Portal:Current events/2015 December 12

December 12, 2015 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017)
- A suicide bomber attacks an Iraqi Army post in Al Anbar Governorate on the border with Saudi Arabia, killing at least six guards. (Ahram Online)
Syrian Civil War
- Sixteen people are killed and many more injured by a car bomb and a second, delayed explosion near a hospital in Syria's mainly Alawite, government-controlled neighborhood of al-Zahra, east of Homs' old city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports. The attack comes just five days after the government and rebels agreed on a local ceasefire in the western al-Waer suburb. (Reuters) (EuroNews)
2015 Burundian unrest
- Burundi's army reports 87 people, including eight government defenders, were killed, and 45 attackers captured in Friday's clashes at three military sites in Bujumbura. Police have not identified the gunmen. Witnesses report some of the victims' arms were tied behind their backs while others were killed at close range. This was the worst violence since this spring's attempted coup d'état. One of the generals behind the failed coup says his rebel group still wants to oust the president. (Reuters) (AFP via Global Post)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- All sides in the Yemeni civil war announce a seven-day ceasefire will start on Monday. (Al-Arabiyah)
Nigerian soldiers kill at least 12 people and injure dozens more in a clash with followers of Shi'a cleric Ibrahim Zakzaky's Islamic movement in the northern town of Zaria. The army says the crowd surged towards General Tukur Buratai's convoy, some firing and attempting to kill Buratai. Afterward, the Nigerian Army and the Islamic Movement accuse each other of instigating the attacks. (EagleOnline) (AP) (Premium Times)
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Battle of Kunduz
  - The United Nations mission in Afghanistan reports 289 civilians were killed (301 with MSF update) and 559 injured during fighting in Kunduz between Taliban militants and Afghan National Security Forces in September and October. The U.N. says these numbers include casualties from the friendly-fire attack on the Doctors Without Borders hospital and noted the totals were likely to rise as more information becomes available. (Reuters) (Radio Free Europe)
- Kunduz hospital airstrike
  - After two months of investigations, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) announces the death toll from the U.S. airstrikes on its Kunduz Trauma Centre has risen from 30 to 42. MSF says 14 MSF staff were killed, as well as four caretakers and 24 patients. Also, MSF delivered a petition to the White House this week, signed by 547,000 people, calling for an independent investigation into the US airstrike. (The Guardian) (Daily Mail)

International relations

2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference
- In Paris, delegates from 195 countries approve an agreement that seeks to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.(BBC) (Washington Post)
Japan and India sign an agreement on high-speed rail, defence technology and a memorandum of understanding on civil nuclear cooperation. (AFP via Daily Mail)
North Korea's all-female Moranbong Band, which was formed by leader Kim Jong-un, surprisingly cancels tonight's concert at Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts, and two others and returns to Pyongyang. Rumors for the sudden change abound, but no reason has been given. The sudden cancellation could hurt Chinese-North Korean relations, cooler since between Kim assumed power in 2011. (AP via Huffington Post) (Reuters via Asian Times)

Law and crime

A Wisconsin gun shop, which a jury found negligently sold the gun an assailant used to injure two Milwaukee police officers to a straw buyer, reaches a $1 million settlement with the officers. (AP via seattlepi.com) (Reuters)

Politics and elections

President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia declares the country an Islamic republic. (The Guardian)
Saudi Arabian municipal elections, 2015
- Voters in Saudi Arabia go to the polls for municipal elections, with women voting and standing for election for the first time. Seventeen women are elected to office. (Los Angeles Times), (NBC News)
Houston mayoral election, 2015
- Residents in the United States' fourth largest city are voting in a runoff election to choose the new mayor of Houston, Texas. The race is between the top two finishers in November's non-partisan election: Sylvester Turner, a veteran lawmaker seeking to expand economic opportunities; and, Bill King, a businessman pledging to fix city finances. (Reuters) (KPRC-TV)
Thirty-three people are arrested in Moscow in Constitution Day protests against alleged human rights abuses. (Al Jazeera)
Poland protests: Thousands march against the Law and Justice (PiS) party in Warsaw, with an estimated 50,000, and other cities protesting President Andrzej Duda and the country's new conservative government appointing new Constitutional Tribunal judges who are loyal to the PiS. (BBC) (AP via Yahoo)
Pro-Russian opposition parties protest against Montenegro's NATO membership, demanding a referendum on the issue. (AFP via Yahoo)

Sports

2015 Heisman trophy
- In American football, running back Derrick Henry of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team wins the Heisman Trophy for best college football player. (CNN)