December 30, 2013 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Volgograd bombings:
- A bomb blast rips a trolleybus apart in Volgograd, Russia, killing at least 15 people in the second deadly attack in the southern city in less than 24 hours. (BBC)
- An attack on an army base in south Yemen by gunmen with rifles and antitank rockets killed at least five government soldiers and three militants. Four soldiers also went missing. Globalpost
- Syrian Civil War:
- The Lebanese army fires on Syrian warplanes after they violate its airspace for the first time in the conflict. (Lebanon Daily Star)
- The Congolese army regains control after multiple attacks by around 40 gunmen across the capital at the airport and state television headquarters. (Al Jazeera) (VOA)
- Eight people are killed by police in Xinjiang, western China, after an apparent terrorist attack. (Al Jazeera)
- Shots are fired at the German ambassador's residence in Athens, Greece; no casualties are reported. (Deutsche Welle)
- 10 people are killed in violence as Iraqi security forces dismantle an anti-government protest camp in the western city of Ramadi. (BBC)
Disasters and accidents
- Cyclone Christine makes landfall in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, causing evacuations in Port Hedland and winds over 170 km/h in Roebourne (ABC)
- A BNSF train carrying crude oil derails and catches fire near Casselton, North Dakota, USA, forcing the evacuation of the town. (CBC)
Law and crime
- Iranian tycoon Babak Zanjani is arrested. (The Daily Star)