Armed conflicts and attacks

• Afghanistan conflict
  • Islamic State–Taliban conflict
    • 2023 Kabul airport bombing
      • Several people are killed by an Islamic State bombing at a checkpoint outside the military airport in Kabul. (Al Jazeera)
• Syrian civil war
  • Israel's role in the Syrian civil war
    • Two soldiers are killed during a series of Israeli airstrikes at Damascus International Airport. (Al Jazeera)
• Kashmir conflict
  • 2023 Rajouri attacks
    • Four civilians are killed and six others injured when two gunmen open fire against Hindu people's homes in Rajouri district, Jammu and Kashmir. (India Today)
• Mexican drug war
  • 2023 Ciudad Juárez prison attack
    • 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)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • 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)

Business and economy

• 2021–2023 inflation surge
  • Canadian property bubble
    • 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)

Disasters and accidents

• At least nine people are killed and many others are injured during a stampede at a concert in Kampala, Uganda. (Al Jazeera)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
    • 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) (Sydney Morning Herald)
• Climate change in the United Kingdom
  • The British arm of climate protest group Extinction Rebellion announces it will "temporarily" shift away from using public disruption as a primary tactic. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Three officers with the New York City Police Department are wounded in a machete attack during New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square. The suspect, a 19-year-old male from Maine, is also wounded and has been arrested, with jihadist motives being suspected. (NBC News)

Politics and elections

• Enlargement of the eurozone
  • Croatia and the euro
    • 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)
• Third inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
  • Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is sworn in as President of Brazil for the third time in his political career. (Télam)

Science and technology

• 2023 Philippine airspace closure
  • 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)