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)