Portal:Current events/2021 December 24

December 24, 2021 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Civil War
- Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict
  - The Houthis launch a missile strike on the Saudi Arabian city of Jizan, killing two people and injuring seven more. (Reuters)
  - Three people are killed and six others are injured during coalition air raids in Ajama, Yemen. (Al Jazeera)
2021 Russo-Ukrainian crisis
- Russian president Vladimir Putin demands that NATO guarantee that it will not move its forces into Ukraine, accusing NATO and the U.S. of "trying to send Ukraine and Russia into direct armed conflict." (The Irish Independent)
Iran–Israel proxy conflict
- After five days of military training, Iran fires sixteen ballistic missiles at a target in a show of force against Israel. The incident is part of a wider increase in tensions between the two countries. (RFI)
Insurgency in the Maghreb; 2021 Niger attacks
- Jihadists kill six soldiers in Niger, resulting in the ensuing deaths of twenty-two of the attackers. (The Guardian)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
- The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa warns that the effects of the pandemic on Africa's economy could push the number of "extremely poor" Africans to 514 million people. The World Bank also announced a recession as the economies of African countries continue to shrink. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

2021 Bangladesh ferry fire
- At least 39 people are killed and 100 others are injured after a ferry catches fire in Jhalakathi. (BBC News)
Sixteen people are dead as a boat carrying migrants overturn and sink near the island of Paros, Greece. Sixty-three more people are rescued. (Al Jazeera)
A surfer is killed an apparent shark attack in Morro Bay, off the coast of California, United States. It is the first fatal shark attack in the area since 2003. (BBC News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - COVID-19 vaccination in France
      - The French Haute Autorité de santé [fr] recommends that booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine can be administered as soon as three months after the primary vaccination schedule due to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Politico.eu)
    - France reports a record for the second consecutive day of 94,122 new cases of COVID-19. (Barron's)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Greece
    - Greece cancels all public Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations, as well as mandates mask wearing outdoors and requiring people to wear two masks or a high-protection mask in order to use public transport and enter supermarkets due to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (The Independent)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - Italy reports a record for the second consecutive day of 50,599 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 5.57 million. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - Catalonia reimposes a curfew between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. in municipalities where the infection rate surpasses 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, limits the number of people in social gatherings to 10, closes nightclubs, and restricts the capacity of the hospitality sector due to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. These measures will be in effect until at least January 7. (MedicalXpress)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The United Kingdom reports a record for the third consecutive day of 122,186 new cases of COVID-19. (ITV News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bhutan, COVID-19 vaccination in Bhutan
    - Bhutan begins administering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 65 years, overseas travellers, healthcare workers, people with underlying health conditions, and adults living in high risk areas. (U.S. News and World Report)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore
    - Singapore reports no deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours for the first time since September 19. (Rappler)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand
    - Thailand reports its first domestic cluster of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in 21 people from Kalasin province. The outbreak originated in a couple who travelled from Belgium earlier this month. (CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - Ecumenical Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church Bartholomew I of Constantinople tests positive for COVID-19 and is showing mild symptoms. (ABC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
  - The South African Health Department suspends COVID-19 contact tracing and quarantine for people with asymptomatic cases due to 80% of the population being vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19. (Bloomberg)

Law and crime

Former South Korean president Park Geun-hye is pardoned by the South Korean Justice Ministry. (Deutsche Welle)
Former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh is accused of numerous different crimes, including rape, torture, mass murder, and killing journalists by the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission. (Voice of America)

Politics and elections

Hong Kong national security law
- Hong Kong authorities remove the Hong Kong Goddess of Democracy from the Chinese University of Hong Kong campus and a memorial to the Tiananmen Square massacre from Lingnan University campus. (Al Jazeera)

Sports

Japan decides not to send government delegates to the 2022 Winter Olympics, although the Japanese team will still be present. (CBC)