December 5
Disasters and accidents
Eight people are killed when a cargo truck loaded with fertilizers hits pedestrians and crashes into a house in Makilala, Cotabato, Philippines.
Source:
Philippine News Agency
An offshore 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes near the northern coast of the state of California prompting tsunami warnings.
Source:
Weather Channel
Politics and elections
Michel Barnier resigns as Prime Minister of France following the collapse of the Barnier government.
Source:
Sky News
Business and economy
Armed conflicts and attacks
The Syrian Army says it has withdrawn from the city of Hama to "protect the lives of civilians" after rebel forces enter the city.
Source:
MSN
Rebel forces begin releasing hundreds of prisoners from Hama's central prison.
Source:
Ynet
A helicopter is shot down after taking off from Hama Air Base as pro-government forces evacuate the airbase. Another helicopter makes an emergency landing after being hit. The airbase is later fully captured by the rebels.
Source:
YeniSafak
Rebel forces enter the city of Salamiyah, Hama Governorate, reportedly facing no resistance.
Source:
SOHR
Source:
SOHR
Syrian rebel forces capture and take military vehicles and ammunition from a Syrian military engineering battalion facility on the outskirts of al-Rastan, Homs Governorate.
Source:
SOHR
A Russian jet launches an airstrike on the Rastan Bridge over Orontes River in an attempt to impede the rebel advance over the city.
Source:
Pravda
Source:
SOHR
Source:
Amnesty International
The European Union's anti-piracy mission says heavily armed Somali pirates have hijacked a Chinese fishing vessel off the coast of Puntland. The vessel has 18 crew members who are being held hostage and the situation is ongoing.
Source:
Reuters
December 4
Disasters and accidents
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.
Source:
Reuters
Source:
IRNA
Law and crime
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, United States.
Source:
Reuters
Armed conflicts and attacks
Rebels capture the town of Al-Saan and the villages of Shaykh Hilal and Suruj in Hama Governorate, Syria.
Source:
SOHR
Heavy fighting is reported in and around Hama as rebel forces enter the city and capture three neighbourhoods.
Source:
Aljazeera Mubashar
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.
Source:
Al Jazeera
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.
Israel–Hamas warIsraeli incursions in the West Bank during the Israel–Hamas warLegality of Israeli settlements
Source:
Al Jazeera
The Pakistan Army kills five jihadist insurgents and captures two others in a raid in Lakki Marwat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Source:
AP
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.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Politics and elections
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.
Source:
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.
Source:
Invezz
Foreign embassies in Seoul warn their citizens to stay away from mass demonstrations, citing the possibility of violence and death.
Source:
The Korea Herald
The National Assembly begins impeachment proceedings against Yoon Suk Yeol in response to Yoon's attempt to impose martial law in South Korea.
Source:
BBC News
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.
Source:
Reuters
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.
Source:
AP
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.
Source:
DW
Activists file a second impeachment complaint against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte over alleged misuse of government funds.
Source:
AP
December 3
Disasters and accidents
Source:
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.
Source:
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.
Source:
JoongAng Daily
Armed conflicts and attacks
Rebel forces capture the city of Suran, the towns of Halfaya and Taybat al-Imam, and the village of Maardis in Hama Governorate, Syria.
Source:
SOHR
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.
Source:
Rudaw
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.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Health and environment
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.
Source:
AP
Politics and elections
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".
Source:
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.
Source:
The Guardian
Source:
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.
Source:
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.
Source:
Reuters
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.
Source:
The Globe and Mail
December 2
Law and crime
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.
Source:
The Hill
Georgian police arrest opposition leader Zurab Japaridze, accusing his party of "coordinating violence" during the protests against Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
Source:
The Guardian
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.
Source:
ABC News
Three people are killed and eight others are injured after a mass shooting at a gathering in Gage Park, Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Source:
NBC News
Business and economy
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.
Source:
DW
Armed conflicts and attacks
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.
Source:
Haaretz
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.
Source:
The Hindu
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces that the United States will provide Ukraine with a $725 million weapons package.
Source:
Reuters
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.
Source:
AP
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.
Source:
Daily Tribune
Politics and elections
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.
Source:
AP
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.
Source:
France24