December 14, 2012 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war:
- American admiral James G. Stavridis, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe claims that Scud missiles fired by Syria at rebel forces have landed "fairly close" to the border with Turkey. (Reuters)
Arts and culture
- Kenneth Kendall, who became the BBC's first in-vision television newsreader in 1955, dies aged 88. (BBC)
- Gene Wolfe wins the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award for "lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy". (The Guardian) (SFWA)
Disasters and accidents
- Cyclone Evan heads towards Fiji after causing at least three deaths and widespread damage in Samoa. (ABC Australia via Weatherzone) (TVNZ)
- Thirteen areas of south-west England and Wales have been warned of possible floods as the United Kingdom prepares for heavy rain. (ITV News)
Law and crime
- A shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States, leaves 28 people dead, including 20 children, 6 teachers, the shooter, and his mother. (BBC) (Reuters) (CNN) (WABC) (The Boston Channel) (The Wall Street Journal) (The Washington Post)
- A 36-year-old man identified as Min Yingjun attacks an elderly woman with her own knife at her home, then stabs 22 children outside the nearby Chenpeng Village Primary School in Xinyang, Guangshan County, Henan, China. The attack on the children occurred as they were arriving for classes, and most of the victims are thought to be 6–11 years old. (Xinhua) (CBC News) (Sky News) (The Indian Express)
- The Crown Prosecution Service decides that computer hacker Gary McKinnon will face no charges in the United Kingdom over his activities. (BBC)
- Former British Labour Party MP Margaret Moran is given a two year supervision and treatment order after falsely claiming £53,000 in expenses. A judge had earlier ruled she was unfit to stand trial because of mental health issues. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans celebrate the successful launch of the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 satellite in Pyongyang's Kim Il-Sung Square. (AFP via SBS News)
- Avigdor Lieberman resigns as the Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister and as Deputy Prime Minister following an indictment for fraud. (BBC)
Sport
- FIFA announces Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium will stage both the opening match and the final at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Also FIFA chooses four cities for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup that will take place in the Russian cities of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi. (Reuters via Yahoo!) (RIA Novosti)
- The 2014 Tour de France will start in the northeastern English county of Yorkshire. A third stage will be held in southern England with a finish in London before the race moves into France. (ESPN) (AFP via Google) (Cycling News)
- Lionel Messi wins World Soccer's 2012 Player of the Year award ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Andrés Iniesta. Vicente del Bosque is chosen as the Manager of the Year. (World Soccer) (Marca)
- Australian surfer Joel Parkinson wins the 2012 ASP World Tour at the Billabong Pipeline Masters in Oahu, Hawaii. (Courier Mail)