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World Monthly Headline News Page 1
By JAMEY KEATEN, STEFANIE DAZIO and JOHN LEICESTER

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — About 40 people were killed and another 115 injured, most of them seriously, after a fire ripped through a bar’s New Year celebration in a Swiss Alpine resort less than two hours after midnight Thursday, police said.

Authorities did not immediately have an exact count of the deceased.

The Crans-Montana resort is best known as an international ski and golf venue, and overnight, its crowded Le Constellation bar morphed from a scene of revelry into the site of one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies. The country will hold five days of mourning.

Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said during a news conference that work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families, adding that the community is “devastated.”

Thirteen of the wounded were Italian citizens, and another six Italians are unaccounted for, Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, told state-run RAI television.

Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Canton attorney general, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage.

“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.
By Elwely Elwelly

DUBAI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Several people were killed during unrest in Iran, Iranian media and rights groups said on Thursday, as the biggest protests to hit the Islamic Republic for three years over worsening economic conditions sparked violence in several provinces.
The semi-official Fars news agency reported that three protesters were killed and 17 were injured during an attack on a police station in Iran's western province of Lorestan.

"The rioters entered the police headquarters around 1800 (local time) on Thursday ... they clashed with police forces and set fire to several police cars," Fars reported.
Earlier, Fars and rights group Hengaw reported deaths in Lordegan city in the country's Charmahal and Bakhtiari province. Authorities confirmed one death in the western city of Kuhdasht, and Hengaw reported another death in the central province of Isfahan.

The clashes between protesters and security forces mark a significant escalation in the unrest that has spread across the country since shopkeepers began protesting on Sunday over the government's handling of a sharp currency slide and rapidly rising prices.
It comes amid new restrictions on H1-B visas that took effect Monday.
By Luke Barr

Individuals from seven countries will not be able to travel to the United States starting Thursday, according to updated CBP guidance obtained by ABC News.

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed executive orders limiting travel from Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Syria -- with those restrictions now going into effect Jan. 1.

This applies to both immigrants and nonimmigrants, according to the CBO document dated Dec. 29.

The White House says the restrictions are for national security and public safety reasons, while immigrant advocates say the ban targets African and Muslim countries.

The travel ban continues restrictions on those from Afghanistan; Burma (Myanmar); Chad; Republic of the Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Haiti; Iran; Libya; Somalia; Sudan; Yemen from entering into the United States.

There are also partial travel restrictions on people from Venezuela and Cuba, according to the document.

It comes amid new restrictions on H1-B visas taking effect earlier this week.

The H-1B visa program allows employers to hire noncitizens that have a specialized skill or trade and was previously done somewhat randomly.
Mali and Burkina Faso are the latest to issue ‘tit-for-tat’ bans on visas for US citizens with immediate effect.
By Shola Lawal

Mali and Burkina Faso have announced they are imposing full visa bans on United States citizens in retaliation for US President Donald Trump’s ban on US visas for their citizens this month.

The two West African countries, which are both governed by the military, on Tuesday became the latest African nations to issue “tit-for-tat” visa bans on the US. These follow Trump’s new visa restrictions, which now apply to 39 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. The White House said they were imposed on “national security” grounds.

“In accordance with the principle of reciprocity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation informs the national and international community that, with immediate effect, the Government of the Republic of Mali will apply the same conditions and requirements to US nationals as those imposed on Malian citizens,” the Malian ministry said in a statement.

Burkina Faso’s foreign minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore, in a separate statement similarly cited a reciprocity rule for his country’s visa ban.
Which countries have issued bans on visas for US citizens?

The US directive issued on December 16 expanded full US visa bans to citizens of five nations other than Mali and Burkina Faso: Laos, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Syria.

Travellers holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority were also banned from entering the US under the order.

The US cited the countries’ poor screening and vetting capabilities, information-sharing policies, visa overstay rates and refusal to take back their deported nationals for the ban.
Col. Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power more than four years ago, took over 80 percent of the vote, according to a government-controlled agency that he set up.
By Saikou Jammeh

The leader of a coup in the West African nation of Guinea won a landslide victory in a presidential election meant to legitimize his rule, according to results on Wednesday. The vote took place more than four years after he seized power and tightened his grip on the country.

The winner, Col. Mamady Doumbouya, who barred his main challengers from taking part in the race, secured more than 80 percent of the vote in the election, which took place on Sunday, according to provisional results from a government-controlled agency he set up to oversee the election.

The election took place after Colonel Doumbouya dissolved the independent body responsible for conducting the election and prevented key opponents from running against him.

At least three opposition figures have publicly conceded defeat, but Abdoulaye Yéro Baldé, who was seen as the strongest among eight candidates allowed to run, said on Wednesday that he was mobilizing a legal team to challenge the results in court. He accused the Doumbouya government of fraud and intimidating voters.

“The margin is really huge,” said Mr. Baldé, who placed second with only 6 percent of the votes, compared to Colonel Doumbouya’s 86 percent share. “It’s not the reality. It’s impossible.”
DAVID McHugh

On New Year's Day, Bulgaria will achieve its decades-old goal of joining the euro currency union and deepening ties with the more prosperous countries of Western Europe.

Membership is expected to promote cross-border trade and investment, and the Bulgarian government pressed for years to get in. Yet polls show the changeover is taking place against a background of widespread skepticism among ordinary people.

Here are things to know as Bulgaria and its 6.4 million people become the 21st member of the European Union's shared currency:

The big switch on New Year’s Day

In the run-up to the big switch, price tags and bank accounts have had to show both currencies, at the fixed rate of 51 euro cents to the outgoing currency, the lev.

Bank accounts will automatically be converted.

People will still be able to pay in levs for about a month, but they will start getting their change in euros. Old notes and coins are expected to be out of the economy in a matter of weeks.

Until June 30, old money can be exchanged for no fee at banks, post offices and the Bulgarian Central Bank, and indefinitely at the central bank.
Story by Jesus Mesa

The Trump administration on Thursday warned China to halt military pressure on Taiwan, saying Beijing’s actions and rhetoric are raising tensions unnecessarily in the region. The State Department urged China in a New Year’s Day statement to “exercise restraint, cease its military pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue.

“China’s military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others in the region increase tensions unnecessarily. We urge Beijing to exercise restraint, cease its military pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue,” said State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott on Thursday. “The United States supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including by force or coercion,” he added.

Why It Matters
The drills reflect Beijing’s increasingly assertive military posture toward Taiwan. China claims the island as its territory, despite the Chinese Communist Party never having ruled it. After losing the civil war, the Chinese Nationalist government fled to Taiwan, which now operates as a sovereign state with its own elected government, diplomatic relations, and military.

What To Know
The administration’s statement came after approving an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, one of the largest in recent years. The deal includes missile systems, naval platforms, and radar upgrades intended to bolster the island’s defenses.

Beijing responded with its sixth round of large-scale military drills since 2022, simulating a blockade of Taiwan’s key ports under the codename “Justice Mission 2025.” China deployed fighter jets, naval ships, and coast guard vessels around the island and fired 27 rockets from its eastern coast. Taiwanese military officials said some landed closer to the main island than ever before.
Story by tcarter@businessinsider.com (Tom Carter)

Elon Musk once laughed at the prospect of Chinese EV maker BYD becoming a serious rival to Tesla. He's not laughing anymore.

The Shenzhen-based automaker has surpassed Tesla to become the world's largest seller of battery electric vehicles, capping a meteoric rise that has left Musk's company fighting to preserve its EV dominance.

BYD reported on Thursday that it sold 2.25 million battery-powered EVs in 2025, a nearly 28% rise from the year before. By contrast, Tesla reported annual sales of 1.64 million on Friday, an 8.5% fall.

It's not the first time BYD has outdone Tesla. When including plug-in hybrid vehicles alongside solely battery-powered EVs, BYD surpassed Tesla's sales for 2024. In total, BYD shipped 4.6 million vehicles last year. Tesla does not sell hybrids.
Story by Steve Goldstein

The swift and successful U.S. operation to capture Venezuela president Nicolas Maduro is likely to pressure oil and could unleash a reaction in other financial markets on Monday.

President Donald Trump announced the capture of Maduro, and according to U.S. Senator Mike Lee citing Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Venezuelan leader will be put on trial.

While the U.S. operation against Venezuela did not come entirely out of the blue, the timing may have caught many by surprise. On the prediction market Kalshi, for instance, the market for Maduro leaving office before February was trading around 13 cents on the dollar.

The immediate focus of markets will be on oil which already has lost 22% over the last 52 weeks.
Nick Paton Walsh

Expressions of unbridled power don’t come blunter than abducting a sitting president from his capital in the dead of night.

President Donald Trump has shown in a 74-word social media post that he can act decisively, suddenly and perhaps recklessly, in pursuit of his varied and varying foreign policy goals, with little regard for precedent, consequence or it seems, international law.

The operation to take Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their heavily guarded location in Caracas to – presumably – face the American court system, does follow a predictable albeit extreme pattern for what the US calls a fugitive, with a $50 million bounty on his head.

But there is a grave exception here: Maduro is a head of state, whose nation is prey to various ongoing US political objectives. Whatever the indictments say, this will always feel political.

Successive White Houses have wanted to remove Venezuela’s left-leaning, yet autocratic and at times violent, regime – whether for fighting drug trafficking, or for their oil, or for regional alignment.

The second Trump term promoted an end to Maduro’s role as kingpin of a vast regional narco-trafficking network as key to its rationale. But they ran into a paradox when suggesting Maduro just leave power: He could not be both the kingpin and a man who could walk out on his role at the drop of a hat.

The evidence that Maduro was top of the regional tree was also not as substantial as the White House would have hoped. Yes, Venezuela undoubtedly permitted drug trafficking from its airspace and shores, with the top, global cocaine producer Colombia just over the border. But Mexico and Colombia’s cartels were bigger players – yet seemed to attract less US military focus.
Story by Tom Peterson

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared Iran is engaged in "full-scale war" with the United States, Israel, and Europe following President Trump's explicit warnings of additional military strikes.

The statement came after Trump's December 29 meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, where he threatened to "knock the hell" out of Iran if it rebuilds nuclear or missile capabilities.​

June Conflict Transformed Regional Dynamics
The current crisis stems from the devastating 12-day Israel-Iran war in June 2025, when Israeli and American forces struck over 100 targets across Iran.

The conflict killed between 1,060 and 1,190 Iranians, including senior military commanders and nuclear scientists, while destroying critical infrastructure and setting back Iran's nuclear program by 18-24 months according to Pentagon assessments.​

Tehran Promises "Decisive Response"
President Pezeshkian warned that Iran's response to any new aggression would be "harsh and discouraging," claiming Iranian military forces are now "stronger in terms of equipment and manpower" than before June.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi invoked Iran's right to self-defense under international law, threatening "decisive, overwhelming, and proportionate force" against further attacks.​​
Story by Regtechtimes

Between 2013 and 2016, Venezuela, under President Nicolás Maduro, shipped a total of 113 metric tons of gold to Switzerland. Customs data reviewed by Reuters shows the value of this gold reached approximately $5.2 billion, or 4.14 billion Swiss francs. These transfers came directly from the Central Bank of Venezuela, which manages the country’s official gold reserves.

The shipments began in 2013, the year Maduro assumed office. At that time, Venezuela was experiencing deep economic challenges. Oil revenues were falling, inflation was rapidly increasing, and access to foreign currency was severely limited. To address these challenges, the government relied heavily on its gold reserves, selling them to raise funds and support the economy.

Gold reserves are often a country’s financial safety net. They can be converted into cash quickly when other revenue sources are unavailable or insufficient. During these years, Venezuela’s central bank sold large quantities of gold to meet urgent financial needs and raise hard currency. Customs records indicate that shipments to Switzerland continued steadily until 2016, after which no gold exports were recorded.
Turkey has issued a stark warning to the United States as fears mount over a potential military strike on Iran. Ankara says any foreign intervention would ignite regional chaos and destabilize the entire Middle East. Turkish officials insist Iran’s internal crisis must be resolved through national will, not outside force, while warning that Israel-provoked actions could spiral into a wider conflict.The warning comes as President Donald Trump signals readiness for decisive action against Iran’s leadership and announces sweeping 25 percent tariffs on countries doing business with Tehran.
Story by Ally Webb

President Donald Trump's January 8, 2026, Fox News declaration—"We're going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels"—sent shockwaves through Mexico, signaling a dramatic escalation that could mark the first US ground military operations on allied Mexican soil since the 1916 Pancho Villa Expedition. The threat came mere hours after US Delta Force operators captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, demonstrating Washington's willingness to conduct deep-strike operations in Latin America.

From Sea to Land: Trump's Expanding War
Operation Southern Spear, initiated in September 2025, has conducted over 35 maritime strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, eliminating more than 115 suspected traffickers according to US Southern Command. Trump has claimed—without independent verification—that nearly 97% of sea-borne drugs have been intercepted, though fact-checkers dispute this figure. Now, with Trump publicly threatening land operations, the focus could shift to cartel strongholds in Sinaloa, Jalisco, and border states where fentanyl production fuels over 100,000 annual US overdose deaths.

The White House justifies potential military action under Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designations for six Mexican cartels, established February 20, 2025: Sinaloa, Jalisco New Generation (CJNG), Northeast, Gulf, United Cartels, and Michoacán Family. These labels equate cartels to groups like ISIS, enabling military responses typically reserved for terrorist organizations.

Venezuela Operation as Blueprint
Operation Absolute Resolve in Caracas offers a potential model: 150 aircraft, Delta Force teams, and approximately 70-100 casualties per Venezuelan government reports. This urban deep-strike success prompted Trump to threaten Mexican operations within 48 hours. Military analysts identify dozens of potential targets including leadership compounds, fentanyl labs in Sinaloa and Jalisco, Chinese precursor import ports like Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas, border smuggling hubs, and weapons caches.
Story by Summer Said, Omar Abdel-Baqui

DUBAI—Iran’s Arab rivals across the Persian Gulf, led by Saudi Arabia, have been lobbying the Trump administration against a strike on Tehran, after the U.S. warned them to be prepared for such an attack.

In public, Arab Gulf states have largely kept silent as protests have spread across the neighboring Islamic Republic and human-rights groups said thousands have died in the regime’s crackdown.

But behind the scenes, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar are telling the White House that an attempt to topple the Iranian regime would rattle oil markets and ultimately hurt the U.S. economy, according to Arab Gulf officials. Most of all, they fear the blowback at home.

The Trump administration hasn’t made clear what type of military action it is planning against Iran, but has said an attack is more likely than not, the officials said.

A White House official said that all options were at President Trump’s disposal to address the situation in Iran. “The President listens to a host of opinions on any given issue, but ultimately makes the decision he feels is best,” the official said.

Trump on Tuesday made a direct appeal to Iranian protesters, calling on them to defy regime efforts to quell their demonstrations and urging them to take over state institutions. “HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” he posted on his Truth Social platform.
Story by Jennifer Jett

HONG KONG — China had its biggest trade surplus ever last year at almost $1.2 trillion, according to data released Wednesday, defying tariffs President Donald Trump has imposed on the world’s second-largest economy as it sends more exports to other parts of the world.

China’s foreign trade in goods last year totaled 45.47 trillion yuan ($6.51 trillion), up 3.8% from the year before, state media reported, citing figures from the General Administration of Customs. That included 26.99 trillion yuan ($3.8 trillion) in exports and 18.48 trillion yuan ($2.6 trillion) in imports.

Exports grew 6.1% compared with the previous year, while imports grew 0.5%.

The yearly data comes after China’s trade surplus surpassed the $1 trillion mark for the first time in November, compared with a trade surplus of $992 billion for all of 2024.

China had a monthly trade surplus of more than $100 billion seven times last year, helped in part by a weak yuan, compared with just once in 2024. Its overall exports have remained strong even as exports to the U.S. fell 28% in 2025, according to a report this week published by shipping data company Project 44.
Air defenses light up Moscow's night sky. Russia's Defense Ministry claims Ukrainian drones have targeted the capital daily since January 1, 2026.
At least 16,500 protesters killed. 330,000 injured. And most of the victims are under 30. How did it come to this — and why is the world only now learning the full scale of the violence?Iran is in crisis. Nationwide protests, sparked by economic hardship and political anger, have erupted into a historic crackdown. A new report compiled by doctors inside Iran paints a horrifying picture: thousands dead, hundreds of thousands injured, and eye injuries so severe that thousands may never see again.
Story by Shay Johnson

On the night of January 5–6, 2026, Ukraine pulled off something extraordinary. Military drones, operated by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), flew nearly 900 kilometers into Russian territory and struck Arsenal No. 100, a massive ammunition storage facility in Kostroma Oblast. The impact was immediate and devastating.

Secondary explosions erupted throughout the night as stored ammunition detonated, forcing local authorities to evacuate up to 1,200 residents to emergency shelters. This strike marks the deepest confirmed hit on Russian military infrastructure during the full-scale war, shattering assumptions about how far Ukrainian weapons can reach.

What Is Arsenal No. 100?
Arsenal No. 100, officially called the 100th Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU), isn't just a storage shed. It's a sprawling facility covering approximately 2 square kilometers near the town of Neya in Kostroma Oblast. This arsenal functions as a critical hub, a sorting and distribution center for Russian ammunition.

It receives artillery shells, tactical missiles, and other ordnance from production plants across Russia, then redistributes them to smaller depots serving Russian forces across multiple fronts. Think of it like a traffic hub for ammunition: ammunition flows in, gets organized, then flows back out to units fighting in the Donbas, Luhansk, and other contested zones.
Adeola Adeosun

The Trump administration is reportedly asking countries that want a permanent spot on President Donald Trump's new "Board of Peace" to contribute at least $1 billion, according to Bloomberg on Saturday who obtained a draft charter for the proposed international organization.

The White House Rapid Response account on X called Bloomberg's report "misleading," stating the proposal "offers permanent membership to partner countries who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity."

The charter reportedly reveals that Trump would serve as the inaugural chairman and would decide on who's invited to be members. The draft charter says that member states would serve three-year terms subject to renewal by the chairman, but this term limit would not apply to countries contributing more than $1 billion in cash funds within the first year.

Newsweek has reached out the White House via email on Saturday for comment.

Why It Matters
Some critics and leaders are concerned that Trump is attempting to build an alternative or rival to the United Nations (U.N.), which he has long criticized. The proposal raises questions about international governance structures and how diplomatic influence could be shaped by financial contributions. Many rights experts and advocates have previously said Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory's governance resembled a colonial structure, Reuters reported.

The Board of Peace's role in Gaza comes as the territory continues to see deadly violence despite a fragile ceasefire that went into effect in October. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 abducted in Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli authorities. Gaza’s health ministry says more than 71,000 people have been killed in the territory since Israel began its military campaign—figures that do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Story by IntelliNews

Over the last week, Russia has launched a massive barrage of drones and missiles against not just Ukraine’s generating capacity, half of which has already been destroyed, but against the power grid that distributes what power is still produced.

City after city is being blacked out in the midst of the coldest winter in a decade and the Soviet-era apartment blocks that dominate accommodation in Ukraine are starting to become uninhabitable. A humanitarian crisis is looming that could spark a fresh wave of millions of refugees fleeing life-threatening sub-zero temperatures in their homes.

The attack comes as the US-sponsored ceasefire talks appear to stall. US President Donald Trump and Putin were hoping a deal could finally be struck at theMar-a-Lago meeting on December 28, but without concrete security guarantees by the US and Europe for a post war regime, Zelenskiy refused to sign off.
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