Authorities in Japan continued an investigation Sunday after confirming that at least two people were killed and 26 were injured in a massive multi-vehicle crash on a snow-covered expressway, as millions began traveling for the year-end and New Year holidays.

Authorities say a third of Kyiv is without heating after a deadly Russian drone and missile barrage on the Ukrainian capital cut off power supplies, leaving hundreds of thousands of people facing freezing temperatures. The attack, which reportedly killed at least one person and wounded two dozen others, prompted nearby Poland to scramble fighter jets and close civilian airports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he plans to travel to the United States in the coming days for a key meeting with U.S. President Donald J. Trump, as Washington pushes for possible peace talks to end Russia’s nearly four-year-long war against Ukraine.

European monarchs used their televised Christmas speeches to call for compassion, unity, and responsibility in a year marked by war in Ukraine, deep divisions, and widespread anxiety over Europe’s future.

Bangladesh opposition leader Tarique Rahman has returned home after 17 years in exile, pledging safety, justice, and national unity if he becomes the troubled nation’s next leader following elections expected in February.

The Alpine principality of Liechtenstein, one of Europe’s smallest countries, spent Christmas in shock over what authorities described as the worst killings in recent history, amid suspicions of a triple murder followed by suicide.

An Eritrean man alleged to be a major people-smuggling figure has been extradited to the Netherlands by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), paving the way for a high-profile trial in a Dutch court amid renewed concerns about abuses against migrants, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Millions of Ukrainians spent Christmas without electricity after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure killed civilians and triggered widespread power outages, Ukrainian officials said.

Christmas Eve passed with little public observance across much of China this year as authorities under the Chinese Communist Party intensified restrictions on religious gatherings, public celebrations, and even seasonal decorations, according to pastors, Christians, and residents who spoke to The Epoch Times.

The United States carried out a targeted military strike against Islamic State terrorists in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day, acting in coordination with Nigerian authorities, U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a series of social media posts.

Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah said late Tuesday that the country has suffered a “great loss” after its military chief was confirmed among eight people killed in a private plane crash shortly after takeoff from Turkey’s capital, Ankara.

The Netherlands remained on edge Tuesday after a car drove into a crowd of people waiting to watch a Christmas parade in the eastern Dutch town of Nunspeet, injuring numerous people at a time when Europe has faced several threats against holiday events.

Officials say massive Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine have killed at least three people, including a four-year-old child, while cutting power to several regions just two days before Christmas, as the country faces bitter winter cold.

The United States has seized another crude oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking the second such operation in less than two weeks as President Donald Trump intensifies pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his government.

Ukraine’s military says it is attempting to halt a Russian incursion into a border village in the northeastern Sumy region, even as diplomatic efforts continue to seek an end to the nearly four-year war.