December 20, 2011 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syria says it will execute anyone who participates in "terrorist acts", under a new law. (CNN)
- Chinese police beat protesters and fire tear gas after demonstrators storm government buildings in Haimen (70km NNW from Shanghai), in protest against a local 'polluting' coal-powered electricity generation plant. (AFP via Google)
Arts and culture
- Indian Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna condemns a court case in Russia that could see the Bhagavad Gita As It Is holy book banned there. (BBC) (Hindustan Times) (The Economic Times)(The Statesman)
Disasters
- The death toll from Tropical Storm Washi in the Philippines rises to nearly 1,000. (CBC)
- A Socata TBM-700 small plane crashes onto Interstate 287 in Northern New Jersey, killing 5. (New York Times)
International relations
- Diplomats from the European Union, Non-aligned Movement and the Arab States Group on the UN Security Council criticise Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (BBC) (The Jerusalem Post)
Law and crime
- Former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan appears before the Leveson Inquiry via videolink from the United States to deny knowledge of hacking at the paper. (BBC)
Politics
- Death of Kim Jong-il:
- The body of Kim Jong-il lies in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang. (Al Jazeera)
- Villagers rebelling in village of Wukan in southern China, say they will hold talks with the government and demand concessions in return for calling off a march. (Reuters)
- Joseph Kabila is sworn in as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the presidency being contested by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi. (ABC)
- Thousands of Egyptian women demonstrate against abuses by military police. (New York Times)
Science
- Worldwide controversy erupts over a plan by Dutch scientists to publish findings relating to the development of a mutated strain of H5N1, that could potentially cause a worldwide pandemic that could kill millions. Bioterrorism watchdogs also express immense concern over the development of the virus (which is presently stored in Erasmus MC, Rotterdam). (Russia Today) (FOX News)
- Two Earth-sized planets, Kepler-20e and Kepler-20d, are found orbiting a star 950 light-years away from Earth. (Wall Street Journal)
Sport
- The National Collegiate Athletic Association announces that it is penalizing the Ohio State Buckeyes football program with a one-year bowl game ban, among other penalties, as a result of a scandal at the program. Former head coach Jim Tressel is given a 5-year show-cause penalty as well. (ESPN)