Portal:Current events/2020 December 29

December 29, 2020 (Tuesday)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocks an attempt by Senate Democrats to increase the direct payments from $600 to $2,000. However, McConnell also said that the Senate will consider a process to provide $2,000 in stimulus checks to Americans, a measure that is supported by both Democrats and President Donald Trump. (NBC News) (Business Insider)
The first commercial Boeing 737 MAX flight in the United States since worldwide groundings began in March 2020 occurs. The flight, between New York City's LaGuardia Airport and Miami International Airport, was operated by American Airlines. (CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Petrinja earthquake
- A magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes Petrinja, Croatia, destroying half of the town. Several other cities in the country are also affected. At least seven people are killed, five of whom were in Glina, one in Petrinja, and one in Žažina. Several others are also injured. (BBC News)
- The Krško Nuclear Power Plant in neighboring Slovenia, which produces around 20 percent of the country's electricity, is shut down as a precaution. Preventive inspections at the plant are ongoing. (AFP via NDTV) (IAEA)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      - Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff receive the Moderna vaccine. (CBS News)
      - President-elect Joe Biden announces that three more officials will join his COVID-19 Advisory Board. (Politico)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in California
      - California extends a regional stay-at-home order in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley due to rise of hospitalizations in the state. (NBC News)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Colorado, Variant of Concern 202012/01
      - Colorado reports the United States' first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom. The patient is a man in his 20s who is in isolation in Elbert County and has no travel history. (The Washington Post)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky
      - Governor Andy Beshear announces that the state will extend its mask mandate for another 30 days after reporting 2,990 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (WKYT-TV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      - Ontario reports a record 2,553 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, along with 1,939 new cases yesterday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the province to 175,908. (Global News)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, Variant of Concern 202012/01
      - Quebec reports its first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a person who had been in contact with a family member who travelled from the United Kingdom on December 11 and tested positive for COVID-19 on December 13. (Montreal Gazette)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland
      - Northern Ireland reports a record 1,566 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 68,762. (RTÉ)
    - A record 53,135 new cases are reported in the United Kingdom in the past 24 hours. (ABC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland
    - Ireland reports a record 1,546 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 88,439. (The Irish Times)
    - Ireland officially begins a vaccination programme against COVID-19 using Pfizer-BioNTech's tozinameran vaccine, with a 79-year-old woman from Dublin becoming the first person to receive the vaccine. (RTÉ)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus, COVID-19 vaccine
    - Belarus begins vaccinations with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. (The Moscow Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
    - Denmark extends its hard lockdown until January 17 due to substantial increases in numbers of cases and hospitalizations in the country. (The Straits Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - South Korea reports a record 40 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 859. (Al Jazeera)
    - United States Forces Korea begins a vaccination programme against COVID-19 using the Moderna vaccine. Healthcare providers and first responders are among those who will initially receive the vaccine. (Stars and Stripes)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India, Variant of Concern 202012/01
    - India reports six cases of a more contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2 in individuals who travelled from the United Kingdom and are now in isolation. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, 501.V2 variant
    - Japan reports its first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from South Africa in a 30-year old woman who arrived in Japan on December 19 and later tested positive for COVID-19. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan, Variant of Concern 202012/01
    - Pakistan reports its first cases of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom. The patients are three people who travelled from the UK to Sindh and later tested positive for COVID-19. (The Hindu)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippines extends its travel ban to 19 "flagged" countries and territories from midnight until January 15 in order to prevent new variants of SARS-CoV-2 from entering the country. (CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates, Variant of Concern 202012/01
    - The United Arab Emirates reports the first case of new variant of SARS-CoV-2 originated from the United Kingdom. (Gulf News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, 501.V2 variant
    - Queensland reports Australia's first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from South Africa in a woman who arrived in the state on December 22 and later tested positive for COVID-19. (ABC Australia)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Samoa
    - The government of Samoa suspends travel from the United Kingdom and South Africa in response to a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in those countries. (RNZ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, COVID-19 vaccine
    - Argentina begins a vaccination campaign using the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. (Europa Press)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Chile, Variant of Concern 202012/01
    - Chile reports its first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a resident of Panguipulli who traveled from Madrid on December 23. (La Tercera)

International relations

United Kingdom–Vietnam relations
- The United Kingdom and Vietnam sign a free trade agreement, which will take effect on December 31, following a meeting between UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh at the State Guest House in Hanoi, Vietnam. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Shooting of Tamir Rice
- The United States Department of Justice announces it will not charge the two Cleveland police officers who killed Tamir Rice. (NBC News)
2020–2021 United States racial unrest, Shooting of Breonna Taylor
- The Louisville Metro Police Department announces that they will fire Joshua Jaynes and Myles Cosgrove, two of the officers involved in the botched raid of Breonna Taylor's home. (The New York Times)
The Investigative Committee of Russia accuses opposition leader and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny of fraud for allegedly using public funds from his organization for personal needs. The accusation comes after the federal prison service demanded that Navalny report to its office today or face jail time. (DW)
Jonathan Pollard, a convicted spy who spent 30 years in prison in the United States for spying, returns to Israel. (The Times of Israel) (Politico)

Politics and elections

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
- COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria
  - President Abdelmadjid Tebboune returns to Algeria following treatment in Germany for COVID-19 since November. (AFP via Barron's)
Abortion in Argentina
- Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Bill
  - The Senate begins to debate the legalization of abortion up until the 14th week of pregnancy. If passed, Argentina will become the third Latin American country to allow abortion to be performed on demand, after Cuba and Uruguay. The Catholic Church opposes the move. The bill has already been approved by the lower house. (Reuters)