December 11, 2004

Jean-Christophe Lafaille, a French climber, climbs Shishapangma, the first solo ascension of a eight-thousander in winter from a new route in the South face.
Vanuatu Prime Minister Serge Vohor is ousted in a vote of no-confidence and replaced by Ham Lini. Vohor had fallen out of favor with his cabinet after he unilaterally travelled to Taipei and established diplomatic relations with the Taiwan. The Vanuatu Council of Ministers voted to void the decision and continue relations with the People's Republic of China. (Reuters) (CRI)
The opposition pan-blue alliance achieves a majority in the Taiwanese legislative election, garnering at least 114 of the 225 seats. The governing Democratic Progressive Party and its pan-green allies win 101 seats. (BBC) (Guardian: AP) (China Post)
Doctors in Austria confirm that Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko's illness was caused by dioxin poisoning. It is alleged that he first became ill after dining with the chairman of the Ukrainian Security Service in early September. (BBC) (Yahoo News)
Bernard Kerik withdraws his nomination for the post of Secretary of Homeland Security, fearing a scandal over the immigration status of his nanny. (Newsday) (Bloomberg)