Concerns remained Thursday about the whereabouts of more than a dozen priests, seminarians, and a bishop who have been detained in recent days as part of a crackdown on the Catholic Church by the government of President Daniel Ortega.

Indonesia ushered in the New Year with five erupting volcanos, prompting authorities to evacuate thousands of people while warning climbers to stay away after a volcanic tragedy killed 23 people last month.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for bombings in Iran that killed nearly 100 people.

The United States and 11 international partners have called for an immediate end to attacks on ships by Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea and suggested the rebels may face military retaliation if they continue their strikes.

Iranian militias have attacked American bases in Syria and Iraq at least 118 times since October 17, including five times since the start of 2024, injuring scores from U.S. forces, Worthy News learned Wednesday.

Aftershocks shook parts of Japan on Wednesday as the death toll from a series of strong earthquakes rose to 62, authorities said, prompting Pope Francis to pray for the nation.

More than 100 people have been killed and scores injured by two bombs near the tomb of Iran’s General Qasem Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his assassination by the United States, Iranian officials said Wednesday.

Israel’s new foreign minister has warned of a “Third World War against Iran and radical Islam.”

Saudi Arabia officially became a full member of the BRICS, according to Saudi State TV on Tuesday.

Five people aboard a Japanese coastguard plane have died after their aircraft collided with a massive Japan Airlines passenger plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, authorities said.

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group will be returning home after being deployed to the eastern Mediterranean Sea after the war erupted in the Middle East, the US Navy says.

Japanese authorities told residents on New Year’s Day to evacuate from the west coast after deadly earthquakes prompted the nation’s meteorological agency to issue tsunami warnings for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata, and Toyama.

Ukraine was preparing for an unhappy New Year on Sunday after coming under massive Russian air strikes that killed scores of people. The attacks come as the president of Ukraine struggles to maintain the gigantic Western support needed to stand up against Russia’s military, which invaded his country in February 2022.

A tense calm returned Sunday to Serbia’s capital after thousands of people rallied there in the biggest protest yet against hardline President Aleksandar Vucic, who they accuse of orchestrating fraud in this month’s parliamentary and municipal elections.

Seeking to inflict more death and destruction ahead of the New Year, Russia launched a massive barrage of cruise missiles and drones Friday against Ukraine, killing more than a dozen people, authorities said.