfield
- 27: Richard Arvin Overton
- Nancy G. Roman
- 26: Wendy Beckett
- 26: Roy J. Glauber
- 26: Sono Osato
- 24: Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
- 22: Simcha Rotem
- 22: Paddy Ashdown
- 22: Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
- 20: Donald Moffat
- 19: Peter Masterson
- 17: Penny Marshall
- 15: Girma Wolde-Giorgis
- 14: Bill Fralic
- 14: Jean-Pierre Van Rossem
- 13: Noah Klieger
- 13: Nancy Wilson
- 12: Pavle Strugar
- 9: Robert Bergland
- 9: William Blum
- 9: Riccardo Giacconi
- 8: Lyudmila Alexeyeva
- 8: Evelyn Berezin
- 7: Belisario Betancur
- 6: Larry Hennig
- 6: Isiah Robertson
- 6: Pete Shelley
- 5: Dynamite Kid
- 3: Philip Bosco
- 3: Josep Lluís Núñez
- 3: Albert Frère
- 3: Geoff Murphy
- 1: Ken Berry
- 1: Scott Stearney
- 1: Jody Williams
Africa
- Algeria, Libya and Tunisia
- Cameroon
- Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
- Central African Republic
- Civil War
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Kivu conflict
- ADF insurgency
- Ituri conflict
- Lord's Resistance Army insurgency
- Ethiopia
- Oromo Conflict
- Libya
- Civil war
- Mali
- Northern Mali conflict
- Nigeria
- Somalia
- Civil war
- South Sudan
- Ethnic violence (South Sudanese Civil War)
- Sudan
Americas
- Colombia
- Mexico
- Mexican War on Drugs
- Peru
- Internal conflict in Peru
Asia
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan War
- China
- India
- India and Pakistan
- Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
- Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
- Myanmar
- Internal conflict in Myanmar
- Pakistan
- War in North-West Pakistan
- Balochistan conflict
- Philippines
- Communist rebellion in the Philippines
- Thailand
Europe
- Armenia and Azerbaijan
- Georgia
- Abkhaz–Georgian conflict
- Georgian–Ossetian conflict
- Russia
- Ukraine
- War in Donbass
- Russian military intervention in Ukraine
Middle East
- Egypt
- Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria
- Iran
- Iraq
- American-led intervention in Iraq
- Iranian intervention in Iraq
- Syria (map)
- Military intervention against ISIL
- Israel and Lebanon
- Israel and Palestine
- Syria
- American-led intervention in Syria
- Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
- Turkish occupation of northern Syria
- Turkey
- Turkey–PKK conflict
- Yemen
- Yemeni Civil War
- Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- Al-Qaeda insurgency
Wikimedia Commons has media related to December 2018.