India’s Congress party expels Mamata
1997 - The unexpected expulsion of Mamata Bannerjee, the fiery West Bengal leader, by the Congress party’s octogenarian president Sitaram Kesri, may be a belated attempt to stem the revolt from spreading to other party units. Although, Kesri had appointed Mamata as the chief of the party’s West Bengal campaign committee, Mamata wanted the dissolution of the state unit and this was not acceptable to the party leadership. Earlier, an agreement was reportedly arrived at between Mamata and the party leadership, following her meeting with Sonia Gandhi. Sonia, who had extensive discussions with Kesri and Oscar Fernandes, a party general seretary, reportedly asked Mamata to abandon the idea of floating her new party, Trinamul Congress.
December 22
1929 - Round table conference opens between British Viceroy and Indian party leaders on dominion status for India.
1937 - Lincoln Tunnel opens in New York City.
1956 - The last Anglo-French forces leave Port Said, Egypt, following the Suez War.
1963 - Greek cruise ship TSMS Laconia catches fire and sinks in North Atlantic killing 150 people.
1975 - Six militants end 20-hour siege of Vienna headquarters of Opec, take hostages and airliner provided by Austria.
1979 - UN lifts economic sanctions imposed against Rhodesia 14 years ago.
1985 - Winnie Mandela, defying expulsion order, is arrested in South Africa.
1988 - South Africa grants independence to South West Africa, which will become Namibia.
1989 - Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu is toppled. He and his wife Elena flee Bucharest.
1990 - Lech Walesa, leader of the Solidarity trade union movement, becomes President of Poland.
1992 - A Libyan Boeing 727, on a domestic flight, crashes, killing all 157 people aboard.
1993 - Alina Fernandez Revuelta, daughter of Cuban President Fidel Castro, leaves Cuba and is granted political asylum in the United States.
1994 - Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi resigns over a bribery scandal.
1999 - Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga wins a second term.
2001 - Hamid Karzai is sworn in as president of Afghanistan in the first peaceful transfer of power in 28 years.
2004 - Turkey and Syria sign free-trade pact.
2009 - Former Formula One champion Michael Schumacher comes out of retirement and signs a one year contract with Mercedes-Benz team.
2011 - At least 63 people are killed in more than ten explosions across Baghdad.
2012 - Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar retires from One-Day International cricket.
2014 - Beji Qaid Al Sebsi is declared the winner of Tunisia’s first free presidential election since 1956.
