Belarus–Russia relations, Nuclear risk during the Russo-Ukrainian war Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirms the presence of nuclear weapons in his country, including Russia's Oreshnik missile system. (AP)
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirms the presence of nuclear weapons in his country, including Russia's Oreshnik missile system. (AP)
Darfur campaign At least 100 people are killed and 37 others are injured in a Sudanese Air Force airstrike on Kabkabiya District, North Darfur, Sudan. (Business Recorder) (Sudan War Monitor) (BBC News)
Sudanese civil war Battle of Khartoum At least 65 people are killed and hundreds of others are injured in Rapid Support Forces artillery shelling on a market in Karary District, Khartoum State, Sudan. (Anadolu Agency) (Sudan Tribune) Darfur campaign At least 100 people are killed and 37 others are injured in a Sudanese Air Force airstrike on Kabkabiya District, North Darfur, Sudan. (Business Recorder) (Sudan War Monitor) (BBC News)
Somali Civil War Constitutional crisis in Somalia 2024 Jubaland presidential election Battle of Ras Kamboni Somali forces launch a failed attack on Jubaland regional forces, with Jubaland capturing hundreds of Somali soldiers and claiming to have fully taken over Ras Kamboni, Lower Juba, Somalia. (Reuters) (Idil News) (Garowe Online)
2024 Jubaland presidential election Battle of Ras Kamboni Somali forces launch a failed attack on Jubaland regional forces, with Jubaland capturing hundreds of Somali soldiers and claiming to have fully taken over Ras Kamboni, Lower Juba, Somalia. (Reuters) (Idil News) (Garowe Online)
Constitutional crisis in Somalia 2024 Jubaland presidential election Battle of Ras Kamboni Somali forces launch a failed attack on Jubaland regional forces, with Jubaland capturing hundreds of Somali soldiers and claiming to have fully taken over Ras Kamboni, Lower Juba, Somalia. (Reuters) (Idil News) (Garowe Online)
Armed men raid and set fire to the tomb of former president Hafez al-Assad and also conduct attacks on other tombs and graves in Qardaha District, Latakia Governorate, Syria. (SOHR)
Fall of the Assad regime Armed men raid and set fire to the tomb of former president Hafez al-Assad and also conduct attacks on other tombs and graves in Qardaha District, Latakia Governorate, Syria. (SOHR)
Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War United States and the Russo-Ukrainian War The United States Department of State approves a $266.4 million sale of F-16 maintenance equipment to Ukraine. (Ukrainska Pravda) (DSCA) (Newsweek) The Parliament of Canada approves the allocation of CA$764 million (US$587 million) in military aid to Ukraine. (Ukrainska Pravda)
Russo-Ukrainian War Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War United States and the Russo-Ukrainian War The United States Department of State approves a $266.4 million sale of F-16 maintenance equipment to Ukraine. (Ukrainska Pravda) (DSCA) (Newsweek) The Parliament of Canada approves the allocation of CA$764 million (US$587 million) in military aid to Ukraine. (Ukrainska Pravda)
2024 United Kingdom farmers' protests Hundreds of tractors block Whitehall, City of Westminster, England in protest of Labour government changes to the agricultural inheritance tax. (The Independent)
Environmental issues in Iran Iran announces that all government offices, universities, and schools in Tehran province will be closed for two days due to severe air pollution. (AP)
Hundreds of tractors block Whitehall, City of Westminster, England in protest of Labour government changes to the agricultural inheritance tax. (The Independent)
Iran announces that all government offices, universities, and schools in Tehran province will be closed for two days due to severe air pollution. (AP)
The Parliament of Canada approves the allocation of CA$764 million (US$587 million) in military aid to Ukraine. (Ukrainska Pravda)
The Swiss Federal Assembly elects Karin Keller-Sutter, currently a Federal Councillor, as President for 2025. (Swissinfo)
The Venezuelan government releases 103 prisoners who were arrested during the protests against the results of the disputed presidential election in July. (Al Jazeera) (CNN)
Syrian peace process The Syrian transitional government announces that the constitution and parliament will be suspended during the three-month transitional period. (Al Arabiya)
The Syrian transitional government announces that the constitution and parliament will be suspended during the three-month transitional period. (Al Arabiya)
Federal pardons in the United States U.S. President Joe Biden announces pardons for 39 people convicted of non-violent offenses, and commutes the sentences of 1,500 others who had been released from prison to house arrest during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is considered the "largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history". (AP)
Hundreds of protesters, led by university students, gather outside the Radio Television of Serbia headquarters in Belgrade, Serbia, to protest against the state-owned television broadcaster and President Aleksandar Vučić's administration. At least 13 people are detained by Serbian police. (AP) (BalkanInsight) (Euronews)
In Lithuania, the three-party coalition Government headed by the new appointed Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas takes over. (Reuters)
In Somalia, Abdirahman Irro is sworn in as president of Somaliland. (Mogadishu 24)
U.S. President Joe Biden announces pardons for 39 people convicted of non-violent offenses, and commutes the sentences of 1,500 others who had been released from prison to house arrest during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is considered the "largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history". (AP)
Humanitarian aid during the Syrian civil war The Ukrainian government says that it is ready to supply food to Syria after Russia suspended wheat supplies to Syria amid uncertainty about the new government and payment delays. (Reuters)
Moldova and the Russo-Ukrainian War The Parliament of Moldova votes in favor of declaring a 60-day national state of emergency beginning on December 16 due to Ukraine not renewing its transit contract with Gazprom to deliver Russian gas to Moldova. (Reuters)
Syria–Ukraine relations Humanitarian aid during the Syrian civil war The Ukrainian government says that it is ready to supply food to Syria after Russia suspended wheat supplies to Syria amid uncertainty about the new government and payment delays. (Reuters)
2024 French political crisis French President Emmanuel Macron appoints François Bayrou as Prime Minister. (Politico) (The Guardian)
French President Emmanuel Macron appoints François Bayrou as Prime Minister. (Politico) (The Guardian)
Sudanese civil war Darfur campaign Nine people are killed and 20 others are injured in a Rapid Support Forces airstrike on a hospital in Al-Fashir, North Darfur, Sudan. (Reuters)
The Parliament of Moldova votes in favor of declaring a 60-day national state of emergency beginning on December 16 due to Ukraine not renewing its transit contract with Gazprom to deliver Russian gas to Moldova. (Reuters)
The Ukrainian government says that it is ready to supply food to Syria after Russia suspended wheat supplies to Syria amid uncertainty about the new government and payment delays. (Reuters)
Darfur campaign Nine people are killed and 20 others are injured in a Rapid Support Forces airstrike on a hospital in Al-Fashir, North Darfur, Sudan. (Reuters)
2024 Georgian presidential election President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili states that she will not recognize the scheduled presidential election results as legitimate due to the election not being a direct vote, and repeats her intention to remain as president until new parliamentary elections are held. (Anadolu Agency) Georgian Dream candidate Mikheil Kavelashvili is elected as president by the electoral college. Major opposition parties do not participate in the vote, having boycotted Parliament since the parliamentary election in October. (CNN)
Georgian Dream candidate Mikheil Kavelashvili is elected as president by the electoral college. Major opposition parties do not participate in the vote, having boycotted Parliament since the parliamentary election in October. (CNN)
President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili states that she will not recognize the scheduled presidential election results as legitimate due to the election not being a direct vote, and repeats her intention to remain as president until new parliamentary elections are held. (Anadolu Agency)
Flights are temporarily suspended at Stewart International Airport in New York, United States, after the Federal Aviation Administration alerts them to a drone sighting in the area. The incident prompts Governor Kathy Hochul to call for federal government intervention amid a series of widespread drone sightings across the Northeastern United States. (ABC News)
Former Minister of Defence and running mate of Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 Brazilian general election Walter Braga Netto is arrested amid charges with meddling in investigations related to an attempted coup. (Reuters)
Moody's downgrades France's bond credit rating to "Aa3" from "Aa2" following the collapse of the Barnier government, citing "political fragmentation" as a threat to the country's ability to reduce its public debt and lower its deficit. (DW) (Politico)
Operation Counter-coup Former Minister of Defence and running mate of Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 Brazilian general election Walter Braga Netto is arrested amid charges with meddling in investigations related to an attempted coup. (Reuters)
Australia–Indonesia relations Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces that the remaining five members of the Bali Nine drug-trafficking group, who were serving life sentences in Indonesia, have returned to Australia following an agreement between the two countries to end their imprisonment. (CNN)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces that the remaining five members of the Bali Nine drug-trafficking group, who were serving life sentences in Indonesia, have returned to Australia following an agreement between the two countries to end their imprisonment. (CNN)
2024 German government crisis, 2025 German federal election German Chancellor Olaf Scholz loses a vote of confidence, thereby allowing for early elections to be held on February 23. (BBC News)
Bolivian prosecutors issue an arrest warrant for former President Evo Morales in connection to sexual abuse allegations that he fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl, a claim he denies. (AP)
In his first public statement since being overthrown, former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad says that he "didn't intend to leave Syria", claiming that he went to Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia Governorate to "oversee combat operations" only to find that the Syrian Army had abandoned their positions and surrendered to rebel forces. Amid "an intensified attack by drone strikes" at the air base, Assad says that Russia decided to airlift him to Moscow. (BBC News)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz loses a vote of confidence, thereby allowing for early elections to be held on February 23. (BBC News)
President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov announces that he has dismissed Akylbek Japarov as Prime Minister. (Reuters)
2024 Georgian presidential election, 2024 Georgian parliamentary election, 2024 Georgian post-election protests In an address to the European Parliament, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili urges the European Union to economically and politically pressure the current Georgian government into holding new elections, claiming that recent elections represented a "new form of invasion" by Russia. (Euronews) (AP)
In an address to the European Parliament, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili urges the European Union to economically and politically pressure the current Georgian government into holding new elections, claiming that recent elections represented a "new form of invasion" by Russia. (Euronews) (AP)
Syrian civil war Syrian opposition Hadi al-Bahra, President of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, says that the coalition will dissolve once a national conference is convened and a constituent assembly is elected, and demands that the current transitional government be "credible, inclusive and not founded on sectarian bases". (North Press Agency)
2024 Irish general election Simon Harris submits his resignation as Taoiseach of Ireland to President Michael D Higgins. (The Irish Independent)
Hadi al-Bahra, President of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, says that the coalition will dissolve once a national conference is convened and a constituent assembly is elected, and demands that the current transitional government be "credible, inclusive and not founded on sectarian bases". (North Press Agency)
Syrian opposition Hadi al-Bahra, President of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, says that the coalition will dissolve once a national conference is convened and a constituent assembly is elected, and demands that the current transitional government be "credible, inclusive and not founded on sectarian bases". (North Press Agency)
The parliament building of Liberia catches on fire amid anti-government protests condemning the attempted removal of House Speaker Jonathan F. Koffa. (AP) (BBC)
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says that arms sent by France to Armenia pose a threat to Azerbaijan. (Trend News Agency)
Simon Harris submits his resignation as Taoiseach of Ireland to President Michael D Higgins. (The Irish Independent)
Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war Satellite imagery reveals that Russian forces are mobilizing heavy planes at Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia Governorate and are also mobilizing ships at Tartus naval base, indicating a potential withdrawal. (BBC News) Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the Prime Minister of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity of Libya, denounces the entry of Russian forces from Syria into the eastern part of Libya. (The Libya Observer) Russian president Vladimir Putin says that Russia helped evacuate 4,000 Iranian fighters from Syria. (Anadolu Agency)
Prosecution of Syrian civil war criminals The Syrian Interim Government announces that they have begun preparing lists of people from the former regime who were involved in war crimes, torture, and murder. (The Jerusalem Post)
The Syrian Interim Government announces that they have begun preparing lists of people from the former regime who were involved in war crimes, torture, and murder. (The Jerusalem Post)
Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the Prime Minister of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity of Libya, denounces the entry of Russian forces from Syria into the eastern part of Libya. (The Libya Observer)
Deir ez-Zor offensive, Eastern Syria insurgency Iraqi foreign minister Fuad Hussein warns that ISIS cells in Syria have begun reorganizing and taking new land following the collapse of the Syrian Armed Forces and subsequent abandonment of weapons depots. (Asharq News)
Fall of the Assad regime Deir ez-Zor offensive, Eastern Syria insurgency Iraqi foreign minister Fuad Hussein warns that ISIS cells in Syria have begun reorganizing and taking new land following the collapse of the Syrian Armed Forces and subsequent abandonment of weapons depots. (Asharq News) The Baniyas Refinery, Syria's largest oil refinery, stops operating after ceasing to receive the crude oil from Iran that previously made up the majority of the country's input. (Financial Times)
Iraqi foreign minister Fuad Hussein warns that ISIS cells in Syria have begun reorganizing and taking new land following the collapse of the Syrian Armed Forces and subsequent abandonment of weapons depots. (Asharq News)
Russian president Vladimir Putin says that Russia helped evacuate 4,000 Iranian fighters from Syria. (Anadolu Agency)
2025 Belarusian presidential election Estonia says that it will not recognize the results of the upcoming presidential election in Belarus, which it claims has already been rigged to ensure that President Alexander Lukashenko will be re-elected. (ERR)
Estonia says that it will not recognize the results of the upcoming presidential election in Belarus, which it claims has already been rigged to ensure that President Alexander Lukashenko will be re-elected. (ERR)
In Italy, the Meloni government survives a confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies on the 2025 budget. (Reuters)
Sudanese civil war Darfur campaign Siege of El Fasher The United Nations Human Rights Office reports that the Rapid Support Forces have killed over 782 civilians and wounded over 1,143 others in El Fasher, North Darfur, Sudan, since May, and urges the RSF to halt their incursions into the city. (Al Jazeera) At least 50 people, mostly from the Zaghawa ethnic group, have been killed by the Rapid Support Forces in the past week in El Fasher, North Darfur State, Sudan. (Sudan Tribune)
Darfur campaign Siege of El Fasher The United Nations Human Rights Office reports that the Rapid Support Forces have killed over 782 civilians and wounded over 1,143 others in El Fasher, North Darfur, Sudan, since May, and urges the RSF to halt their incursions into the city. (Al Jazeera) At least 50 people, mostly from the Zaghawa ethnic group, have been killed by the Rapid Support Forces in the past week in El Fasher, North Darfur State, Sudan. (Sudan Tribune)
2024 Icelandic parliamentary election The Social Democratic Alliance, led by Kristrún Frostadóttir, forms a coalition government in Iceland's Althing with the Liberal Reform Party and the People's Party. Frostadóttir becomes Iceland's youngest prime minister at 36 years old. (CNA)
Censorship of TikTok The Albanian government announces a one-year ban on the social media platform TikTok beginning in 2025, following a fatal stabbing of a teenager in November in connection to a confrontation on the platform. (Al Jazeera) (Türkiye Today)
Haitian crisis The Haitian government declares a one-month state of emergency amid the escalating gang violence and the deepening security crisis. (Caribbean National Weekly)
The Albanian government announces a one-year ban on the social media platform TikTok beginning in 2025, following a fatal stabbing of a teenager in November in connection to a confrontation on the platform. (Al Jazeera) (Türkiye Today)
The Haitian government declares a one-month state of emergency amid the escalating gang violence and the deepening security crisis. (Caribbean National Weekly)
