Portal:Current events/2014 December 8

December 8, 2014 (Monday)

Business and economy

Disasters and accidents

Typhoon Hagupit
- The Philippine Red Cross estimates 27 people killed in Eastern Samar province with 15 in Borongan. (Reuters via Trust)
Two raging fires in Los Angeles destroy a massive residential complex under construction, heavily damage a building undergoing renovations, and snarl rush hour traffic. (The Hollywood Reporter)
A small plane crashes into a house in the American town of Gaithersburg, Maryland near Washington, D.C. with 5 people dead. (Sky News)

International relations

The United Nations seeks $16.4 billion to fund humanitarian assistance programs in 2015 with Syria, Iraq, Sudan and South Sudan the areas of greatest need. (New York Times)

Law and crime

May 2014 Ürümqi attack:
- A Chinese court sentences eight people to death for their role in two deadly attacks in Xinjiang. (AFP via Daily Mail)
Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme:
- A U.S. District Judge sentences the back office director, Daniel Bonventre, to ten years. (Reuters via FOX Business)
The US Supreme Court rejects BP's challenge to their Deepwater Horizon gulf oil spill settlement. (Reuters via FOX Business)
United States President Barack Obama unveils new limits on racial profiling. These new limits outlaw profiling based on race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation. (NPR)

Politics and elections

The Israeli Knesset votes to dissolve itself with new elections called for March 17. (AP)