Portal:Current events/December 2022

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Two Al-Quds Brigades leaders are killed and another person is injured by Israeli soldiers during a raid at a refugee camp in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. (Al Jazeera)
• 2022 Haitian crisis
  • Twelve people are killed by armed gangs in Cabaret, a town in the department of Ouest. (Al Jazeera)
• 2022 Spain letter bomb attacks
  • The Spanish Ministry of the Interior reports that several letter bombs have been sent to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the Ministry of Defence and the Torrejón Air Base. A sixth letter bomb is intercepted at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid. (El Plural) (Reuters) (La Sexta)

Business and economy

• COVID-19 recession
  • It is reported that the eurozone's unemployment rate declined to 6.5 per cent at the start of the fourth quarter, the lowest rate since Eurostat started recording employment data in 1998. (WION)

International relations

• Canada–China relations
  • Chinese police overseas service stations
    • Canada accuses China of operating "illegal" police stations on Canadian territory. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• Missing and murdered Indigenous women
  • A man is charged in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, for the murders of four indigenous women earlier this year. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Two men disguised in burqas attack a mosque in Kabul while former Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is inside. The attackers killed a civilian and injured two others before being shot dead by security guards. Hekmatyar was not injured in the attack. (ANInews)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Sheffield gas supply outage
  • A burst water main in the Stannington area of Sheffield, England, floods the local natural gas supply network, leaving thousands of properties without a gas supply. (BBC News)

International relations

• 2021–2022 global energy crisis
  • International sanctions during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • 2022 Russian oil price cap
      • Australia, the European Union, and the G7 member states decide to impose a US$60-per-barrel price ceiling on Russian seaborne oil. (AP)
• The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom adds Cuba, Nicaragua, and the Russian paramilitary organization Wagner Group to its blacklist of countries and organizations violating international religious freedom, signalling possible sanctions by the U.S. government. (AFP via France 24)

Law and crime

• Russia–Ukraine relations
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs a decree that bans religious organizations with links to Russia and imposes personal sanctions against their representatives. Zelenskyy also announces that the Ukrainian government will draft a law banning churches affiliated with Russia, which he says is necessary in order to counter Russian government efforts to "weaken Ukraine from within." (AP) (Reuters)
• The Indonesian parliament announces that it will pass a new Criminal Code to replace the current one, which dates back from its colonial era. (Reuters)
• The United States Department of Justice announces that the Swedish-Swiss corporation ABB has acceded to a US$315-million fine for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by extorting the South African state-owned public utility Eskom to secure government contracts from 2014 to 2017. (AFP via RFI)

Law and crime

• Mahsa Amini protests
  • The Iranian government gives its first official report regarding deaths from the protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in September. The report states that more than 200 people have died in what the government has labelled as "riots". (Al Jazeera)
• Hunter Biden laptop controversy
  • Internal documents released by Twitter CEO Elon Musk show that staff at the company suppressed posts discussing the October 2020 New York Post article on the Hunter Biden laptop story ahead of the 2020 United States presidential election. (Forbes)
• Former South Korean national security director Suh Hoon is arrested on charges of tampering with evidence related to the killing of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official by North Korean agents near the Northern Limit Line in September 2020. (AP)

Politics and elections

• Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election
  • Donald Trump claims in his social media platform Truth Social that the fraud during the 2020 American presidential elections justifies the "termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution". (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Africa floods
  • Nine people are killed and eight others are reported missing after flash flooding hits a church in Johannesburg, South Africa. (AP)
• The Indonesian government raises the volcanic alert status to the highest level after Semeru in East Java erupts, forcing the evacuation of around 2,000 people. (AFP via The Hindu)

Law and crime

• Iran–Israel relations
  • Capital punishment in Iran
    • Iran says that it has executed four prisoners convicted of spying for Israel. (Arab News)
• Mahsa Amini protests
  • Iranian prosecutor-general Mohammad Jafar Montazeri announces the dissolution of the Guidance Patrol, though Iranian state media disputes this. (AFP via Khaleej Times) (The New York Times) (BBC News)
• Moore County substation attack
  • Over 40,000 customers are without power after two power substations in Moore County, North Carolina, United States, are deliberately damaged by gunfire on Saturday night. A curfew has been ordered, and power restoration is expected to take until Thursday. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• The African National Congress meets to debate the political future of South African president Cyril Ramaphosa amid an emerging scandal concerning Ramaphosa's ownership of a farm in alleged breach of anti-corruption laws. Ramaphosa has stated that he does not intend to resign. (AP)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Attacks on civilians in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
      • 2022 Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
        • Russian forces launch another wave of cruise missile strikes on Ukraine, destroying homes and killing two people in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, while causing power outages in many other areas after damaging critical infrastructure. (Reuters)
    • 2022 Western Russia attacks
      • Russia says that a long-range drone attack on its Dyagilevo Air Base and Engels-2 Air Base has killed three servicemen, injured four others, and damaged two aircraft. (Reuters)
• Syrian civil war
  • Turkish occupation of northern Syria
    • Protests occur in the town of Atarib, Aleppo Governorate, Syria, after a Turkish military vehicle ran over and killed a woman and a child while conducting a patrol with a local rebel group, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (ABC News)
• Kurdish–Turkish conflict
  • The Iraqi military is deployed to its borders with Turkey and Iran. (Mehr)

Business and economy

• Irish finance minister Paschal Donohoe is re-elected as President of the Eurogroup. (AFP via Barron's)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Risaralda landslide
  • At least 33 people are killed, four others are critically injured, and many others are missing after a landslide hits a bus in Risaralda, Colombia. (TRT World)

International relations

• 2021–2022 global energy crisis
  • International sanctions during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • 2022 Russian oil price cap
      • The US$60-per-barrel price ceiling on Russian seaborne oil imposed by Australia, the European Union, and the G7 comes into force. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Corruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Swiss multinational mining company Glencore agrees to pay the Democratic Republic of the Congo $180 million to settle corruption claims dating from 2007 to 2018. Glencore has admitted to bribing African officials in order to secure "improper business advantages", including in the DRC. (BBC News)
• One person is killed and another is injured in a stabbing attack in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2022 Mongolian protests
  • Protests occur in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar in response to a corruption scandal. Four policemen are reported injured. (Tengrinews)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Seven people are killed when a vehicle carrying oil workers hits a roadside bomb in Balkh Province. (Reuters)
  • Six people are injured in an explosion at a money exchange market in Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province. (Reuters)
• South Thailand insurgency
  • Three people are killed and four others are injured in a bombing near Khlong Ngae railway station, Phang Nga, Thailand. (AP)

Business and economy

• 2021–2022 inflation surge
  • 2022 food crises
    • Economy of the Philippines
      • Inflation in the Philippines reaches a 14-year record high of 8% due to increases in food prices. (CNBC)
• Boeing 747
  • The 1,574th and final Boeing 747, an Atlas Air 747-8 Freighter, is rolled out from the Boeing Everett Factory. (CNBC)

International relations

• Accession of Kosovo to the European Union
  • President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani announces that the country will submit an application for membership of the European Union by the end of the year. (TVP World)

Law and crime

• New York investigations of The Trump Organization
  • A jury finds the Trump Organization guilty of tax fraud charges. (The New York Times)
• 2022 Honduran gang crackdown
  • Honduras begins a partial state of exception in most of the country as part of an attempt to reduce the amount of violent organized crime. (CNN en Español)
• Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is sentenced to six years in prison on corruption charges, with Kirchner also receiving a lifetime ban on holding public office. (Reuters) (The Brazilian Report)

Politics and elections

• 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia
  • Voters in the U.S. state of Georgia go to the polls to elect their next Senator in a runoff election between the Democratic incumbent candidate Raphael Warnock and Republican candidate Herschel Walker. (The Guardian)
  • Warnock wins re-election, bringing the Democratic majority in the Senate up to 51–49. (AP)
• 2022 Dominican general election
  • Dominicans go to the polls to elect the members of the House of Assembly. (CARICOM Daily)
• The People's Representative Council of Indonesia replaces the country's colonial-era criminal code with a new code that criminalizes premarital and extramarital sex and cohabitation, among other changes. (AFP via New Straits Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Attacks on civilians in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
      • Russian forces shell Kurakhove, Donetsk Oblast, killing ten civilians and injuring five others. (The Kyiv Independent) (The New Voice of Ukraine via Yahoo! News)
• Kurdish–Turkish conflict
  • Rojava conflict
    • Turkey gives the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces an ultimatum to withdraw its fighters from Manbij, Tell Rifaat, and Kobanî within two weeks or face military action. A Turkish official says that Russia and the United States have been informed of the deadline. (Al Jazeera)
• Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
  • Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
    • At least 12 people, including 10 Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland members, are killed and several others are injured after an attack by suspected jihadists in Boala Department, Namentenga Province. (AFP via TRT World)
• Astana Anyar bombing
  • One person is killed and 11 others are injured by a suicide bomber in Astana Anyar District, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. (Detik)

Business and economy

• Coal mining in the United Kingdom
  • The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities approves the first new coal mine in the United Kingdom in 30 years at the Woodhouse Colliery in Cumbria, England. The mine is expected to remain operational for up to 50 years. It will create 500 direct and 1,500 indirect jobs in the region, and will take two years to build at a cost estimated at around £165 million ($201 million). (Reuters) (The Washington Post)
• The Central Bank of Nigeria says it will limit individual cash withdrawals to 100,000 Nigerian naira (225 USD) per week to reduce counterfeiting and to discourage ransom payments to kidnappers. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Sheffield gas supply outage
  • Sheffield City Council have declared a major incident as the natural gas network outage affecting thousands of properties in Sheffield, England enters its sixth day. Many residents still have no heating in their homes and temperatures are forecast to drop below 0°C in the coming days. (BBC News)
• Montcada i Reixac rail crash
  • At least 155 people are injured in a train collision in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Capital punishment in Afghanistan
  • In Farah Province, the Taliban carries out its first public execution since taking power last year. The executed man was convicted of fatally stabbing another man in 2017, and was executed by the victim's father, according to government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. (Reuters via The Guardian)
• Capital punishment in Belarus
  • Belarusian lawmakers approve a bill which punishes high treason among officials and military personnel with the death penalty. The bill also includes prosecution for "spreading false information discrediting the Armed Forces of Belarus". (RFE/RL)
• 2022 Germany coup d'état plot
  • German police arrest 25 members of the Reichsbürger movement who are accused of planning a coup d'état. (DW)
• Crime in Jamaica
  • Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness declares a nationwide state of emergency due to an increase in crime rates in the country. (CNN)
• La Línea corruption case
  • Former President of Guatemala Otto Pérez Molina and his vice president, Roxana Baldetti, are sentenced to 16-year prison terms for their involvement. (Reuters)
• Jemaah Islamiyah member Umar Patek, who was convicted for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings, is released on parole after an Indonesian court reduced his 20-year prison sentence. (AFP via Bangkok Post)
• Janusz Waluś, the convicted assassin of South African anti-apartheid politician Chris Hani, is released on parole. (AFP via RFI)

Politics and elections

• 2022 Peruvian self-coup d'état attempt
  • President Pedro Castillo announces the dissolution of Congress, the imposition of a curfew, the creation of an "emergency" government, and early parliamentary elections hours before facing his third impeachment vote. The impeachment is successful and Castillo is later arrested after leaving the Government Palace in Lima. First Vice President Dina Boluarte is sworn in as President of the Republic after Castillo's arrest. (Reuters) (La República) (Al Jazeera)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Russian forces shell the front line in the Donetsk region, killing one civilian and damaging buildings in Toretsk. (Reuters)
• Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
  • Ten Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland members are killed during a shooting attack by jihadist insurgents in Boala. (VOA)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Three Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen are killed, and two others are injured during an arrest raid by Israeli soldiers at a refugee camp in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. (Al Jazeera)(Times of Israel)
• 2022 North Kosovo crisis
  • The Kosovo special forces block the city of Kosovska Mitrovica after the Kosovo Police announced that they will increase their presence in North Kosovo. (Srbija Danas)

Arts and culture

• The Game Awards 2022
  • At this year's Game Awards, Elden Ring wins Game of the Year while God of War Ragnarök wins the most awards with six. (Washington Post)

Business and economy

• Acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft
  • The United States Federal Trade Commission announces that they will sue in an attempt to block Microsoft's pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard, citing concerns that the deal would give Microsoft too much control over certain parts of the gaming industry. (The Verge)
• Egypt joins the BRICS-led New Development Bank after the Egyptian government ratifies its accession into the multilateral development bank. (Egypt Independent)

Health and environment

• French President Emmanuel Macron announces that condoms will be free at pharmacies for all adults between the ages of 18 and 24 years beginning on January 1, as part of an effort to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in the country. (Reuters)

International relations

• United Kingdom–United States relations
  • Death of Harry Dunn
    • Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales suspends American national Anne Sacoolas' eight-month prison sentence for a 12-month period, during which she is under probation unless she commits another offence, over the death of British man Harry Dunn in a 2019 traffic collision. (AFP via Bangkok Post)
• Russia–United States relations
  • Viktor Bout–Brittney Griner prisoner exchange
    • Basketball player Brittney Griner is released in a prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout. (CBS News)
• Schengen Area
  • The European Union accepts Croatia's accession to the Schengen Area, effective January 1. (DW)
  • Austria announces that it will veto Bulgaria and Romania's accession to the Schengen Area, citing fears of increased illegal immigration. (AFP via Times of Malta)

Law and crime

• Capital punishment in Iran
  • Mahsa Amini protests
    • Iran announces the first known execution of a prisoner arrested in connection with the protests. The man was found guilty of "waging war against God" after being accused of blocking a street and attacking a security forces member with a machete. (Time)
• Wirecard scandal
  • The trial of three executives of the now insolvent German financial services provider Wirecard, including its former chief executive officer Markus Braun, opens in Munich. Braun and two others have been charged with accounting fraud, breach of trust, commercial gang fraud, and market manipulation. (AFP via France 24)
• LGBT rights in the United States
  • The U.S. House of Representatives passes the Respect for Marriage Act, which enshrines same-sex marriage and interracial marriage into federal law, in a 258–169–1 vote. (CNBC) (Axios)

Politics and elections

• 2017–present Peruvian political crisis
  • 2022 Peruvian self-coup attempt, December 2022 Peruvian protests
    • Protests break out across Peru, including the capital Lima, in response to ousting and detainment of former President of Peru Pedro Castillo. (Euronews)
• The Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act, which grants the cabinet of the Canadian province of Alberta the ability to nullify national laws, passes the Albertan legislature by a party line vote of 27–7, following significant opposition by the Alberta New Democratic Party and Indigenous chiefs. (CBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis
      • Ukraine's Energoatom says that Russian soldiers have abducted two senior staff members from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Energoatom says that the two workers were "beaten" before being driven off in an "unknown direction". (Reuters)
    • Battle of Bakhmut
      • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses Russia of "destroying" the front line city of Bakhmut after weeks of relentless shelling by Russian forces. (Newsweek)
• 2022 North Kosovo crisis
  • Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić says that Serbia is close to deploying its troops to North Kosovo after claiming that the lives of the Serb minority there are "being threatened", and that the NATO-led Kosovo Force was "failing to protect them". (ABC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Ten people are killed and four others are injured in an explosion at a coal mine in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, Indonesia. (AP)
• At least one person is killed after a large explosion occurs during a massive fire at a shopping center in Moscow, Russia. (Al Jazeera)

International relations

• United States sanctions
  • China–United States relations
    • United States sanctions against China
      • The United States Office of Foreign Assets Control imposes sanctions on former Chinese Communist Party Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region Wu Yingjie and People's Police chief for the Himalayas Zhang Hongbo over "serious" human rights abuses in Tibet. (AFP via NDTV)
  • Guinea–United States relations
    • The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control imposes sanctions on former Guinean president Alpha Condé for engaging in political violence during his presidency. (AFP via VOA)

Law and crime

• Protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • A court in Moscow sentences prominent opposition figure Ilya Yashin to eight and a half years in prison on charges related to his criticism of the ongoing war in Ukraine. (ABC News)
• Qatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament
  • The Belgian Federal Police arrest Greek MEP and European Parliament vice-president Eva Kaili following an investigation into corruption tied to lobbying efforts in support of Qatar. Kaili's political parties, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, have both suspended her membership. (AFP via WION) (CNN)
• Fifteen people are killed during a gunfight between soldiers and drug smugglers in Mon Pin, Thailand. (Bangkok Post)

Science and technology

• A Japanese research team from Yamagata University announces the discovery of 168 new big figures near the Nazca Lines in Peru. (EFE via El Mundo)

Sports

• Ironman Triathlon
  • The Ironman Triathlon cancels the 2023 and 2024 triathlons to be held in Juneau, Alaska, United States, citing economic concerns. (Juneau Empire)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • 2022 Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
      • More than 1.5 million people are left without electricity in Odesa Oblast as a result of Russian drone strikes on two power facilities. (Reuters)
• Insurgency in Balochistan
  • One person is killed and six others are injured by a bombing in a bakery in Awaran District, Balochistan, Pakistan. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 St Helier explosion
  • Nine people are killed, and three others are injured, after an explosion at a three-story apartment building in St Helier, Jersey. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• Qatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament
  • European Parliament president Roberta Metsola suspends Greek MEP Eva Kaili from her role as Vice-President of the European Parliament following her arrest the previous day over corruption charges. (AFP via South China Morning Post)

Sports

• 2022 FIFA World Cup
  • Morocco defeats Portugal 1–0 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup to become the first African and first Arab semi-finalists in World Cup history. (CNN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2022 North Kosovo crisis
  • Serb protesters in Northern Kosovo block main roads for a second day following a nighttime exchange of fire with police after the arrest of a Serb former policeman, amid rising tensions between authorities and Kosovo's Serb minority. (Reuters)
  • Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti states that "the barricades from masked criminals in the north must be removed immediately". (Al Jazeera)
  • Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić calls an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. After the meeting, Vučić states that "it is important to call on Serbs and Albanians to keep the peace" and that he "made certain decisions and gave orders". (Politika)
• Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes
  • Six Pakistani civilians and a Taliban fighter are killed during a shootout between Taliban forces and Pakistani soldiers over a dispute on construction of new checkpoints on the Afghan side of the Chaman border. Seventeen Pakistani civilians, ten Taliban fighters and three Afghan civilians are also injured. (Al Jazeera)
• December 2022 Peruvian protests
  • Two people are killed and four more are injured as pro-Pedro Castillo protests in Peru escalate. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

• Three children die and another is critically injured after falling through the ice on the frozen Babbs Mill Lake during a cold wave in Kingshurst, West Midlands, United Kingdom. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• South Sudan declares a measles outbreak with a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health reporting that there are currently 2,471 cases and 31 deaths from measles reported in 22 counties. (Xinhua)

Law and crime

• Pan Am Flight 103
  • Federal authorities in the United States announce the arrest of a Libyan man charged in relation with the Lockerbie bombing in 1988, which killed 270 people. (CNN)
• Four people are killed and three others are injured in a mass shooting at a bar in Rome, Lazio, Italy. (Reuters) (La Repubblica)
• Three people are killed and four others are injured during a car chase between the Carabinieri and another vehicle in Alessandria, Piedmont, Italy. (Ansa)

Science and technology

• Artemis 1
  • The uncrewed Artemis 1 mission, the first of the NASA's Artemis program, ends with a splashdown of the Orion capsule in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California at 17:40 UTC. (CBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Islamic State–Taliban conflict
    • 2022 Kabul hotel attack
      • Three civilians are killed by Islamic State insurgents at a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP)
• Sino-Indian border dispute
  • Several soldiers are injured when hundreds of Indian and Chinese troops clash in the disputed Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. (MSN)
• Montenegrin nationalist protests
  • Protests and riots occur in front of the Montenegrin Parliament building in Podgorica after the adoption of amendments to the presidential bill. (Vijesti)

Law and crime

• Bankruptcy of FTX
  • Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is arrested in the Bahamas on request of the U.S. government on undisclosed charges. (Reuters)
• Wieambilla police shootings
  • Two police officers and a civilian are killed and two other officers are injured when gunmen open fire at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland, Australia, where police were investigating a missing person report. The three perpetrators are later killed by police. (BBC News) (ABC News Australia)

Politics and elections

• All members of Belgium's Political Bureau of the Walloon Parliament resign after a scandal concerning excessive public spending by parliamentary clerk Frédéric Janssens. Bureau President Jean-Claude Marcourt, who had been criticized for taking part in a luxury 3-day trip to Dubai for €20,000 using public funds, had previously refused to be the only person to resign if all other members of the Bureau did not resign. (RTBF)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • 2021–2022 Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis
    • 2022 Artsakh blockade
      • The Lachin corridor, the only link between Armenia and the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh, is blocked by a group of Azerbaijani citizens described as environmental activists by state media. The protesters say that they are calling attention to what Azerbaijan says is illegal mining in Nagorno-Karabakh as well as the use of the road to transport the minerals to Armenia. The protesters' action leaves hundreds of Karabakh cars stranded on other sections of the highway. (RFE/RL)
      • Republic of Artsakh officials report that Azerbaijan has blocked the flow of gas to Artsakh through Armenia. (Eurasianet)
• Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • Eleven Allied Democratic Forces militants are killed and eight are arrested during a gunfight with Ugandan soldiers in Ntoroko, Uganda. A soldiers is also killed and three civilians injured. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• 2021–2022 inflation surge
  • Economy of Ghana
    • Ghana and the International Monetary Fund agree on a three-year loan agreement worth US$3 billion. (AFP via WION)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Kinshasa floods
  • At least 141 people are killed and dozens are injured during heavy floods and landslides in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Radio Pakistan)

International relations

• 2017–present Peruvian political crisis
  • Mexico–Peru relations
    • Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador says that his government will continue to recognize detained former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo as president of Peru and says that relations between both countries are now "paused". (europapress via La Nación)
• Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union
  • The European affairs ministers of the European Union agree to upgrade Bosnia and Herzegovina's application status on December 15, formally recognising the country's candidacy to join the union. (AFP via Khaleej Times)

Science and technology

• Fusion power
  • The United States Department of Energy announces the achievement of fusion ignition by the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (Energy.gov) (Reuters)

Sports

• 2022 FIFA World Cup
  • Argentina defeats Croatia 3–0 and advances to the final, where they will play against France. It is Argentina's sixth appearance in the World Cup final and their first appearance since 2014. (CNN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2017–present Peruvian political crisis
  • December 2022 Peruvian protests
    • 2022 Apurímac insurgency
      • The government declares a nationwide state of emergency for 30 days following mass protests in support of Pedro Castillo, which have killed seven people. (SwissInfo)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Two people are killed and 14 others are injured when a roadside bomb targeting a security forces' convoy explodes in Miranshah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (AP)
• Islamic State insurgency in Iraq
  • Three security forces are killed when a bomb explodes during a military operation in Al-Tarmia District, Baghdad Governorate, Iraq. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• Tornado outbreak of December 13–14, 2022
  • An ongoing tornado outbreak across the United States kills three people, injures dozens of others, and leaves hundreds of people homeless. (The Weather Channel)
  • Multiple tornadoes strike the New Orleans metropolitan area, damaging up to 5,000 structures and following nearly the same path as a high-end EF3 tornado on March 22. (CNN) (Raw Alerts via Twitter)
• English Channel migrant crossings
  • Four people are killed and 43 others are rescued after a migrant boat capsizes in the English Channel off the coast of Kent, United Kingdom. (AP)

International relations

• Armenia–Russia relations
  • Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
    • 2021–2022 Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis
      • 2022 Artsakh blockade
        • Members of parliament belonging to the Armenian governing coalition accuse Russia of wanting to drag Armenia into a new war with neighboring Azerbaijan, and criticize the conduct of Russian peacekeepers amid a renewed crisis in the region following the Lachin blockade and worsening relations between Armenia and Russia. (RFE/RL)
• China–United Kingdom relations
  • Clash at the Consulate General of China, Manchester
    • The Chinese foreign ministry recalls Manchester consul general Zheng Xiyuan and five other diplomats in the United Kingdom following their alleged involvement in the October clash. (AFP via Barron's)
• Accession of Kosovo to the European Union
  • Kosovo formally signs a request to become a member of the European Union. Serbia condemns the request and says that it will ask the five members of the bloc which do not recognize Kosovo to reject the request. (AP)
• Iran is expelled from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women over the death of Mahsa Amini and the violent crackdown against protests for women's rights in Iran. (MSN) (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Mayor of Istanbul and popular opposition figure Ekrem İmamoğlu goes on trial where he faces a political ban and between 15 months and four years in jail on charges of "insulting" public officials. (AFP via France24)
• One Irish U.N. peacekeeper is killed and three others are wounded after an armed confrontation with a crowd in Al-Aqbieh, Lebanon. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2022 Fijian general election
  • Fijians head to the polls to elect the 55 members of the parliament. (Al Jazeera)

Sports

• 2022 FIFA World Cup
  • The defending champions France defeats Morocco 2–0, advancing to their second consecutive World Cup final, which will be against Argentina. France is the first team since Brazil in 2002 to advance to consecutive World Cup finals, and will aim to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win consecutive World Cup finals. (CNN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2017–present Peruvian political crisis
  • December 2022 Peruvian protests
    • Ayacucho massacre
      • Seven people are killed and 52 others are injured by the Peruvian Army in the city of Ayacucho following a crackdown in recent protests. (RPP)
• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Southern Ukraine campaign
    • Shelling by Russian forces kills two people and leaves the entire city of Kherson without power. (BBC News)
• 2022 North Kosovo crisis
  • Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announces that the Serbian government will send a request to KFOR for the return of a certain number, "from hundreds to a thousand", of police and army personnel to Kosovo, in accordance with UN Resolution 1244. (RFE/RL)

Business and economy

• 2021–present United Kingdom cost of living crisis
  • The Royal College of Nursing begins the largest strike action in the history of the National Health Service amid a dispute with the government over a pay increase for nurses. (BBC News)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the United States
      • The United States Senate passes a defense bill that rescinds the vaccine mandate for the U.S. military. (Los Angeles Times)

International relations

• Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union
  • The European Council formally grants candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Sarajevo Times)

Law and crime

• Assassination of John F. Kennedy
  • The Biden administration orders the release of thousands of documents on the assassination of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy for the first time. With 13,173 files now published online, more than 97% of records are now publicly available, according to the White House. (BBC News)
• Police in Zambia arrest a truck driver alleged to have transported 27 Ethiopian migrants who were found dead at a farm on the outskirts of Lusaka on Sunday. (Xinhua)

Politics and elections

• Political status of Puerto Rico
  • In a 233–191 bipartisan vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passes a bill that would allow Puerto Rico to have its first ever binding referendum to decide whether the unincorporated territory should become a state, an independent nation or an independent nation with free association. (The New York Times)

Science and technology

• Acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk
  • December 15, 2022 Twitter suspensions
    • Twitter suspends the accounts of several journalists who reported on negative news relating to Elon Musk and Twitter. Musk accuses these journalists of posting links to real-time location data. The suspensions follow an incident in Los Angeles involving the safety of Elon Musk's son. (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera) (Yahoo!)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • 2022 Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
      • Russian forces launch a barrage of at least 76 missiles across Ukraine, damaging at least nine power stations and killing at least three civilians, with many more civilians being injured. (BBC News)
• 2022 Jordanian protests
  • Protests and riots over high fuel prices occur across Jordan, with a policeman being shot dead by protestors in Ma'an. (Al Jazeera)
• Kurdish–Turkish conflict
  • Nine people are injured by a car bombing in Diyarbakır Province, Turkey. (Reuters)
• Mali War
  • Two MINUSMA police personnel are killed and four others are injured after a United Nations Police patrol is attacked in Timbuktu, Mali. (AFP via RTÉ)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Batang Kali landslide
  • A landslide hits a campsite on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, killing 21 people and leaving twelve more missing. (Reuters)
• Vaulx-en-Velin fire
  • Ten people are killed and 14 others are injured in a residential building fire in Vaulx-en-Velin, Lyon Metropolis, France. (Euronews)
• 2022 West Java earthquake
  • The death toll in the earthquake that struck near Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia, in November increases to 602. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• Four people are injured, two of whom later died after a stampede at Nigerian singer Asake's concert at the Brixton Academy in London, United Kingdom. (AP) (BBC News)
• The AquaDom aquarium in Berlin, Germany, home to 1,500 tropical fish of more than 100 different species, bursts, flooding local streets. The majority of the fish die during the incident, and two people are injured. (BBC News)

International relations

• Burkina Faso–Ghana relations
  • Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
    • Burkina Faso summons Ghanaian ambassador Naa Bolinaa Saaka over Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo's remarks alleging that the Burkinabè government had amalgamated with Russian paramilitary organization Wagner Group in their civil war against Islamist rebels. (AFP via Barron's)

Law and crime

• Humanitarian impact of the Russo-Georgian War
  • The International Criminal Court concludes its investigation in the situation in Georgia, delivering arrest warrants for three de facto South Ossetian officials believed to bear responsibility for war crimes against Georgian civilians during the 2008 war. The fourth suspect, Russian general Vyacheslav Borisov, is not indicted as he died in 2021. (ICC)

Politics and elections

• Aftermath of the 2022 Fijian general election
  • Fijian police detain opposition leader and former prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka for interrogation over his claims of electoral fraud in the recent election. (AFP via UrduPoint)

Arts and culture

• Strictly Come Dancing
  • Wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin and his professional partner Jowita Przystal win the coveted glitterball trophy despite a few mistakes and landing in the bottom of the leaderboard. (BBC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Yemeni Civil War
  • Three people are killed and another is injured in a landmine explosion in Al Hudaydah, Yemen. (Mehr News)

Business and economy

• Economy of Uzbekistan
  • Uzbekistan announces a nearly $1 billion loan from the two main World Bank lending institutions, aimed at supporting the country's transition to a private sector-led economy. (Xinhua)

Disasters and accidents

• Five people are killed and five others are injured in a head-on collision of a bus and a pickup truck near Ventersburg, Free State, South Africa. (NewZimbabwe)
• Three people are killed and 17 others are injured by a freak wave at a beach in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. (VOA)

Law and crime

• Dresden Green Vault burglary
  • German authorities recover 31 royal jewellery items that were stolen from the Green Vault museum at Dresden Castle in Dresden, Saxony, Germany, in 2019. (AFP via South China Morning Post)

Politics and elections

• 2022 Tunisian parliamentary election
  • Tunisians head to the polls to elect the members of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People. Opposition parties have called for a boycott of the election. (AFP via The East African)
• 2022 Fijian general election
  • Fiji's election office projects that both the ruling FijiFirst and opposition People's Alliance parties will win 26 seats each in the 55-seat parliament, resulting in a deadlock. (DW)

Sports

• 2022 FIFA World Cup
  • Croatia defeats Morocco 2–1 in the third place play-off. This is Croatia's second third-place finish, and Morocco's best ever result at a World Cup, which is also the best ever result by both an African and Arab team at the tournament. (CNN)
• 2022 NFL season
  • The Minnesota Vikings complete the largest comeback in NFL history against the Indianapolis Colts, winning 39–36 after a 0–33 deficit. The previous largest comeback occurred in January 1993 when the Buffalo Bills won 41–38 against the Houston Oilers after a 35–3 deficit. (CBS Sports)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Islamic State insurgency in Iraq
  • 2022 Kirkuk bombing
    • Nine police officers are killed and two others are injured when a convoy hits a roadside bomb in Kirkuk, Iraq. (Al Jazeera)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Bannu counterterrorism centre siege
    • Around 20 Pakistani Taliban members seize control of a counterterrorism centre in Bannu, Pakistan, killing one officer and taking six hostages. The attackers are demanding safe passage to Afghanistan. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Salang Tunnel fire
  • At least 31 people are killed and 37 others are injured when a tank truck overturns, explodes and catches fire in the Salang Tunnel in Afghanistan. (Tolo News)

Law and crime

• 2022 Vaughan shooting
  • Five people are killed and one other person is injured in a mass shooting at a condominium tower in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. The gunman is killed by police. (Global News)
• Israel deports French-Palestinian lawyer and activist Salah Hamouri saying that Hamouri continues to be active with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, European Union and other countries. (Arab News)

Sports

• 2022 FIFA World Cup
  • Argentina defeats the reigning champions France 4–2 on penalties after a 3–3 draw to win their third World Cup title, and first since 1986. (CNN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Islamic State insurgency in Iraq
  • Eight civilians are killed and many more wounded after Islamic State gunmen open fire against a convoy carrying villagers in Albu Bali, Al Anbar Governorate. (Al Mayadeen)
• 2022 Jordanian protests
  • Three police officers and a gunman are killed during a raid on the hideout of the suspected killers of a policeman during protests in Ma'an, Jordan. Nine people are arrested. (Al Jazeera)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Two civilians and a soldier are killed and another civilian is wounded during a suicide bombing in Miranshah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Xinhua)
• Four Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members are killed by gunmen in Saravan, Iran, near the border with Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• 2021–2022 global energy crisis
  • EU natural gas price cap
    • European Union member states agree to a natural gas price cap in an attempt to limit economic damage from the global energy crisis. The price cap can be triggered beginning on February 15, if for three days, prices on the TTF, which is the European natural gas benchmark, exceed €180 per megawatt-hour (MWh) and are also more than €35/MWh higher than a reference price based on liquefied natural gas price assessments. (Reuters)
• Aftermath of the Ethiopia–Tigray peace agreement
  • The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, the country's largest commercial bank, resumes operations in some Tigrayan cities and towns following the suspension of services during the Tigray War. (AFP via RFI)

Disasters and accidents

• Five people are killed and nine others are injured after a building collapses in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. (The Star)

Law and crime

• Rwanda asylum plan
  • The High Court of the United Kingdom rules that the British government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda while their application is ongoing is lawful. (CNN)
• Aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack
  • The U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack issues a report in its final meeting declaring that former President Donald Trump was the "central cause" of the January 6 United States Capitol attack, and recommends that he be referred to the Justice Department for prosecution on at least four criminal charges. (ABC News)
• Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases
  • American film producer Harvey Weinstein is convicted on 3 of 7 sexual assault charges against him. The jury found Weinstein either not guilty, or was hung, on four other charges. (CNN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • 2022 Bannu counterterrorism centre attack and siege
    • Security forces storm a counterterrorism office in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, which was seized two days ago by 33 Pakistani Taliban members, killing all of the insurgents. Two officers were killed during the siege and many others were injured. All of the hostages are freed. (BBC News)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • At least 38 people are killed and several houses are torched during two attacks at two villages in Kagoro, Kaduna State, Nigeria. (All Africa)
• Sino-Indian border dispute
  • India reports that it has increased its troop presence along the Sino-Indian border in response to the skirmish that occurred between Indian and Chinese troops in Tawang district earlier this month. (MSN)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Ferndale earthquake
  • A magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes Humboldt County, California, United States, killing at least two people, injuring eleven others and causing minor damage. (NBC News)
• 2022 Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod pipeline explosion
  • An explosion occurs on an Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod export gas pipeline during maintenance work in Chuvashia, Russia, killing three workers and causing a stoppage of gas flows through the pipeline. (Reuters)

International relations

• Mexico–Peru relations
  • Mexico confirms that it has granted asylum to the family of former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo, with Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard saying that a safe exit from Peru is currently being discussed. (Reuters)
  • Peru expels the Mexican ambassador and declares him persona non grata hours after Mexico grants asylum to the family of former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo. (AP)

Law and crime

• Treatment of women by the Taliban
  • The Taliban ban university education for women in Afghanistan. A spokesman for the Ministry of Higher Education says that the decree was issued by the Cabinet today and entered into force effective immediately. (CNN)

Science and technology

• Argentine footballer Lionel Messi's Instagram post containing photos of him lifting the FIFA World Cup Trophy and celebrating with the Argentina team after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup two days prior becomes the social networking service's most-liked post after reaching over 56 million likes, surpassing the previous record held by the Instagram egg. (BBC News)

Sports

• 2022–23 PGA Tour
  • Augusta National Golf Club chairperson Fred Ridley announces that professional golfers who are signed under the LIV Golf tour, which began this year as a competitor to the PGA Tour, will be permitted to play in the 2023 Masters Tournament, the first of four men's major golf championships held next year. Human rights groups and various personalities have criticized LIV Golf, which is financed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, as a sportswashing project by the country to improve its repressive global image. (The Independent)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Two people are killed and five others are injured during the shelling of a hotel and a restaurant in Donetsk. Former Russian Deputy Prime Minister and head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin and Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic Vitaliy Khotsenko are among the injured. (BBC News)
• Spillover of the Somali Civil War
  • A vehicle travelling from Hayley Lapsset camp to Garissa, Kenya, hits a roadside bomb planted by Al-Shabaab militants, who then engage in a shootout with the car's occupants, killing two police officers and a civilian, and injuring several others. (Al Jazeera)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • Four people are killed and three others are injured when a roadside bomb explodes near a military vehicle in Al Mahfad District, Abyan Governorate, Yemen. (Siasat)
• Islamic State insurgency in Iraq
  • Two soldiers are killed and three others are injured during an ambush by Islamic State gunmen in Kirkuk, Iraq. (WSJ)
• 2022 Gambian coup d'état attempt
  • Four soldiers are arrested after an alleged coup attempt in The Gambia. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 15 students are killed when a school bus overturns in Manipur, India. (Business Today)

International relations

• Ukraine–United States relations
  • 2022 visit by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United States
    • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in the United States on his first official trip abroad after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (The New York Times)
• Germany–Russia relations
  • A German Federal Intelligence Service official is arrested for allegedly relaying classified information to Russian intelligence services. (AFP via South China Morning Post)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • The Russian-installed head of Liubymivka, Kakhovka Raion, Andrei Shlepa, is assassinated in a car bombing in the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region. Russia accuses Ukraine of being behind the attack. (Reuters via The Straits Times)
• Somali Civil War
  • Somalia's ministry of defense says that the military has recaptured the key town of Runirgod from al-Shabaab. 150 insurgents were killed and 15 others were arrested in the operation. (Xinhua)

Disasters and accidents

• One person is killed and 20 others are injured when a bus overturns in Pallai, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. (ColomboPage)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the 2022 Fijian general election
  • Fiji mobilises its army in response to threats made against the country's minority groups and ongoing civil unrest. (RNZ)
• LGBT rights in Scotland
  • The Scottish Parliament passes the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill by 86–39 votes, amending the Gender Recognition Act 2004 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to simplify the legal gender change process in Scotland. The bill now awaits royal assent. (AFP via Manila Bulletin)
• LGBT rights in Spain
  • The Spanish Congress of Deputies passes a bill by 188–150 votes allowing anyone over the age of 16 to legally change their gender on their national identity card. The bill will now head to the Senate for final approval. (BBC News)
• Bankruptcy of FTX
  • The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York releases FTX co-founder and former chief executive officer Sam Bankman-Fried on a $250 million bail on the condition that he resides at his parents' home in Palo Alto, California, while he awaits trial on criminal fraud charges over the bankruptcy of his cryptocurrency exchange. (AFP via Deccan Herald)

Politics and elections

• Aftermath of the 2022 Slovenian presidential election
  • Nataša Pirc Musar is sworn in as the first female President of Slovenia. (Slovenia Times)

Sports

• Coventry City F.C. receive a suspended five-point deduction after postponing three home games following the conclusion of the Commonwealth Games in August. The team will need to pay compensation to the three opponents as well as to the EFL. Coventry's chief executive blamed debt-ridden rugby union club Wasps RFC, who also use the stadium. (The Guardian)
• Italian rugby union team Benetton Treviso suspends an unnamed player following an investigation by the Italian public prosecutor's office on racist behavior exhibited during a Secret Santa team event involving Guinea-born player Cherif Traorè, in which the suspended player reportedly gifted Traorè a rotten banana. (AFP via news.com.au)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Terrorism in France
  • 2022 Paris shooting
    • Three people are killed and four others are injured in a mass shooting at a Kurdish community center in Paris, France. The perpetrator, a 69-year-old Frenchman, is arrested. (BBC News)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • A police officer is killed and ten other people are injured when two Pakistani Taliban insurgents blow themselves up in a car outside a police station in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP)

Business and economy

• 2021–2022 inflation surge
  • Economy of Japan
    • Japan's internal affairs ministry reports that the country experienced its highest level of inflation since 1981 last month after core consumer prices increased by 3.7 percent from November 2021. (AFP via Manila Bulletin)

Disasters and accidents

• Late December 2022 North American winter storm
  • At least 200 million people, two-thirds of the population of the United States, are under weather warning advisories, with the state of New York issuing a travel ban due to extreme temperatures. 1.5 million people across the country are left without power and at least 28 people are killed as a result of the storm. (The New York Times) (The Weather Channel) (Sky News)
• Sixteen people are killed when a bus falls into a gorge in Sikkim, India. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Capital punishment in Zambia
  • Zambia abolishes the death penalty effective immediately. (AFP via The Bangkok Post)
• French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, who received a life sentence in Nepal for murdering 12 tourists between 1963 and 1976, and suspected of murdering also 18 other people, is released from prison due to his old age and good behaviour in accordance with a Supreme Court order. He is deported to France and barred from Nepal for ten years. (AFP via NDTV)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Attacks on civilians in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
      • Russian forces shell the city of Kherson, killing at least ten civilians and injuring 58 others. (Daily Express)
• Aftermath of the 2022 Paris shooting
  • Kurds riot near the Place de la République in Paris, France, damaging shops and setting fires. The Paris Police Prefecture reports 11 arrests and at least 30 minor injuries in relation to the violence. The riot followed a peaceful protest in response to yesterday's mass shooting at a Kurdish cultural center that killed three people. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Kemerovo nursing home fire
  • A fire at an unregistered nursing home in Kemerovo, Russia, kills 22 people and injures six others. (Reuters)
• Boksburg explosion
  • A fuel tanker explodes in Boksburg, Gauteng, South Africa, killing 15 people, injuring 27 others, and damaging a nearby hospital. (Al Jazeera)
• 2022 Galicia bus crash
  • Six people are killed and two others are rescued after a bus falls off a bridge into the Lérez river in Galicia, Spain. (The Guardian)
• December 2022 North American winter storm
  • Four people are killed and 36 others are injured in a bus crash on Highway 97C in British Columbia, Canada. The crash was attributed to "icy roads" following the winter storm. (Sky News)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the assassination of Shinzo Abe
  • The Nara District Public Prosecutors Office in Nara Prefecture, Japan, says that the accused assassin of former prime minister Shinzo Abe is competent to stand trial for the killing. Prosecutors say that Tetsuya Yamagami "does not suffer from any mental illness that could greatly affect his ability to judge right from wrong". According to sources, prosecutors plan to indict Yamagami on murder charges. (Yomiuri)
• Treatment of women by the Taliban
  • The Taliban issues a decree banning female employees from all non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan. (CNN)
• Wallasey pub shooting
  • One person is killed and four others are injured during a mass shooting at a pub in Wallasey, Merseyside, England. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• Aftermath of the 2022 Fijian general election
  • Sitiveni Rabuka is confirmed as the new prime minister. Rabuka will hold the office again more than two decades after first leading the country as prime minister. (AP via VOA)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Insurgency in Balochistan
  • Six soldiers are killed and 17 civilians are injured during a series of nine attacks in Balochistan, Pakistan. (ABC News)
• Piracy off the coast of Somalia
  • Fourteen Iranian fishermen are returned to Iran after eight years of captivity in Somalia. The men were found in Somalia by police last month and freed from al-Shabaab jihadists after negotiations between the captors, tribal chiefs and Somali elders. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Northern Mindanao floods
  • At least eight people are killed, and 19 others are missing from monsoon floods in the Visayas and Mindanao regions of the Philippines. (Reuters via ABC News)
• At least four people are injured, one of them seriously, when an avalanche hits the ski resort Zürs/Lech in Vorarlberg, Austria. Emergency services rescue all of the ten people who had been buried alive. (RTL News in German)

Health and environment

• Catalonia in Spain registers the highest December temperature ever for the autonomous community in Anglès, which reached 26.3 °C (79.3 °F). Several other stations, including in the regional capital of Barcelona, also break records. (Catalan News)

Law and crime

• Pierce County substation attack
  • An attack on an electrical substation in Pierce County, Washington, United States, cuts off power to 14,000 people. The perpetrators and motive of the attack are unknown. (Seattle Times)
• A court in the Maldives sentences former president Abdulla Yameen to 11 years in prison on money laundering and bribery charges. (ABC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • 2022 Western Russia attacks
      • Three Russian military members are killed by debris after Russia shoots down a drone that was approaching the Engels air base in Saratov Oblast, Russia. (AFP via Times of Israel)
• Syrian civil war
  • Six Syrian Democratic Forces members are killed and an unknown number of others are injured during an ambush by five Islamic State gunmen in Raqqa. One of the attackers is killed and another is arrested. (Al Jazeera)
  • Six Turkish-backed National Front for Liberation militants are killed during a fight with the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian Army in Aleppo. (AP)
• Korean conflict
  • Five North Korean drones cross the DMZ into South Korea, which prompted the South Korean military to launch aircraft to intercept the drones. One of the South Korean FA-1 light attack aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff and a North Korean drone crashed after breaching Seoul's airspace. It is believed that North Korea launched the drones in response to criticism of the quality of North Korean satellite images. (AFP via MSN) (Daily NK)
• Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
  • At least ten people are killed and five others are injured when a bus hits a landmine in Fada N'gourma, Est, Burkina Faso. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Seventeen people are killed and 93 more injured as heavy snow affects Japan. (AP)
• Three Nigerien soldiers are killed when their military helicopter crashes while attempting to land at Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
    • Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
      • The National Health Commission announces that China will suspend their COVID-19 quarantine requirements for passengers arriving from abroad beginning on January 8. (ABC News)
• Three members of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin have died within ten days from each other in Cambodia, prompting an increasing alarming situation. (AP)

International relations

• Cross-Strait relations
  • It is announced that a record seventy-one military vehicles from the Chinese Air Force entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone in the past 24 hours. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the 2022 Paris shooting
  • A French judge indicts a 69-year-old man with murder, attempted murder due to race, and the unlawful procurement and possession of a weapon for killing three people and injuring three others in the 10th arrondissement of Paris on December 23. The suspect had confessed to having been motivated by racism. (AFP via Deccan Herald)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Battle of the Svatove-Kreminna line
      • Ukrainian forces claim that they are closing in on the city of Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast. According to governor Serhiy Haidai, Russian fighters in some parts of the city were forced to retreat to neighboring Rubizhne. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

• 2022 Northern Mindanao floods
  • The death toll from monsoon floods in the Philippines has increased to 32, with 24 others still missing. Eighteen of the deaths occurred in Northern Mindanao. (AP)
• 2022 Omdurman bus crash
  • Sixteen people are killed when a bus collides with a dump truck on the outskirts of Omdurman, Khartoum, Sudan. (Reuters)

International relations

• International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian oil price cap
    • Russian president Vladimir Putin issues a decree to prohibit the exports of Russian oil and petroleum products to countries and organizations that adhere to the US$60-per-barrel price cap that Australia, the European Union, and the G7 member states agreed upon earlier this month. The decree will be in effect from February 1 to July 1. (AFP via NDTV)

Law and crime

• Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
  • A federal judge in Michigan, United States, sentences a man to 16 years in prison for plotting to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. The man was also convicted of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction. (CNN)
• Title 42 expulsion
  • The Supreme Court of the United States rules 5–4 to maintain Title 42 of the U.S. Code, allowing the government to remove persons who have recently been in a country where an infectious disease was present. (AFP via RFI)
• South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol pardons former president Lee Myung-bak as part of a mass pardon aimed at "national unity". Lee had been serving a 17-year sentence for corruption. (Al Jazeera)
• The Taiwanese government announces that it would extend the required duration for conscription from four months to one year, citing the increasing threat of China using military force to pursue Chinese unification. The reform, which will apply to men born after January 1, 2005, will take effect in 2024. (AFP via SBS World News)

Sports

• 2022–23 NBA season
  • Slovenian point guard Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks scores the first 60-point triple-double in the National Basketball Association, the premier men's professional basketball league in the world, after recording 60 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Mavericks' 126–121 overtime win against the New York Knicks in Dallas. (BBC Sport)

Disasters and accidents

• Poipet casino hotel fire
  • A fire at a casino hotel in Poipet, Cambodia, near the Thai border, kills at least 27 people and injures dozens of others. (AP)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Italy and the United States announce that they will require travelers from China to present a negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test in order to enter their countries. (AFP via New Straits Times) (The New York Times)

International relations

• Syrian civil war
  • Syrian peace process
    • The defence ministers of Russia, Syria, and Turkey hold a trilateral meeting in Moscow. It is the first such meeting, as well as the first meeting between a Syrian and Turkish defence minister, since the war began in 2011. (AFP via France 24)
• 2022 North Kosovo crisis
  • Kosovo closes two border crossings with Serbia after protesters in Serbia block the border crossings in order to support the ethnic Serbs who are erecting barricades in North Kosovo and who refuse to recognize the independence of Kosovo. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the Grand-Bassam shootings
  • A court in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, sentences four Malian men to life imprisonment for inciting an Islamist mass shooting that killed 19 people and injured 33 others at a beach resort in Grand-Bassam in 2016. (AFP via RFI)
• Calabar Carnival
  • Fourteen people are killed and 24 others are injured when a drunk driver drives into crowds at the annual carnival parade in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. (BBC News)
• Bolivian police detain opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho for his role in the 2019 protests that prompted then-president Evo Morales to resign. (ABC News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • 2022 Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
      • Russia carries out a series of drone and cruise missile strikes on Ukraine, with strikes reported in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv, and Zhytomyr, injuring at least three people. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Second Gyeongin Expressway tunnel fire
  • Five people are killed and 37 others injured in a fire caused by the collision of a freight truck and a bus on the Second Gyeongin Expressway near Seoul, South Korea. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• Toxic cough syrup
  • Eighteen children in Uzbekistan die after drinking a cough syrup product manufactured by Indian drug manufacturer Marion Biotech. (BBC News)

International relations

• 2022 North Kosovo crisis
  • Following talks with Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić, barricades erected by ethnic Serbs in North Kosovo begin being dismantled. (BBC News)

Politics and elections

• Thirty-seventh government of Israel
  • Benjamin Netanyahu is sworn in as the prime minister of Israel for the third time in his political career. (CNN)

Sports

• Death and funeral of Pelé
  • Brazilian footballer Pelé dies at the age of 82. (CNN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • Ten people are killed and two others are injured after Islamic State gunmen open fire on a bus carrying oil workers in Deir ez-Zor. (Al Jazeera)
• Terrorism in Egypt
  • Four people are killed and 12 more injured during a mass shooting at a police checkpoint in Ismailia, Egypt. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• Aftermath of the Boksburg explosion
  • The death toll from the fuel tanker explosion in Boksburg, South Africa, six days ago, increases to 34. (Al Jazeera)
• Seven people are killed and four others are injured in a gas cylinder explosion at a restaurant in Aydın, Turkey. (Daily Sabah)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
    • France, Israel, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom announce that they will require travelers from China to present a negative COVID-19 test in order to enter their countries. (AFP via Hong Kong Free Press)

Law and crime

• 2022 University of Idaho killings
  • In Pennsylvania, United States, the alleged perpetrator of a mass stabbing of four University of Idaho students, 28-year-old Bryan Christopher Kohberger, is arrested by police in the Pocono Mountains. (CNN)
• A court in Myanmar delivers its final verdict on ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's cases, sentencing her to seven years in prison, with an overall sentence of 33 years' imprisonment. (CNN)
• A judge in Bolivia orders opposition figure Luis Fernando Camacho to be remanded in detention for four months on "terrorism charges", as opposition parties call for a national strike. (AP)

Politics and elections

• Venezuelan presidential crisis
  • The National Opposition Assembly votes to terminate Juan Guaidó's interim government and opposition leadership, with Guaidó's disputed acting presidency expected to end on January 4. (The New York Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Makiivka military quarters shelling
    • Hundreds of Russian mobilized soldiers are claimed by Ukraine to be killed and injured as a result of an Ukrainian missile attack on a vocational school building serving as military barracks. Russian authorities acknowledge several casualties, but suggest lower figures. (Reuters) (BBC News)
• Colombian conflict
  • The Colombian government reaches a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the major armed groups involved in the conflict, including the National Liberation Army, FARC dissidents, and the Clan del Golfo. The ceasefire will be in effect from January 1 to at least June 30. (AFP via Gulf News)

Disasters and accidents

• Eight people are killed and nine others are injured by a landslide in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Reuters)
• The Lebanese Navy and United Nations forces rescue a capsizing boat of 232 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. Two people perish in the overnight incident. (ABC News)
• Fifteen people are killed and 47 others are injured after a bus crashed and flipped in Nayarit, Mexico. (AP)

Politics and elections

• Death and funeral of Pope Benedict XVI
  • Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, who served from 2005 until his resignation in 2013, dies at the age of 95, with the funeral scheduled for January 5. (BBC News)