The edition of
Wednesday 31 December 2025
12 stories, section by section, the most important first.
International
Five people are killed while others escape after the United States conducts airstrikes on three alleged drug boats at an undisclosed location.
Russian authorities report at least 24 people are killed, including a child, and dozens of others are injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on a hotel and a restaurant in Khorly in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast, Ukraine.
An Islamic State suicide bomber blows himself up near a checkpoint in Aleppo, Syria, after attempting to reach an Orthodox church, killing one security force member and wounding two more.
The United States issues a temporary license allowing Serbia's majority-Russian-owned Naftna Industrija Srbije to resume refinery operations until January 23 despite sanctions linked to the Russo-Ukrainian war.
The United States imposes sanctions on four Venezuelan companies in the oil industry and four oil tankers.
Business
Iran appoints Abdolnaser Hemmati as the new leader of the Central Bank following protests over the Iranian rial's value depreciating and the previous governor's resignation.
The Law
A Basij officer is killed and 13 others are injured in clashes in Lordegan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran, during demonstrations over rising living costs.
U.S. president Donald Trump announces the withdrawal of National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland after federal courts blocked or restricted the deployments.
U.S. federal judge Trina Thompson of California blocks the Trump administration from ending temporary protected status for about 89,000 migrants from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, ruling that the terminations may be motivated by racial hostility.
At least three informal miners are killed in a shooting in Pataz District, Department of La Libertad, Peru. Two people are arrested.
Arts
The Six Flags Qiddiya City amusement park officially opens to the public in Saudi Arabia, with the Falcons Flight attraction breaking records as the world's tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster.
Stories adapted from Wikipedia’s Current events portal for 31 December 2025, by Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.