Portal:Current events/2020 December 9

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 the September 11 attacks 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 News)
    • 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)

Science and technology

• Starship development history
  • SpaceX Starship (prototype SN8) performs the first-time-ever Belly Flop maneuver landing attempt at the Boca Chica launch site in Texas, following a high-altitude test flight with the mostly expected destruction of the vehicle (The Independent)