Firefighters and police rushed to a major blaze at one of Amsterdam’s most famous churches, the Vondelkerk (Vondel Church), less than an hour after the New Year began in the Netherlands. It came in a night when two people died, and numerous others were injured in firework accidents, officials said.

Violence between protesters and security forces intensified across Iran on Thursday, leaving at least five people dead as nationwide demonstrations entered a fifth consecutive day, according to Iranian state-linked media and human rights groups.

The U.S. military conducted five more strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean in the last days of 2025.

Swiss police say “several dozen” people were killed and about 115 injured, many critically, after a devastating fire tore through a crowded bar in the Alpine resort town of Crans-Montana during New Year celebrations. Authorities have ruled out terrorism.

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.