December 2008.html

December 2008 was the 12th month of the leap year. It began on a Monday and ended after 31 days on a Wednesday.

International Holidays

December 8 - Immaculate Conception.
December 8 - Eid al-Adha.
December 21 - Hanukkah begins at sundown.
December 21 - December Solstice, also known as Yule.
December 25 - Christmas in Western Christianity.

Events

December 1, 2008 (Monday)

history

watch

In Canada, the Liberal Party, New Democratic Party, and Bloc Québécois sign an agreement to form a coalition Government with Stéphane Dion as leader, with the intention of toppling the Conservative Government that was elected less than two months before. (CTV News)
A suicide bomb attack kills 10 people, including two policemen, in the southern province in Helmand in Afghanistan. (BBC)
United States President-elect Barack Obama announces his national security team to his transition advisory board, among them being Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who was nominated Secretary of State. (Reuters)
2008 Thai political crisis:
- The People's Alliance for Democracy leaves protesting at the Thai Government House and distributes protesters to Bangkok's two airports, Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang, for security reasons. (Nation Multimedia)
- Flights to Bangkok are canceled and moved to other parts of the country, such as Phuket, Chiang Mai and Chonburi. (BBC News), (Bangkok Post)

December 2, 2008 (Tuesday)

history

watch

The Government Accountability Office releases a report that claims that the oversight of the Troubled Assets Relief Program requires additional actions to ensure "integrity, accountability, and transparency". (Washington Post) (bloomberg.com) (Wall Street Journal) (CNN Money)
The 2008 Zimbabwean cholera outbreak has claimed 425 lives and affected 10,000 people since August 2008. (Telegraph.co.uk)
NATO 2008 Brussels summit
- NATO member countries decide not to offer MAP to Georgia and Ukraine, the war in South Ossetia and the Ukrainian government collapse being the main reasons.(Deutsche Welle)
- Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer says NATO will start "conditional and graduated re-engagement" with Russia. NATO-Russia relations were frozen since the 2008 war in South Ossetia. (BBC)
United States Senate election in Georgia, 2008: Voters in the U.S. state of Georgia go to the polls for a runoff election between incumbent Senator Saxby Chambliss of the Republican Party and Jim Martin of the Democratic Party. Chambliss is reelected, ending the Democratic Party's hopes of having 60 Senators to avoid a filibuster. (Reuters), (New York Times)
The Reserve Bank of Australia cuts interest rates by 100 basis points to 4.25%. (News Limited)
2008 Thai political crisis:
- A blast at Don Mueang Airport kills at least one anti-government protestor and injures another 22. (BBC)
- Thailand's Constitutional Court dissolves the People's Power Party (PPP), the Thai Nation Party and the Neutral Democratic Party due to voter fraud and bans party leaders including the Prime Minister of Thailand Somchai Wongsawat from participating in politics for five years. A new party, Puea Thai (For Thais) is to be formed and a vote on a new PM is expected on 8 December. (BBC), (Forbes)

December 3, 2008 (Wednesday)

history

watch

Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom Michael Martin accuses Scotland Yard of not having a search warrant before its officers entered Member of Parliament Damian Green's Commons office and failing to inform Serjeant-at-Arms Jill Pay that she was entitled to request one. (BBC News) (Hansard)
Zimbabwe's Republic Police quell a march by doctors and nurses to protest against the 2008 cholera outbreak. (BBC)
Queen Elizabeth II addresses the House of Commons with her traditional Speech from the Throne, outlining the Labour government's legislative program for the 2008/09 parliamentary session. (BBC)

December 4, 2008 (Thursday)

history

watch

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says Russia may be forced to cut gas supplies to Ukraine if the latter "does not fulfil the agreements" on payment for gas already consumed. (BBC News)
President of Uruguay Tabaré Vázquez resigns as the leader of the Socialist Party following a row over the vetoing of an abortion decriminalisation bill. (BBC)
The Argentine National Congress approves the seizure of Aerolíneas Argentinas, the country's biggest airline carrier. (BBC)
The body of the first President of Afghanistan Mohammed Daoud Khan is identified, three decades after he died. (BBC)
2008 Canadian parliamentary dispute: At the request of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Governor General of Canada Michaëlle Jean prorogues the parliament until January 26, 2009, to avoid a confidence motion by a newly-formed coalition of opposition parties. (CBC) (CTV)

December 5, 2008 (Friday)

history

watch

The Federated States of Micronesia recognize Kosovo. (New Kosova Report)
O. J. Simpson is sentenced to 15-33 years in prison with eligibility for parole after 9 years for kidnapping and robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas, Nevada, casino. (Los Angeles Times) (AFP via Melbourne Age)
Global financial crisis of 2008: the United States Department of Labor reports that nonfarm payrolls contracted by 533,000 in November, the worst monthly job loss since 1974. (MarketWatch)
Sri Lankan Civil War: the Sri Lankan military enters Alampil, nearing the primary LTTE-held town of Mullaitivu. (BBC)
NASA delays the launch of the Mars Science Laboratory by two years because of lengthening delays and lingering technical issues. (NY Times)
A bombing in the Pakistani province of Peshawar kills 17 people. (Associated Press)
MIT says it has succeeded in using radio waves to mix 50,000,000 °C plasma at its Alcator C-Mod fusion reactor. (Electronic Engineering Times)
First commercial use of Evolved HSPA cellular technology by Ausralian operator Telstra. (ITWire)

December 6, 2008 (Saturday)

history

watch

Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao defeats Mexican American Oscar De La Hoya during a welterweight bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Inquirer)
United States President-elect Barack Obama nominates General Eric Shinseki to be the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs. (Reuters via ABC News Australia)
India arrests two men accused of providing mobile phone cards to the gunmen in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. (Reuters via News Limited)
A shootout between an armed gang and police in the Philippine city of Manila leaves 17 people dead. (Washington Post)
The Republic of Ireland recalls all Irish pork products after the discovery of contaminated fodder. (RTÉ)
Joseph Cao defeats William J. Jefferson in Louisiana's 2nd congressional election, a major upset victory for the Republican Party. He is the first Vietnamese American ever to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. (The Hill)

December 7, 2008 (Sunday)

history

watch

Mary Jo Kilroy wins the final outstanding United States House of Representatives seat in the 2008 general elections by capturing the 15th congressional district of Ohio. This translates to an overall gain of 21 seats for the Democratic Party in the House. (The Hill)
The government of the People's Republic of China lodges a protest for a meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama in Poland. (Voice of America)
Rioters rampage through central Athens after a Greek law enforcement officer shoots dead a teenager who was throwing stones at police. (New York Times)
The German Federal Archives has provided Wikipedia with 100,000 historical images that cover periods such as the Weimar Republic, the colonial era, the Third Reich, and post-reunification. (Deutsche Welle)

December 8, 2008 (Monday)

history

watch

2008 Russian financial crisis:
- Standard & Poor's becomes the first credit rating agency to downgrade Russia since 1999, while data showed that the Central Bank spent US$30 billion in currency market interventions in November 2008. (MarketWatch)
The Moscow City Court rules that former Yukos Oil Company vice president Vasily Aleksanyan, who is suffering from lymphoma, tuberculosis, and AIDS, will be freed on bail of 50 million rubles (US$1.78 million). (Moscow Times)
A United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet crashes into the University City neighborhood of San Diego, California, two miles from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, killing four people. (BBC News)
2008 Canadian parliamentary dispute: Stéphane Dion announces his plans to resign as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. (The Ottawa Citizen)
The Tribune Company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. (Los Angeles Times)
A bus crashes 30 kilometers southwest of Cairo, killing 11 people and injuring 30 more. (Reuters via ABC News Australia)
In a Guantanamo Bay Naval Base military commission, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-defendants announce their intentions to plead guilty to charges relating to the September 11, 2001, attacks. (BBC)
Quebec general election, 2008:
- Premier Jean Charest leads the Liberal Party to a third mandate and a majority government.
- Pauline Marois's Parti Québécois recovers and becomes the Official Opposition.
- Support for the ADQ collapses: it loses more than 30 seats and leader Mario Dumont announces his resignation.
- Québec Solidaire scores its first election victory, electing party co-leader Amir Khadir. (CBC)

December 9, 2008 (Tuesday)

history

watch

Democratic Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents at his Chicago home, amidst allegations of corruption and pay-to-play regarding the replacement for United States President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate. (MarketWatch)
Almost 1,400 workers are laid off in the Republic of Ireland as a result of the 2008 Irish pork crisis. (BBC)
Sony Corporation announces plans to cut 8,000 jobs and close 10% of its manufacturing plants. (BBC)
United Nations-mediated peace talks commence in Nairobi, Kenya, between the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the National Congress for the Defence of the People. (CNN)
Canadian Member of Parliament Bob Rae announces his withdrawal from the leadership campaign of the Liberal Party, leaving the position (and that of the Leader of the Opposition and the leadership of the proposed opposition coalition) open to fellow MP Michael Ignatieff. (CBC)
Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia Vlado Bučkovski is sentenced to three and a half years in jail for abuse of power. (Forbes)

December 10, 2008 (Wednesday)

history

watch

Talks on North Korea's nuclear program stall in a dispute over verification. (BBC)
Automotive industry crisis of 2008: The White House and U.S. Congress agree on a proposal for a US$15 billion bailout package for three major US automakers. (AFP)
Global food price crisis: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that 963 million people are suffering from prolonged food deficiency around the world. (Bloomberg)
The Rio Tinto Group announces plans to cut 14,000 jobs worldwide. (ABC News Online)
The first democratic election takes place on the Channel Island of Sark, a British crown dependency. (BBC NEWS)
After monitoring stellar orbits around Sagittarius A* (the supermassive black hole in center of the Milky Way) for 16 years, scientists estimate the object's mass at 4.31 million solar masses. (arΧiv.org) (MSNBC)
Scientists say they have found evidence for water vapour and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the extrasolar planet HD 189733 b. (NY Times) (Nature)

December 11, 2008 (Thursday)

history

watch

An Iraqi suicide bomber kills 48 people and wounds almost 100 in a restaurant north of Kirkuk celebrating the end of Id al-Adha. (NYT)
Human remains discovered in a plastic bag in southeast Orlando, Florida, United States, are believed to be the remains of missing child Caylee Anthony. Confirmation is not expected for weeks. (Orlando Sentinel)
Free Software Foundation filed a lawsuit against Cisco for using is GPL-licensed components on its Linksys but failed to fulfill the requirements of the General Public License (GPL). (Ars Technica)

December 12, 2008 (Friday)

history

watch

Four members of the Royal Marines are killed in two explosions in Afghanistan. (BBC)
2008 Russian financial crisis: Russian Deputy Economics Minister Andrei Klepach claims that Russia may face at least two quarters of economic decline in the future. (BBC News)
Global financial crisis of 2008: A proposed $14 billion bailout of U.S. automakers fails in the U.S. Senate, raising the specter of an industry collapse that sent Asian markets reeling and sparked fears it could deepen the recession. (New York Times) (MarketWatch)
Switzerland becomes the 25th European country to join the Schengen Agreement, whereby cross-border passport checks will be abolished. (BBC News)
The United Nations Security Council finds that Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are using child soldiers to fight a proxy war. (AP)

December 13, 2008 (Saturday)

history

watch

Leaders from China, Japan, and South Korea meet on the island of Kyūshū to discuss a response to the financial crisis. (BBC)
The Pakistan Air Force claims Indian fighter aircraft violated Pakistani airspace before being forced to turn back. (AP via The New York Times)

December 14, 2008 (Sunday)

history

watch

At least 28 people are dead and 22 missing after the ferry Maejan capsizes in the northern Philippines. (AFP via News Limited)
A bus crash in Minya, Egypt, kills 57 people. (AP via Google)
Turkmenistan holds an early parliamentary vote with only candidates from the Democratic Party and associated organizations standing for election. (Reuters)
Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Southern Sudan launch an operation against the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency in the DRC's Garamba National Park. (BBC)
Al-Baghdadia TV journalist Muntadhar al Zaidi is subdued after throwing both his shoes at United States President George W. Bush during his farewell speech in Iraq. (CNN)

December 15, 2008 (Monday)

history

watch

Montenegro presents its official application for European Union membership to current EU Council President Nicolas Sarkozy, hoping to win candidate status in 2009. (EU Observer)
The House of Representatives of Thailand selects Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democrat Party as the new Prime Minister. (New York Times) (BBC)
President of Romania Traian Băsescu nominates Emil Boc, President of the Democratic Liberal Party, as Prime Minister. (Xinhua) (BBC)
Hundreds of thousands of houses in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and New Hampshire are left without electricity after an ice storm. (New York Times)
Israel releases 224 captive Palestinians from prison. (Associated Press)
Anthony Pellicano is sentenced to 15 years in jail for an illegal wiretapping operation. (Los Angeles Times)
High tides cause flooding in Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, requiring the evacuation of 300 people. (Radio New Zealand)

December 16, 2008 (Tuesday)

history

watch

Bilal Abdullah is convicted for his roles in the 2007 attack on Glasgow International Airport and an attempted bombing of London's West End. (BBC)
President of Somalia Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed names former Interior Minister Mohamoud Mohamed Gacmodhere as Prime Minister, but incumbent PM Nur Hassan Hussein is supported in a parliamentary vote, requiring a confidence motion before Ahmed could replace Hussein. (Xinhua)
Global financial crisis of 2008:
- The United States consumer price index fell in November by 1.9% on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Labor Department reports, the biggest decline since the nadir of the Great Depression in January 1932. (MarketWatch)
- Construction permits for single-family homes fell in October by 12.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 412,000, marking a 27-year low, the U.S. Commerce Department reports. (MarketWatch)
Five sticks of dynamite are found in the Printemps department store on the Boulevard Haussmann in Paris. (BBC News)
United Nations special envoy to Niger Robert Fowler and Canadian diplomat Louis Guay are reported to be missing in Niger. (CNN)
The Illinois House of Representatives votes unanimously to begin an impeachment inquiry against Governor Rod Blagojevich for corruption. (New York Times)
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations signs a charter to make itself a legal entity. (BBC)
Twenty-four Russian tourists are killed when their bus plummets into a ravine near Eilat in southern Israel, making this road accident the deadliest in the state's history. (Jerusalem Post)

December 17, 2008 (Wednesday)

history

watch

Ruins of an entire ancient city belonging to the Wari culture are discovered in northern Peru. (BBC)
South Korean actress Ok So-ri is given an eight-month suspended prison sentence for adultery after the Constitutional Court refused to strike down a law criminalizing adultery. (BBC)
Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani announces his resignation because of chaos over the treatment of Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Al-Baghdadia TV journalist who threw his shoes at United States President George W. Bush. (Telegraph)
A U.S. State Department panel recommends that Blackwater Worldwide should be dropped as the main private security contractor for American diplomats in Iraq. (BBC)
The United Nations passes a resolution authorizing foreign countries to conduct military raids on land or by sea in pursuit of Somali pirates. (Washington Post)

December 18, 2008 (Thursday)

history

watch

India successfully test-fires supersonic cruise missile BrahMos for the first time from a mobile universal vertical launcher fitted on a naval warship in the Bay of Bengal. (Times of India)
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda finds Théoneste Bagosora guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes and sentences him to life imprisonment. (Reuters)
75,000 people in Papua New Guinea are displaced by flooding caused by tidal swells. (Sydney Morning Herald)

December 19, 2008 (Friday)

history

watch

Administration of United States President-elect Barack Obama:
- Republican Party Representative Ray LaHood of Illinois is nominated as the next Secretary of Transportation. (CNN)
- Democratic Party Representative Hilda Solis of California is nominated as the next Secretary of Labor. (CNN)
- Venture capitalist Karen Mills is chosen to head the Small Business Administration. (CNN)
- Former Mayor of Dallas, Texas, Ronald Kirk is selected for the position of Trade Representative. (CNN)
U.S. President George W. Bush's administration files a trade case to the World Trade Organization against the People's Republic of China over the alleged use of export subsidies to promote Chinese-made goods. (AP via Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Rangzieb Ahmed, the highest-ranked al-Qaeda operative in the United Kingdom, becomes the first person convicted of the charge of directing terrorism. (News Limited)
President Bush announces a $17.4 billion emergency bailout of the automobile industry to protect General Motors and Chrysler from bankruptcy during the current automotive crisis. The plan is conditional on the companies' reorganization by March 31, 2009, to show that they can return to viability. (New York Times)
Internet and telephone transmissions between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia are seriously disrupted. The FLAG, SEA-ME-WE 3, and SEA-ME-WE 4 submarine communications cables are believed to have been cut for the second time this year. (BBC)
Three resignations ensue when Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean Fitzpatrick admits to concealing a total of €87 million in loans. (RTÉ)
Thirty prisoners burn down and escape their jail in Vanuatu. Two Members of Parliament are later arrested for harboring some of the fugitives. (Radio Australia) (Channel NewsAsia)

December 20, 2008 (Saturday)

history

watch

The Swedish Academy, the body that selects the winner of the