Census of Marine Life The first Census of Marine Life (CoML), a 10-year major international project described as the most comprehensive study of its kind, is completed, sparking celebration among scientists.
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine A Vatican official condemns the move as "completely out of order".
Robert Geoffrey Edwards Robert Geoffrey Edwards of the United Kingdom wins the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his role in developing in vitro fertilisation.
Cuba The Cuban government considers another large-scale round of political prisoner releases after the release of 52 in July.
Brazilian presidential election The Brazilian presidential election heads for a second round, with Dilma Rousseff polling most votes.
Stuttgart Tens of thousands of people protest about tree-felling in Stuttgart and are confronted by police wielding water cannon and pepper spray.
Gainesville, Florida A gunman in Gainesville, Florida shoots six people, killing his father before committing suicide.
Rutgers University A vigil is held by Rutgers University in the United States for Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide after a roommate and another student secretly streamed online a private sexual encounter he had with a man.
Thailand A court in Thailand rejects a request to drop charges against Viktor Bout, whom the United States suspects of attempting to sell weapons to its opponents. He was arrested by undercover United States agents in 2008 at a Bangkok hotel.
Syria Syria issues arrest warrants for more than 30 people accused of misleading an investigation into the 2005 assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafic Hariri.
Geert Wilders Dutch MP Geert Wilders is put on trial in Amsterdam on charges of inciting hatred against Muslims in his 17-minute film "Fitna". Anti-Wilders protests occur outside court.
Israel Israel decides to deport 1976 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire, whom it has kept locked up in a detention facility since last Tuesday when she arrived to attend a conference with 5 other Nobel peace laureates. An Israeli court orders her to keep "her propaganda to herself". Israel claims it has banned her from entering its land but she says she is unaware of such a ban.
German Interior Minister Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière tells a news conference in Berlin that there is no concrete evidence of an imminent attack and "no reason to be alarmist at this time"; the Japanese government alerts its citizens to watch out for any attacks in Europe. The United States and UK have both done so in recent times.
Okinawa An angry stand-off results from a row over the ongoing presence of dozens of United States military bases on the Japanese island of Okinawa, all of which remain through intense U.S. pressure despite protests from tens of thousands of residents.
Dai Bingguo China's State Councilor Dai Bingguo delivers a speech at the opening session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Tianjin before the U.N. climate summit in Mexico at year's end.
Asia–Europe Meeting The 2010 Asia–Europe Meeting commences in Brussels, Belgium with Russia, Australia and New Zealand joining the discussions.
Wen Jiabao Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan met in Brussels, on the sidelines of the Asia–Europe Meeting.
Indonesia At least 26 are killed and many more left missing after flash floods in eastern Indonesia's Papua province.
Netravati Express Two persons were killed when a mini-lorry was hit by the Netravati Express, they were travelling at an unmanned level crossing at Panachuvadu near Punnapra, India.
Hatay Province 3 people were killed and 5 were injured after a boiler exploded in a tannery in Hatay in the Dericiler area of Güzelburç town. The injured were taken to Mustafa Kemal University’s faculty of medicine hospital.
Indonesia Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Public Welfare Affairs Agung Laksono said here on Tuesday that the massive flood in Wasior, West Papua that continuously occurred from Sunday to Monday has claimed 56 lives.
Visa Visa and MasterCard agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and the attorneys-general of seven states. They agreed to allow their participating merchants to steer customers toward lower-cost options. American Express will fight rather than agree to the terms, it said.
Austerity The Greek government announces additional harsher austerity measures in its 2011 draft budget.
Nobel Prize laureate in Economics 2001 Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz warns of a "wave of austerity" set to sweep across Europe, triggering a new recession and the demise of the euro, and predicts Spain will enter a "death spiral" - similar to that of Argentina a decade ago - when it is attacked by speculators.
''The Hobbit'' film project The industrial dispute surrounding "The Hobbit" film project is mediated by New Zealand's Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee and Arts and Culture Minister Chris Finlayson.
Sir Norman Wisdom British comic actor and songwriter Sir Norman Wisdom dies in an Isle of Man nursing home.
Jonathan Evans Jonathan Evans, head of Britain's MI5, gives a rare interview, disclosing details of his love for classics and calling for wider availability of Latin and Greek in schools as, he claims, they are useful for spies.
High altitude The world's oldest known high altitude human settlement, estimated to be 49,000 years old, is uncovered near Kokoda, Papua New Guinea.
TVNZ "Breakfast" tech commentator Ben Gracewood quits after describing Henry's comments as "the final straw" and saying "I can't work with him".
TVNZ "Breakfast" broadcaster Paul Henry questions Prime Minister John Key about whether New Zealand's ethnic minority Governor-General Anand Satyanand, representative of Queen Elizabeth II, is a proper New Zealander. Henry has previously described singer Susan Boyle as "retarded" and homosexuality as "unnatural", though the state-owned broadcaster defends him, furthering the controversy.
Central Reserve Police Force 4 people, including two Central Reserve Police Force men, are killed and 2 others are injured in an evening landmine blast in the remote parts of South Gadchiroli. The attack is carried out by Maoists.
Baghdad 89 people are killed in violence in Baghdad and northern Iraq, including a journalist for a US-funded Al Hurra satellite television station.
West Bank Jewish settlers in the West Bank set fire to the Muslim Al-Anbiaa mosque in Beit Fajjar area near the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Its rug ground and some parts of the Qur'an are burnt and anti-Islamic and anti-Palestinian slogans are written.
International Security Assistance Force Three soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were killed in separate attacks in Afghanistan's restive southern and eastern regions.