Global News

As Wednesday turned to Thursday, people around the world said goodbye to a sometimes challenging 2025 and expressed hopes for the New Year to come. Midnight arrived first on the islands closest to the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean, including Kiritimati (Christmas Island), Tonga and New Zealand. FIREWORKS LIGHT UP SYDNEY In Australia, Sydney began 2026 with a spectacular fireworks display, as per tradition. Some 40,000 pyrotechnic effects stretched 7 km (over 4 miles) across buildings and barges in its harbour and featured a waterfall effect from the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This year, it was held under an enhanced police presence, weeks after  gunmen  killed 15 people at a Jewish event in the city. Organizers held a minute’s silence at 11 p.m. local time for the victims of the attack, with the Harbour Bridge lit up in white and a menorah – a symbol of Judaism – projected onto its pylons. “After a tragic end to the year for our city, we hope that New Year’s E...

By Malick Rokhy BA AFP Guinea’s junta chief Mamady Doumbouya, who had pledged not to run for office after seizing power four years ago, has been elected president after securing a sweeping majority of the vote, according to initial results by the country’s election commission published on Tuesday. Doumbouya, 41, faced eight rivals for the presidency but the main opposition leaders were barred from running and had urged a boycott of the vote held over the weekend. In standing, the general reneged on his initial vow not to run for office and to hand the mineral-rich but poor west African nation back to civilian rule by the end of 2024. He secured 86.72 percent of the first-round vote, according to the General Directorate of Elections, well over the threshold that would trigger a runoff vote. Voter turnout stood at 80.95 percent, according to Djenabou Toure, head of the General Directorate of Elections. Doumbouya had placed well ahead in districts of the capital Conakry, often winni...

By Jim Watson with Danny Kemp in Washington AFP US President Donald Trump warned Iran of fresh strikes and said Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it fails to disarm in Gaza, as he presented a united front with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Speaking at a news conference with Netanyahu in Florida, Trump threatened to “eradicate” any attempt by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear program or ballistic missile arsenal following US and Israeli strikes earlier this year. Trump also downplayed reports of tensions with Netanyahu over the second stage of the fragile Gaza ceasefire, saying that Israel had “lived up” to its commitments and that the onus was on Palestinian militant group Hamas. “If they don’t disarm as they agreed to do, then there will be hell to pay for them,” Trump told reporters at his lavish Mar-a-Lago resort. “They have to disarm in a fairly short period of time.” Hamas’s armed wing reiterated earlier on Monday that it would not surrender its weapons. A...

By Sheikh Sabiha ALAM and Mohammad MAZED AFP Bangladesh’s former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who many believed would sweep elections next year to lead her country once again, died on Tuesday aged 80, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party said. “The BNP Chairperson and former prime minister, the national leader Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6:00 am (0000 GMT), just after the Fajr (dawn) prayer,” the party said in a statement. “We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul,” it added. Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in elections set for February 2026 — the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina last year. The BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner. But in late November she was rushed to hospital, where, despite the best efforts of medics, her condition declined from a raft of health issues. Nevertheless, hours before her death, party worke...

By Jim WATSON, with Shaun TANDON in Washington and Stanislav DOSHCHITSYN in Kyiv AFP US President Donald Trump said Sunday that a deal was closer than ever to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but reported no apparent breakthrough on the flashpoint issue of territory after new talks with the warring countries’ leaders. Trump, who had promised a peace deal on day one of his nearly year-old presidency, said it would become clear within weeks whether it was possible to solve the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. In a pre-New Year’s diplomatic sprint, Trump brought to his Florida estate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who described a peace plan as 95 percent complete despite Russia unleashing major new attacks a day before on Kyiv’s residential areas. Much like when Zelensky last met Trump in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin also spoke shortly beforehand by telephone with the US leader, who immediately insisted that Moscow was “serious” about peace d...

By Peter CATTERALL with Joy CHIANG in Taipei AFP China announced “major” military exercises around Taiwan on Monday, saying it would conduct live-fire drills the following day across five zones in waters and airspace near the island. Beijing claims self-governed Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory and has refused to rule out using military action to seize the island democracy. The latest show of force follows a bumper round of arms sales to Taipei by the United States, Taiwan’s main security backer. From Monday, China will send army, navy, air force and rocket force troops to conduct “major military drills” code-named “Justice Mission 2025”, said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command. The activities will focus on “sea-air combat readiness patrol, joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, blockade on key ports and areas, as well as all-dimensional deterrence outside the island chain”, Shi said. A separate statement with...

By Haitham El-Tabei AFP The Saudi-led coalition warned Saturday it would back Yemen’s government in any military confrontation with separatist forces, as Riyadh urged them to withdraw “peacefully” from recently-seized provinces. The statements came a day after reported Saudi air strikes on separatist positions in Yemen’s Hadramawt province — and after Washington called for restraint in the rapidly escalating conflict. General Turki al-Malki, the spokesman for the coalition, warned of intervention if efforts to de-escalate the situation failed because of the separatists’ actions. “The coalition forces affirm that any military movements undermining these efforts will be dealt with directly and immediately to protect civilian lives,” he said, according to the Saudi news agency SPA. He emphasised the coalition’s support for the internationally-recognised Yemeni government and called on all parties to “bear national responsibility, exercise restraint, and respond to efforts for peacefu...

By Susan NJANJI and Tonye BAKARE, with Nicholas ROLL in Abuja and Aminu ABUBAKAR in Kano AFP Nigeria on Friday signalled that more strikes against jihadist groups were expected after a Christmas Day attack by US forces that President Donald Trump said “decimated” Islamic State-linked camps they targeted in the northwest of the country. Nigeria insisted it was a joint operation, saying that it provided intelligence for Thursday’s attack. The US military said the strikes killed multiple IS fighters. A Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the strikes “were approved by the government of Nigeria,” without saying whether Nigeria’s military had been involved. Trump said in an interview published Friday that the strikes had been scheduled earlier than Thursday, “And I said, ‘nope, let’s give a Christmas present.’ “They didn’t think that was coming, but we hit them hard. Every camp got decimated,” he told Politico. Nigeria, located in west Africa, faces int...

By Joan Suazo AFP Nasry Asfura, a conservative businessman backed by US President Donald Trump, was declared winner of the Honduran presidential vote Wednesday, weeks after a razor-thin election marred by delays and allegations of fraud. The national electoral council CNE said the 67-year-old son of Palestinian immigrants defeated fellow conservative TV personality Salvador Nasralla by less than one percentage point Asfura’s victory marks the return of the right wing to power in one of Latin America’s poorest countries after four years of leftist Xiomara Castro’s presidency. It also aligns Honduras with a rise of conservative governments in the region following shifts in Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina. “Honduras: I’m ready to govern. I won’t let you down,” Asfura posted to X after the win was declared, thanking election officials for validating his victory. Asfura, who takes office on January 27, prevailed with just 40.1 percent of the vote, narrowly beating Nasralla at 39.5 ...

By REGINA GARCIA CANO AP Venezuela’s parliament on Tuesday approved a measure that criminalizes a broad range of activities that can hinder navigation and commerce in the South American country, such as the seizure of oil tankers. The bill — introduced, debated and approved within two days in the National Assembly — follows this month’s seizures by U.S. forces of two tankers carrying Venezuelan oil in international waters. The seizures are the latest strategy in U.S. President Donald Trump’s four-month pressure campaign on Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro. The tankers are part of what the Trump administration has said is a fleet Venezuela uses to evade U.S. economic sanctions. The unicameral assembly, which is controlled by Venezuela’s ruling party, did not publish drafts on Tuesday nor the final version of the measure. But as read on the floor, the bill calls for fines and prison sentences of up to 20 years for anyone who promotes, requests, supports, finances ...

The Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces on Monday ordered their fighters to cease fire following deadly clashes that came as Turkey’s top diplomat urged the Kurds to integrate into the Syrian army. At least three people were killed in the clashes, which came ahead of a deadline for implementing a March 10 agreement between Damascus and the Kurds to integrate the SDF — which controls vast swathes of Syria’s oil-rich northeast — into the state. State news agency SANA cited the defence ministry as saying that the Syrian army’s general staff had issued “an order to stop targeting the sources of fire”. The US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) meanwhile said they had “issued directives to our forces to cease responding to attacks”. The two sides had earlier traded blame over who started the clashes. State news agency SANA said on Monday that “two civilians were killed and eight others were wounded in SDF shelling on districts of Aleppo”, a city that has witnessed he...

New fighting has broken out along the Thailand-Cambodia border as foreign ministers from Southeast Asian nations met in Malaysia to find a resolution to the deadly conflict between the two neighbours. The clashes early on Monday threatened to undermine diplomatic efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to revive a ceasefire deal that was first brokered in July by Malaysia and United States President Donald Trump. Southeast Asian foreign ministers gathered Monday in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur for a special meeting to discuss an ongoing border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia that escalated into  deadly combat  two weeks ago. The meeting marked the second time this year that the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, served as a platform to promote de-escalation between its two member states. The new fighting derailed a ceasefire promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump, The agreement was brokered by Mala...

Lebanon is close to completing the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Saturday, as the country races to fulfil a key demand of its ceasefire with Israel before a year-end deadline. The U.S.-backed ceasefire, agreed in November 2024, ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and required the disarmament of the Iran-aligned militant group, starting in areas south of the river adjacent to Israel. Lebanese authorities, led by President Joseph Aoun and Salam,  tasked  the U.S.-backed Lebanese army on August 5 with devising a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms by the end of the year. “Prime Minister Salam affirmed that the first phase of the weapons consolidation plan related to the area south of the Litani River is only days away from completion,” a statement from his office said. “The state is ready to move on to the second phase – namely (confiscating weapons) north of the Litani River – based o...

By Mike Heuer UPI The Justice Department on Friday released records from the Jeffrey Epstein case in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed into law last month by President Donald Trump. The DOJ has made the files  publicly available online  on the Justice Department website’s section on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but the names of victims and other identifying information have been redacted. Congress overwhelmingly approved the legislation and it was signed by Trump on Nov. 19 with a 30-day deadline to release files. “By releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, and President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, the Trump Administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement shared with  NBC News . Friday’s files release gives the public access to hund...

By RUTH ALONGA and WILSON MCMAKIN — Associated Press Rwanda-backed M23 rebels claimed to have begun a withdrawal from the city of Uvira in eastern Congo late Wednesday night, according the leader of the rebel group and local authorities. Bertrand Bisimwa, leader of the M23, spoke to The Associated Press via telephone and said the withdrawal would be complete by Thursday morning. Bwija also claimed that pro-government militias know as Wazelendo have begun to approach the city but the AP was unable to confirm this. When asked who would take control of the city following his forces withdrawal, Bisimwa said the responsibility fell to the mediators and that M23 had “requested a neutral force, and we believe that those who asked us to withdraw will be able to deploy them very quickly.” A spokesperson for the governor of South Kivu said he was unable to confirm the withdrawal late Wednesday night. The U.S. last week accused Rwanda of violating the agreement by backing the new rebel adva...

Russia has deployed up to 350-360 thousand combat-ready troops on the territory of Belarus, who are not involved in the war against Ukraine. This was stated by Roderich Kiesewetter, a foreign policy expert for the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and a member of the Bundestag, ntv  reports  . According to the German politician, Russian President Vladimir Putin is training hundreds of thousands of soldiers who are stationed in Belarus, a country bordering NATO states. Kiesewetter stressed that Russia maintains two army corps there. He stated that the years 2026 and 2027 could be particularly threatening for the security of the Alliance, primarily for the Baltic countries. Kiesewetter warned against illusions about the Kremlin’s intentions and urged not to count on negotiations or diplomatic contacts to change Putin’s strategy. According to him, Russia is not waging a war in Ukraine very successfully from a military point of view, but thanks to the transfer of the...

A flight operated by Greece’s Aegean Airlines touched down in Baghdad on Tuesday, the first European passenger plane to land in the Iraqi capital in 35 years. The milestone marks Iraq’s return “as a safe and reliable aviation hub after years of challenges”, the Transport Ministry said. The government plans to further “develop the civil aviation sector, enhance openness to the world, and position Iraqi airspace as a bridge for global connectivity,” the statement added. Aegean Airlines plans to initially operate two flights per week between Athens and Baghdad. The number of connections could increase depending on demand. Oman Air also intends to offer flights from Baghdad to destinations in Europe in the future. Following the invasion of neighbouring Kuwait in 1990, the UN Security Council imposed an economic embargo and comprehensive sanctions against Iraq. This led to a near-complete halt of international flights to the country. With the overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein in ...

 The Rwanda-backed M23 group has captured hundreds of Burundian soldiers during its latest offensive in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a rebel official said, as clashes continued despite a warning from the Trump administration. Last week M23 entered the strategic town of  Uvira  near the border with Burundi, less than a week after the presidents of Congo and Rwanda met in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump and affirmed their commitment to a peace deal known as the Washington Accords. U.S. Secretary of State  Marco Rubio  said on Saturday that Rwanda’s actions in eastern Congo violated the Washington Accords and vowed to “take action to ensure promises made to the President are kept”. Rwanda denies supporting M23 and has blamed Congolese and Burundian forces for the renewed fighting. A United Nations group of experts report published in July said Rwanda exercised command and control over the rebels. “We have several hundred Burundian soldiers ...

By Byron Kaye Reuters After Australia’s worst mass shooting in 1996, it took the government 12 days to ban semi-automatic weapons, organise a gun buyback scheme and introduce a licensing system to weed out people considered unfit to carry a weapon. Sunday’s shooting at a Jewish celebration in Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which left 15 people dead as well as one of the two gunmen, raised questions about whether Australia’s gun laws, already among the toughest in the world, remain fit for purpose. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would ask Cabinet to consider limits on the number of weapons permitted by a gun licence, and how long a licence should last. “People’s circumstances can change,” he told reporters on Monday as police investigated what they called the terrorist attack on Sydney’s waterfront. “People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity.” Australia’s gun ownership system has been widely credited with one of the lowest per capita gun...

Two suspected shooters opened fire at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 12 people and wounding multiple others in an attack that spread panic, with bodies reported lying on the ground. An annual “Chanukah by the Sea” gathering marking the Jewish festival of Hanukkah was planned at the beach Sunday afternoon, but officials have not commented on a possible antisemitic link. In addition to the dead, 11 wounded were rushed to various hospitals at one of the biggest tourist draws in Australia’s largest city, said New South Wales police. One of the alleged shooters was killed, and the second was in a critical condition, said authorities, who have not provided details on a possible motive for the violence. Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned it, however, as a “cruel attack on Jews” and urged the Australian authorities to step up the fight against antisemitism. Crowds fled in fear from the beach in eastern Sydney, which draws huge numbers of surfers, swimmers and tourist...

Cambodia said Saturday that Thailand continued dropping bombs on its territory hours after US President Donald Trump said the neighbours had agreed to stop fighting. The latest clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which stem from a long-running dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier, have displaced around half a million on both sides. “On December 13, 2025, the Thai military used two F-16 fighter jets to drop seven bombs” on a number of targets, the Cambodian defense ministry said in an X post. “Thai military aircraft have not stopped bombing yet,” it said. It came after US President Donald Trump said Friday that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to halt fighting along their disputed border, which has killed at least 20 people this week. “I had a very good conversation this morning with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, and the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Manet, concerning the very unfortunate reawakeni...

By Lorne Cook, AP The European Union on Friday indefinitely froze Russia’s assets in Europe to ensure that Hungary and Slovakia, both with Moscow-friendly governments, cannot prevent the billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine. Using a special procedure meant for economic emergencies, the EU blocked the assets until Russia gives up its war on Ukraine and compensates its neighbour for the heavy damage that it has inflicted for almost four years. EU Council President Antonio Costa said European leaders had committed in October “to keep Russian assets immobilised until Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates for the damage caused”. He said: “Today we delivered on that commitment.” It is a key step that will allow EU leaders at a summit next week to work out how to use the tens of billions of euros in Russian Central Bank assets to underwrite a huge loan to help Ukraine meet its financial and military needs over the next two years. “Next step: s...

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov resigned on Thursday after tens of thousands of Bulgarians joined protests across the country the night before, demanding that the government step down over allegations of widespread corruption. “We hear the voice of the citizens, we must rise to the demands. Both the young and the old raised their voices in favour of the resignation. This civic position must be encouraged,” Zhelyazkov said, announcing his cabinet’s resignation at an extraordinary session in the National Assembly. “However, a challenge lies ahead, the protests must convey what the profile of the government should be from this moment on,” he added. “Citizens must demand this from the leaders of the protest, this is a call for a government that builds on the achievements of the previous ones, but through a good transition.” On Wednesday in Sofia, protesters gathered on a central square near the parliament, government and presidency buildings. Protesters used lasers to project the word...

More than 400 civilians have been killed as the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group continues its offensive in Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, regional officials have said, adding that Rwandan special forces were in the strategic city of Uvira. M23’s latest offensive comes despite a US-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the presidents of Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda in Washington. The accord did not include the rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Democratic Republic of the Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. However, it obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups and work to end hostilities. “More than 413 civilians (have been) killed by bullets, grenades, and bombs, including many women, children, and young people” in localities between Uvira and Bukavu, the regional capital, the South Kivu government spokesperson said on Wednesday. “According to the inform...

BY RUTH ALONGA, JUSTIN KABUMBA and WILSON MCMAKIN AP Rwandan-backed rebels pushed into the outskirts of the strategic city of Uvira in eastern Congo on Tuesday, local authorities said, as part of a new offensive that the U.N. says has displaced more than 200,000 residents in recent days. The latest offensive by the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group comes despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington. The accord did not include the rebels, who are negotiating separately with the Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating, but it obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups and work to end hostilities. Marafiki Masimango, a representative of Uvira civil society, said rebels were pushing south into the South Kivu province city late Tuesday and that some of government soldiers protecting the city had fled. He said residents were panicked and ...

By Claire Doyen, AFP A just-signed agreement aimed at ending the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo looked to be unravelling Monday with the DRC and Burundi slamming neighbouring Rwanda after the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group attacked border areas. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of “violating” the accord — signed only last Thursday in Washington at the urging of US President Donald Trump — as the M23 made a rapid advance to threaten the city of Uvira near the border with Burundi. Local and military sources said hundreds of fleeing Congolese and allied Burundian soldiers have sought refuge inside Burundi as a result. “Despite our good faith and the recently ratified agreement, it is clear that Rwanda is already violating its commitments,” Tshisekedi told lawmakers, referring to attacks by Rwandan forces in several locations in South Kivu province in recent days. “On the very day after the signing, units of the Rwandan Defence Force carried out and supported...

Thailand launched air strikes on its neighbour Cambodia on Monday, the Thai army said, with both sides trading blame for the latest eruption of fighting on their disputed border which killed a Thai soldier. After Cambodian troops fired on Thai forces early Monday morning in Ubon Ratchathani province, “the Army received reports that Thai soldiers were attacked with supporting fire weapons, resulting in one soldier killed and four wounded”, Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said in a statement. Winthai also said Thailand had begun “using aircraft to strike military targets in several areas” to suppress attacks by Cambodian forces. Cambodia’s defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said Thai forces launched an attack on Cambodian troops in the border provinces of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey early Monday morning, accusing Thailand of “firing multiple shots with tanks at Tamone Thom temple” and other areas near Preah Vihear temple. She said Cambodia did not retaliate. Met Meas...