• Syrian civil war
  • The European Union is criticized by Amnesty International for meager assistance of Syrian refugees. (Los Angeles Times)
• Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal)
  • 15 Iranians and 3 Iraqis were killed in a pipeline attack in the north-east of Baghdad. (BBC)
• 2013 Wichita bombing plot
  • Authorities arrest a man for plotting to attack Wichita Mid-Continent Airport with an fake car bomb provided by undercover law enforcement. (Reuters)
• Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
  • Warships of the United States and China confront each other in international waters within the South China Sea. (CNN)
• A gunman critically wounds a student in a shooting at Arapahoe High School, Centennial, Colorado, United States. (NBC News)

• Prince Harry and his "Walking with the Wounded" team reach the South Pole after three weeks trekking in the Antarctic. (BBC)
• Beyoncé unexpectedly releases her fifth self-titled album without any prior announcement or promotion, ultimately changing the global release date of all future albums to Friday.^[1]

• Google removes a privacy feature from its Android mobile software, despite objections from groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation. (Reuters)

• 2013 Middle East cold snap
  • The storm spreads to Egypt with some Cairo suburbs seeing snowfall. Local news reports claimed it was the capital's first snowfall in 112 years. Night temperatures are expected to drop as low as 2°C / 36°F. (The Daily Star) (Huffington Post) (Al-Ahram)
• Typhoon Haiyan
  • The death toll passes 6,000, officially making it the deadliest recorded typhoon in the Philippines. (Fox News)

• A three-day summit is held in Tokyo between the leaders of Japan and ASEAN that will likely discuss the recent encroachment of China. (BBC)

• Death and state funeral of Nelson Mandela
  • The body of Nelson Mandela is to be flown to Qunu in the Eastern Cape where he is to be laid to rest. (CNN)

• Chang'e-3
  • China's mission begins the descent phase to the moon that will likely make it one of only three countries to reach it. The landing is estimated to occur at 8:40 a.m. EST, December 14. (CNN) (Universe Today)