Portal:Current events/2024 December 24
December 24, 2024 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war
- Deir ez-Zor offensive, Eastern Syria insurgency
- 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)
- At least 15 people are killed in a series of airstrikes by the Pakistan Army against alleged Pakistani Taliban hideouts in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. (NDTV)
Arts and culture
- 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
- 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. (BBC News)
- Russia–United States relations
- Irish Tánaiste Micheál Martin calls for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan and the Gaza Strip. (Irish Times)
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)
Politics and elections
- ʻAisake Eke is appointed as the new Prime Minister of Tonga. (RNZ)
- The incumbent President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, was inaugurated for a second term.
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)