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Authorities confirm the discovery of debris and bodies from Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 (aircraft pictured), which crashed en route to Singapore with 162 people on board.
Italian ferry Norman Atlantic catches fire in the Adriatic Sea with 466 passengers and crew on board, killing at least 11 people.
At least 85 people are killed following a militant attack on tribal people and subsequent retaliations in Assam, India.
Beji Caid Essebsi wins the Tunisian presidential election.
India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III successfully completes its first flight, carrying the crew vehicle demonstrator CARE.
U.S. aid worker Alan Gross and three members of the Cuban Five are released by Cuba and the United States, respectively, as both nations move to resume diplomatic relations.

Recent deaths: Luise Rainer – Tomaž Šalamun – Leo Tindemans

January 1, 2015 (Thursday)

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December 31, 2014 (Wednesday)

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Disasters and accidents

Pacific typhoon season
- As Tropical Storm Jangmi (Seniang) weakens, the Philippines death toll reaches 53 people. (AP)
Explosions at a factory in the southern Chinese city of Foshan kill 17 people and injure 20. (Reuters)
A New Years Day celebration stampede in Shanghai kills at least 35 people and injures another 42 others. (BBC)

Law and crime

A riot breaks out at a New Year's Eve festival in Gisborne, New Zealand, leaving 83 people injured and 63 arrested. (NZ Herald)

Politics and elections

President of Italy Giorgio Napolitano announces his resignation citing "old age". (Business Week)

December 30, 2014 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi insurgency
- Iraqi government forces and allied Shia militia recapture the town of Dhuluiya, north of Baghdad, from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. (BBC)
Somali civil war
- A US airstrike in Saakow kills the intelligence chief, Abdishakur, who was also known as Tahlil, of the Somali al-Shabab militants. (AP)

Arts and culture

Luise Rainer, German-born American actress (The Great Ziegfeld, The Good Earth), Academy Award winner (1936, 1937), dies of pneumonia at the age of 104-years-old. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501
- Indonesian officials confirm that at least three bodies have been recovered from the Java Sea off Borneo. (BBC)
2014 Southeast Asian floods
- Flooding and the death toll continues in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. (Reuters)

Law and crime

A court in Moscow hands down a three and one half year suspended sentence for corruption to Alexei Navalny, a prominent anti-Putin activist. (The Denver Post)
In three separate, but connected, crime scenes in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, a suicidal man kills eight people and then himself. (Irish Times)

December 29, 2014 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Somalia
- In the latest advance in Operation Indian Ocean, Somali government forces assisted by AMISOM troops capture seven towns in the central Hiran province from Al-Shabaab. (Garowe Online)
Boko Haram
- Cameroon launches its first airstrikes against Boko Haram in a successful operation to reclaim several villages and a military base briefly seized by the militant group in the Far North Region. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

The MS Norman Atlantic ferry fire death toll rises to ten as the evacuation ends. (BBC)
Ebola outbreak:
- Glasgow's Gartnavel Hospital diagnoses a woman, who arrived from Sierra Leone, as the first case of Ebola in the UK. (BBC)
A fire in a Pakistan shopping mall kills at least 13 people. (AP)

Politics and elections

Snap elections are to be called after the Hellenic Parliament fails to elect a new Greek president. (Reuters)
The Chinese government blocks some of Google's Gmail services. (Reuters)

December 28, 2014 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram
- The militant organisation Boko Haram attacks a village in Northern Cameroon, leaving an estimated 30 dead. (News24)
War in Afghanistan
- The International Security Assistance Force formally ends its combat mission. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501
- Traveling through thunderstorms over the Java Sea, Flight 8501 loses contact with air traffic control after the plane departed from the Indonesian city of Surabaya en route to Singapore with 162 people on board. (BBC)
The Italian-owned MS Norman Atlantic catches fire on a ferry run from Greece to Italy 44 nautical miles northwest of Corfu, with 222 vehicles, 411 passengers and 5 crew on board. Greek and Italian officials report at least one person is dead. (The Independent),(BBC)
Two merchant ships collide in rough seas off the Italian Adriatic coast, leaving at least one person dead and two missing. (Reuters via News24)
Floods and mudslides in Sri Lanka kill at least twenty-four people and leave eight missing. (The Japan Times)
An apartment building fire near San Antonio, Texas, USA, kills five people. (AP)

Politics and elections

The Croatian presidential election goes to a run-off between incumbent Ivo Josipović and challenger Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović. (Bloomberg)

December 27, 2014 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Somali civil war
- A top level Somali al-Shabab militant with a $3m US bounty, Zakariya Ahmed Ismail Hersi, surrenders to police. (BBC)
North Korea experiences another Internet and cell phone outage and holds the United States responsible. (NY Daily News)

Disasters and accidents

2014 Southeast Asian floods
- Malaysia reports that at least five people are dead. (The Independent)
- Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reports that at least eight people are dead. (Bangkok Post)

Politics and elections

Sweden's center-left government reaches a deal with the center-right opposition, The Alliance, giving a minority government room to govern so that the country's first snap election since 1958, originally planned for 22 March 2015, can be cancelled; the Sweden Democrats react by announcing that they will put down a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. (BBC) (The Local)
Andrei Kobyakov replaces Mikhail Myasnikovich as Belarus's new prime minister in the biggest government reshuffle since 2010. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

December 26, 2014 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Donbass
- Ukraine and pro-Russia rebels exchange nearly 370 prisoners in the largest such exchange since hostilities began in April this year. (AP via ABC News)
The Philippines and the local Communist Party agree to renew talks that may lead to a peace treaty which could end the 46-year communist insurgency in the country. (Channel News Asia), (The Daily Mail)

Disasters and accidents

2014 Southeast Asian floods
- Flooding in Peninsular Malaysia forces the evacuation of over 100,000 people. (World Bulletin)
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
- Countries around the Indian Ocean commemorate the tenth anniversary of the tsunami. (BBC)
Three South Korean workers die at a nuclear plant construction site. There is speculation that the deaths are connected to a recent nuclear power plant attack. (AP via FOX News)

Law and crime

The Special Investigation Division of Taiwan initiates a review stemming from allegations that President Ma Ying-jeou has received illegal political donations from Ting Hsin International Group, a disgraced conglomerate at the center of the recent food scandal. (Central News Agency)
Sony Pictures Entertainment hack
- North Korea's embassy in Moscow issues a statement, saying: "The film The Interview, produced by the U.S. studio Sony Pictures, is a very dangerous film product that justifies and promotes terrorism." (Hollywood Reporter)
- Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokesman Alexander Lukashevich says that "the mere idea of the film is aggressively scandalous and that the reaction of the North Korean side is very understandable." (TASS)
- A report says that even before the American Christmas Eve release of The Interview, thousands of Chinese citizens were downloading pirated versions of the movie on domestic video-sharing websites. By midday on December 26, more than 300,000 people had seen the film. (The New York Times)
- The Interview grosses US$1 million on Christmas Day at the box office despite being released only to small theaters. (CNN)
Hackers cause the Playstation Network and Xbox Live to suffer connection difficulties on Christmas Day. (USA Today)

Sports

In cricket, the Boxing Day Test commences at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with Australia playing against India. (The Sydney Morning Herald)

More December 2014 events...

Ongoing events
Economic Eurozone crisis Greek government-debt crisis Financial crisis in Russia Environmental North Indian Ocean cyclone season Southeast Asian floods Pacific typhoon season Health Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa Political Irish demonstrations against water tax Military intervention against ISIS American-led intervention in Syria Iranian-led intervention in Iraq Pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine Russian military intervention in Ukraine South Sudanese Civil War Unrest in Ferguson, Missouri More details on ongoing conflicts below edit sidebar

Recent deaths
December 30: Luise Rainer 26: James B. Edwards 26: Leo Tindemans 25: Alberta Adams 25: Nand Chaturvedi 25: Kjell Hanssen 25: George Miller 25: Gleb Yakunin 24: Ekhlasuddin Ahmed 24: Rubén Amorín 24: Leonard Beerman 24: Owen H. Johnson 24: Krzysztof Krauze 24: Rosella Towne 23: K. Balachander 23: Jo Jo Benson 23: Mike Elliott 23: John J. Powers 22: Joe Cocker 22: Jeremy Lloyd 21: Morteza Ahmadi 21: Udo Jürgens 21: Billie Whitelaw 18: Virna Lisi 18: Mandy Rice-Davies 16: Man Haron Monis 14: Sy Berger 14: Fuzzy Thurston 13: Ernst Albrecht 13: Bill Bonds 13: Phil Stern 12: John Baxter 12: John Hampton 11: Tom Adams 11: Michel duCille 11: Dawn Sears 10: Ralph Giordano 10: Robert B. Oakley 10: Judy Baar Topinka 9: Jane Freilicher 9: Mary Ann Mobley 9: Lydia Mordkovitch 9: Karl Otto Pöhl 8: Sobho Gianchandani 8: Nedunuri Krishnamurthy 8: Knut Nystedt 7: Mango 7: Ken Weatherwax 7: Stella Young 6: Ralph H. Baer 6: Adnan Gulshair el Shukrijumah 6: Luke Somers 5: Ernest C. Brace 5: Queen Fabiola of Belgium 5: Gil Marks 4: Lynne Kosky 4: Jeremy Thorpe 3: Ian McLagan 3: Ann Marcus 2: Jean Beliveau 2: Bobby Keys 1: Mario Abramovich 1: Sita Murt edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Global War on Drugs War on Terror Operation Active Endeavour Operation Enduring Freedom Terrorist incidents in 2014 Africa Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Maghreb insurgency OEF – Horn of Africa OEF – Trans Sahara Central African Republic Civil conflict Egypt Islamist unrest Sinai insurgency Libya Post-civil war interfactional fighting 2014 Libyan Civil War Nigeria Boko Haram Somalia Civil war Sudan and South Sudan Sudan internal conflict South Sudan internal conflict War in Darfur Americas Colombian conflict Internal conflict in Peru Mexican War on Drugs Paraguayan People's Army insurgency Asia Afghanistan War Military operations Taliban insurgency India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir Insurgency in Northeast India Korea Korean maritime border conflict Pakistan Balochistan conflict North-West War Sectarian violence Philippines Communist insurgency Moro insurgency Southeast Asia Cambodian–Thai border dispute Kachin conflict Papua conflict South Thailand insurgency Territorial disputes in the South China Sea Europe Abkhaz–Georgian conflict North Caucasus insurgency Pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine War in Donbass Dissident Irish Republican campaign Middle East Arab–Israeli conflict Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Israel–Iran proxy conflict Iraqi insurgency Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Kurdistan Kurdish–Iranian conflict Syrian Civil War Yemen al-Qaeda crackdown Shia insurgency South Yemen insurgency edit sidebar

Elections
Recent: December 8: Dominica, Parliament 10: Mauritius, Parliament 14: Japan, Parliament 17: Greece, President (1st round) 20: Liberia, Senate 21: Tunisia, President (2nd round) 21: Uzbekistan, Parliament (1st round) 23: Greece, President (2nd round) 28: Croatia, President (1st round) 29: Greece, President (3rd round) Upcoming: January 8: Sri Lanka, President 11: Croatia, President (2nd round) 20: Zambia, President 25: Greece, Parliament edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Brett Peter Cowan, Craig Thomson, Robert Hughes Canada: Michael Thomas Rafferty, Luka Magnotta China: Li Daqiu, Liu Tienan Croatia: Ivo Sanader Egypt: Peter Greste Germany: Breno Borges Iran: Mohammad Reza Rahimi Italy: Silvio Berlusconi Jordan: Abu Qatada Netherlands: Ante Gotovina (ICTY), Mladen Markač (ICTY), Momčilo Perišić (ICTY), Germain Katanga (ICC) Russia: Leonid Khabarov, Vladimir Kvachkov, Pussy Riot Sierra Leone: Charles Taylor (SCFSL) South Africa: Chris Mahlangu, Oscar Pistorius Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko United Kingdom: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, Levi Bellfield, Robert Black, Vincent Tabak, Ali Dizaei, Antoni Imiela, Brian Regan, Donna Air, Ched Evans, Clayton McDonald, Titus Bramble, Dan Penteado, John Terry, Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed, Asil Nadir, Justin Lee Collins, Kweku Adoboli, Tony McCluskie, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Chris Huhne, Nicola Edgington, Vicky Pryce, Derek Rose, Mick Philpott, Mairead Philpott, Paul Mosley, Kevin Liverpool, Junior Bradshaw, Aggro Santos, Stuart Hazell, Mark Bridger, Andrew Lancel, Dale Cregan, Ray Wilkins, Michael Le Vell, 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 United States: Noshir Gowadia, Barry Bonds, Raj Rajaratnam, Casey Anthony, Conrad Murray, George Huguely, Allen Stanford, Roger Clemens, Jerry Sandusky, Jared Lee Loughner, Lauryn Hill, Kermit Gosnell, George Zimmerman, Chelsea Manning, Ariel Castro, Whitey Bulger, Robert Bales, Nidal Malik Hasan, Crystal Mangum, Abu Hamza al-Masri Ongoing Brazil: Mensalão scandal Cambodia: Khmer Rouge Tribunal China: Organized crime in Chongqing Egypt: Mohamed Morsi, Hosni Mubarak France: Church of Scientology Germany: Christian Wulff, Beate Zschäpe, Uli Hoeness, Bernie Ecclestone Hong Kong: Alfredo Lim Iran: Babak Zanjani Iraq: Supreme Criminal Tribunal Malaysia: Anwar Ibrahim Netherlands: Thomas Lubanga (ICC), Radovan Karadžić (ICTY), Ratko Mladic (ICTY) Palau: Tommy Remengesau Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Janet Lim-Napoles, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Imelda Marcos, Jovito Palparan Russia: Alexei Navalny South Africa: Shrien Dewani South Korea: MV Sewol crew members Sudan: Lubna al-Hussein Thailand: Thaksin Shinawatra Turkey: Kenan Evren United Kingdom: Eddy Shah, Koo Stark United States: Jodi Arias Upcoming France: Éric Raoult Ivory Coast: Laurent Gbagbo Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Spain: Lionel Messi United Kingdom: Dane Bowers, Gary Glitter, Andy Coulson United States: Paul Anthony Ciancia, Javaris Crittenton, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Dylan Quick, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, James Eagan Holmes, Aaron Hernandez, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Anas al-Libi, Bob McDonnell, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Rick Perry edit sidebar

Events by month

2014: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December

2013: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December

2012: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December

2011: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December

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