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COVID-19 pandemic: Disease; Virus; By location; Impact; Vaccines; Portal

Nana Akufo-Addo

Nana Akufo-Addo (pictured) is re-elected for a second term as President of Ghana.
In motorsport, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia win the World Rally Championship, while Hyundai win the manufacturers' title.
Hayabusa2 successfully returns samples collected from asteroid 162173 Ryugu to Earth.
Zdravko Krivokapić takes office as Prime Minister of Montenegro, becoming the first independent to hold the post.

December 15, 2020 (Tuesday)

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December 14, 2020 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Persian Gulf crisis
- BW Group say that their ship crew saw an oil tanker suffer an explosion after being hit by “an external source” off the coast of the port city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. They also say oil may have leaked from the site of the blast. (The Times of Israel)
Tigray conflict
- A International Rescue Committee staffer and three Danish Refugee Council aid workers are shot dead in Ethiopia's Tigray Region. (The Telegraph)
Boko Haram insurgency
- Boko Haram militants kill at least 28 people and burn down hundreds of homes in Toumour, Diffa Region, Niger. Boko Haram claims responsibility for the attack in a video sent to Agence France-Presse. The government declares a 72-hour period of national mourning. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2020–21 South Pacific cyclone season
- Cyclones Yasa and Zazu threaten several Pacific countries, especially Fiji. Yasa intensifies into a category 2 storm and hovers in the waters between Fiji and Vanuatu and is expected to reach Fiji on Thursday as category 4. Zazu unleashes heavy rains in Tonga. (RNZ)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in India
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Delhi
      - Delhi surpasses 10,000 total deaths from COVID-19. (India Today)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announces that the Go To Travel campaign will be suspended nationwide from December 28 to January 11. He also said Tokyo and Nagoya will be removed as eligible destinations for the campaign. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, COVID-19 vaccine
    - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says that Singapore has approved a vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech. The country expects to receive shots by year-end, and 5.7 million people could be vaccinated for free by third quarter of 2021. (CNBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - South Korea orders schools in Seoul and surrounding areas to close from tomorrow until the end of the month due to rise of new COVID-19 cases, which has broke records not seen since the pandemic began. (CNA)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 vaccine
      - COVID-19 pandemic in West Virginia
        West Virginia Governor Jim Justice becomes one of the first top elected officials to take the vaccine. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
      - The United States begins administering their first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Sandra Lindsay, a nurse at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, becomes the first person in the country to receive the vaccine outside of a clinical trial. (ABC News)
    - The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States exceeds 300,000. (CNN)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - Canada kicks off their vaccination campaign by administering the vaccine to healthcare workers and elderly nursing home residents. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
  - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte impose a tough five-week nationwide lockdown, announces that schools, non-nessential shops, museums and gyms will close at midnight until January 19. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
  - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announces to limit public gatherings to no more than a 100 people for indoor events and 250 for outdoor events and extension of nationwide curfew from 11:00 pm to 4:00 am throughout the festive season. He also said alcohol will only be sold from Monday to Thursday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm local time. (Independent Online)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
  - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announces that the country will impose a five-day full lockdown beginning on December 31 at 9:00 pm local time until January 4, as the new daily deaths hit a record 229 in the past 24 hours. (Arab News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
  - COVID-19 pandemic in England
    - Health Secretary Matt Hancock announces to the MPs that Greater London, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will move into the highest level "Tier 3" restrictions on December 16 at 00:01 am GMT. (Sky News)

International relations

Sudan–United States relations, Global war on terrorism
- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces that the United States has removed Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Sudan had been on the list since 1993 on grounds of Omar al-Bashir's regime harboring militant groups including al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah. Prime Minister of Sudan Abdalla Hamdok welcomes the decision. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020 United States presidential election
- The Electoral College meets in the state capitols to officially elect the next President. Joe Biden, the presumptive president-elect, is officially elected president after securing California's 55 electoral votes and will be inaugurated on January 20, 2021. Outgoing President Donald Trump continues to dispute the results of the election, claiming widespread electoral fraud, despite numerous failed lawsuits to the contrary. (The Guardian)
- The Michigan State Capitol is closed to the public for the day and its legislative sessions are cancelled due to "credible threats of violence" in response to the election. (CNN)
List of Trump administration dismissals and resignations
- President Trump announces that Bill Barr will resign as United States Attorney General on December 23. (CNBC)

Science and technology

Several Google services go down without warning around 11:50 UTC, including YouTube, Google Search, and the Google Play Store. The chatting app Discord and mobile video game Pokémon Go also go down. (IGN) (Newsweek)
Amid controversy over alleged illegal content, Pornhub removes all non-verified user-uploaded videos, which made up the majority of the millions of videos on the platform. Pornhub says its new measures are now "more strict than any social media platform". (BBC)

December 13, 2020 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Terrorism in Pakistan
- An IED explodes near a police station in Rawalpindi, Punjab, injuring 25 people. (The News)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 vaccine
      - COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
        President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, President-elect Joe Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and other federal government officials are expected to be among the first people to receive the vaccine. (USA Today)
      - Pfizer and BioNTech announce that they have started shipping their vaccine from a Michigan facility to all 50 states. (The Wall Street Journal)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in North Dakota
      - North Dakota reports zero deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, making it the first time since September 20 that this has occurred. (AP)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta
      - Alberta reports 22 deaths from COVID-19, a new single-day record. (Edmonton Journal)
    - The first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrive in Canada. (CBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 vaccine
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Bahrain
      - Bahrain's National Health Regulatory Authority approves the registration of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine developed by Sinopharm after Phase III clinical trials results showed an 86% efficacy rate. (Gulf News)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait
      - Kuwait's Ministry of Health approves an Emergency Use Authorization of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine. (Arab News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - The number of new confirmed cases in South Korea surpasses 1,000 for the first time since the pandemic began, bringing the nationwide total to 42,766. (Yonhap News Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Eswatini
    - Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini dies at the age of 52 after weeks of hospitalization due to COVID-19. He is the first sitting national head of government to die as a result of the virus. (Swaziland News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Mauritania
    - Mauritania's government reimposes a nighttime curfew in response to an increase in COVID-19 cases. (Barron's)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, COVID-19 vaccine
    - The Supreme Court of Brazil orders Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello to fix the starting date for a nationwide vaccination program. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Uruguay
    - Uruguay reports a new single-day record of 528 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 9,708.(gob.uy)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
  - Chancellor Angela Merkel announces that after meeting with leaders of the 16 states, a hard lockdown will occur from December 16 to January 10. Non-essential shops and schools will be closed. New Year's Eve events, including the sale of fireworks and public consumption of alcohol will be banned. (BBC)

International relations

Trade negotiation between the UK and the EU
- The United Kingdom and the European Union agree to extend trade talks beyond today's deadline. (CNN)

Law and crime

Women in Iran
- A court in Tehran, Iran, sentences two women's rights activists to a combined total of 15 years in prison. Hoda Amid and Najmeh Vahedi, who were arrested in 2018, were accused of "collaborating with the United States government against the Islamic Republic on the issue of women and the family". (Al Arabiya English)
Electronics industry in India
- Authorities vow to crack down on workers who went on a violent rampage at a Wistron iPhone factory near Bangalore, India over allegations of unpaid wages and exploitation. Over 100 people have been arrested. Videos of the violence show glass panels smashed with rods and cars flipped on their side. (CTV)
Lindsey Boylan, a former aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, accuses him of sexually harassing her. Cuomo's office denies the claims made by Boylan. (CNBC)
CISA, a federal agency of the United States was breached by suspected Russian hackers, but Russia denies the allegation. The perpetrator(s) are still unknown, along with the cause and what was breached. (NPR)
Stop the Steal, Right-wing terrorism in the US
- At least four people were stabbed amid post-election protests in Washington, DC and at least 33 people were arrested. Large groups of Proud Boys and counter-protesters gathered earlier in the day outside the Supreme Court and at Freedom Plaza to protest the presidential election results. (CNN)

Sports

Cleveland Indians name and logo controversy
- The Cleveland Indians announce that they will change their name after the 2021 season. (Newsweek)

December 12, 2020 (Saturday)

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Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan
      - Saskatchewan reports 11 deaths, a new single-day record since the start of the pandemic. (Regina Leader-Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
      - Florida surpasses 20,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Orlando Sentinel)
    - The U.S. surpasses 16 million cases of COVID-19. (USA Today)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Tokyo reports a new single-day record of 621 cases, according to data from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, bringing the cumulative number of cases in the prefecture to 46,745. (NHK World)
    - Japan records a new single-day record of 3,041 cases. The Japan Self-Defense Forces are deployed to Asahikawa, Hokkaido, where hospitals are facing shortages of medical staff to treat COVID-19 patients. (Kyodo News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
    - Bangladesh surpasses 7,000 total deaths from COVID-19. (Dhaka Tribune)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - South Korea reports a new record of 950 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total to 41,736 cases. 928 of the new cases are locally transmitted and more than 70% of these are from the Seoul Capital Area. (CNA)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus
    - Belarus reports 1,975 cases in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record. (The Star)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
    - Italy reaches 64,036 total deaths from COVID-19, surpassing the United Kingdom to have the highest death toll in Europe. (Newsweek)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
  - Victoria reports a new case in a person currently quarantining in a hotel. It is the first time that the state has reported a COVID-19 case in more than 40 days. (7 News)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - Peru temporarily suspends Phase III trials of Sinopharm's vaccine after detecting neurological problems in one of its volunteers. Peru's trials for the vaccine were due to conclude this week, after testing around 12,000 people. (CNA)
2020 H5N8 outbreak
- South Korea issues a 48-hour standstill order on all poultry farms across the country following a series of highly pathogenic bird flu (H5N8) cases. (Yonhap News Agency)

International relations

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Queensland reopens its borders to travellers from New Zealand after 28 days without any community transmission cases. (The Canberra Times)
Foreign relations of Switzerland, International reactions to the 2020 Belarusian presidential election and protests
- Switzerland freezes Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's assets in the country. Lukashenko, his son Viktor, and 13 other officials will be banned from entering Switzerland following violent protests that occurred following the election. (Reuters)
International recognition of Israel, Foreign relations of Bhutan
- Bhutan and Israel agree to establish full diplomatic relations for the first time. (The Jerusalem Post)

Law and crime

Aftermath of 2017–2018 Iranian protests, Capital punishment in Iran
- Iranian authorities execute once-exiled dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam over his online work that helped inspire the 2017–2018 Iranian protests. This comes after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence on Tuesday. (DW)
2020 United States election protests
- Pro-Donald Trump protests over the 2020 United States presidential election results are held in Washington, D.C. Participants included members of the far-right group Proud Boys. During the demonstrations, four people are stabbed, one is shot, and 33 others are arrested, six for assaulting police officers. (CNN) (Slate)

December 11, 2020 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Insurgency in the North Caucasus, Terrorism in Russia
- Six law enforcement officers are wounded when a man they were trying to arrest blew himself up in the village of Uchkeken, Karachay-Cherkessia. The Federal Security Service says no civilians were hurt and authorities were trying to establish his identity. (Reuters)
Crime in Nigeria
- Kankara kidnapping
  - Pupils are kidnapped from a boys' boarding secondary school by an armed gang in Kankara, Katsina State, Nigeria. (BBC)

Health and environment

Climate change mitigation
- The European Council agrees to lower greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union, compared to levels in 1990, by at least 55% before 2030. (AP)

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland
      - Restaurants, cafés, non-essential shops, and other venues that serve food, reopen in Northern Ireland after two weeks of lockdown. However, pubs that do not serve food will remain closed. (BBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - Germany reports a record 29,875 new cases and 598 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1.27 million and the death toll to 20,970. (DW)
    - Due to an increasing number of new cases and deaths, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of 16 states are expected to discuss new restrictions at a meeting on December 13. (Bloomberg)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus
    - Belarus reports 1,967 cases, a new single-day record. (Xinhua News Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
    - Portugal reports a record 95 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 5,373. (Yahoo! News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
    - Russia reports a record 613 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 48,593. (The Moscow Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland
    - Switzerland orders restaurants, bars and shops in most parts of the country to close at 7pm, as the country faces a persistently high level of new cases and deaths. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
    - Ukraine reports a record 285 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 14,755. (Kyiv Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports a record 175 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 18,511. (Kompas)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia surpasses 80,000 total cases of COVID-19. (The Edge Markets MY)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - The number of confirmed cases in South Korea increases by 689, the highest single-day increase reported in the country since late February, bringing the nationwide total to 40,786 cases. (Yonhap News Agency)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - COVID-19 pandemic in California
    - California reports 35,468 new cases in the past 24 hours, a new single-day record since the pandemic began. It also reports a record number of hospitalized patients: 2,013, and record number of 2,669 intensive care patients. (KABC-TV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Nebraska
    - Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts announces that the state will lift their restrictions on indoor gatherings after hospitalizations in the state dropped to 20%. However, he also urges people to stay vigilant to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Omaha World-Herald) (KETV)
  - The U.S. reports 3,309 deaths from COVID-19, a new one-day record. (Market Watch)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - Tozinameran
    - The Food and Drug Administration announces that they have formally approved Tozinameran, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. (CNBC)
    - Mexico approves the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. (AP)
  - Egypt receives its first shipment of 50,000 of Sinopharm's vaccine, making it the first African country to receive COVID-19 vaccines. The shipment was provided as a gift from the United Arab Emirates, which recently announced that the vaccine had an 86% efficacy based on Phase III testing results. (Egyptian Streets)
  - Australia stops a clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate made by CSL Limited and the University of Queensland after trial participants returned false positive HIV results. (ABC Australia)
  - Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline announce that their COVID-19 vaccine candidate will not be ready until the end of 2021. (France 24)
  - The Trump administration announces that they will purchase an additional 100 million doses of Moderna's vaccine. (CBS News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Namibia
  - Namibia reports a new single-day record of 324 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic to 16,097. (Xinhua)
- COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
  - New Zealand creates its first "travel bubble" with the Cook Islands, citing low COVID-19 infection rates and their "special ties". The travel bubble will allow citizens to travel between both countries without having to quarantine in early 2021. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania
- John E. Jones III, a federal judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announces that he has rejected a bid to temporarily block Governor Tom Wolf's statewide mask mandate and contact tracking system. (The Patriot-News)
Hong Kong national security law
- Pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai is charged under the new national security law. Lai faces a lengthy prison sentence for allegedly "conspiring with foreign forces" to endanger national security. (BBC)
Assassination of Rafic Hariri
- The United Nations-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon sentences a Hezbollah operative to five concurrent life terms in absentia for his role in the 2005 assassination of Rafic Hariri. (Al Jazeera)
Kyoto Animation arson attack
- Shinji Aoba, who is accused of killing 36 people by setting them on fire in last year's attack, is to be indicted on charges of murder after being found mentally competent to stand trial following a mental health evaluation. (The Japan Times)
Islam in Austria
- Austria's Constitutional Court overturns a government ban on school children wearing specific religious head coverings, ruling it discriminatory, and saying that the ban could lead to the "marginalisation of Muslim girls". (BBC)
After 51 years, a team of volunteer codebreakers solved a cipher by the infamous Zodiac Killer, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The cipher says "I hope you are having lots of fun trying to catch me", and "I am not afraid of the gas chamber because it will send me to paradice [sic] all the sooner because I now have enough slaves to work for me". (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Post-election lawsuits related to the 2020 United States presidential election
- The United States Supreme Court denies Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to invalidate President-elect Joe Biden's victories in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. (BBC)
2020 Armenian protests
- Anti-government protesters block streets in the Armenian capital Yerevan, continuing calls for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign over the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan. Riot police detain more than 40 protesters. (RFERL)
The United States Senate approves the $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA) by 84 votes to 13, overriding a possible presidential veto. President Donald Trump objects to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that currently provides legal immunity to social media companies, and also to a provision in the NDAA that will prohibit military bases to be named for Confederate generals. (Reuters)

December 10, 2020 (Thursday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- Journalist Malalai Maiwand, an activist for women's and children's rights, and her driver are shot dead on their way to work in Jalalabad, Nangarhar. The Islamic State – Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack. (DW) (Reuters)
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
- A large military parade is held in Baku to celebrate Azerbaijan's victory over Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is among the foreign attendees. The parade includes thousands of soldiers, flyovers from helicopters and fighter jets, and a Turkish special forces brigade. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- The European Central Bank expands its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme by €500 billion to €1.85 trillion and extends the scheme to March 2022, saying it expects "a more pronounced near-term impact of the pandemic on the Eurozone economy and a more protracted weakness in inflation than previously envisaged". (Reuters)
Mastercard and Visa cut financial ties with Pornhub following an investigation by The New York Times into child sexual abuse content and rape pornography on the website. Pornhub says that the moves are "exceptionally disappointing" as well as crushing news for the "hundreds of thousands of models who rely on our platform for their livelihoods". (Bloomberg)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Tokyo reports a record 602 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the prefecture to 45,529. (Nikkei Asia)
    - Japan reports a record 2,973 new cases in the past 24 hours, according to official figures released by the government. (Kyodo News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
    - Malaysia reports a new single-day record of 2,234 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the nationwide number of confirmed cases to 78,499. (Malay Mail)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ships
    - The Singapore government said that a suspected COVID-19 case aboard a "cruise-to-nowhere" was a false alarm after a passenger aboard Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas cruise ship who tested positive for COVID-19 has been found not to have contracted the virus. (AFP via CBS News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - South Korea surpasses 40,000 total cases of COVID-19. (KBS World)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus
    - Belarus reports a new single-day record of 1,939 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 154,392. (Belta)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
    - Health Minister Magnus Heunicke announces the expansion of the country's partial lockdown measures to 31 other municipalities, beginning tomorrow at 4:00 pm local time. This comes after the country reports a record 3,132 new cases in the past 24 hours. (The Local Denmark)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in France
    - Prime Minister Jean Castex announces that the country will delay the reopening of cultural venues and introduce a night-time curfew from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. local time, where stay-at-home order will be lifted as planned on December 15 as it struggles to curb the spread of COVID-19. (BBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - Germany reports a new single-day record of 23,679 cases, according to the Robert Koch Institute, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,242,203. (RND)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden
    - Sweden reports a record 7,935 new cases in the past 24 hours. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      - Ontario reports a new single-day record of 1,983 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the province to 134,783. (CFTO-DT)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia
      - British Columbia reports a record 28 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the provincial death toll to 587. (Global News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in North Dakota
      - North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum announces that the state has extended their mask mandate and limits on gatherings until January 18. (WCCO-TV)
    - TV personality Ellen DeGeneres announces that she has contracted COVID-19. Her contraction of the virus prompts production of her show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, to be halted until January 2021.(NBC News)
- COVID-19 vaccine
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina
    - Argentine President Alberto Fernández announces the purchase of 10 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, and says that he will be the first person to receive the vaccine in order to prove that it is safe. An initial shipment of 600,000 doses will be received before the end of the year. (France 24)
  - Tozinameran
    - An expert panel advising the FDA recommends granting Tozinameran emergency approval for usage in the United States. (NPR)
    - Saudi Arabia approves Tozinameran as a safe vaccine. (Arab News)
  - Moderna announces that they will begin testing their vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, on adolescents aged 12–17 years. (CNBC)
2020 H5N8 outbreak
- The Japanese Agricultural Ministry reports new cases of a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza (H5N8) at poultry farms in Saiki, Oita and Kinokawa, Wakayama. Authorities have started culling 56,000 chickens at the farm in Saiki as well as about 67,000 chickens at the farm in Kinokawa. (Nippon.com)

International relations

Israel–Morocco normalization agreement, International recognition of Israel, Israel–Morocco relations, Political status of Western Sahara, 2020 Western Saharan clashes
- The United States says that Morocco will normalize diplomatic relations with Israel, becoming the fourth Arab country to do so in recent months, in an agreement mediated by the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump also says that he recognizes "Moroccan sovereignty over the entire Western Sahara territory". Morocco says that the United States "will open a consulate in Western Sahara as part of Morocco’s deal with Israel". (The Jerusalem Post) (Reuters)
Foreign relations of Norway
- Norway's Storting votes to lower the country's financial assistance package to the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian territories by $3.4 million over concerns of anti-Semitic content and incitement to violence in Palestinian school curricula. (Ynet News) (European Jewish Press)
Netherlands–Russia relations
- The Netherlands expels two Russian diplomats based in The Hague, who it accuses of being part of a Foreign Intelligence Service-led "espionage network" targeting the high-tech sector. Russia describes the Dutch accusations as "unfounded", and says that the expulsion of its citizens was "provocative". (BBC)

Law and crime

LGBT rights in Bhutan
- Bhutan's parliament passes a bill decriminalizing homosexuality. The bill will need to be approved by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in order to become law. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

European Union response to the COVID-19 pandemic
- The European Council agrees on a compromise deal to unlock €1.8 trillion for the budget of the European Union and for the Next Generation EU recovery plan. (The New York Times)

December 9, 2020 (Wednesday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraq War, Operation Telic
- International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announces that an inquiry into British war crimes in Iraq has been formally abandoned. In a final report, Bensouda says her office "found a reasonable basis to believe" that British troops committed war crimes in 2003, murdering at least seven Iraqi detainees, however she accepted the UK has taken "genuine action" to investigate itself. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - Nationally, the number of new daily deaths surpasses the death toll of 9/11 for the first time, topping at 3,100. (CNN)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
      - Officials from The Pentagon say that they will receive 44,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech's Tozinameran vaccine. However, it will not be mandatory for soldiers to receive the vaccine. (CBS News) (U.S. News & World Report)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland
      - On his first full day in office, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announces that the city will close all indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (The Baltimore Sun)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Alabama
      - Governor Kay Ivey announces that the statewide mask mandate and stay-at-home order will be extended until January 22. (Montgomery Advertiser)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania
      - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf tests positive for COVID-19 and begins quarantining at his home. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
      - After nearly 30 members and staffers of the Michigan House of Representatives test positive for COVID-19, scheduled voting sessions for December 9 and 10 were cancelled. (Yahoo! News), (WXYZ-TV)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine and expects to receive 249,000 doses by the end of the year. (CBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus
    - The government announces that malls and food and beverage establishments will be closed from December 11 at 06:00 p.m. local time until the end of the year. Restaurants will only be allowed to offer takeaway service. (Phile News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
    - Germany reports 568 new deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the most since the start of the pandemic and bringing the nationwide death toll to 20,002. (Bloomberg)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Moldova
    - Prime Minister Ion Chicu tests positive for COVID-19. (Antara News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia
    - Prime Minister Igor Matovič announces that non-essential shops and schools will be closed for at least three weeks beginning December 21. He also said that the outdoor terraces of restaurants, cafés and similar facilities will be closed beginning December 11 and only takeaway services will be allowed. (The Slovak Spectator)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey
    - Turkey reports a new single-day record of 217 deaths, bringing the nationwide death toll to 15,531. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
    - Indonesia reports a record 171 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 18,171. (CNN Indonesia)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
    - Japan reports a record 2,812 new cases in the past 24 hours. (The Japan Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ships
    - A Royal Caribbean ship, Quantum of the Seas, that had 1,680 guests and 1,448 crew on board, returned to Singapore on the third day of a four-day "cruise to nowhere" after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19. (BBC)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    - The number of new confirmed cases in South Korea reaches a nine-month high of 686 cases in the last 24 hours. The country now has 39,432 total confirmed cases, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. (Yonhap News Agency)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in United Arab Emirates, COVID-19 vaccine
    - The Ministry of Health and Prevention announces the registration of Sinopharm's inactivated virus vaccine BBICP-CorV, after an interim analysis of the Phase III trials showed BBIBP-CorV to have an 86% efficacy against COVID-19 infection. (Reuters)

International relations

European Union–United Kingdom relations, Trade negotiation between the UK and the EU
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen agree to set a deadline for a trade agreement between the UK and EU by 13 December. If no agreement is reached by then, the United Kingdom will leave the European Single Market and European Union Customs Union without a deal on 1 January 2021. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

2020 European Medicines Agency cyberattack
- The European Medicines Agency announces that it has been cyberattacked and that an investigation is ongoing. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

2020 Indonesian local elections
- 105 million people in Indonesia go to the polls to choose governors in nine of 34 provinces as well as 37 mayors and 224 district leaders in regencies and cities in 270 regions across the country. The elections were originally scheduled in September but were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (ABC News)
- The eldest son of President Joko Widodo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is elected as Mayor of Surakarta with a landslide victory based on some quick count results. (Bloomberg)