World events scheduled for December

EACH month Graphic News publishes a World Agenda of forthcoming events that will shape the world in the month ahead. Events in December include the first vaccination programs to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the US Electoral College’s confirmation of the election winner (pending ongoing legal action), and the return to China of the first lunar sample return mission since the 1970s.

■ December 6, Venezuela: Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó has vowed to boycott the National

Assembly election but Henrique Capriles, another opponent of President Nicolás Maduro, will support the vote, arguing that a boycott means losing all representation in congress.

■ December 12, UN: An online summit on the fifth anniversary of the landmark Paris agreement aims to spur momentum for climate action by urging nations to upgrade emissions- cutting pledges by the year’s end. Joe Biden has pledged that the US will rejoin the pact when he takes office.

■ December 14, US: The Electoral College officially selects the next president. Three weeks after Joe Biden won the popular vote Donald Trump’s administration finally cleared the way for the transition process to begin, even as Mr Trump vowed to continue fighting the election results.

■ December 16, China: The Chang’e 5 spacecraft aims to collect rock samples from the moon in the first lunar sample return attempt since 1976.