Portal:Current events

Topics in the news

Gabriel Boric

• Gabriel Boric (pictured), leader of Apruebo Dignidad, is elected President of Chile.
• Typhoon Rai results in at least 375 deaths in the Philippines.
• A building fire in Osaka, Japan, kills 24 people.
• Siaosi Sovaleni is elected as prime minister by the Legislative Assembly of Tonga.
• A fuel tanker truck explodes in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, killing at least 75 people.

Ongoing:

• COVID-19 pandemic

Recent deaths:

• Myrna Manzanares
• Robert H. Grubbs
• Richard Rogers
• Doug Ericksen
• Rusmono
• Osagi Bascome

December 22, 2021 (2021-12-22) (Wednesday)

Disasters and accidents

• Jade trade in Myanmar
  • Dozens of people are missing following a landslide at a jade mine in Kachin State, Myanmar. (Reuters)

December 21, 2021 (2021-12-21) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Yemeni Civil War
  • Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
    • The Saudi-led coalition launches airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The air raid targeted six sites, including places used for "launching drone attacks", according to a statement from the coalition. (Reuters)
• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • The French Army says that they killed Soumana Boura, a leading member of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara yesterday. Boura was involved in the killings of six French aid workers and their two Nigerien guides in a mass shooting in August 2020 in Kouré, Niger. (Al Jazeera)
• Tigray War
  • The TPLF withdraws all its troops from the Afar and Amhara regions of Ethiopia. (PM News)

Disasters and accidents

• December 2021 Malaysian floods
  • Heavy floods continue to affect eight Malaysian states for the third day, killing 14 people and partially submerging several towns and villages. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Germany
        • The Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends the shortening of the interval between the second dose and booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to three months and urges all citizens over the age of 18 to receive a booster dose of an mRNA-based vaccine after receiving their first two doses in order to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Politico.eu)
      • German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and 16 state premiers agree to tighten the restrictions beginning on December 28, including limiting the number of people in private gatherings to 10 and banning spectators at large-scale musical, sporting and cultural events due to concerns related to the spread of the Omicron variant. (Deutsche Welle)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • COVID-19 pandemic in the Community of Madrid
        • The Community of Madrid reports a record 11,221 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (ABC.es)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
      • Prime Minister Antonio Costa announces that nightclubs and bars will be closed and all people will work from home for at least two weeks beginning on December 25 in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. There will also be capacity restrictions at shops and people will require a negative COVID-19 test in order to enter events. (Bloomberg)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
      • The Swedish government announces theat several new measures will begin on December 23, including limiting the number of people at private gatherings to 50, requiring the use of a vaccination pass for public events with a capacity of more than 500 people, and recommending work from home where possible, due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Reuters)
    • European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
      • The European Commission announces a binding proposal that will make the EU Digital COVID Certificate only valid for for travel within the European Union for nine months without a booster dose after a person's primary vaccination schedule in order to standardize different travel requirements in the member states. The new rules will be mandatory for all 27 EU member states beginning on February 1. (RFI)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Israel
        • The Health ministry recommends that Israelis over the age of 60 years and healthcare workers should receive a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the world's first country to administer a fourth dose of the vaccine. The move is welcomed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. (Sky News)
      • Israel reports its first confirmed death related to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a man in his 60s with pre-existing health conditions who died at the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. (The Times of Israel)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines
      • The Philippine Food and Drug Administration reduces the interval of the COVID-19 vaccine booster dose to three months for people who received a two-dose vaccine and two months for people who received a single-dose vaccine in order to reduce the effects of variants. (GMA News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • Thailand reinstates its mandatory hotel quarantine for all incoming foreign travellers and suspends the "sandbox" program for places other than Phuket after the country reported its first locally transmitted case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Rappler)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina
    • The provinces of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Santa Fe, Río Negro and Santiago del Estero begin implementing the usage of a "sanitary pass" for large events. (Página/12)
    • Argentina reports 9,336 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the highest daily total in 4 months, thereby bringing the nationwide total of cases to 5.4 million. (IProfesional)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • New Zealand postpones a phased reopening of the border for quarantine-free travel to the end of February in order to strengthen the country's defence against the spread of the Omicron variant. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• Three inmates in Japan are executed by hanging, marking the first executions in the country in nearly two years. One inmate was the perpetrator of a 2004 mass stabbing in which he killed seven of his relatives. (Euronews)

December 20, 2021 (2021-12-20) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • 2021 Democratic Republic of the Congo attacks, 2021 Uganda bombings
    • The governments of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo reveal that they have captured 35 rebels and destroyed numerous enemy strongholds within the past week. (Voice of America)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • The Israeli Defense Forces reveal that they have captured more than 100 members of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, amid a recent increase in tensions between the two groups. (Times of Israel)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Three members of the Islamic State are killed in Faqeerabad, Peshawar, during an operation by the Pakistani police. (Dawn)
• Internal conflict in Myanmar
  • An investigation by the BBC discovers that a massacre of 40 civilians took place in July, in Kani Township, a People's Defence Force stronghold in Sagaing Region. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Cap-Haïtien fuel tanker explosion
  • The death toll from the fuel tank truck explosion in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, six days ago rises to 90. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
      • COVID-19 vaccination in Thailand
        • Thailand's Food and Drug Administration approves the usage of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. (Inquirer)
      • Thailand reports its first locally transmitted case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a 49-year-old woman. (Bangkok Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in India, COVID-19 vaccination in India
      • It is announced that more than 85% of eligible Indians have been partially vaccinated, and that over 55% have received both doses. (BBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
      • Israel's government agrees to ban all travel to Germany, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, Canada, Switzerland, Turkey, and the U.S. without special permission beginning on December 22 due to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (NBC News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait
      • Kuwait will require incoming travellers who fully vaccinated against COVID-19 more than nine months ago to receive booster dose beginning from January 2 and also requires them to self-isolate for 10 days unless they received a negative PCR test within 72 hours of their arrival beginning from December 26. (Al-Arabiya English) (Times of Oman)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 vaccination in France
      • The French Haute Autorité de santé approves the usage of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Germany bans all travel from the United Kingdom and imposes a mandatory 14-day quarantine and proof of a negative PCR test from the previous 48 hours for German residents and citizens returning from the UK, amid the spread of the Omicron variant in Britain. (Euronews)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • The United Kingdom ends its travel ban on Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. (Times of India)
    • European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic
      • The European Commission authorizes the use of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine after the European Medicines Agency recommended the use of the vaccine, becoming the fifth vaccine to be approved for use by the European Union. (Euronews)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in North America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec
        • Quebec closes all bars, gyms, spas, cinemas, and concert halls as well as suspends in-person learning and mandates remote working after the province reported a record 4,857 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Global News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
        • The United States reports its first confirmed death related to the Omicron variant in a unvaccinated man in his 50s in Harris County, Texas who had underlying health issues. (U.S. News and World Report)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Costa Rica
      • Costa Rica reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a eight-year-old boy who recently travelled from the United States along with his family. (Tico Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Panama
      • Panama reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a 50-year-old person who recently travelled from South Africa. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South America
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, COVID-19 pandemic in Bolivia
      • Argentina donates 1 million doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Bolivia. (Infobae)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia
      • Colombia reports its first case of the Omicron variant in two Colombia people who travelled from the United States and a U.S. citizen who travelled from Spain. (Reuters)

International relations

• Russia–NATO relations
  • Poland and Lithuania join Ukraine in calling for stronger Western sanctions on Russia, with Polish President Andrzej Duda saying that "everything must be done" to prevent a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that he was "absolutely against any policy of concessions to Russia". (RFE/RL)
  • Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby says a small Department of Defense team has returned from Ukraine after assessing the country's air defences. (The Drive)

Law and crime

• The trial of Aung San Suu Kyi is delayed by Burmese courts until December 27. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• Human rights in Egypt
  • Egyptian blogger and activist Alaa Abdel Fattah is sentenced to five years in prison by Egyptian authorities for spreading fake news. His family continues to protest the verdict. (Al Jazeera)
• The Nagaland Legislative Assembly publicly demands that the Government of India repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which has been in effect since 1958. This comes after a massacre occurred in Mon district, Nagaland on December 4. (Sangai Express)

December 19, 2021 (2021-12-19) (Sunday)

Disasters and accidents

• Typhoon Rai
  • The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Rai increases to 375. At least 500 more people are wounded. (BBC News)
• 2021 Semeru eruption
  • The Semeru volcano in Java, Indonesia, erupts for the second time this month, spewing a two-kilometre-high ash column. The first eruption killed at least 46 people on December 4. (Reuters)
• A light plane crashes off Australia's east coast of Queensland, killing all four people on board, including two children. (The Guardian)
• A "tornado-like" severe weather event impacts Sydney's Northern Beaches on Australia's east coast, downing trees and cutting power to thousands of residents. One woman is killed and two women are in a critical condition in Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital after a "large" pine tree fell in Narrabeen. (ABC News)
• A child dies in hospital three days after an inflatable castle was lifted into the air in Devonport, Tasmania, Australia, bringing the death toll from the accident to six. (News.com.au)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
      • Iran reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a person who travelled from the United Arab Emirates. (The Jerusalem Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka
      • Sri Lanka announces that it will require a proof of COVID-19 vaccination certificate for entry into public places beginning on January 1 in an attempt to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases. (Associated Press)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
      • The Netherlands imposes strict lockdown measures that restrict visitors to two people, closes all non-essential shops, bars, and restaurants until January 14, and closes schools until January 9, due to an increase in COVID-19 cases caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (The Hill)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
      • Ireland introduces an 8:00 p.m. closure time for bars and restaurants, restricts the capacity of most indoor and outdoor events to 50%, and allows a maximum of 100 guests for weddings in order to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant. (Medical Xpress)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Peru
    • Peru reports its first four cases of the Omicron variant in one person who travelled from South Africa and another three who had no travel history. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2021 Chilean general election
  • Chileans go to the polls to elect their president in a run-off between leftist Gabriel Boric and right-wing candidate José Antonio Kast. (Euronews)
  • With over 50% of votes counted, Boric is declared the winner as Kast publishes a tweet conceding defeat. (CNN)
• 2019–2021 Sudanese protests
  • Tens of thousands of protesters demonstrate against the October 2021 Sudanese coup d'état, leading to government forces spraying protesters with tear gas in an attempt to halt the demonstrations, one of the largest in Sudan's history. (CBC News)
• A man in India is beaten to death by guards at the Golden Temple, the holiest place in the world according to the Sikh religion. Authorities allege he may have tried to harm the Guru Granth Sahib. (BBC News)

December 18, 2021 (2021-12-18) (Saturday)

Arts and culture

• Strictly Come Dancing
  • EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis becomes the first deaf person to win the BBC show after she and her professional partner Giovanni Pernice beat the show's first male same-sex couple containing TV chef John Whaite and his professional partner Johannes Radebe in the final. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2021 Karachi explosion
  • Fourteen people are killed and several others are injured by a gas explosion in a sewage system in Karachi, Pakistan. (BBC News)
• Three workers are killed and three other people are injured when two cranes collapse on a street in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. A residential building is also damaged. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France, Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
      • France imposes a ban on British citizens from entering the country without compelling reasons due to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in the United Kingdom. French and EU citizens returning from the UK must self-isolate for seven days unless they show a negative COVID-19 test result on arrival, which will reduce the self-isolation to 48 hours. (France 24)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal, COVID-19 vaccination in Portugal
      • Portugal begins administering COVID-19 vaccines for children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
      • Ukraine reports its first case of the Omicron variant in a person who travelled from the United Arab Emirates. (The Times of India)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in England
        • The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan declares a "major incident" in effort to ease pressure of hospitals amid a record-breaking COVID-19 cases in the UK caused by the Omicron variant. (The Guardian)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      • New York state reports a record for the second consecutive day of 21,908 new cases of COVID-19. (WCBS-TV)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
    • At midnight, Argentina and Brazil reopen their borders for tourists with a mandatory proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. (La Voz)

International relations

• Israel–Ukraine relations
  • Ukrainian ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk says that Ukraine might recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. (Times of Israel)

Law and crime

• An armed land dispute between the residents of the Nahualá and Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán municipalities, in Guatemala, results in the death of 12 people. (Al Jazeera)
• Former Ukrainian President and oligarch Petro Poroshenko leaves Ukraine on a "pre-planned diplomatic tour" of Turkey and Poland after the National Bureau of Investigation attempts to issue a summons regarding charges of abetting terrorism. The National Bureau of Investigation claims that Poroshenko was involved in looting national resources from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. (Deutsche Welle)

December 17, 2021 (2021-12-17) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • Rojava conflict
    • Rioters burn down the office of the Kurdish National Council in Dirbêsiyê, Syria, injuring four people. (Kurdistan24)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Israeli settlers burst into several villages in the occupied West Bank, beating and injuring at least two people. (Al Jazeera)
• Karen conflict
  • Around 2,500 Karen refugees cross the Myanmar–Thailand border into Thailand. (CP24)
• War in Donbas
  • A Ukrainian soldier is killed and another is injured after pro-Russian separatist forces targeted Ukrainian positions near Mariupol with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. (The Guardian)

Business and economy

• 2018–2021 Turkish currency and debt crisis
  • The Turkish lira plunges to an all-time low of 17.0705 to the U.S. dollar, triggering a direct central bank intervention in the stock market. The lira has lost 55% of its value this year, including 37% in just the last 30 days. President Recep Erdoğan announces a 50% rise in the minimum wage from next year. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Typhoon Rai
  • Twelve people are killed as Typhoon Rai impacts the Philippines, causing severe damage. (Al Jazeera)
• Eight people are killed and many more are injured by floods in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
      • Cambodia surpasses 3,000 deaths from COVID-19. (The Star)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia
      • Mongolia reports no COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours for the first time since April 4. (Manila Bulletin)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar
      • Qatar reports its first four cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in three fully vaccinated people and an unvaccinated person who all travelled abroad. (The Peninsula)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Finland
      • The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare reissues a nationwide face mask mandate recommendation in public space and public transport for people aged above 12 years due to rising number of COVID-19 cases. (Yle)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France, COVID-19 vaccination in France
      • The French National Consultation Ethical Committee approves the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. (Reuters)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • President of Asturias Adrián Barbón is admitted to hospital when his health condition worsens after testing positive for COVID-19. (El Periódico)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • The United Kingdom reports a record for the third consecutive day of 93,045 new cases of COVID-19. (Sky News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
    • Australia reports a record 3,837 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including a record 2,213 cases in New South Wales. (Anadolu Agency)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    • Canada ends a travel ban on many African nations, including Nigeria and South Africa. (Peoples Gazette)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt
    • Egypt reports its first three cases of the Omicron variant. (Asian News International)

International relations

• Russia–NATO relations
  • Russia demands that NATO end all military activity in Eastern Europe and never admit Ukraine as a member of the military alliance, saying that they want a legally binding guarantee to end further eastward expansion. Other demands include a Russian veto on Ukrainian membership in NATO, the removal of U.S. nuclear weapons from Europe, and the withdrawal of multinational NATO battalions from Poland and the Baltics. (Reuters)
  • A senior Biden administration official says that the U.S. is "prepared to discuss Russia's proposals" with its NATO allies, but says that "there are some things in those documents that the Russians know will be unacceptable." (Axios)

Law and crime

• 2021 Osaka building fire
  • Twenty-four people are killed and four more are injured during an arson attack at a medical clinic in Osaka, Japan. (The Japan Times)
• Facebook exposes a group of spy firms that could affect the private security of over 50,000 people. (The Times of India)

Politics and elections

• Elections in the United Kingdom
  • 2021 North Shropshire by-election
    • Helen Morgan of the Liberal Democrats wins North Shropshire, a seat in the British House of Commons which the Conservative Party has held since the constituency's creation. (BBC News)
• Brazil, Denmark, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States issue a joint condemnation of the worldwide persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses. (The Washington Times)

December 16, 2021 (2021-12-16) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war, Israel's role in the Syrian civil war
    • Israeli warplanes launch overnight airstrikes in southern Syria, with missiles originating from the Golan Heights, killing a soldier and causing some material damage, according to a Syrian military official. Syrian air defences engaged the Israeli missiles, with most missiles reportedly intercepted. (The Times of Israel)
  • Operation Shader
    • The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence says a Royal Air Force Typhoon has shot down a "small hostile drone" over Syria. It is the first enemy aircraft shot down by an RAF pilot since the Falklands War. (BBC News)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Gunmen open fire on a car carrying settlers near the outpost of Homesh, in the occupied West Bank, killing one person and wounding two more. (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

• Typhoon Rai
  • Thousands of people are evacuated from their homes in central and southern Philippines as Typhoon Rai, described as one of the strongest storms of the year, begins to make landfall in mid-eastern parts of the country, with warnings of very destructive typhoon-force winds. (Al Jazeera)
• Five children are killed and four others are injured after falling from an inflatable castle that was blown into the air in Devonport, Tasmania, Australia. (ABC News Australia)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
      • Indonesia reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in an hospital cleaning employee at the Kemayoran Athletes Village in Jakarta with no overseas travel history. (The Independent)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, COVID-19 vaccination in Japan
      • Japan officially approves the usage of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for people over the age of 18 years. This comes after health ministry experts recommended the vaccine yesterday. (CNA)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
      • The Malaysian government announces that due to the threat of the Omicron variant, there will be a ban on all large-scale Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations. The government will also require people over the age of 60 as well as adults who received the Sinovac Coronavac vaccine to receive a booster dose before February in order to maintain their full vaccination status. (Malay Mail)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine
      • The Palestinian Authority reports its first cases of the Omicron variant in three people from different cities in the West Bank who travelled abroad. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
      • COVID-19 drug development
        • The Danish Health Authority approves the usage of the Molnupiravir antiviral pill developed by Merck & Co. for at-risk patients with symptoms, becoming the first EU country to authorize the usage of this drug. (NDTV)
      • Denmark reports a record 9,999 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (CPH Post)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, COVID-19 vaccination in Germany
      • Germany administers a record 1.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the past 24 hours. (The Guardian)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
      • Italy imposes mandatory COVID-19 testing for all travellers from European Union countries and mandates a five-day quarantine on arrival for those who are unvaccinated due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and the spread of the Omicron variant in Europe. (Bloomberg)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
      • Poland reports its first case of the Omicron variant in a 30-year-old Mosotho woman who is currently in isolation in a hospital in the city of Katowice. (The First News)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • The United Kingdom reports a record for the second consecutive day of 88,376 new cases of COVID-19. (BBC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Malawi
    • Malawi announces that public service workers, healthcare workers and journalists will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 beginning on December 20 amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections. (Reuters)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    • New Zealand reports its first case of the Omicron variant in a fully vaccinated person who travelled from Germany and is currently isolated at a managed isolation quarantine facility in Christchurch. (New Zealand Herald)
  • History of COVID-19 vaccine development
    • The WHO issues interim recommendations for mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccine for second and booster shot, where mRNA-based vaccines can be used as subsequent doses after initial doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and vice-versa, while these vaccines can be used after initial doses of Sinopharm's inactived vaccine. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Caretaker Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte is appointed as formateur and tasked with forming a new coalition government following the conclusion of the 2021 cabinet formation. (Politico)

Time: 04:43 UTC|Day: 22 December

December 2021

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

Ongoing events

Disasters

• Climate crisis
• COVID-19 pandemic
• Opioid epidemic
• 2021–22 European windstorm season
• 2020–21 H5N8 outbreak
• 2021 Pacific typhoon season
• Madagascar famine
• Yemeni famine

Economic

• 2020–2021 global chip shortage
• 2021 global supply chain crisis
• COVID-19 recession
• Lebanese liquidity crisis
• Pandora Papers leak
• Sri Lankan economic and food crisis
• Turkish currency and debt crisis
• United Kingdom natural gas supplier crisis

Politics

• Belarus−European Union border crisis
• Brazilian protests
• Colombian tax reform protests
• Eswatini protests
• Haitian protests
• Insulate Britain protests
• Jersey dispute
• Libyan peace process
• Malaysian political crisis
• Myanmar protests
• Nicaraguan protests
• Nigerian protests
• Persian Gulf crisis
• Peruvian crisis
• Russian election protests
• Solomon Islands unrest
• Tigrayan peace process
• Thai protests
• Tunisian political crisis
• United States racial unrest
• Venezuelan presidential crisis

Elections and referendums

Recent

• December
  • 12: New Caledonia, Independence referendum
  • 12: Transnistria, President
  • 18: Taiwan, Referendum
  • 19: Hong Kong, Legislative Council
  • 19: Chile, President (2nd)

Upcoming

• December
  • 24: Libya, President (1st)

Trials

Recently concluded

• Belarus: Sergei Tikhanovsky
• Denmark: Inger Støjberg
• Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi
• United States: Jussie Smollett, Josh Duggar, Murder of Ahmaud Arbery, Kyle Rittenhouse, Yanjun Xu, Lev Parnas, R. Kelly

Ongoing

• Armenia: Serzh Sargsyan
• Canada: Raj Grewal
• France: Brussels ISIL
• Indonesia: Nurdin Abdullah, Azis Syamsuddin
• Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Italy: Matteo Salvini
• Kyrgyzstan: Almazbek Atambayev
• Malta: Yorgen Fenech
• Philippines: Leila de Lima
• Sudan: Omar al-Bashir
• United States: Elizabeth Holmes, Ghislaine Maxwell

Upcoming

• Indonesia: Alex Noerdin
• Kosovo: Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli
• Nigeria: Nnamdi Kanu
• Sweden: Hamid Nouri
• United States: Allen Weisselberg, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
• Vatican City: Giovanni Angelo Becciu
• ICC: Ali Kushayb

Sport

• Association football
  • 2021–22 UEFA Europa League
  • 2021–22 UEFA Champions league
  • 2021–22 Premier League
  • 2021–22 Bundesliga
  • 2021–22 Serie A
  • 2021–22 La Liga
  • 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
  • 2020–21 UEFA Nations League
• American football
  • 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season
  • 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season
  • 2021 NFL season
• Basketball
  • 2021–22 NBA season
  • 2021-22 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Season
  • 2021-22 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Season
• Cricket
  • 2021–23 ICC World Test Championship
  • 2020–23 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League
  • 2019–23 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2
  • 2019–22 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League 
• Canadian football
  • 2021 CFL season
• Golf
  • 2020 PGA Tour Champions
  • 2021–22 PGA Tour
• Ice hockey
  • 2021–22 NHL season
  • 2021–22 IIHF Continental Cup
• Motorsport
• Rugby union
  • 2021–22 Premiership Rugby
  • 2021–22 United Rugby Championship
  • 2021–22 Top 14
  • 2021 Super Rugby season
• Other sports seasons
  • 2021–22 International cricket season
  • 2021–22 snooker season
  • 2021–22 curling season

More details – current sports events

Recent deaths

December

• 19: Robert H. Grubbs
• 19: Johnny Isakson
• 19: Carlos Marín
• 19: Ed van Thijn
• 18: Richard Rogers
• 18: Sayaka Kanda
• 17: Doug Ericksen
• 17: Mladen Naletilić Tuta
• 16: Lucía Hiriart
• 15: Bridget Hanley
• 15: bell hooks
• 15: Kim Yong-ju
• 15: Fayez Tarawneh
• 14: Riccardo Ehrman
• 14: Ken Kragen
• 13: Blackberri
• 13: Joe Simon
• 13: Verónica Forqué
• 12: Vicente Fernández
• 12: Jimmy Rave
• 12: Paulias Matane
• 11: Anne Rice
• 11: Manuel Santana
• 10: Michael Nesmith
• 9: Carmen Salinas
• 9: Demaryius Thomas
• 9: Al Unser
• 9: Cara Williams
• 9: Lina Wertmüller
• 9: Otar Patsatsia
• 9: Shamim Alam Khan
• 8: Barry Harris
• 8: Blackjack Lanza
• 8: Robbie Shakespeare
• 8: Bipin Rawat
• 7: Carol Jenkins Barnett
• 7: Greg Tate
• 7: Mustafa Ben Halim
• 7: Suresh Jadhav
• 6: Fred Hiatt
• 6: Medina Spirit
• 6: Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim
• 6: Lindiwe Mabuza
• 6: Kåre Willoch
• 5: Bob Dole
• 5: John Miles
• 5: Peter Cundall
• 4: Martha De Laurentiis
• 4: Stonewall Jackson
• 4: Konijeti Rosaiah
• 3: Horst Eckel
• 3: Claude Humphrey
• 3: Ann Fortune Fitzroy
• 2: Darlene Hard
• 2: Aldo Giordano
• 1: Grand Jojo

November

• 30: Philip Heymann
• 30: Marcus Lamb
• 30: Marjorie Tallchief
• 29: Arlene Dahl
• 29: Don Demeter
• 29: David Gulpilil
• 28: Virgil Abloh
• 28: Lee Elder
• 28: Doyle Hamm
• 28: Phil Saviano
• 28: Frank Williams
• 28: Emily Mkamanga
• 28: Norodom Ranariddh
• 27: Curley Culp
• 27: Eddie Mekka
• 27: Almudena Grandes
• 26: Stephen Sondheim
• 25: Charles Moose
• 25: Oleksandr Omelchenko
• 24: Aron Atabek
• 23: Bill Virdon
• 23: James Fitz-Allen Mitchell
• 23: Chun Doo-hwan
• 22: Doug Jones

Ongoing conflicts

Africa

• Angola
  • Cabinda War
• Cameroon
  • Anglophone Crisis
• Central African Republic
  • Civil War
• Chad
  • Insurgency in Northern Chad
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Kivu conflict
  • Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • Ituri conflict
  • Lord's Resistance Army insurgency
  • Kamwina Nsapu rebellion
• Ethiopia
  • Tigray War (spillover)
  • Oromo conflict
• Ethiopia and Sudan
  • Sudanese–Ethiopian clashes
• Ghana
  • Western Togoland Rebellion
• Maghreb and Sahel regions
  • Maghreb insurgency
• Mali
  • Mali War
• Mozambique
  • Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
• Nigeria
  • Boko Haram insurgency (incl. Lake Chad region)
  • Communal conflicts in Nigeria
• Senegal
  • Casamance conflict
• Somalia
  • Civil war
• South Sudan
  • Ethnic violence in South Sudan
• Sudan
  • War in Darfur
  • South Kordofan conflict
  • Sudanese nomadic conflicts (incl. South Sudan)
• Tunisia
  • ISIL insurgency in Tunisia
• Western Sahara
  • Western Sahara conflict
    • 2020–2021 Western Saharan clashes

Americas

• Colombia
  • Colombian conflict
• Mexico
  • Mexican drug war
• Paraguay
  • Insurgency in Paraguay
• Peru
  • Internal conflict in Peru

Asia-Pacific

• Afghanistan
  • Panjshir conflict
  • Islamic State–Taliban conflict
• India
  • Insurgency in Northeast India
    • Assam separatist movements
    • Insurgency in Manipur
    • Ethnic conflict in Nagaland
  • Khalistan movement
  • Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
• India and Pakistan
  • Kashmir conflict
• Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
  • Moro conflict
    • Cross border attacks in Sabah
• Indonesia
  • Papua conflict
• Myanmar
  • Internal conflict in Myanmar
    • Kachin conflict
    • Karen conflict
    • Rohingya conflict
• Pakistan
  • Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Insurgency in Balochistan
• Philippines
  • Communist rebellion
  • Philippine drug war
• Thailand
  • South Thailand insurgency

Europe

• Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
• Ukraine
  • War in Donbas
    • Russo-Ukrainian War
• Ireland and the UK
  • Dissident Irish republican campaign
• Turkey
  • Kurdish–Turkish conflict

Global

• War on terror

Middle East

• Egypt
  • Sinai insurgency
• Iran and the Persian Gulf
  • Iran–Israel proxy conflict
  • Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
  • Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency
  • Arab separatism in Khuzestan
  • Kurdish separatism in Iran
• Iraq
  • Iraqi conflict
  • American-led intervention in Iraq
  • Iranian intervention in Iraq
• Iraq and Syria (map)
  • International military intervention against ISIL
• Israel and Gaza
• Israel and Syria
  • Israeli-Syrian border conflict
    • Israeli-Syrian ceasefire line incidents
• Syria
  • American-led intervention in Syria
  • Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war
  • Turkish occupation of northern Syria
• Yemen and Saudi Arabia
  • Yemeni Civil War
  • Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict

Further information: List of ongoing armed conflicts

2021 events and developments by topic

Arts

Architecture – Animation – Anime – Comics – Film (Horror, Science fiction) – Home video – Literature – Music (Classical, Country, Hip hop, Latin, Metal, Rock, UK, US) – Radio – Television (UK, US, Italy, Scotland) – Video games

Politics and government

Elections – International leaders – Sovereign states – Sovereign state leaders – Territorial governors

Science and technology

Archaeology – Biotechnology – Computing – Palaeontology – Quantum computing and communication – Senescence research – Sustainable energy research – Space/Astronomy – Spaceflight

Environment and environmental sciences

Birding/Ornithology – Climate change

Transportation

Aviation – Rail transport

Establishments and disestablishments categories

Establishments – Disestablishments

Works and introductions categories

Works – Introductions – Works entering the public domain