Portal:Current events/2009 December 12
December 12, 2009 (Saturday)
- Annise Parker is elected Mayor of Houston, which becomes the largest United States city with an openly gay person elected mayor. (CBS News) (New York Times)
- Police in Denmark detain 900 people after thousands gather in Copenhagen to demand more action on climate change and global warming by leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (Economic Times)
- Police in Thailand seize a plane carrying weapons from North Korea to an unknown destination, detaining 5 crew. (Bangkok Post)[permanent dead link] (BBC)
- The leaders of Cuba and Venezuela sign over US$3.2 billion worth of trade and cooperation agreements. (Channel News Asia)
- The Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia holds its first presidential elections. (euronews) (UPI) (Al Jazeera) (The Georgian Times)
- President of the Philippines Gloria Arroyo lifts martial law in Maguindanao in the south of the country, where 57 people were killed in political violence there last month. (The Philippine Star)[permanent dead link] (AP)
- Golfer Tiger Woods announces he is taking an indefinite break from the sport after a scandal over his infidelity in order to focus on "being a better husband, father, and person". (ABC)
- The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has cancelled the contract of its private security firm with Xe Services LLC, previously known as Blackwater, for its services related to Drone operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. (Dawn)