Portal:Current events/2021 December 7

December 7, 2021 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war
- Israel's role in the Syrian civil war
  - Israeli Air Force warplanes bomb the Port of Latakia, Syria's main seaport. At least five explosions are reported, with a Syrian military official stating that several missiles struck the container area of the port. It is the first Israeli attack on the facility through which Iran and Hezbollah import weapons into Syria. (The Times of Israel) (Reuters)
Islamic State insurgency in Iraq
- Four civilians are killed and four more are injured in an ISIL motorcycle bombing near a hospital in Basra, Iraq. (The New Arab)
Nigerian bandit conflict
- Sokoto bus massacre
  - Bandits ambush and set fire to a passenger bus in Sokoto State, Nigeria, killing 30 people. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Evergrande liquidity crisis
- Chinese property developer Evergrande Group misses a deadline for the payment of debt for the first time at the end of a 30-day grace period, pushing the property developer closer to formal default. (Reuters)
The United Arab Emirates says that weekends in the country will occur from Friday afternoon to Sunday, effective January 1. (CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Semeru eruption
- The death toll from the eruption of the Semeru volcano in East Java, Indonesia, increases to 34. (BBC News)
Gitega prison fire
- At least 38 people are killed and 69 more are injured during a fire at an overcrowded prison in Gitega, Burundi. (BBC News)
2021–22 European windstorm season
- European Windstorm Barra causes at least 56,000 power outages across the United Kingdom and Ireland. (BBC News)
Thirteen people are killed in a collision between a minibus and a truck in Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine. (RFE/RL)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland
      - Northern Ireland reports its first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in two people from the same household in the greater Belfast area and a third unrelated person. (The Independent)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Norway
    - Norway restricts the number of visitors in private homes to 10 people and reduces the hours that bars and restaurants can serve alcohol until midnight due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. (The Irish Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, COVID-19 vaccination in Spain
    - The Spanish Public Health Commission approves the usage of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. Vaccination rollout for this age group will begin on December 15. (El Pais)
  - European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic
    - The EMA and the ECDC approves the mixing and matching of two different COVID-19 vaccines for both initial and booster doses. (France 24)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois
      - Illinois reports their first case of the Omicron variant in a Chicago resident. (Chicago Tribune)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Missouri
      - Around 70% of adults in Missouri have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (KTVI)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Martinique
    - The French overseas territory of Martinique orders a nightly 8 p.m. curfew beginning tomorrow amid a worsening situation of the COVID-19 epidemic in the territory. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico
    - COVID-19 vaccination in Mexico
      - President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his cabinet ministers receive COVID-19 vaccine booster doses as the government begins administering booster doses for people over the age of 60. (Yahoo! News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina
  - President Alberto Fernández receives a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose. (Buenos Aires Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda
  - Uganda reports its first seven cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in travellers from four countries. (Anadolu Agency)
- A trial of a plant-based COVID-19 vaccine conducted by GSK and Medicago shows an overall 71% efficacy against disease caused by the predominant SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern observed during most of 2021, and 75% efficacy specifically against disease caused by Delta. The study excludes the Omicron variant, which was not in circulation at the time of the clinical trials. (The Hill) (GSK)

Law and crime

LGBT rights in the Americas
- LGBT rights in Canada
  - A bill to criminalize the widely discredited practice of conversion therapy passes the Senate in Canada without opposition, one week after it passed the House of Commons without opposition; the bill now awaits royal assent to become law. (CTV News)
- LGBT rights in Chile
  - A bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Chile is approved by both chambers of the National Congress. (The New York Times)
A policeman kills six people, including his wife, and injures two others during a killing spree in Kabete, Kenya, before committing suicide. (Al Jazeera)