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AMSTERDAM — A massive fire gutted one of Amsterdam’s best-known 19th-century churches during a New Year’s Eve marked by two fireworks deaths and what the Dutch police union called “unprecedented” violence against officers and emergency crews nationwide. The blaze broke out in the early hours at the Vondelkerk, a neo-Gothic landmark that has stood beside the city’s Vondelpark since 1872 and is a frequent stop for tourists. Amsterdam officials said the church’s 50-meter (164-foot) tower collapsed and the roof was badly…

Trump to pull National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland as courts curb deployments President Donald Trump said his administration is removing National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, but warned federal forces will “come back” if crime rises — a retreat that follows a string of legal setbacks, including a U.S. Supreme Court order limiting his authority to seize control of state guards. Local leaders in those cities and Democratic officials have argued the deployments were unnecessary and…

NEW YORK — Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City mayor in the first minutes of the new year at the historic, long-closed City Hall subway station, setting a populist tone for his administration with a ceremony that highlighted working New Yorkers and his own insurgent rise. New York State Attorney General Letitia James administered the oath. “Happy New Year to New Yorkers, both inside this tunnel and above,” Mamdani said beneath the station’s vaulted tiles and arched skylights. “This is truly an honor and a privilege…

HELSINKI — Finnish authorities boarded and seized a cargo vessel suspected of damaging undersea communications infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, detaining its multinational crew as investigators probe what they called aggravated criminal offenses. Police said the ship, identified as the Fitburg and sailing under the flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was directed into Finnish territorial waters after it was observed dragging its anchor. Fourteen crew members — citizens of Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan — are…

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Several people were killed and others injured after an explosion and fire tore through a bar in the luxury Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana early Monday, Swiss police said. A police spokesman for Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland said the blast was of unknown origin and occurred at about 1:30 a.m. local time (3 a.m. Irish time). The incident struck Le Constellation, a popular nightspot, as revelers marked the New Year. Authorities said there were “several injured, and several dead.”…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a potential agreement to end Russia’s full-scale invasion is “90% ready,” but vowed he will not sign a “weak” peace that rewards Moscow or risks a renewed assault, setting a hard line as competing narratives and fresh strikes underscored the war’s volatility. In a New Year’s Eve address posted on his Telegram account, Zelensky framed Kyiv’s position as seeking an end to the war “but not the end of Ukraine,” stressing that unresolved core issues — including security guarantees and…

Sydney ushered in 2026 with its largest-ever New Year’s Eve fireworks display, a 12-minute spectacle capped by a shimmering “waterfall” cascading from the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The show stretched 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) along the harbor and, according to organizers, featured some 25,000 individual pyrotechnic shots forming cockatoos, koalas, bottlebrush and other native Australian motifs. Fireworks launched from the Sydney Opera House, six city rooftops and six aerial platforms hovering above the water. To widen…

Anthony Joshua has been discharged from a Lagos hospital after surviving a car crash in southwest Nigeria that killed two of his close friends, state officials said. The former world heavyweight boxing champion, 36, was traveling Monday with friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele on the highway linking Lagos and Ibadan when their SUV slammed into a stationary truck, authorities said. The accident occurred in Ogun state. Preliminary findings by the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) in Ogun indicated the vehicle…

Thailand releases 18 Cambodian soldiers as border cease-fire holds Thailand has released 18 Cambodian soldiers held since July, both governments said, in the first tangible sign that a fresh cease-fire is holding after weeks of deadly clashes along their disputed frontier. Thailand’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the repatriation as “a demonstration of goodwill and confidence-building,” saying the troops were handed back to Cambodia after more than three days without major incidents under a truce agreed on Saturday. The…

New York City is set to unveil a new Times Square New Year’s Eve centerpiece tonight: the “Constellation Ball,” a massive, crystal-clad sphere organizers describe as the largest New Year’s Eve Ball ever used for the midnight countdown. Technicians put the custom-built ball through its final tests in Times Square as 2025 draws to a close, confirming that the installation and lighting systems were ready for the global broadcast. The “Constellation Ball” is fitted with 5,280 Waterford crystals and LED light pucks, an intricate…