Portal:Current events/2021 December 17

December 17, 2021 (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 adults aged 12 years and older due to the 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 it wants a legally binding guarantee to end further eastward NATO 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 regime 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)