World

In a quiet housing estate in Navan, Co Meath, a Palestinian orthopedic surgeon scrolls through family photos that have become a catalogue of loss. Dr. Mahmoud Abumarzouq’s younger brother, four nieces and nephews, and countless friends are gone — killed in Gaza since the war erupted after the Oct. 7 attacks — and he is pleading for the world to deliver more aid to those who remain. “This genocide, or you call war or ethnic cleansing — bombardment, all day and night,” he said, searching for the words to contain his grief. “My…

The year volatility went mainstream: 10 forces that defined 2025 From Washington to Gaza, Kyiv to Caracas, 2025 surged with overlapping shocks that reshaped politics, markets and lives. Donald Trump’s return to the White House accelerated protectionism and hard-edged security policies. A Gaza ceasefire halted, but did not end, one of the century’s deadliest conflicts. A boom in artificial intelligence drove record investment alongside job cuts and legal fights. And climate disasters left their signature across continents.…

Trump names Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry special envoy to Greenland, draws rebuke from Denmark and Greenland; suspends offshore wind leases; unveils new “Trump-class” battleships U.S. President Donald Trump reasserted that the United States “has to have” Greenland for national security and named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on Sunday as his special envoy to the Arctic island, triggering swift criticism from Danish and Greenlandic leaders. The moves came alongside a separate push to expand U.S. naval power with a new class of…

Kyiv, Ukraine — At least three people, including a four-year-old child, were killed Friday as Russia launched a “massive” missile and drone barrage across Ukraine, striking power facilities and triggering emergency outages in multiple regions amid freezing temperatures, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault “an extremely clear signal about Russia’s priorities,” noting the barrage landed “in the midst of negotiations aimed at ending this war.” He urged Ukraine’s Western partners to increase…

EU backs Denmark after Trump appoints Greenland envoy, reigniting sovereignty dispute The European Union declared “full solidarity” with Denmark after President Donald Trump named Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland, a move that rekindled tensions over U.S. ambitions for the vast Arctic territory that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. “Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council…

Trump warns release of Epstein files could ‘ruin’ reputations as bipartisan pressure mounts on Justice Department WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, speaking at Mar-a-Lago in his first public comments since the Justice Department began releasing investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein last Friday, cautioned that people who “innocently met” the convicted sex offender could see their reputations damaged as photos and documents surface. “This whole thing with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success…

Sudan’s prime minister urges U.N. Security Council to back monitored cease-fire plan NEW YORK — Sudan’s prime minister called on the U.N. Security Council to stand “on the right side of history” by endorsing a peace plan for his war-torn country that would impose a nationwide cease-fire and bring international monitoring to the conflict. Since April 2023, Sudan’s army has been locked in a brutal fight with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which controls the west and parts of the south. The war has killed tens of…

Russia launched an early morning air attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s military said, days after a U.S.-led round of peace talks in Miami concluded without a clear breakthrough. The Kyiv military administration said on Telegram that “air defence forces are working to eliminate the threat in the sky over the capital,” urging residents to remain in shelters until authorities issue an all-clear. Officials did not immediately report casualties or damage, and the full scale of the assault was not immediately known. The strike came hours…

UK on brink of warmest year on record as 2025 tracks above 2022 benchmark, Met Office says The UK could be set to log its warmest year on record, with 2025 currently tracking to overtake the previous high set in 2022, according to the Met Office. Forecasters said the provisional annual mean temperature so far stands at 10.05C, edging ahead of the 10.03C recorded in 2022. A forecast cold spell over Christmas means the final figure is not yet confirmed, but scientists say the trend is unmistakable. “At this stage it looks more…

LONDON — Six British men have been charged with more than 60 sexual offenses against a single woman over a 13-year period, UK prosecutors said, in a case Wiltshire Police described as a “complex and extensive” investigation. The Crown Prosecution Service said Philip Young, 49, faces 56 charges, including multiple counts of rape, administering a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower to allow sexual activity, and voyeurism. He is also charged with possession of indecent images of children and other extreme images.…