December 31, 2018 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- A bomb explosion outside a busy shopping mall in the city of Cotabato, Philippines, kills 2 people and injures 34 others. (CNN)
- Manchester Victoria stabbing attack
- Three people are injured after being stabbed in an attack at Manchester Victoria station. The attacker shouted "Allah" during the attack. The attack is being treated as a terror-related incident, police have confirmed, and due to concerns over his mental health, the suspect is being held under the Mental Health Act. (BBC)
Disasters and accidents
- 2018 Pacific typhoon season
- At least 69 people are reported dead from flooding caused by Tropical Depression Usman in the Philippines. (Stuff.co.nz) (The Guardian)
- 2018 Magnitogorsk building collapse
- An explosion caused by a gas leak devastated a block of flats in Magnitogorsk, Russia, killing 14 people while 27 others are missing. (BBC)
International relations
- Russia's FSB state security agency says it has arrested a U.S. citizen "caught spying" in Moscow. According to former CIA officials the arrest was done as a retaliation for the arrest of alleged Russian spy Maria Butina. (BBC) (Daily Beast)
Politics and elections
- 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Joining several other Democrats in the race, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts announces the formation of a presidential exploratory committee for running in the 2020 presidential election. (CNN)