A M 7.6 earthquake strikes the coast of Aomori Prefecture, Japan, causing some public services to be suspended.
Source:
CNBC 
December 8
Disasters and accidents
Four tourists are killed and one other is missing when a wave hits a seawater pool in Los Gigantes, Tenerife, Spain. The victims had previously ignored the warnings and the closure of the seawater pool.
Source:
AP
Arts and culture
Nominations for the Golden Globe Awards honoring productions in 2025 are released, with topping the film categories with 9 nominations, while tops the television categories with 6 nominations. This is also the first year the awards will have a Best Podcast category.
Source:
NPR
Armed conflicts and attacks
The Southern Transitional Council captures all eight southern governorates of Yemen, opening possibilities for it to claim independence. Saudi Arabia retires all of its troops from Aden.
Source:
The Guardian
A Thai soldier is killed and eight others are injured after Cambodia shells Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand.
Source:
Bangkok Post
Royal Thai Air Force F-16 jets carry out airstrikes on Cambodian military targets in Oddar Meanchey province and Preah Vihear, killing four Cambodian civilians and wounding ten more.
Source:
Al Jazeera
The Rapid Support Forces capture Heglig, Sudan's largest oilfield, after the Sudanese Armed Forces withdraw from the area.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Business and economy
China's trade surplus passes US$1 trillion for the first time despite significant pressure from United States tariffs.
Source:
NPR
Turkish low-cost airline Pegasus announces an agreement to acquire Czech Airlines and its subsidiary Smartwings, which is the largest Czech airline, for 154 million (US$180 million).
Source:
AP
December 7
Disasters and accidents
The death toll from the floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in Sri Lanka increases to 618.
Source:
Al Jazeera
The death toll from the floods in Indonesia increases to 908, while 410 people remain missing. In Thailand, at least 216 people are also confirmed killed.
Source:
Al Jazeera
A Fire and Rescue NSW firefighter is killed and dozens of homes are destroyed as bushfires spread across parts of New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia.
Source:
Reuters
Sports
In futsal, Brazil wins the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup after defeating Portugal 3–0 in the final held in Metro Manila, Philippines. Emilly is awarded the tournament's Golden Ball.
Source:
GMA News
In auto racing, McLaren's Lando Norris wins his first Formula One World Drivers' Championship after outscoring the defending champion, Red Bull's Max Verstappen, by two points at the end of the season's final race in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Source:
BBC
Politics and elections
Hong Kong citizens vote for the members of the Legislative Council.
Source:
Reuters
Armed conflicts and attacks
Elements of the Benin Armed Forces, led by Pascal Tigri, announce a coup d'état against president Patrice Talon and the creation of a military junta, the Military Committee for Refoundation, after seizing state television. The coup attempt is ultimately unsuccessful.
Source:
Al Jazeera
The Nigerian Air Force launches precision airstrikes against pro-coup forces in Cotonou in support of the Beninese government, killing several putschists.
Source:
Zagazola
ECOWAS announces the deployment of ground troops to Benin from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
Source:
Sahara Reporters
Law and crime
Nigerian authorities secure the release of 100 of the 315 students and staff abducted from a school in Niger State, while more than 160 others remain unaccounted for.
Source:
The Guardian
Brazilian police report that two armed individuals stole eight Henri Matisse engravings and five works by Candido Portinari from the Mário de Andrade Library in São Paulo after threatening a security guard and visitors.
Source:
AFP via France 24
December 6
Armed conflicts and attacks
Five civilians are killed and eight more are injured in a shootout between Pakistani soldiers and Afghan soldiers at the border.
Source:
AP
At least thirteen people are injured in a motorcycle bombing at a café near a police station in Balboa, Cauca Department, Colombia.
Source:
in Spanish
Two Palestinians are killed and a soldier is injured when Israel Defense Forces soldiers open fire on a car speeding toward troops in Hebron, West Bank.
Source:
The Times of Israel
International relations
Australia imposes economic sanctions and travel bans on four Afghan government officials over their involvement in human rights violations, particularly the Taliban's treatment of women.
Source:
Reuters
Business and economy
Disasters and accidents
At least 18 people are killed and two others are critically injured when a dinghy carrying migrants sinks off Crete, Greece.
Source:
Greek Reporter
At least five people are killed and four others are injured when a vehicle explodes outside of a police station in Coahuayana, Michoacán, Mexico.
Source:
CTV News
Law and crime
Twelve people are killed, including three children, and 13 others are injured in a mass shooting at an unlicensed bar in Saulsville, Gauteng, South Africa.
Source:
AP
Four protesters from Take Back Power are arrested after they threw custard on a display case containing the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London in England.
Source:
DW
Sports
Source:
USA Today
December 5
Law and crime
United States federal judge Rodney Smith orders the release of grand jury records from the 2006–2007 investigations into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, ruling that the recently enacted Epstein Files Transparency Act supersedes federal grand jury secrecy rules.
Source:
The Guardian
Philippine president Bongbong Marcos orders the interior department and the national police to pursue contractor Sarah Discaya and others accused of involvement in a ghost project in Davao Occidental.
Source:
Rappler
The European Union fines social media platform X 120 million (US$140 million) for breaching the Digital Services Act.
Source:
DW
Business and economy
Netflix, Inc. agrees to buy Warner Bros. Discovery for US$72 billion in one of the largest takeovers in entertainment industry history.
Source:
BBC News
Disasters and accidents
A car strikes pedestrians during Christmas festivity preparations in Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe, France, injuring 19 people, including seven children.
Source:
Le Monde
International relations
Canada removes Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham from its list of terrorist entities following a review of the Syrian transitional government.
Source:
Reuters
Armed conflicts and attacks
Fifty people are killed, including 33 children, after the Rapid Support Forces strike a kindergarten in South Kordofan, Sudan.
Source:
AP
Colombia and the Clan del Golfo agree in Doha, Qatar, that the group's combatants will begin assembling in three designated zones in Chocó and Córdoba starting March 1, with arrest and extradition orders suspended during the process. Colombia also designates additional municipalities for pilot peace programs as part of broader negotiations aimed at reducing violence.
Source:
Reuters
Politics and elections
The German Bundestag approves a government plan to expand military recruitment through mandatory questionnaires and medical screenings for young men while keeping conscription suspended.
Source:
Reuters