Portal:Current events/2004 December 14
December 14, 2004 (Tuesday)
- Same-sex marriage in Canada: Federal justice minister Irwin Cotler announces that the bill to legalize same-sex marriage will contain a provision allowing civic officials to refuse to perform such ceremonies. (365Gay)
- Nick Griffin and John Tyndall, the current and previous leaders of the far-right British National Party, are arrested and bailed in relation to investigations by British police into suspicion of incitement to racial hatred. (BBC)
- Bahrain, the smallest Persian Gulf nation, unfurls the world's largest national flag at a sports stadium car park. (BBC)
- Arab-Israeli Conflict:
- A Thai worker is killed and two more are injured in Gush Katif by Palestinian mortar shells. (Haaretz)
- The Syrian government blames Israel for a failed attempt to kill an alleged senior Hamas member in Damascus yesterday. (BBC)
- The leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshal, tells the BBC's Newsnight programme that his group has had secret contacts with the United States and the European Union. (BBC)
- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas calls for an end to violence in the four-year-old Intifada and a return to non-violent resistance. The announcement comes two days after a faction of Abbas's Fatah party, Fatah Hawks, claims responsibility for an attack killing at least five Israeli soldiers. (Reuters)
- Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian resigns as Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party to take responsibility for the pan-green alliance's failure to win a majority in the legislative election. (BBC)
- Two trains collide in the northern Indian state of Punjab, killing at least 37 people. One of the trains was carrying Hindu pilgrims returning from Vaishno Devi. (BBC)(The Times-UK)
- The US admits that more prisoners have died in American custody in Afghanistan than it has previously acknowledged. (BBC)
- Another car bomb detonates inside the Green Zone of Baghdad. Iraqi doctors claim at least 7 deaths and 12 injuries. (BBC) (News24)
- President Chirac inaugurates the world's highest road bridge in southern France. The Millau Viaduct over the River Tarn is higher than the Eiffel Tower. It is expected to open to traffic on Thursday. (BBC)
- A new species of monkey, the Arunachal Macaque, is discovered in India. It is the first new macaque discovered since 1903 and the first new primate in 49 years. (NCF India)