Retreat of glaciers since 1850 Scientific studies confirm more than 90 percent of the world’s glaciers are retreating, and many of the smaller ones — like the alpine ice sheets of Glacier National Park in the U.S. — are rapidly disappearing. On the other side of world, at Khumbu Glacier near Mount Everest in the Himalayas, expanding ponds are merging and forming larger bodies of water. This could threaten settlements downstream if they overflow. Thawing glaciers account for about 20 percent of the sea-level rise recorded in the past century, adding to the meltwater coming from polar ice caps and ice sheets.
Yu Weiguo Yu Weiguo becomes the acting Governor of Fujian province, replacing Su Shulin, who had been detained on suspicion of corruption.
China China's paramount leader Xi Jinping announced a major overhaul of China’s military to make the world’s largest army more combat ready and better equipped to project force beyond the country’s borders. Under the reorganization, all branches of the armed forces would come under a joint military command. The Chinese Communist leader said the reform aimed to "build an elite combat force" and called on the officials to make "breakthroughs" on establishing the joint command by 2020, Xinhua said.
Detroit Detroit, a city in which property values are among the lowest in the United States, is looking to reverse this. The Detroit Land Bank Authority is demolishing structures that are beyond repair and auction (bids start at $1,000) ones that are salvageable.
Colorado Springs, Colorado An active shooter in a Planned Parenthood facility in the American city of Colorado Springs, Colorado shoots at least four members of the Colorado Springs Police Department with one officer later dying. Two civilians were also killed, and six were injured. The shooter later surrendered.
Kraków The appellate prosecutors office in the Polish city of Krakow decides not to appeal a decision against extraditing filmmaker Roman Polanski to the United States to face prosecution for historic child sex offences.
Saenuri Party Former Saenuri Party member of the South Korean National Assembly Cho Hyun-ryong is jailed for five years for accepting bribes.
Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, is appointed as the sixth Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations. She will become the first woman to hold the position from April 2016.
Pope Francis's visit to Kenya Francis, at a Nairobi sports center, says education and jobs will prevent young people from being radicalized and heading off to join militant groups. At the Kasarani Stadium, the Pope urges attendees to resist the temptation of corruption. “It’s in all the institutions, including in the Vatican ..."
Pope Francis, speaking in the Kenyan shantytown Kangemi, a sprawling slum filled with tin-roofed homes, lashes out at the elite in a neighborhood that feels largely disenfranchised. He describes injustices against the poor, such as unfair distribution of land, and lack of access to infrastructures and basic services, as "new forms of colonialism."
North Texas Floodwaters in the North Texas area of the United States claim at least three lives on Thursday and today with another person missing.
2015–16 Australian bushfire season At least 87 homes have been lost in the fires that started in Pinery, South Australia which also claimed two lives and hospitalised 90 with five people in a critical condition.
Greek government-debt crisis A new study shows Greece's six-year austerity program is even affecting prostitution. Gregory Laxos, a sociology professor at the Panteion University in Athens, told the "Times of London" the going rate for sex with a prostitute was 50 euros ($53) when the economic crisis began. Now, it’s fallen to as low as two euros ($2.12) for a 30-minute session, or to a cheese pie, a sandwich because they are hungry.
China China's Shanghai index closed down 5.5%, a drop of almost 200 points in what was its largest single-day decline in three months.
Archaeologist Archaeologists discover four prehistoric Ichma culture tombs in the centre of the Peruvian capital Lima.
Islamist insurgency in West Africa A suicide-bomb attack on a Shia Muslim procession in Nigeria's northern Kano state leaves at least 21 people dead.
Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea Pirates attack a Polish-owned cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria, kidnapping its captain and four crew. Polish Foreign Minister, Witold Waszczykowski, said the as yet unidentified kidnappers have made no demands so far and Poland was currently liaising with Nigerian authorities.
Israeli-Palestinian conflict (2015) The Israeli cabinet authorizes the Israeli Army to close the village of Beir Ummar near Hebron to search for suspects.
Two Palestinian drivers drive their vehicles into groups of Israeli soldiers in two separate attacks in the occupied West bank. Both drivers are shot dead. In this current wave of violence that began in October, 19 Israelis, one U.S. citizen, and 93 Palestinians have died.
Siege Malian forces arrest two men in their early 30s linked to a cell phone found at the scene of last week's deadly hotel attack. No details are provided on what their exact role was.
2015 downing Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warns Russia not to "play with fire" and says Russia is supporting the "state terrorism" of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria that has "killed 380,000 people". Relations between the former Cold War antagonists have been severely damaged after Turkey shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 near the Syria–Turkey border on November 24, 2015.
Paris attacks in 2015 France holds a memorial service for the 130 victims of the attacks two weeks ago.
Police One person is killed and several injured in clashes between police and Papua New Guinea Defence Force soldiers.