December 2, 2016 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present)
- A military operation leaves three Turkish soldiers dead and another three wounded in Hakkâri Province, Turkey. (Anadolu Agency) (Daily Sabah) (Reuters)
- Second Libyan Civil War
- At least eight are killed in clashes in Tripoli, Libya. (News 24), (The Daily Star)
- Military intervention against ISIL
Business and economy
- Ministers of the European Union have given the EU president a mandate to lower charges that mobile phone services can impose on one another for keeping each others' customers connected as the customers "roam," that is, travel about Europe. (Reuters)
- United States President Barack Obama blocks China's Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund's acquisition of the U.S. semiconductor business of German-based Aixtron because of national security concerns. The German Economy Ministry withdrew its approval in October. (Reuters) (Bloomberg)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 18 people die and two more are injured in a bus accident in Hubei, China. (Xinhua News Agency)
- 2016 Southeastern United States wildfires
- The death toll from the wildfire that hit the U.S. town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, rises to 13. (AP)
- The bodies of 21 coal miners are retrieved from an unlicensed coal mine in the Chinese city of Qitaihe in the province of Heilongjiang. Four people have been arrested including the owner of the mine and three managers. (AP via Daily Mail)
- 2016 Oakland warehouse fire
- At least nine people are killed and 40 are missing in a warehouse fire in Oakland, California. (BBC), (AP)
International relations
- Taiwan–United States relations
- United States President-elect Donald Trump holds a telephone conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, the first known contact between a U.S. president or president-elect with a Taiwanese leader since the United States recognized the People's Republic of China in 1979. (The Washington Post) (The New York Times) (CNN)
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi blames Taiwan for making the call. (Reuters)
- Mercosur suspends Venezuela from the South American trading bloc for failing to meet membership requirements on trade and human rights. (BBC)
Law and crime
- A shooting in Palilula, Dolj County, Romania, leaves at least three people dead, including the gunman, with two more injured. (Digi 24) (Realitatea.net)
- The Russian Central Bank says hackers, who were attempting to steal about 5 billion rubles, did take more than 2 billion ($31 million) this year from member bank accounts. (Reuters) (CNN)
Politics and elections
- Approximately 200,000 Muslims protest in the Indonesian capital Jakarta against the Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama for alleged blasphemy. This is the second mass protest in a month against the minority Christian governor. (AP via Washington Post)
- Indonesian president Joko Widodo attends the main event of the rally, Friday mass prayer, easing the tension of protesters. (The Jakarta Post)
- Gambian presidential election, 2016
- Opposition candidate Adama Barrow defeats Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, bringing an end to Jammeh's 22-year-rule in the West African nation. (The Telegraph)
Science
- The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announces official names for recently-discovered superheavy elements Nihonium (113), Moscovium (115), Tennessine (117), and Oganesson (118). (BGR), (Live Science)
Sports
- In motor sport, current Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg announces his retirement. (MSN)[permanent dead link]
- 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season (American football):
- In the Pac-12 Conference, the Washington Huskies defeat the Colorado Buffaloes 41–10 to win the Pac-12 Football Championship Game. It is the first Pac-12 football title for the Huskies since the conference expanded to 12 schools in 2011. (Seattle Times)
- In the Mid-American Conference, the Western Michigan Broncos defeat the Ohio Bobcats 29–23, remaining unbeaten entering the bowl season and claiming the program's first MAC title since 1988. (AP via ESPN)