World

China has removed a three-decade-old tax exemption on contraceptive drugs and devices, imposing a 13% value-added tax on items such as condoms and contraceptive pills from Jan. 1, in a fresh bid to arrest a prolonged slide in birth rates. The change subjects most contraceptives to the standard VAT applied to consumer goods in the world’s second-largest economy. It marks a policy shift after years in which such products were treated as tax-exempt public health items, and it arrives as Beijing ramps up efforts to encourage…

SOFIA — Bulgaria has become the 21st country to adopt the euro, giving up the lev at midnight in a moment that drew both celebration and unease in a nation divided over the change and anxious about inflation and political instability. As the clock struck 12, images of Bulgarian euro coins were projected onto the central bank’s facade in Sofia. “I warmly welcome Bulgaria to the euro family,” European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said, calling the single currency a “powerful symbol” of shared values and collective…

Fatal fire labeled ‘one of worst tragedies’ in Swiss history A fatal fire in Switzerland has been described as “one of the worst tragedies” in the country’s history, according to live updates from Europe. Immediate details remained scarce as authorities worked to confirm the scope of the disaster. Officials had not released the location of the blaze, a death toll or information about the cause at the time of the initial reports. The characterization underscores the severity of the incident and indicates a significant loss of…

Taiwan’s Lai vows to defend sovereignty after China’s ‘Justice Mission 2025’ drills TAIPEI — Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pledged to “resolutely defend” the island’s sovereignty and accelerate its defense buildup after China fired rockets toward Taiwan and massed warships and aircraft nearby in sweeping “Justice Mission 2025” military drills. In a New Year’s address delivered from the presidential office and broadcast live, Lai said the international community is watching to see whether Taiwanese people have the resolve to…

Crans-Montana bar fire kills ‘tens,’ injures about 100 during New Year’s Eve party, Swiss officials say A fast-moving fire tore through Le Constellation, a crowded bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, shortly after 1:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day, leaving “tens” of people presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, authorities said. Swiss police declined to provide a precise death toll, while Italy’s foreign ministry said information it received from Swiss police indicated about 40 deaths. Officials…

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.”…