Portal:Current events/2021 December 14

December 14, 2021 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Colombian conflict
- Two explosions at Camilo Daza International Airport in Cúcuta kill two law enforcement officials and one of the perpetrators. (Yahoo! News)

Disasters and accidents

Cap-Haïtien fuel tanker explosion
- At least 62 people are killed and more than 100 others injured when a fuel tanker explodes in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. (BBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia
    - Indonesia begins administering the COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 6 and 11 years, with 100 children receiving the Sinovac Coronavac vaccine. (The Straits Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - South Korea reports a record 94 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 4,387. (Yonhap News Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - The Italian Council of Ministers approves the extension of the COVID-19 state of emergency until March 31 and also rules that travellers from other EU countries must present a negative swab test prior to departure due to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Thomson Reuters Foundation)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
    - Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte announces that primary schools will be closed on December 20 and that existing restrictions requiring bars, restaurants, and non-essential shops to close at 5 p.m. have been extended until January 14 due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant. (Barron's)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - The United States surpasses 800,000 deaths from COVID-19, remaining the highest death toll in the world. (NPR)
- COVID-19 drug development
  - The final results of a trial of Paxlovid conducted by Pfizer shows 89% cut of risk of hospitalization and death in high-risk patients and is likely to work against the Omicron variant. (Financial Times)

Law and crime

2021 Colombian protests
- A United Nations investigation into the 2021 Colombian protests found that the National Police of Colombia resorted to acts of police brutality that resulted in the massacre of 11 civilians. (CNN)
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- The House of Commons votes to approve "Plan B" measures that include the extension of the indoor mask mandate, vaccine passports, and mandating COVID-19 vaccines for NHS workers in England, despite large opposition from Boris Johnson's own Conservative Party. (Euronews)
Indictment and arrest of Julian Assange
- Australian Deputy Prime Minister and National Party Leader Barnaby Joyce and a small group of Liberal Party backbenchers join the Labor Party in criticising the Liberal-National Coalition Morrison Government's inaction on the United Kingdom's imminent extradition of Australian publisher Julian Assange to the United States, arguing that Assange has not broken any Australian laws. (The Guardian)
A court in Minsk, Belarus, sentences opposition activist Sergei Tikhanovsky to 18 years in prison for several charges, including organising riots, following what was widely described as a "sham trial". Tikhanovsky's wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, left Belarus amid the protests that occurred in the country in 2020. (BBC News)
Ugandan politician Bobi Wine is placed under house arrest in Magere, Wakiso District. (The EastAfrican)

Science and technology

Living With a Star
- Scientists announce that NASA's Parker Solar Probe became the first ever spacecraft to enter the stellar corona of the Sun during a flyby in April. (The Guardian)