Current events: 2024-12-24

[Wikipedia Current Events]

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian civil war
  • Deir ez-Zor offensive, Eastern Syria insurgency
    • ISIS cells launch attacks on the town of al-Hawayej in Rojava, Syria, against Asayish forces. (SOHR)
  • Protesters gather after a Christmas tree was set on fire in Al-Suqaylabiyah, Hama Governorate, Syria. (The Week)
  • Turkey's interior minister announces that more than 25,000 Syrian refugees have returned to Syria since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by rebels. (Al Arabiya)
  • The Syrian opposition factions have decided to dissolve and merge under the authority of the Ministry of Defense. (Reuters)
• At least 15 people are killed after a series of airstrikes by the Pakistan Army against alleged Pakistani Taliban hideouts in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. (NDTV)

Disasters and accidents

• 2024–25 Australian bushfire season
  • Residents of the Grampians region of Victoria state evacuate, with over 41,000 hectares (101,000 acres) already burnt from bushfires. (BBC)
• Twelve people are killed and four are wounded after an explosion at an explosives factory in Kavakli, Balıkesir Province, Turkey. (Al Jazeera)
• The Russian cargo ship MV Ursa Major, allegedly used to evacuate military personnel and equipment from Russian bases in Syria, sinks in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain following an explosion in its engine room. The Russian Foreign Ministry says that 14 of 16 crew members are rescued, while two remain missing. (Politico)

International relations

• Russia–United States relations
  • Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Gene Spector, an American citizen of Russian descent, is sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Moscow court for espionage. (CNN)
• Denmark-United States relations
  • The Danish Government announces a boost in defence spending for Greenland hours after US president-elect Donald Trump repeated his desire to purchase the Arctic territory. (BBC)

Law and crime

• Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia
  • Saudi Arabia has reportedly executed 330 people this year, the highest amount in decades. (First Post)
• Hong Kong offers bounties of HK$1 million (US$128,728) each for six foreign pro-democracy activists accused of violating the national security law, including Tony Chung, and revokes the passports of seven others, citing actions such as incitement to secession, subversion, and collusion with foreign forces. (Reuters)
• Five people accused of being Al-Qaeda supporters are arrested in four cities in Italy. (Il Gazzettino)

Politics and elections

• ʻAisake Eke is appointed as the new Prime Minister of Tonga. (RNZ)

Science and technology

• NASA Large Strategic Science Missions
  • The Parker Solar Probe attempts its closest ever approach to the Sun to study its temperatures, radiation and magnetic field. (BBC News)

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