Rwanda Former Rwandan minister Augustin Ngirabatware is sentenced to 35 years imprisonment for his role during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
Laos Laos denies knowledge as to the fate of missing activist Sombath Somphone, who disappeared last week in the capital Vientiane.
American A U.S. soldier who urinated on the corpse of a dead Afghan combatant is sentenced to 30 days in jail after admitting his action at a court martial. Reports suggest he will not be sent to jail because of a plea deal reached with military prosecutors.
Michigan Dozens of Michigan schools close early for holidays, sending home 80,000 students, due to rumors related to the Mayan doomsday and the Connecticut shooting.
China Police in China arrest almost 1,000 people belonging to the doomsday Almighty God Christian cult for spreading rumours about the end of the world.
Julian Assange Julian Assange issues a statement to supporters from a balcony of London's Ecuadorean embassy, in which he refers to the U.S. Pentagon's recent description of the existence of WikiLeaks as an "ongoing crime" and suggests it is the intention of WikiLeaks to release a million more documents in 2013.
UN refugee agency The UN refugee agency reports at least 55 people have drowned after an overcrowded boat capsizes off the coast of Somalia on 18 December.
Midwestern United States The midwestern United States is hit by a massive storm causing major disruption to traffic.
American U.S. patent authorities reject an important Apple Inc. patent concerning pinch-to-zoom gestures on a mobile device screen.
New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange, the largest stock exchange in the United States and the world, is sold to Atlanta-based IntercontinentalExchange.
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council authorises African-led military intervention in northern Mali to oust Islamists and help reunify the country.
United Nations The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says there is no prospect of an end to the conflict in Syria.