Wednesday, December 4th, 2024 

The CEO of the American health insurance company UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, is assassinated by a masked gunman while attending a business conference in Manhattan. (Reuters) 

Twelve neo-Nazis are arrested during police raids across Italy. (Ansa) 

The Syrian Army launches a new counteroffensive with the goal of reclaiming Hama Governorate, Syria, from rebel forces. (DW)

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. (Anadolu Agency) 

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 martial law yesterday, calling for his resignation. (Maeil Business Newspaper)

The South Korean won drops to a two-year low following President Yoon’s declaration of martial law yesterday. Several ETFs on the Korea Exchange also drop to a one-year low. (Invezz) 

Foreign embassies in Seoul warn their citizens to stay away from mass demonstrations, citing the possibility of violence and death. (The Korea Herald) 

The National Assembly begins impeachment proceedings against President Yoon in response to the attempt to impose martial law on the nation. (BBC News) 

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.  (DW) 

The Pakistan Army kill five jihadist insurgents and capture two others in a raid in Lakki Marwat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (AP) 

An Iranian Air Force training jet crashes in Fars province, Iran, killing both pilots. (IRNA) 

Ahali leader Nika Gvaramia is arrested by Georgian police after raiding his office as the government continues to crackdown on the opposition amid ongoing protests against delaying negotiations to join the European Union. More than 100 others are injured during clashes with riot police. (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. (Newsweek)  

The End Wednesday 

Tuesday,  December 3rd, 2024 

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law in an emergency address to the nation to clear out alleged “threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements.” President Yoon says the decision has been made to “remove North Korean forces” and to protect the country’s “liberal constitutional order”. This comes as the opposition Democratic Party brings articles of impeachment against President Yoon repeatedly. (BBC News) (Reuters)

South Korean Army general Park An-su is appointed Martial Law Commander by President Yoon Suk Yeol. An-su announces that media organizations will be subject to military control and bans all protests in the country. (Yna) (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. (ABC News) 

Lawmakers say they are being blocked from entering the National Assembly building in Seoul, South Korea. Korean soldiers surround the parliament building. (i) (Yonhap News) 

Protesters clash with police after attempting to storm parliament. (The Independent) 

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announces he will lift the martial law he declared hours earlier after staunch opposition from both the opposition and his own party. (Reuters) 

A court in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, upholds the death penalty for real estate tycoon Trương Mỹ Lan after she was found guilty of embezzling $12.5 billion through the Sai Gon Joint Stock Commercial Bank. (AP) 

Palestinian officials announced that Fatah and Hamas are close to reaching an agreement on appointing a technocratic committee to govern the Gaza strip after the Israel–Hamas war. (The Globe and Mail) 

Rebel forces capture Taybat al-Imam, Halfaya, Suran, and Maardis in Hama Governorate, Syria. (SOHR) 

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capture seven villages and the town of Khasham in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria, from pro-government forces. CJTF–OIR coalition aircraft launch airstrikes in support of the SDF offensive. (Rudaw) 

The Government of Canada officially designates the Yemen-based Houthi movement as a terrorist organization due to its attacks on civilian and military vessels. (Al Jazeera) 

At least 25 people were killed in Thailand and six more in Malaysia during floods in the past five days. (AP) 

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are investigating the deaths of 143 people from a flu-like disease in the Province of Kwango. (AP) 

Defying the presidential order to end all political activities, the National Assembly votes 190–0 to lift martial law. Korean soldiers that were guarding the parliament building withdraw. (The Guardian) 

Lawmakers say they are being blocked from entering the National Assembly building in Seoul, South Korea. Korean soldiers surround the parliament building. (i) (Yonhap News) 

Protesters clash with police after attempting to storm parliament. (The Independent) 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces that the United States will provide Ukraine with a $725 million weapons package. (Reuters) 

Monday,  December 2nd, 2024 

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says there will be “all Hell to pay” if all the hostages are not released prior to the start of his second term. (AP) 

Hamas says that 33 hostages have been killed in the 14 months since the war started. (The Times) 

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. (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. (The Hindu) 

Despite the ceasefire, Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire, with Talousa and Haris targeted in Lebanon; at least eleven people are killed. (Reuters)

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. (The Hill) 

An unidentified person sprays irritant gas inside a school in Berlin, Germany, injuring 44 children. Twenty-two are hospitalized, including one in critical conditions. (Blue News) 

Workers of the German metalworkers’ union IG Metall start a labor strike after failed negotiations with Volkswagen following the closure of three automotive manufacturing plants. (DW) 

Significant populations of Kurds in Syria are displaced from the northern Aleppo countryside, after factions of the Turkish-backed National Army take control of Kurdish-held territories. (SOHR) 

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. (AP) 

Between 56 and 100 people are killed in a crowd crush at a football match in Nzérékoré, Guinea. (BBC) 

Georgian police arrest opposition leader Zurab Japaridze, accusing his party of “coordinating violence” during the protests against Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. ((The Guardian) 

An unidentified person sprays irritant gas inside a school in Berlin, Germany, injuring 44 children. Twenty-two are hospitalized, including one in critical conditions. (Blue News) 

Three people are killed and eight others are injured after a mass shooting at a gathering in Gage Park, Chicago, Illinois, United States. (NBC News) 

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. (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. (France24) 

The End