December 16, 2019 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2019–20 Lebanese protests
- The Lebanese Army clashes with supporters of Hezbollah and Amal Movement in Beirut. The Shiite Islamists were attempting to attack an anti-government protester camp in Martyrs' Square. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- Boeing 737 MAX groundings
- Boeing decides to halt production of the faulty Boeing 737 MAX. (The Economist)
Law and crime
- The Supreme Court of the United States refuses to hear a case regarding homeless people sleeping in public parks, and on sidewalks, when no other shelter is available. In allowing the camping, the high court left intact a lower court ruling, calling such bans cruel and unusual punishment. (USA Today)
- In rare protests, dozens are arrested in Kazakhstan during Independence Day. Protestors demand political reform and the sidelining of the family of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev. (Reuters)
- Cannabis in Zambia
- The human rights group International Rights Advocates formally launches a lawsuit in the United States against Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc. (Google), Tesla, Inc., Dell and Microsoft on behalf of 14 Congolese families whose children died or were injured in Copperbelt mines that supply cobalt for the firms' lithium-ion battery products. (BBC News)
- Wanted Moroccan-Dutch criminal Ridouan Taghi has been arrested in Dubai. He was wanted by the Netherlands for large scale cocaine trafficking and multiple murders. (The Guardian)
- Impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump
- The U.S. House Judiciary Committee releases its 658-page report on its inquiry of the impeachment of President Donald Trump, claiming he committed obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. (CNN)
Politics and elections
- 2019 French pension reform strike
- On the twelfth day of the strike, Jean-Paul Delevoye resigns. Delevoye, who was in charge of the proposed pension reform, failed to disclose private posts and income in his asset declaration. (The Guardian)
Science and technology
- SpaceX successfully launches the JCSAT-18 and Kacific 1 communications satellites on a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The satellites will bring Internet access to isolated islands in the Pacific Ocean. (CNN)