World

North Korea test-fired two “strategic” long-range cruise missiles into the sea, state media said, in a drill overseen by leader Kim Jong Un that he framed as part of an “unlimited and sustained” expansion of the country’s nuclear forces. The launches took place over the Yellow Sea and mark the first reported test of long-range cruise missiles since early November, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Cruise missiles labeled “strategic” by Pyongyang are typically understood by analysts to be designed to carry…

Bulgaria will adopt the euro on Thursday, becoming the 21st member of the currency union in a move supporters say will anchor the economy and deepen ties to the West — even as a skeptical public fears higher prices and fresh instability. The shift ends more than two decades of operating under a strict currency board, in which the lev was first pegged to the German mark and later to the euro after the single currency’s rollout in 2002. Joining now gives Sofia a seat at the table where monetary policy decisions are made, a…

Trump and Zelenskiy say they are closing in on a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine, with security guarantees nearly settled but the fate of the Donbas region still unresolved after talks at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. At a joint news conference, the U.S. president said the two sides were “getting a lot closer, maybe very close,” while acknowledging that Donbas remains a “very tough issue.” Both leaders offered few specifics and set no deadline, though Trump said it should be clear “in a few weeks” whether negotiations…

Somalia condemns Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as regional “threat” Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud denounced Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland, calling it “a threat to the security and stability of the world and the region” in an emergency parliamentary session that underscored rising tensions in the Horn of Africa. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Friday that Israel would become the first country to recognize Somaliland, the self-proclaimed republic that has sought international…

Trump to meet with Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago Former President Donald Trump is set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago, the oceanfront club and residence in Palm Beach, Florida. Details on the timing, agenda and format of the conversation were not immediately available. The planned Trump–Zelensky meeting comes as the war in Ukraine grinds on and Kyiv continues to press international partners for air defenses, long-range strike capabilities and sustained financing. Any interaction between the former U.S.…

Skiers ascend Mount Etna as eruption continues and Italy raises alert level to yellow Ski mountaineers took advantage of the Christmas holiday period to climb and carve down the snow-covered slopes of Mount Etna even as Italy’s most active volcano continued to erupt, drawing onlookers eager to witness thick ash clouds against clear winter skies. Italy’s Department of Civil Protection has raised the alert level for Etna from green to yellow, citing the potential for a rapid escalation in volcanic activity. The shift in status…

Low turnout marks junta-run election in Myanmar as critics call vote not credible Voters in Myanmar appeared to cast ballots in low numbers in the first phase of a military-organized general election, the country’s first since the 2021 coup toppled the elected civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The ruling junta, which crushed nationwide pro-democracy protests after seizing power and now faces an entrenched armed rebellion, says the three-stage vote is a path to stability and a restored civilian-led system. But the…

Malaysia’s High Court on Friday sentenced former Prime Minister Najib Razak to 15 years in prison after finding him guilty of abuse of power and money laundering tied to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, deepening the legal reckoning over a case that has reshaped the country’s politics and reputation. Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah said the sentences “are to run concurrently,” and ordered fines and asset seizures. Najib’s lawyers said they will appeal the ruling next week. The verdict adds to a cascade of criminal cases…

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched a massive pre-dawn missile barrage at Kyiv early this morning, triggering explosions across the capital as air defenses engaged cruise and ballistic threats, Ukrainian officials and witnesses said. The strike came two days before a planned meeting in the United States between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump to refine a proposed security accord aimed at ending nearly four years of full-scale war. Reuters eyewitnesses reported air defense activity over the city,…

Gaza’s Al-Awda Hospital has resumed limited operations after the World Health Organization delivered 2,500 liters of diesel, a stopgap supply expected to last roughly two and a half days amid a deepening fuel crisis and a fragile truce in the territory. The hospital in central Gaza’s Nuseirat district had temporarily halted most services earlier in the day because its generators were nearly dry, according to senior hospital manager Ahmed Mehanna. Al-Awda typically cares for about 60 in-patients and receives nearly 1,000…