December 2005
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This article covers breaking news and events in December 2005.
Daily events
Thursday December 1, 2005
- Alagoas / Brazil : A leading member of the landless movement is shot dead in the northeastern state of Alagoas . As reported by the Catholic "Pastoral Commission for Soil", the 24-year-old is the 39th fatality among farm workers this year . In the course of the agrarian reform , several families were given land and received death threats as a result.
- Solar system : In December all five bright planets are visible in the firmament from Europe during the night.
Friday December 2, 2005
- Brussels / Belgium : The EU formally calls on the US to clarify the reports that speak of CIA transports and secret prisons in Eastern Europe . The US State Department announced a response to a letter from UK EU Council President Jack Straw . The EU Parliament also wants better information on the reports.
- Cairo / Egypt : As expected, the winners of the parliamentary elections in Egypt are President Hosni Mubarak's National Democrats . What is surprising, however, after three election phases is that the opposition Muslim Brotherhood will become the second largest party and should make up around a quarter of the MPs. The movement is officially forbidden, but is tolerated.
- Rome / Italy : Health Minister Francesco Storace instructs his ministry to review the courts to ensure that they are applying abortion laws correctly and not in an overly liberal sense.
- Washington, DC / United States : The Supreme Court deliberates on the regulations on abortions after the case of a minor in New Hampshire shows that the sexual education through parenting can take place insufficient.
Saturday 3rd December 2005
- Minsk / Belarus : Criticism of the government should become a criminal offense. The parliament passes a law according to which any discrediting of the state would be criminally prosecutable. It still has to be approved by the House of Lords and President Aljaksandr Lukashenka . International human rights groups sharply criticize the measure as suffocating the opposition. The Belarusian KGB justifies it with the danger of revolutions like in Georgia , Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan .
- New York / United States : The German public prosecutor Detlev Mehlis announces the end of the leadership of the United Nations investigation into the attack on the convoy of vehicles of the then Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri .
Sunday 4th December 2005
- Berlin / Germany : The chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany Nadeem Elyas offers himself an exchange for the kidnapped German Susanne Osthoff in Iraq.
- Moscow / Russia : Elections to the city parliament are held in the Russian capital. The vote is seen as an important test for the functioning of Russian democracy. In the run-up, the two most important liberal parties, Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces , had come together in an electoral alliance.
Monday 5th December 2005
- Caracas / Venezuela : The alliance of the official supporter parties of President Hugo Chávez claims to win all seats in the national parliamentary elections. The Chavez 'party (movement for the fifth republic) also achieved the necessary two-thirds majority for constitutional amendments with 114 out of 167. After all major opposition parties had surprisingly withdrawn from the election, the turnout was around 25%.
Tuesday December 6, 2005
- Tehran / Iran : A type C-130 military aircraft crashes over the capital while attempting an emergency landing. At least 90 people die. Iran owns 15 Hercules C-130s. Because of the economic sanctions imposed by the USA, there has been a lack of spare parts for aircraft in Iran for over 25 years.
Wednesday December 7, 2005
- China : In another mine accident near Beijing, 96 miners are buried, another 27 can save themselves. The explosion at the Liuguantun mine near Tangshan City marks the fourth major accident in 10 days and is expected to increase the death toll from 229 to over 320.
- Germany : On the occasion of the visit of the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the discussions about anti-terrorism activities of the CIA in Europe, the new Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks of the fact that the US government has made a mistake with regard to the apparently erroneous arrest of the German-Lebanese Khaled al-Masri accept. American media contradict this: Rice only admitted to Merkel that mistakes sometimes happen in the political field and that they are corrected if necessary. The official silence of the USA regarding the kidnapping at the time has put a strain on transatlantic relations again.
Thursday December 8, 2005
- Germany : According to the innovation index of a study by the DIW (Institute for Economic Research ), Germany shows much less willingness to innovate than the USA and the Scandinavian countries. Compared to a total of 13 western industrialized countries, it is in the middle between Japan and the United Kingdom and ahead of Austria , whose economy is currently more successful. The German companies in mechanical engineering , vehicle construction and electrical engineering received good grades . The index falls poorly in education and innovation, as far as their social acceptance and the financial support of courageous companies are concerned. In terms of willingness to take risks , Germany ranks 13th (last).
- Canary Islands / Spain : Croatian General Ante Gotovina , wanted for war crimes , was caught on Wednesday in the Canary Islands, which belong to Spain . According to UN chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte , he is to be extradited to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague as soon as possible .
- Washington, DC / United States : Topic of the state visit of Federal Chancellor of Austria Wolfgang Schuessel , who in January the EU -Ratsvorsitz of Tony Blair will take, in addition to the transatlantic relationship and the claims of emigrated dispossessed and their dependents from the time of National Socialism in Austria. The Federal Republic will financially compensate the first of the 19,300 applicants living in the USA this year.
Friday December 9, 2005
- Leipzig / Germany : The groups for the FIFA - FIFA World Cup 2006 men will be drawn. Germany will play the opening game against Costa Rica on June 9, 2006 . On June 14, 2006 the German national team will play against Poland and on June 20, 2006 against Ecuador .
Saturday December 10, 2005
- Nigeria : Apparently a passenger plane crashed while taking off in Nigeria. According to media reports, up to 100 people are said to have died. The plane of the Nigerian airline "Sosoliso" should have flown from Port Harcourt to Abuja .
- Spain : Spanish police arrested seven men in the south of the country. They are charged with the support of Algerian Muslim extremists linked to Al Qaeda . According to the police, there is currently no evidence of planned attacks in Spain.
Sunday December 11, 2005
- London / United Kingdom : A fuel dump exploded this morning near London. The explosion occurred about 15 kilometers from Luton Airport . According to police, 40 people were injured, two of them seriously. After several hours, the fire brigade got the fire under control. However, police warned there could be further explosions. Hertfordshire Police believe there was an accident. There is no evidence of another cause, said a spokeswoman. Reports by an eyewitness that he saw a plane crash into the camp were expressly denied by the police.
Monday December 12, 2005
- Moscow / Russia : The gas company Gazprom is to increase gas delivery prices for Ukraine fourfold in 2006, demanded President Vladimir Putin in a television speech. The price would then double the international market price. The price increase is seen as revenge for the events of the Orange Revolution , which was provoked by the election rigging of the presidential candidate supported by Russia and which ended with the victory of the democratic movement. Such drastic price increases would significantly worsen the economic situation in Ukraine and restrict the government's room for maneuver. At the same time, delivery prices for the Belarusian President Aljaksandr Lukashenka are guaranteed to be five times lower in 2006.
Tuesday December 13, 2005
- California / United States : The gang founder of the " Crips " and children's book author Stanley Williams is executed by lethal injection despite international protests. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger came under fire from some organizations for confirming the death sentence .
Wednesday December 14, 2005
- Germany : The former priest and church critic Eugen Drewermann confirms to the public that he is leaving the Roman Catholic Church .
- Vienna / Austria : A fire at the University of Economics and Business (WU) resulted in considerable property damage. People were not harmed. The library and the main building (UZA 1) are particularly affected.
Thursday December 15, 2005
- Baghdad / Iraq : Today the long-planned parliamentary elections are taking place across the country , from which political calming is hoped. In contrast to the presidential election, two large Sunni parties are participating this time , while smaller ones continue to call for a boycott. The strongest party is likely to be the United Iraqi Alliance of Prime Minister Jafari ( Shiite ). Other parties, especially the Kurds , are pushing for greater autonomy within the multi-ethnic state. In order to make it more difficult for the elections to be disrupted by terrorist attacks and car bombs , a general driving ban was issued for election day.
- Brussels / Belgium : The European Council decides to start negotiations on accession to the European Union with Macedonia . In contrast, negotiations on the UK premium rebate , which disadvantages the ten EU accession countries from 2004, and on agricultural subsidies have so far been fruitless.
Friday December 16, 2005
- Baghdad / Iraq : Yesterday's parliamentary elections had a surprisingly high voter turnout of around 70%, which in some provinces of the Sunnis was up to 80%. After their boycott of the last two elections (President and Constitution ), this is seen as a sign of hope that parties from all three population groups will be able to cooperate in the future.
- Brussels / Belgium : At the summit conference of the EU heads of government, an agreement is reached on the budget guidelines for 2007-2013, after the United Kingdom has paid the other member states around 10 billion euros with regard to the so-called “ British discount ”.
- Wiesbaden / Germany : " Federal Chancellor " as a female form for the German Federal Chancellor is the word of the year in Germany for the Society for the German Language .
Sunday December 18, 2005
- Iraq : The German archaeologist Susanne Osthoff, kidnapped in Iraq for three weeks, and her driver are released. Both were abducted by their kidnappers on November 25th while driving.
- Kinshasa / DR Congo : In Africa's third largest country, 25 million eligible voters are called to a constitutional referendum organized by the UN . The provisional parliament passed the draft constitution in May 2005 (see also December 21).
- La Paz / Bolivia : In the early presidential elections, Evo Morales , the Indian candidate, is in the lead with more than 50% of the votes.
- Yokohama / Japan : Brazilian club São Paulo won the Club World Cup in football after beating Liverpool FC from the United Kingdom 1-0 in the final .
Monday December 19, 2005
- Florida / United States : A seaplane with 20 people on board crashed off the coast of Florida. 19 bodies have already been found, 1 person is missing. The plane was almost 60 years old.
- United Kingdom : Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso announces his move from Renault to McLaren-Mercedes for the 2007 season .
Tuesday December 20, 2005
- Düsseldorf / Germany : The energy and chemicals group RAG Aktiengesellschaft becomes the future majority owner of the world's largest specialty chemicals group, Degussa .
- La Paz / Bolivia : In the presidential election on December 18, Evo Morales from the “Movement to Socialism” ( MAS ) wins an absolute majority. This makes the well-known representative of the “ coca farmers” the first Indian president of the country, which returned to democracy in 1982. The conservative candidate receives around a quarter of the vote.
Wednesday December 21, 2005
- Bucharest / Romania : Bank BCR , the largest bank in the country, is taken over by the Austrian Erste Bank . The top institution of the Austrian savings bank sector, which has taken over several large savings banks in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia since 2000 , pays 3.7 billion euros for the majority stake, which is the largest transaction by an Austrian company abroad to date. BCR has a 25-30 percent market share in Romania, 300 branches and around 12,000 employees.
- Karlsruhe / Germany : the Federal Court of Justice lifts the acquittals of the Düsseldorf Regional Court in the Mannesmann trial . This is now decided by another chamber, taking into account the legal opinion of the BGH. The renewed trial of Deutsche Bank boss Ackermann and 5 other managers is estimated to take a few months.
- Kinshasa / DR Congo : According to the UN, the Sunday referendum on the new constitution was successful. After counting a third of the votes, an 80 percent approval of the voters is indicated, which is a prerequisite for the final pacification of the multiethnic state torn by civil wars. A total of around 40,000 polling stations were available to the 25 million eligible voters . There were transport problems in only a few places, but demonstrations by constitutional opponents in Goma and Kinshasa. The UN has deployed its largest contingent of peacekeeping forces in the vast country and spoke of the most complex and difficult election it has ever organized.
- New York / United States : The United Nations sets up a peacekeeping commission . According to the experience of the last decade, wars break out again in around half of all conflict cases after the UN has succeeded in finding a provisional settlement. The new commission will primarily contribute to the prevention of further civil wars in Africa (Burundi, Congo (?), Liberia and Sierra Leone), but will also act in Haiti .
Thursday December 22, 2005
- Taranto / Italy : The Medieval Museum is inaugurated.
Friday December 23, 2005
- Netherlands : Businessman Frans van Anraat is sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment for complicity in war crimes in Iran and Iraq . Van Anraat supplied raw materials for the production of mustard gas and nerve gases.
- South Korea : Stem cell researcher Hwang Woo-suk was forced to resign after reports confirmed that he had falsified data in his previously hailed breakthrough results.
Saturday December 24, 2005
- Hokuriku / Japan : Unusually heavy snowstorms have caused at least 8 deaths so far. Avalanches have been triggered in many areas. Traffic chaos broke out across the country. Well over a thousand households were without electricity. A person was killed in a train derailment in the north of the country. 26 were injured.
Sunday December 25, 2005
- Moscow / Russia : The Russian government offers Iran help for the peaceful use of nuclear energy , specifically for the enrichment of uranium . Iran rejects the offer.
Wednesday December 28, 2005
- Aden / Yemen : The Ministry of Tourism reports the kidnapping of the five-member German family of the former State Secretary in the Foreign Office Jürgen Chrobog . The Foreign Office in Berlin , however, formulates that the family is missing.
- Baikonur / Kazakhstan : The first satellite for the European Galileo navigation system took off on board a Soyuz launcher at 6.19 a.m. CET from the Baikonur spaceport , which is under Russian administration .
- Hamburg / Germany : According to a former US top agent, the controversial CIA program for the transfer of terror suspects to countries known for torture methods has been running for a good ten years. Former US President Bill Clinton , his security advisor Sandy Berger and terrorism advisor Richard Clarke commissioned the US secret service CIA in the fall of 1995 to “destroy” the terror network Al-Qaeda , says the former CIA agent Michael Scheuer . This can include so-called "special renditions" were ( English " extraordinary renditions " have been introduced) in which suspects are kidnapped and flown by secret flight to other countries.
Thursday December 29, 2005
- Berlin / Germany : The federal government is cutting funds for AIDS education by 10%. Means for prevention services are not affected.
Friday December 30, 2005
- Cairo / Egypt : When a protest camp of Sudanese refugees was stormed by the Egyptian police, a mass panic broke out. At least ten Sudanese refugees were killed. The refugees had demonstrated for better living conditions and for moving to a third country.
Saturday December 31, 2005
- Yemen : The Chrobog family, kidnapped in Yemen by ex-diplomat Jürgen Chrobog, is free.
See also
- Nekrolog December 2005 for deaths this month
- List of annually recurring commemorative and action days in December
- Category for commemorative days, holidays or days of action in December
Web links
Commons : December 2005 - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikinews: Article Published December 2005 - In The News
Individual evidence
- ↑ History of Austrian foreign policy in 2005. In: afa.at . January 16, 2006, accessed August 18, 2018 .
- ↑ Eugen Drewermann resigned from the Catholic Church. In: bibelpraxis.de, Manuel Seibel. December 14, 2005, accessed September 20, 2016 .
- ^ Vienna and its Balkan clients. In: diepresse.com . June 2, 2014, accessed July 11, 2017 .
- ↑ "Federal Chancellor" is the word of the year 2005. In: faz.net . December 16, 2005, accessed October 10, 2016 .
- ^ Club World Championships, competitions 1999-2015. In: ifosta.de. Retrieved November 3, 2016 .
- ↑ Ex-State Secretary Chrobog kidnapped. In: tagesspiegel.de . December 28, 2005, accessed July 28, 2019 .
- ↑ CIA prisoner transports have been running since 1995. In: nzz.ch . December 28, 2005, accessed January 30, 2018 .
- ↑ Wikinews: Ten Sudanese refugees killed while storming their camp
- ↑ The chrobogs are free again. In: Mittelbayerische.de . December 31, 2005, accessed October 9, 2018 .