World News

World leaders rang in the New Year with sharply contrasting messages, as speeches reflected a world divided by war, shaken by tragedy, while still searching for hope and unity.

Iran was gripped by a fourth consecutive day of nationwide unrest on Wednesday as protesters clashed with security forces, torched buildings, and openly chanted “Death to the Dictator,” signaling an escalation from economic anger to direct defiance of the Islamic Republic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia “believes in victory” in Ukraine during a New Year’s Eve address, calling on Russians to support troops nearly four years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion.

European leaders held an emergency call Tuesday after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would “revise” Russia’s negotiating position on ending the war in Ukraine following an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on his residence in Russia’s Novgorod region.

The historic Dutch fishing town of Volendam is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the nation’s deadliest café fire, a tragedy that killed 14 young people and injured more than 200 others, many with severe burns.

Journalists imprisoned across Russia, and other former Soviet states may have been encouraged by the faith of a Catholic reporter in Belarus who has appealed to the Vatican for help while marking years behind bars.

Concerns are mounting over the fate of a young journalist with the U.S.-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) as she marks a second year in Russian detention, preparing to spend another New Year behind bars.

Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes on the southern Yemeni port city of Mukalla on Dec. 30, saying the operation targeted weapons and military vehicles allegedly shipped from the United Arab Emirates to support separatist forces. Riyadh warned that its national security was a “red line” and demanded Emirati forces leave Yemen within 24 hours.

New details are emerging surrounding the U.S. strike on a suspected drug loading site in Venezuela, with multiple reports claiming a CIA drone carried it out.

China fired rockets and conducted its largest live-fire military drills to date around Taiwan, sharply escalating tensions as Beijing demonstrated its ability to encircle the island, according to Chinese and regional defense officials.

Denmark’s state-owned postal operator PostNord will deliver its final paper letters on December 30, ending more than 400 years of traditional mail delivery in Denmark, the company said, citing a steep collapse in letter volumes driven by digitalization.

Turkish police detained 357 suspects in a nationwide operation targeting the Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIS, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Tuesday, a day after three police officers and six militants were killed in a gun battle in northwest Turkey.

Chants of “death to the dictator” rang out across Tehran as thousands of merchants, students, and residents joined expanding protests sparked by Iran’s deepening economic collapse. Security forces responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as large sections of the capital, including parts of the Grand Bazaar, were shuttered in protest.

At least four people were killed and around 60 others injured on Sunday as protests by members of Syria’s Alawite minority turned violent along the country’s Mediterranean coast, after a deadly bombing at a mosque earlier in the week, officials said.

The president of the United States says negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine are nearing completion, although unresolved territorial disputes remain. Donald J. Trump’s comments followed lengthy talks between the U.S. leader and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida.