December 17, 2011 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Egyptian Army soldiers beat protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square in a second day of clashes which have resulted in 10 deaths and hundreds injured. (Reuters)
Disasters
- Flash floods triggered by Tropical Storm Washi kill at least 400 people in the Philippines with hundreds more missing. (AP via WVEC) (BBC) (AFP via ABC News Australia)
- A boat carrying 380 asylum seekers en route from Indonesia to Australia sinks off the coast of Java with hundreds of people missing. (Reuters via ABC Australia)
Politics
- The United States Senate votes in favor of extending the payroll tax cut for two months. (CNN)
- Johann Lamont is elected as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, succeeding Iain Gray. (BBC)