Portal:Current events/Inclusion

December 30, 2024 (Monday)

Disasters and accidents

Three tourists are killed and seven more injured during a fire at a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. (AP)

Law and crime

2024 South Korean martial law crisis
- The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials formally requests an arrest warrant for impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol over his declaration of martial law. (Reuters)

December 29, 2024 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war
- Fall of the Assad regime
  - Syrian mass graves
    - Three mass graves associated with the Assad regime are discovered in Al-Qabou, Homs Governorate. (SOHR)
- Operation Dawn of Freedom
  - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that a humanitarian crisis has developed in Manbij District following its capture by Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) forces and Turkish artillery fire, leading to continuous water scarcity, power outages, and basic needs shortages. (SOHR)
Sudanese civil war
- Battle of Khartoum
  - Seven civilians are killed and several others are injured in a Sudanese Armed Forces strike on residential areas in the southern part of Khartoum, Sudan. (Sudan Tribune)

Disasters and accidents

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243
- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says that Russia accidentally shot down the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, accusing Russia of trying to "hush up" the crash, and demanding from Russia a full admission of guilt, punishment for those responsible, and compensation for the victims. (AP)
Gelana Bridge disaster
- At least 71 people are killed and four injured when a passenger-carrying truck drives off a bridge into a river in Bona Zuria, Sidama Region, Ethiopia. (The Guardian) (Voice of America)
Jeju Air Flight 2216
- A Bangkok-departed Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 with 181 people on board crashes during landing at the Muan International Airport, in South Korea, killing 179 people and wounding two crew members. (Bloomberg) (Yna) (Euronews)
Three police officers are killed and two others are injured in a gas explosion at the police academy in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters)
Two pilots are killed when their light aircraft crashes into the sea near Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, shortly after takeoff from Al Jazeirah Airport. (Inquirer.net)
A tourist is killed and another is injured in a shark attack at a resort in Marsa Alam, Egypt. (Al Arabiya)
English Channel migrant crisis
- Three migrants die attempting to cross the English Channel, with 45 rescued and treated for hypothermia and four hospitalized. (BBC News)

International relations

Cambodia–Philippines relations
- Cambodia pardons and repatriates 13 Filipino women who were convicted of human trafficking for participating in a surrogacy scheme prohibited under Cambodian law. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

2024 Chadian parliamentary election
- Voters in Chad elect the 188 members of the National Assembly. (Al Jazeera)
2024 Croatian presidential election
- Croatians vote to elect the President between incumbent Zoran Milanović and seven other candidates. (Reuters)
2024 Georgian post-election protests
- Mikheil Kavelashvili is inaugurated as the 6th President of Georgia, with outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili announcing that she would vacate her residence at the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi. Zourabichvili continues to claim that the new presidency is illegitimate and calls for continued protests. (Politico) (AP)
Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter
- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter dies at the age of 100 in Plains, Georgia, United States. (BBC News)

December 28, 2024 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Israel–Hamas war
- Winter of 2024–25 in the Gaza Strip, Gaza Strip evacuations
  - The Gaza Strip Government Media Office reports that 110,000 out of 135,000 tents used as shelters by displaced Palestinians have "completely deteriorated" and are now unusable due to strong winter winds and heavy rainfall. (Al Jazeera)
Syrian civil war
- Western Syria clashes
  - Syria's new government announces "a large-scale sweep operation" in Latakia to arrest or eliminate all remaining pro-Assad insurgents and any threats to national security. (Al Jazeera)
2024 Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes
- Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense announces that they targeted several locations in Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani aircraft conducting aerial bombardments within Afghanistan. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

Homelessness in the United States
- U.S. homelessness hits a record high in 2024, increasing by more than 18% in the past year, primarily due to high housing costs, natural disasters, and an increase in migration to major cities. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge collapse
- The death toll from the highway collapse between Maranhão and Tocantins, Brazil, six days ago, increases to eleven, with six others still missing. (Correio Braziliense)
Tornado outbreak of December 26–29, 2024
- At least two people are killed in a tornado outbreak across the southern United States, with damage reported near Houston, Texas. (USA Today)

International relations

Lukoil oil transit dispute, Ukrainian energy crisis, Slovakia–Ukraine relations
- Slovakia threatens reciprocal measures against Ukraine's plans to suspend the transit of Russian oil to Slovakia on January 1, including suspending electricity supplies. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses Slovakia of opening a "second energy front" against Kyiv under Moscow's orders. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

The Afghanistan's Taliban government bans windows overlooking to places "used by women", and says that existing ones should be blocked. (RFI)

Politics and elections

2024 Mozambican general election
- 2024 Mozambican protests
  - At least 13,000 Mozambicans flee the country into Malawi amid widespread civil unrest due to the results of the recent general election. (DW)
2024 South Korean martial law crisis
- Impeachment of Han Duck-soo, Impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol
  - Impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol is accused of ordering the authorization of the use of live firearms to stop MPs from overriding the martial law vote and to force the MPs out of the National Assembly legislature building. (BBC News)

December 27, 2024 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Somali Civil War
- Constitutional crisis in Somalia
  - Ethiopian–Somali conflict, 2024 Ethiopia–Somaliland memorandum of understanding
    - The United Nations Security Council approves the Resolution 2767 deployment of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), effective January 1, replacing the current African Union Transition Mission in Somalia. However, Somalia rejects Ethiopia's participation in AUSSOM amid tensions over a memorandum of understanding that Ethiopia signed with Somaliland in January. Somalia considers the memorandum a violation of its sovereignty and has instead asked Egypt to contribute troops to the mission. (Reuters) (Idil News) (UNSC)
Israel–Hamas war
- Kamal Adwan Hospital sieges
  - Israeli forces forcibly evacuate the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza. (BBC News)
Russian invasion of Ukraine
- North Korean involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 2024 Kursk offensive
  - South Korea confirms the first capture of a North Korean soldier fighting against Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast, Russia, with the soldier later dying from his injuries. (BBC News) (Reuters)
2024 Baltic Sea submarine cable disruptions, 2024 Estlink 2 incident
- NATO announces that it will increase its presence in the Baltic Sea in response to the suspected sabotage of Estlink submarine power cables. (Reuters)
- Estonia deploys its navy to protect its remaining Estlink submarine power cable following the failure of Estlink 2. (BBC News)
Red Sea crisis
- The Houthis launch a ballistic missile from Yemen, targeting Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. The missile is intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace. It is the first time that the THAAD missile defense system is used by Israel to intercept a missile during combat operations. (The Times of Israel) (The Guardian)
- Houthi-run state television reports that American and British airstrikes have targeted the Ma'ain District of Sanaa, Yemen. No casualties are reported. (Anadolu Agency)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- A 83-year-old Israeli woman and Holocaust survivor is fatally stabbed by a Palestinian former Shin Bet informant from the West Bank in Herzliya, Israel; the attacker was then shot and injured by police. (The Times of Israel)

Business and economy

Medog Hydropower Station
- China announces the formal approval of a proposal to construct the world's largest hydropower dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243
- Azerbaijan Airlines suspends flights to seven cities in Russia following the crash of Flight 8243 on Wednesday, amid allegations that the plane had been hit by a Russian surface-to-air missile. (DW)
- United States National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says that there is evidence that Russia shot down the Azerbaijan Airlines flight. (The Hill)
- Kazakhstan and Israel suspend flights over Russian airspace in response to the Azerbaijan Airlines crash. (Politico)
A traffic collision between a truck and a bus kills eight people and injures 27 others in Veracruz, Mexico. (AP)

Health and environment

2023–2024 mpox epidemic
- Kosovo reports its first case of mpox in a 30-year-old man who travelled to Africa. (Reuters)

International relations

Georgia–United States relations
- The U.S. State Department announces sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the Georgian Dream political party. Georgian prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze accuses the United States of "blackmail" over the move. (BBC News) (Al Arabiya)
Syria–Ukraine relations, Grain From Ukraine program
- Ukraine announces that it has sent a shipment of 500 tonnes of wheat to Syria after Russia suspended shipments following the fall of the Assad regime. (The Kyiv Independent)
Senegalese prime minister Ousmane Sonko announces the closure of all foreign military bases in the country, citing a decision by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to remove foreign troops as part of a broader shift away from colonial-era military arrangements. (AP)

Law and crime

2024 Zhuhai car attack, Capital punishment in China
- A Chinese court sentences the perpetrator of the car attack in Zhuhai that killed 35 people to death. (AP)
Argentina–Venezuela relations, Conservative wave
- Venezuelan attorney general Tarek William Saab announces an investigation into a previously detained Argentine National Gendarmerie non-commissioned officer for alleged links to right-wing terrorism. (Reuters)
The Montenegrin Minister of Justice approves the extradition of cryptocurrency entrepreneur Do Kwon to the United States over fraud allegations resulting from the collapse of the Terra and Luna tokens. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

2024 South Korean martial law crisis
- Impeachment of Han Duck-soo
  - South Korean prime minister and acting president Han Duck-soo is impeached by the National Assembly after refusing to appoint three Constitutional Court judges chosen by the Assembly to oversee president Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment case. Finance minister Choi Sang-mok is appointed acting president and acting prime minister. (BBC News) (Reuters)
2024 German government crisis, 2025 German federal election, Scholz cabinet
- German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolves the Bundestag and schedules new elections for February 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition collapses and no parliamentary majority emerges to form a stable government. (AP)

December 26, 2024 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Israel–Hamas war
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, Killing of journalists in the Israel–Hamas war
  - Five journalists of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad-affiliated Al Quds Today TV are killed in their vehicle by an Israeli airstrike near the Al-Awda Hospital in Deir al-Balah Governorate, Gaza. (CNN) (The Jerusalem Post)
- Winter of 2024–25 in the Gaza Strip, Gaza Strip evacuations
  - Gaza Strip doctors report that three infants have died due to hypothermia from inadequate shelter in displacement camps amid a decrease in outdoor temperatures. (Al Jazeera)
Red Sea crisis
- December 2024 Israeli airstrikes in Yemen
  - Israel carries out a series of airstrikes between Sanaa and Hodeidah in Yemen, hitting a number of facilities, including Sanaa International Airport, and killing at least six people and injuring at least 40 others with the Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus present. (Al Jazeera) (Al Jazeera 2) (YNet) (BBC)
Somali Civil War
- American military intervention in Somalia
  - Al-Shabaab confirms the death of Mohamed Mire Jama, a senior leader of the group, who had been designated as a terrorist by the United States, in an American drone strike near Kunyo Baroow, Hirshabelle State, Somalia. (Idil News) (Garowe Online) (Long WaR Journal)
Nigerian bandit conflict
- A Nigerian Air Force jet mistakenly kills ten civilians in Sokoto State, Nigeria, during a bombing raid targeting armed groups in the state, according to state governor Ahmad Aliyu. (Reuters)

Business and economy

2021–present United Kingdom cost-of-living crisis
- The United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics announces that the UK economy showed no growth in the 3rd quarter of the current fiscal year, following downward revisions. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243
- Azerbaijani government officials tell Reuters that a Russian military surface-to-air missile launched from a Pantsir-S missile system was responsible for the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that killed 38 people yesterday. Officials also say that the aircraft's GPS navigation system was jammed during the flight. (Euronews) (Reuters)
- Azerbaijan MP Rasim Musabayov calls for an apology and accountability from Russia following their alleged involvement in the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines flight. (United24Media)
- Azerbaijan Airlines says that they will provide compensation for the victims and families of those who died in the plane crash. (Trend)
Hadsel bus accident
- Three people are killed and at least four others are injured when a bus carrying 58 people crashes into a lake in Hadsel Municipality, Norway. (BBC News) (NRK)

Health and environment

2024 Lobitos oil spill
- The Government of Peru declares a 90-day environmental emergency for parts of Talara province due to an oil spill caused by state-owned oil company Petroperú. (Reuters)

International relations

2024 Baltic Sea submarine cable disruptions, Finland–Russia relations
- 2024 Estlink 2 incident
  - Finnish border guards and police detain a Russian vessel suspected of damaging the Estlink-2 submarine power cable yesterday. (AP)

Law and crime

A Cambodian court sentences the president of the opposition Nation Power Party Sun Chanthy to two years in prison and also bans Chanthy from running in elections for inciting civil disorder. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2024 South Korean martial law crisis
- Impeachment of Han Duck-soo
  - South Korea's opposition files a motion to impeach prime minister and acting president Han Duck-soo, two weeks after president Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached. (BBC News)
Death and state funeral of Manmohan Singh
- Former prime minister of India Manmohan Singh dies at age of 92. (The Times of India)

December 25, 2024 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Israel–Hamas war
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
  - Siege of North Gaza, Gaza famine
    - The United States-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network removes a report estimating that food insecurity conditions in northern Gaza have surpassed the highest IPC famine thresholds, after the United States envoy to Israel criticized the report's methodology as "irresponsible" for "outdated" and "inflated" estimates of the civilian population of Gaza. (FEWS NET) (The Times of Israel)
Somali Civil War
- Constitutional crisis in Somalia
  - Jubaland crisis
    - The federal government of Somalia imposes a flight ban on Jubaland, including all flights to and from Jubaland, particularly affecting the cities of Kismayo and Doolow. The flight ban was initiated amid ongoing political tensions and military engagements after Jubaland forces reportedly defeated Somali Armed Forces in several locations, including Ras Kamboni, Kulbiyow, and Dolow. (Garowe Online) (The Somali Digest) (The Eastleigh Voice)
Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure, Ukrainian energy crisis
  - A series of Russian ballistic missile and drone strikes target critical energy infrastructure in cities across in Ukraine, killing at least two people, injuring 20 others, and causing widespread emergency blackouts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemns Russian President Vladimir Putin for the "inhumane" attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. (The Kyiv Independent) (The Guardian) (RTÉ)
Sudanese civil war
- 2024 famine in Sudan
  - The IPC Famine Review Committee determines the presence of famine in five areas in Darfur and South Kordofan, Sudan, and estimates that five more areas will face famine by May 2025 due to ongoing conflict and blocked aid distribution. (BBC News Hausa)
Syrian civil war
- Western Syria clashes
  - Syria's new government says that fourteen of its troops were killed and 10 others were injured in clashes with Assad regime loyalists in Tartus Governorate. (BBC News) (Reuters)
Ethiopian civil conflict
- Ethiopian military forces close the country's border with Somalia following ongoing heavy fighting in rural areas of Harshin, Fafan Zone, between Ethiopia's Somali regional forces and local clan militias after the killing of a local security chief and his bodyguards. Hundreds of people, including children, flee from their homes. (Hiiraan Online) (Somali Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243
- An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 aircraft carrying 67 passengers from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, crashes while being diverted to Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people and injuring 29 others. (Al Jazeera) (NPR)
- Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev instructs the government to launch a criminal investigation into the crash. (Euronews)
2024 Estlink 2 incident
- HVDC submarine power cable Estlink 2, which connects the power grids of Estonia and Finland, suffers an unexplained outage with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stating that an investigation into the incident is underway. (AP)

International relations

2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon
- Lebanon files a new complaint to the UN Security Council over Israel's ceasefire violations. (Bastille Post)

Law and crime

More than 1,500 inmates escape from a prison in Maputo, Mozambique, after knocking down a wall during a riot. At least 33 people are killed and 15 others are injured. (BBC News) (Al Jazeera)
Syrian authorities impose a curfew from 6 pm to 8 am in Homs following a series of protests by Alawite and Shi'ite Muslim minority groups. (Reuters)
A Turkish court sentences the owner and architect of the Grand Isias Hotel in Adıyaman to more than 18 years in prison for negligent homicide after 72 people died when the hotel collapsed in the 2023 earthquakes. (DW)

Politics and elections

2025 Kosovan parliamentary election
- Kosovo's election appeals authority allows the Serb List party, a Serb ethnic party, to participate in the upcoming election, stating that the party meets legal certification requirements. (AP)

Science and technology

2024 in archosaur paleontology
- Scientists confirm the discovery of the Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus dinosaur species in Kyrgyzstan, the first theropod from the Jurassic period to be discovered in Central Asia. (Tempo)

December 24, 2024 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war
- Deir ez-Zor offensive, Eastern Syria insurgency
  - Islamic State militants launch attacks on the town of al-Hawayej in northeastern Syria, against Asayish forces. (SOHR)
- Protests occur after a Christmas tree was set on fire in Al-Suqaylabiyah, Hama Governorate. (The Week)
- Turkey's interior minister announces that more than 25,000 Syrian refugees have returned to Syria since former president Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by rebels. (Al Arabiya)
- Syrian opposition factions announce that they will dissolve and merge under the authority of the Ministry of Defense. (Reuters)
Haiti crisis
- Gang war in Haiti
  - Three people are killed by gunmen in Haiti opening fire at the journalists, police and medical staff at the reopening of the Port-au-Prince General Hospital. (BBC News)
2024 Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes
- At least 46 people are killed in a series of airstrikes by the Pakistan Army against alleged Pakistani Taliban hideouts in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

National symbols of the United States
- U.S. President Joe Biden signs a bill making the bald eagle the official national bird of the United States. (NBC News)

Disasters and accidents

2024–25 Australian bushfire season
- Residents of the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia, evacuate due to bushfires, with more than 41,000 hectares (100,000 acres) already burnt by the bushfires. (BBC News)
2024 Lobitos oil spill
- Residents of Lobitos and Cabo Blanco, Peru, demonstrate against Peruvian state-owned oil company PetroPerú following an oil spill that contaminated six beaches. (La República)
Twelve people are killed and four others are injured in an explosion at an explosives factory in Kavakli, Balıkesir Province, Turkey. (Al Jazeera)
The Russian cargo ship MV Ursa Major, allegedly used to evacuate military personnel and equipment from Russian bases in Syria, sinks in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain following an explosion in the ship's engine room. The Russian Foreign Ministry says that 14 of the 16 crew members have been rescued, with the two others missing. (Politico)

International relations

2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Syrian civil war
- Palestinian factions turn over their arms to the Lebanese army and vacate their headquarters. (Middle East Monitor)
Denmark–United States relations
- The Danish government announces an increase in defense spending for Greenland hours after US president-elect Donald Trump repeated his interest in purchasing Greenland, although they affirm that the two are unrelated. (BBC News)
Russia–United States relations
- Gene Spector, an American citizen of Russian descent, is sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Russian court for espionage. (CNN)

Law and crime

Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia
- Human rights organization Reprieve reports that Saudi Arabia executed 330 people this year. (First Post)
At least 21 people are killed and 25 others are injured in a series of violent incidents in Mozambique following the previous day's confirmation by the high court of Daniel Chapo as the winning presidential candidate in the recent election. (ABC News)
Hong Kong offers bounties of HK$1 million (US$128,728) each for six foreign pro-democracy activists accused of violating the national security law, including Tony Chung, and also revokes the passports of seven others, citing actions such as incitement to secession, subversion, and collusion with foreign forces. (Reuters)
Five people accused of being Al-Qaeda supporters are arrested in four cities in Italy. (Il Gazzettino)
Four participants in the November 2024 Amsterdam riots are sentenced to prison, with 32-year-old Sefa Ö handed the longest sentence of six months. (BBC News)
A Belarusian court sentences opposition activist and Green Party leader Dzmitry Kuchuk to six years in prison and fines him approximately US$6,000 for alleged public order violations and calls for actions undermining national security, according to the human rights group Viasna. (AP)

Politics and elections

Protests against Donald Trump, Panama–United States relations
- Protesters gather at the U.S. Embassy in Panama City over Trump's threat to take back the Panama Canal. (France24) (DW)
Maia Sandu is sworn in for her second four-year term as the President of Moldova. (Euronews)
In his Christmas speech, Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri announces that he will abdicate on 3 October 2025 and hand over the throne to his son, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume. (The Brussels Times)
ʻAisake Eke is appointed as the new Prime Minister of Tonga. (RNZ)

Science and technology

NASA large strategic science missions
- The Parker Solar Probe attempts its closest-ever approach to the Sun to study the sun's temperatures, radiation, and magnetic field. (BBC News)

More December 2024 events...

Portal:Current events/Inclusion

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