Portal:Current events/2008 December 22

{{Current events|year=2008|month=12|day=22|content=

• Results of Turkmenistan's parliamentary election of December 14 are announced. [http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-12-22-voa6.cfm (VOA News)]{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• Romanian legislative election, 2008: Emil Boc is sworn in as the new Prime Minister and will lead a coalition government of the Democrat Liberals and Social Democrats. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110607062301/http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=12&dd=23&nav_id=55932 (b92.net)] Mircea Geoană becomes the new head of the Senate and Roberta Alma Anastase the new president of the Chamber of Deputies. [http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h0Wm-sZhyz0P70iYL6u2suDW93OQD957UGKG0 (AP via Google)]
• President of Guinea Lansana Conté dies at age 74. If the Supreme Court declares the position vacant, National Assembly Speaker Aboubacar Somparé will take over for 60 days. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208180542/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/guinea-strongman-lansana-conte-dies/1393756.aspx?src=rss (AFP via the Canberra Times)]
• An impoundment at the Tennessee Valley Authority's coal-fired power plant in Kingston, Tennessee, fails, resulting in a large volume of fly ash slurry being spilled onto surrounding land and the adjacent Emory and Clinch Rivers. [http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/dec/23/tva-ash-pond-breach-resident-says-area-has-changed/ (KnoxNews.com)]
• A jury finds five men guilty of conspiring to kill soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey, United States. [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/12/22/fortdix.case/ (CNN)]
• Nine human heads and decapitated bodies, believed to belong to eight soldiers and one high-ranking former police officer, are found in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico. [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/12/21/mexico.decapitated.heads/index.html?eref=rss_world (CNN)]
• Automobile dealers in Mexico demand a US$3 billion bailout package during the automotive crisis. [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/12/19/mexico.auto.industry/index.html (CNN)]
• The United States and Mexico pledge $1.4 billion for the Mérida Initiative, a security cooperation for combating drug trade, transnational crime, and money laundering. [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/12/19/mexico.us.drug.war/index.html (CNN)]
• Toyota Motor Corporation, the world’s largest automaker, forecasts its first operating loss in 70 years, due to the automotive crisis. [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/business/worldbusiness/23toyota.html (New York Times)]

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