December 27
Armed conflicts and attacks
Denis Kapustin, leader of the Ukraine-aligned Russian Volunteer Corps, is killed in a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Source:
The Moscow Times
Business and economy
The National People's Congress of China passes a revised trade law that will expand the government's authority to counter trade restrictions, regulate exports of strategic goods, and update provisions on digital, green, and intellectual-property trade from March 1, 2026.
Source:
Reuters
Disasters and accidents
At least seven people are killed, while ten others have been rescued, when a bus carrying 19 charity workers overturns on a mountain in Yên Bái province, Vietnam.
Source:
Reuters
December 26
Business and economy
The Takaichi Cabinet of Japan approves a ¥122.3 trillion (US$785 billion) budget for the next fiscal year, the largest national budget in Japan's history, while reducing the debt-dependence ratio to 24.2 percent, supported by projected tax revenues of a record ¥83.7 trillion ($535 billion).
Source:
Reuters
International relations
Israel becomes the first country to recognize Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state. Somaliland also officially recognises Israel.
Source:
Reuters
Armed conflicts and attacks
Two Israeli civilians are killed and another two are injured, including a child, in a vehicle ramming and stabbing attack by a Palestinian man in Beit She'an and Afula, Israel. The perpetrator is shot by police and hospitalized.
Source:
The New York Times
Eight people are killed and 18 more are injured in an explosion caused by Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah at an Alawite mosque in Homs, Syria.
Source:
France 24
Law and crime
The Malaysian Federal Court sentences former prime minister Najib Razak to 15 years in prison and a RM13.5 billion (US$3.3 billion) fine for abuse of power and money laundering.
Source:
AP
The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court orders the preventive detention of former federal highway police chief Silvinei Vasques after he was captured in Paraguay while attempting to flee Brazil despite electronic tagging, following his conviction for involvement in the attempted coup.
Source:
Reuters
Fifteen people are injured in a mass stabbing and liquid attack at a factory in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The perpetrator is arrested.
Source:
CBS News
Disasters and accidents
Two people are killed and 26 others are injured in a 50-vehicle collision on the Kan-etsu Expressway in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.
Source:
The Independent
December 25
Politics and elections
Residents of Mogadishu, Somalia, vote to elect 390 district council members who will select the city's mayor, marking Somalia's first direct election since 1969, serving as a pilot for planned nationwide polls.
Source:
Reuters
Law and crime
Venezuela states that it has released 99 people detained after protests over the 2024 presidential election.
Source:
Reuters
A Russian court sentences Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov to six years in prison for justifying terrorism.
Source:
AP
Disasters and accidents
A bus with a Quezon City–Gubat route falls into a ravine in Del Gallego, Camarines Sur, Philippines, killing six passengers and injuring more than 20.
Source:
in Filipino
Armed conflicts and attacks
The United States Armed Forces launch airstrikes on over 70 locations in Sokoto State, Nigeria, targeting Islamic State camps on orders of U.S. president Donald Trump. An unknown number of casualties are confirmed.
Source:
BBC News
The Polish Air Force intercepts and escorts a Russian aerial reconnaissance aircraft over international waters in the Baltic sea away from nearby Polish airspace.
Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)Violations of non-combatant airspace during the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)
Source:
DW
Three people are killed in two separate Israeli airstrikes targeting vehicles in southern Lebanon, including a member of the Iranian Quds Force.
Source:
Reuters
Turkish authorities seize weapons and documents and arrest 115 suspects in Istanbul, connected with Islamic State-planned attacks on non-Muslims at Christmas and New Year's festivals across the country.
Source:
BBC News
December 24
Politics and elections
The Honduran National Electoral Council declares National Party candidate Nasry Asfura winner of the presidential election almost one month after it was held.
Source:
BBC News
Armed conflicts and attacks
An alleged Hezbollah member is killed in an airstrike by the Israel Defense Forces on a vehicle near Jannata, Tyre District, South Governorate, Lebanon.
Source:
MSN
Three former officials of the al-Assad regime are killed in clashes with Syrian security forces near Jableh, Latakia Governorate.
Source:
AFP via Al Arabiya
At least six people are killed, including the perpetrator, and 35 others are injured in a suicide bombing by a Boko Haram terrorist at a mosque in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
Source:
Reuters
An explosive device kills two police officers and the suspected perpetrator in Moscow, Russia, near where Russian lieutenant general Fanil Sarvarov was killed in a separate bombing two days prior.
Source:
BBC News
Disasters and accidents
A boat carrying 117 migrants capsizes off in the Mediterranean Sea, killing 116 people and leaving only one survivor.
Source:
Daily Express
Source:
Reuters
Law and crime
The Ghanaian information ministry arrests 48 Nigerians allegedly participating in cybercrime operations on the outskirts of Accra.
Source:
DW