Portal:Current events
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Topics in the news
- Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (pictured) wins the Namibian general election.
- South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law and lifts it hours later after a vote by the National Assembly.
- At least 56 people are killed in a crowd crush during a football match at the Stade du 3 Avril in Nzérékoré, southern Guinea.
- Syrian opposition forces enter Aleppo in the first offensive since the 2020 ceasefire.
December 7, 2024
(Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war
- Iranian intervention in the Syrian civil war
- Iran begins to evacuate military personnel, diplomatic staff and civilians from Syria amid rebel advances. (The New York Times)
- Iranian intervention in the Syrian civil war
December 6, 2024
(Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war
- Northwestern Syria offensive
- 2024 Homs offensive
- After capturing the the town of Talbiseh and the city of Al-Rastan, rebels capture several more towns and villages in the northern countryside of Homs Governorate, Syria, reaching the town of Al-Dar al-Kabirah and approaching the outskirts of Homs. (SOHR) (Anadolu Agency)
- Russian and Syrian warplanes bombard rebel-held areas in Homs Governorate, killing at least 20 people. (BBC News)
- 2024 Homs offensive
- Southern Syria offensive
- Syrian Army soldiers from the 8th Armoured Division in Daraa defect to the Syrian opposition as rebels launch attacks on pro-government checkpoints across Daraa Governorate, taking control of several towns, including Inkhil, Ghabaghib, and al-Jiza, as well as the city of Jasim. Rebels later claim near total control of the governorate. (Yeni Safak)
- Rebels take full control of the city of Daraa after agreeing to allow Ba'ath Party officials to leave the city with safe passage to Damascus, and also take full control of the mainly Druze city of Suwayda. (The Times of Israel) (The New Arab) (Anadolu Agency) (Newsweek)
- Jordan closes its border with Syria after rebel forces seize the main Nasib Border Crossing. (Reuters)
- Deir ez-Zor offensive
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces take control of Deir ez-Zor and its airport following the withdrawal of pro-government forces. (Enab Baladi) (SOHR)
- Iraqi militias withdraw from the Syrian side of the Al-Qa'im border crossing on the border with Iraq. (Shafaq)
- Russia–Syria relations
- Russia tells its citizens to leave Syria on commercial flights while they still can amid rebel advances in the country. (Al Arabiya)
- Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani says that his forces will not end their military campaign until Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is removed from power. (France 24)
- Egypt and Jordan both urge Bashar al-Assad and his family to leave Syria, saying that Assad can no longer stop the rebel offensive. (The Wall Street Journal)
- Northwestern Syria offensive
- Israel–Hamas war
- Kamal Adwan Hospital sieges
- Israeli drone strikes on the northern and western sides of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip kill at least 29 Palestinians. Israeli forces subsequently raid the hospital, killing four doctors. (Al Jazeera) (CNN)
- Kamal Adwan Hospital sieges
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Southern front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- A Russian missile strike kills seven civilians in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, and injures four others. Separately, a missile attack on an administrative building in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, kills two people and injures 16 others. (Reuters)
- Southern front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Business and economy
- EU–Mercosur Association Agreement
- The European Union and Mercosur trade bloc finalize a free trade deal in Montevideo, Uruguay, after 25 years of negotiations. (France 24)
Disasters and accidents
- Millions of people receive emergency alerts in the United Kingdom as Storm Darragh prepares to make landfall over the British Isles. (BBC News)
International relations
- Belarus–Russia relations, Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko sign an agreement in Minsk, Belarus, offering security guarantees to Belarus including nuclear security and the possible use of Russian nuclear weapons in order to repel aggressions. (AP)
Law and crime
- Antisemitism in Australia
- Two people are injured in an arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne, Australia. (DW) (The Australian Jewish News)
- Restrictions on TikTok in the United States
- A United States court of appeals upholds the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which requires China-based company ByteDance to sell TikTok by January 19 or face an effective ban on operations in the United States. (CNBC)
Politics and elections
- 2024 Romanian presidential election
- The Constitutional Court of Romania annuls the first round results of the presidential election vote two days before the second round of the election. (The Washington Post)
December 5, 2024
(Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war
- Northwestern Syria offensive
- 2024 Hama offensive
- The Syrian Army says that it has withdrawn from the city of Hama in order to "protect the lives of civilians" after rebel forces enter the city. Rebel forces later begin releasing hundreds of prisoners from Hama's central prison. (MSN) (Ynet)
- A helicopter is shot down after taking off from Hama Air Base as pro-government forces evacuate the airbase. Another helicopter that took off from the air base makes an emergency landing after being hit. The airbase is later fully captured by the rebels. (Al Jazeera) (YeniSafak)
- Rebel forces enter the city of Salamiyah in Hama Governorate after reportedly facing no resistance. (SOHR)
- Rebels capture the town of Qamhana and Jabal Zayn al-Abidin mountain in Hama Governorate. (SOHR)
- 2024 Homs offensive
- Syrian rebel forces capture and take military vehicles and ammunition from a Syrian military engineering battalion facility on the outskirts of the city of al-Rastan in Homs Governorate. (SOHR)
- A Russian jet launches an airstrike on the Rastan Bridge over the Orontes River in an attempt to impede the rebel advance on Al-Rastan. (Pravda) (SOHR)
- Rebel forces take control of the town of Talbiseh in Homs Governorate as they advance south toward Homs. (SOHR)
- 2024 Hama offensive
- Northwestern Syria offensive
- Israel–Hamas war
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- Gaza genocide
- Amnesty International accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel rejects the accusation, referring to Amnesty's statements as "fake news." (Reuters) (Sky News)
- Kamal Adwan Hospital sieges
- An Israeli airstrike near the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza kills a 16-year-old Palestinian boy and injures at least 12 others. (Arab News)
- Gaza genocide
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- Piracy off the coast of Somalia
- The European Union's anti-piracy mission says that heavily armed Somali pirates have hijacked a Chinese fishing vessel off the coast of Puntland, Somalia. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- German economic crisis
- German workers' union IG Metall announces they will go on extended strikes next week leading up to a fourth round of negotiations with Volkswagen. (DW)
- The value of a Bitcoin surpasses US$100,000 for the first time, after increasing 130% in the past year. (CNN) (NBC News)
- British multinational oil and gas company Shell and Norwegian state-owned company Equinor announce a joint venture to merge their North Sea assets. (Cyprus Mail) (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2024 Cape Mendocino earthquake
- A 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes offshore near the northern coast of California, United States, prompting tsunami warnings. (Weather Channel)
- Winter of 2024–25 in the Gaza Strip
- Eight people are killed when a cargo truck loaded with fertilizers hits pedestrians and crashes into a house in Makilala, Cotabato, Philippines. (Philippine News Agency)
Health and environment
- The Mexican health department reports that thirteen children have died from a bloodstream infection caused by Klebsiella oxytoca found in contaminated IV bags in Mexico state, Mexico. Seven children remain hospitalized. (Al Jazeera)
Politics and elections
- 2024 French political crisis
- Michel Barnier resigns as Prime Minister of France following the collapse of the Barnier government. (Sky News)
Science and technology
- European Union Space Programme
- Copernicus Programme
- The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launches the Vega C rocket carrying the Sentinel-1C satellite to monitor Earth from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, two years after its failed commercial flight. (DW) (European Space Agency)
- ISRO successfully launches the PSLV-XL rocket carrying the European Space Agency's PROBA-3 satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India, in a solar observatory mission to gather data about the Sun's atmosphere. (DW) (El Mundo)
- Copernicus Programme
December 4, 2024
(Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Israel–Hamas war
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- 4 December 2024 al-Mawasi attack
- Two Israeli Air Force strikes on an evacuation zone in Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip kill at least 20 refugees due to explosions and a subsequent fire that destroyed several refugee shelters. (Al Jazeera)
- 4 December 2024 al-Mawasi attack
- Israeli incursions in the West Bank during the Israel–Hamas war, Legality of Israeli settlements
- Israeli settlers attack Huwara and Beit Furik in Nablus Governorate, West Bank, and sets fire to several buildings and vehicles. The attacks are in retaliation to Palestinians destroying illegal farming outposts. (Al Jazeera)
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- Syrian civil war
- Northwestern Syria offensive
- 2024 Hama offensive
- Rebels capture the town of Al-Saan and the villages of Shaykh Hilal and Suruj in Hama Governorate, Syria. (SOHR)
- Heavy fighting is reported in and around Hama as rebel forces enter the city and capture three neighbourhoods. (France24) (Aljazeera Mubashar)
- 2024 Hama offensive
- Northwestern Syria offensive
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- Russia–NATO relations
- A Russian Navy warship fires warning shots at a German helicopter conducting a routine patrol over the Baltic Sea, forcing the helicopter pilots to make evasive maneuvers. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemns the incident as part of Russia's hybrid warfare against NATO. (Anadolu Agency)
- Russia–NATO relations
- Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- The Pakistan Army kills five jihadist insurgents and captures two others in a raid in Lakki Marwat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (AP)
Disasters and accidents
- 2024 Cuba blackouts
- Another round of blackouts in Cuba leave millions of households without power. The energy ministry says that it is prioritizing restoring electricity to hospitals and water pumping facilities. (Reuters)
- An Iranian Air Force training jet crashes in Fars province, Iran, killing both pilots. (IRNA)
Law and crime
- Human trafficking in Germany
- German police, French security services, and Interpol conduct coordinated mass raids on an Iraqi-Kurdish human trafficking network in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. (DW)
- Killing of Brian Thompson
- The CEO of American health insurance company UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson is assassinated by a masked gunman while attending a business conference in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. (Reuters)
- Twelve neo-Nazis are arrested in police raids across Italy. (Ansa)
- Feather River School shooting
- Two kindergarten students are critically injured in a suspected religious hate crime school shooting at a private Protestant school in Palermo, California, United States, before the gunman commits suicide. (NY Times)
Politics and elections
- 2024 South Korean martial law
- The National Assembly begins impeachment proceedings against Yoon Suk Yeol in response to Yoon's attempt to impose martial law in South Korea. (BBC News)
- The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and other professional unions in South Korea announce a labor strike on December 5 and 6 in response to President Yoon Suk Yeol's surprise declaration of martial law yesterday, calling for Yoon's resignation. (Maeil Business Newspaper) (Bloomberg)
- The South Korean won drops to a two-year low following Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law yesterday. Several ETFs on the Korea Exchange also drop to a one-year low. (Invezz)
- Foreign embassies in Seoul warn their citizens to stay away from mass demonstrations, citing the possibility of violence and death. (The Korea Herald)
- 2024 French political crisis
- In France, the Barnier government collapses after 331 of 577 deputies vote in favor of a no-confidence motion, the first time since 1962 that the government has collapsed following a no-confidence motion. The left subsequently calls on President Emmanuel Macron to resign and hold early presidential elections. (Reuters)
- 2024 Georgian post-election protests
- Ahali party leader Nika Gvaramia is arrested in a police raid on his office in Tbilisi, Georgia. The arrest comes as the government continues to crack down on the opposition in response to protests against delaying negotiations to join the European Union. More than 100 demonstrators are also injured during clashes with riot police in Tbilisi. (AP)
- 2024 Namibian general election
- The Electoral Commission of Namibia certifies the results of the general election, announcing Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the ruling SWAPO party as the new President, the first female president in the country's history. (The South African) (DW)
- Activists file a second impeachment complaint against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte over alleged misuse of government funds. (AP)
December 3, 2024
(Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war
- Northwestern Syria offensive
- 2024 Hama offensive
- Rebel forces capture the city of Suran, the towns of Halfaya and Taybat al-Imam, and the village of Maardis in Hama Governorate, Syria. (SOHR)
- 2024 Hama offensive
- Deir ez-Zor offensive
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capture seven villages and the town of Khasham in Deir ez-Zor Governorate from pro-government forces. The US-led CJTF–OIR coalition aircraft also launch airstrikes against Syrian government forces in support of the SDF offensive. (Rudaw)
- Northwestern Syria offensive
- Red Sea crisis
- The Government of Canada officially designates the Yemen-based Houthi movement as a terrorist organization due to the group's attacks on civilian and military vessels in the Red Sea. (Al Jazeera)
Disasters and accidents
Health and environment
- 2024 Kwango province disease outbreak
- Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo announce an investigation into the deaths of 143 people from a flu-like disease in the Province of Kwango. (AP)
Law and crime
- A court in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, upholds the death penalty for real estate tycoon Trương Mỹ Lan after Lan was found guilty of embezzling $12.5 billion through the Sai Gon Joint Stock Commercial Bank. (VnExpress) (AP)
- The South Korean tourism ministry announces that 38 Vietnamese citizens have gone missing from Jeju Island before their flight back to Vietnam on November 17. (Newsweek) (JoongAng Daily)
Politics and elections
- 2024 South Korean martial law
- During an emergency address to the nation, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law in order to clear out alleged "threats posed by North Korean communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements." Yoon says that the decision to declare martial law was made in order to "remove North Korean forces" and to protect South Korea's "liberal constitutional order". (KBS) (BBC News) (Reuters) (Barrons)
- South Korean Army general Park An-su is appointed Martial Law Commander by Yoon Suk Yeol, with Park announcing that media organizations will be subject to military control and that protests will be banned. (Yna) (The Guardian)
- Protesters clash with police while attempting to storm the National Assembly building in Seoul. (The Independent)
- In defiance of the declaration of martial law, which prohibits political activities, the National Assembly votes unanimously to order Yoon Suk Yeol to lift martial law. Korean soldiers that were guarding the National Assembly building withdraw following the vote. (The Guardian)
- Yoon Suk Yeol announces that he will lift the martial law that he declared hours earlier amid staunch opposition from both the opposition and his own People Power Party. (Reuters)
- Fatah–Hamas reconciliation process
- Palestinian officials announce that Fatah and Hamas are close to reaching an agreement on appointing a technocratic committee to govern the Gaza Strip following the end of the Israel–Hamas war. (The Globe and Mail)
December 2, 2024
(Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Arab–Israeli conflict
- Israel–Hamas war
- Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
- Hamas says that 33 hostages have been killed in the 14 months since the war started. (The Times)
- The Israel Defense Forces say that Israeli-American soldier Omer Maxim Neutra, previously believed to be a living hostage, was killed during the October 7 attacks last year and his body was kept in Gaza. (Haaretz)
- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says there will be "all Hell to pay" if all the hostages are not released prior to the start of his second term. (AP)
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- The Gaza Health Ministry says that around 37 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours, increasing the Palestinian death toll in Gaza to 44,466. (The Hindu)
- Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
- Israel–Hezbollah conflict
- Israel–Hamas war
- Syrian civil war
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces that the United States will provide Ukraine with a $725 million weapons package. (Reuters)
- Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- Allied Democratic Forces insurgency, Kivu conflict
- At least 10 people are killed during an attack by Allied Democratic Forces gunmen in Batangi-Mbau, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Several houses are burned. (AP)
- New People's Army rebellion
- Six suspected New People's Army guerrillas, including two ranking leaders of a regional committee, are killed in an encounter in Las Navas, Northern Samar, Philippines. (Daily Tribune)
Business and economy
- German economic crisis
- Workers of the German metalworkers' union IG Metall begin a labor strike after failed negotiations with Volkswagen following the closure of three automotive manufacturing plants. (DW)
Law and crime
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- The U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Accountability Committee releases their final reports on the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States investigating the origins of COVID-19, Operation Warp Speed's vaccination program, and mask mandates and lockdowns. (The Hill)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- 2024 Georgian post-election protests
- Georgian police arrest opposition leader Zurab Japaridze, accusing his party of "coordinating violence" during the protests against Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. (Al Jazeera) (The Guardian)
- Maritime drug smuggling into Australia
- Australian Federal Police announces they have arrested thirteen men, including the vice president of the outlaw Comanchero Motorcycle Club and two teenagers, for illegally smuggling 2.34 tonnes of cocaine into the country after their fishing boat broke down off the coast of Urangan, Queensland, Australia. (Al Jazeera) (RNZ) (ABC News)
- Forty-four children are injured, including one critically, when a person sprays an unknown gas inside a school in Berlin, Germany. (Blue News)
- Three people are killed and eight others are injured after a mass shooting at a gathering in Gage Park, Chicago, Illinois, United States. (NBC News)
Politics and elections
- 2024 Irish general election
- In Ireland, Fianna Fáil remains the largest party in Dáil Éireann, increasing its number of seats to 48. Its governing partner Fine Gael wins 38 seats, with the two parties combined winning 86 seats, two shy of a majority. (AP)
- 2024 Romanian presidential election
- The Constitutional Court of Romania upholds the results of the first round of the presidential elections following a recount last week after far-right independent candidate Călin Georgescu won a plurality of the vote, triggering a run-off. (Al Jazeera) (France24)
December 1, 2024
(Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war
- Northwestern Syria offensive
- Battle of Aleppo
- 2024 Aleppo University Hospital airstrike
- Turkish-backed militants say that they captured Aleppo's Ramouseh district as well as the city of As-Safira and the town of Khanasir in Aleppo Governorate. (Al Jazeera Mubasher) (SOHR)
- At least nine people are killed and at least 62 others are injured in Russian airstrikes on Idlib. (SOHR)
- The Syrian National Army says that they captured the city of Tell Rifaat and Menagh Air Base in Aleppo Governorate. (Al Jazeera Mubasher)
- Battle of Aleppo
- Northwestern Syria offensive
- Sudanese civil war
- Battle of Khartoum
- The Rapid Support Forces establish a civilian administration in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, including the adjacent cities of Omdurman and Khartoum North. (The National News) (Dabanga Sudan)
- Battle of Khartoum
- Colombian conflict
- Clashes between FARC dissident groups Raúl Reyes Front and Frontera Commands leave 12 militants dead in the municipality of Puerto Guzmán, Putumayo Department. (DW)
- Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sectarian violence in Pakistan
- The number of people killed during sectarian violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, during the last ten days has increased to 130. (AP)
- Mali war
- A Malian army drone strike in Tinzaouaten killed eight leaders of the Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA). (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2024 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
- Nineteen people are killed by Cyclone Fengal in India and Sri Lanka. (Reuters)
International relations
- Ukraine–United States relations
- U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says that the United States will not return to Ukraine the nuclear weapons that they dismantled. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- 2024 Nzérékoré stampede
- At least 56 people are killed during a stampede at a football match in Nzérékoré, Guinea, after the police tear gassed the field as rival fans stormed it following a controversial referee decision. A police station is later set ablaze. (Al Jazeera)
- Weiss special counsel investigation
- United States President Joe Biden pardons his son Hunter Biden of tax and firearms charges. (BBC News)
- Seventy-nine people are injured in football hooliganism clashes between fans of FC Carl Zeiss Jena and BSG Chemie Leipzig following a match in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. (DW)
Politics and elections
- 2024 Icelandic parliamentary election
- In Iceland, the Social Democratic Alliance wins 15 seats in the Althing elections, with the incumbent Independence Party winning 14 seats. However, no party achieved a majority. (DW)
- 2024 Romanian parliamentary election
- Romanians vote for the 330 seats of the Chamber of Deputies and the 136 seats of the Senate. (RFE/RL)
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