Portal:Current events/2012 December 4

December 4, 2012 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- The Syrian Army clashes with rebels close to Damascus. (AAP via News Limited)
- A mortar attack destroys a school in the small city of Bteeha, on the road to Homs north of the capital. According to the state news agency SANA at least 29 are killed, while activists report 9 deaths. (New York Times)
- NATO sends Patriot missiles to Turkey to help it protect its citizens in case the Civil War spills over the border. (CNN)
Belfast City Hall flag protests:
- In Northern Ireland, 15 police officers are injured during rioting at Belfast City Hall following a vote to change Belfast City Council's policy on flying the union flag. (BBC)

Business and economy

In a setback to the movement toward banking union in the EU, Germany's finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble says he will not allow a unitary system of supervision without changes in the underlying treaties. (Financial Times).

Disasters and accidents

Typhoon Bopha makes landfall on the Philippines island of Mindanao with reports of floods and landslides. Authorities confirm at least 81 deaths amid widespread property damage. (AFP via MSN Malaysia) (ABC News Australia) (Reuters) (Bangkok Post)
The cargo ship Volgo Balt 199 sinks in the Black Sea near Istanbul with a Ukrainian and Russian crew of 12. Four crew members are rescued and one is found dead, while the rest are missing. Two rescuers are killed and two others left missing after their boat hit rocks during the search operations. (Reuters)^{[permanent dead link]}
A Chinese fighter jet Chengdu J-7 crashes in the city of Shantou, Guangdong province, China, sparking a fire that injures at least four people. (Bangkok Post)^{[permanent dead link]} (AP via The Guardian)

International relations

The US Navy denies Iranian state media reports that a ScanEagle drone has been shot down over the Persian Gulf. (New York Times)
The International Olympic Committee suspends India's national Olympic committee because of government interference in its election process. India's athletes will be barred from competing in Olympic events under their national flag, although the IOC could allow them to do so under the Olympic flag. (AP via CBC)

Law and crime

Japanese police raid the headquarters of the Central Nippon Expressway Company, which operates the Sasago Tunnel that had collapsed over the weekend. (CBS News)

Politics and elections

All members of the Commonwealth of Nations which have the British Monarch as their head of state agree to a bill that will change the rules on royal succession rules which currently favour a male heir. (BBC)
The United States Senate fails to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with the motion failing to win the two-thirds majority. (Voice of America)
One hundred thousand people protest outside the President of Egypt's palace over proposed constitutional changes. (AP)

Science and technology

Sport