Tuesday,  January 3rd, 2023 

The Russian defense ministry increases the death toll of soldiers from a December 31 Ukrainian missile attack in Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast, to 89. The ministry attributes the casualties to the soldiers’ use of mobile phones with tracking systems. (AFP via ABS-CBN News) 

Twenty-eight civilians are found dead in the town of Nouna, in northwest Burkina Faso. Burkinabe human rights groups say that the killings were perpetrated by pro-government militia VDP on December 15, 18, and 22. (Atlas) (Reuters) 

The government orders the closure of all shopping malls and retail markets by 8:30 p.m. (PKT) daily as part of an energy conservation plan to offset increasing energy prices. (Reuters) 

Two men are arrested and charged with a series of attacks on substations in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The men have confessed to the attacks, which was intended to cover their burglary scheme. (The New York Times) 

The 118th United States Congress begins, with the House Speaker election heading to multiple ballots for the first time in 100 years after Kevin McCarthy fails to receive the required number of votes on the first three ballots. (ABC News) 

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapses during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals and is taken to the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center by ambulance. The NFL subsequently suspends the game as a result. (CBS Sports) 

Five gunmen and two security forces are killed during a gunbattle while searching for 30 inmates who escaped two days ago during an armed attack on a prison in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Ten prison guards and seven inmates were killed during the attack. (BBC) 

The visit of the Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem sparks protests by Palestinians and the condemnation of several Arab countries, who consider the entire site to be part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. (BBC)  

Monday,  January 2nd, 2023 

Malawi suspends the opening of schools in Lilongwe and Blantyre due to an outbreak of cholera, which has killed 595 people so far, including 19 people on New Year’s Eve. (BBC News) 

Four people are killed and eight others are injured when two helicopters collide near the Sea World theme park in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. (ABC News Australia) 

The Supreme Court of India upholds the legality of the government’s decision to demonetise all ₹500 and ₹1,000 banknotes of the Mahatma Gandhi Series in 2016. (AP) 

President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola initiates a formal procedure to revoke parliamentary immunity from two MEPs allegedly involved in the scandal. (AFP via Bangkok Post) 

The End

Sunday, January 1st, 2023 

Several people are killed by an Islamic State bombing at a checkpoint outside the military airport in Kabul. (Al Jazeera) 

Two soldiers are killed during a series of Israeli airstrikes at Damascus International Airport. (Al Jazeera) 

Two Palestinians are killed and three more injured during confrontations with Israeli soldiers who stormed Kafr Dan to demolish the homes of two Palestinians killed in a shootout at a checkpoint in Jenin several months ago. (Al Jazeera) 

Ten prison officers and four inmates are killed in an armed attack on a prison in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, in which 24 prisoners escaped. (AFP via Deccan Herald) 

Canada enacts a law prohibiting foreigners, except for immigrants and permanent residents, from acquiring residential areas in the country for two years in response to a real-estate bubble. (CNN Business) 

Australia and Canada announce that they will require travelers from China to present a negative COVID-19 test in order to enter their countries beginning on January 5. (CTV News) 

The British arm of climate protest group Extinction Rebellion announces it will “temporarily” shift away from using public disruption as a primary tactic. (Reuters) 

Croatia changes its national currency from the kuna to the euro to become 20th member state of the Eurozone, and joins the European passport-free zone, the Schengen Area. (AFP via Macau Business) 

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is sworn in as President of Brazil for the third time in his political career. (Télam) 

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines closes the country’s airspace for nearly six hours due to a power outage in its air traffic management center, affecting more than 280 commercial flights and more than 56,000 passengers. (Bloomberg) 

Saturday, December 31st, 2022 

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)

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) 

Fifteen people are killed and 47 others are injured after a bus crashed and flipped in Nayarit, Mexico. (AP) 

T

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, who served from 2005 until his resignation in 2013, dies at the age of 95 and is scheduled for a funeral starting on 2 January. (BBC News) 

The End