Living With a Star Scientists announce that NASA's "Parker Solar Probe" became the first ever spacecraft to enter the stellar corona of the Sun during a flyby in April.
Minsk A court in Minsk, Belarus, sentences opposition activist Sergei Tikhanovsky to 18 years in prison for several charges, including organising riots, following what was widely described as a "sham trial". Tikhanovsky's wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, left Belarus amid the protests that occurred in the country in 2020.
Indictment and arrest of Julian Assange Australian Deputy Prime Minister and National Party Leader Barnaby Joyce and a small group of Liberal Party backbenchers join the Labor Party in criticising the Liberal-National Coalition Morrison Government's inaction on the United Kingdom's imminent extradition of Australian publisher Julian Assange to the United States, arguing that Assange has not broken any Australian laws.
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The House of Commons votes to approve "Plan B" measures that include the extension of the indoor mask mandate, vaccine passports, and mandating COVID-19 vaccines for NHS workers in England, despite large opposition from Boris Johnson's own Conservative Party.
United Nations A United Nations investigation into the 2021 Colombian protests found that the National Police of Colombia resorted to acts of police brutality that resulted in the massacre of 11 civilians.
COVID-19 pandemic The final results of a trial of Paxlovid conducted by Pfizer shows 89% cut of risk of hospitalization and death in high-risk patients and is likely to work against the Omicron variant.
The United States surpasses 800,000 deaths from COVID-19, remaining the highest death toll in the world.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte announces that primary schools will be closed on December 20 and that existing restrictions requiring bars, restaurants, and non-essential shops to close at 5 pm have been extended until January 14 due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant.
The Italian Council of Ministers approves the extension of the COVID-19 state of emergency until March 31 and also rules that travellers from other EU countries must present a negative swab test prior to departure due to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.
South Korea reports a record 94 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 4,387.
Indonesia begins administering the COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 6 and 11 years, with 100 children receiving the Sinovac Coronavac vaccine.
Cap-Haïtien fuel tanker explosion At least 62 people are killed and more than 100 others injured when a fuel tanker explodes in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti.
Colombian conflict Two explosions at Camilo Daza International Airport in Cúcuta kill two law enforcement officials and one of the perpetrators.