December 29, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• The next phase of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire, which includes the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza, is expected to be the main topic of discussion when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. President Donald Trump today at Trump's estate in Florida. [more]
• Syrian officials say at least four people were killed, and dozens of others were injured, yesterday in clashes between protesters from the Alawite religious minority and counter-demonstrators in numerous Syrian coastal cities, including Latakia and Tartous. The clashes followed a bombing Friday at an Alawite mosque in the city of Homs in which eight people were killed. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,402 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Following in-person meetings yesterday in Florida, U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that, while progress has been made, significant issues remain unresolved as efforts continue to reach a Russia-Ukraine cease-fire agreement. [more]
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that the U.S. has offered security guarantees for 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war, but noted that he would prefer a security guarantee commitment of up to 50 years to deter future Russian aggression. [more]
• President Vladimir Putin signed a measure into law today that gives Russia the right under domestic legislation to disregard rulings in criminal cases undertaken in foreign courts by foreign countries without Russia's participation and to ignore rulings by international legal bodies whose authority is not based on an international agreement with Russia. The new law comes into effect amidst various efforts by international courts to hold Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine. [more]

U.S. FOREIGN AID | The U.S. State Department announced a $2 billion pledge today for United Nations' humanitarian efforts as part of a preliminary deal with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs amidst major foreign aid cuts under the Trump administration. Reports note that U.S. humanitarian funding for U.N.-backed programs has been as high as $17 billion annually in recent years. [more]

NEW JERSEY | Authorities say one person was killed, and another was critically injured, yesterday when two helicopters collided while flying over Hammonton Municipal Airport in southern New Jersey. The cause of the collision remains under investigation. [more]

MINNESOTA | Citing "recent social media reports," FBI Director Kash Patel said yesterday that federal authorities are surging resources to Minnesota to investigate fraud allegations centering on the alleged misuse of millions of federal dollars intended for social services. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Saying it has assessed that "the federal government is not a reliable, constructive, or trustworthy partner in advancing high-speed rail in California," the California High-Speed Rail Authority on Friday dropped a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's decision to cancel more than $4 billion in federal grants for the state's rail projects and said it would move forward with its long-delayed high-speed rail plans without federal funding. [more]

TAIWAN AND CHINA | Amidst ongoing tensions and Chinese anger over expressions of support for Taiwan by the U.S. and Japan, the Chinese military launched joint air, naval, and rocket drills around Taiwan today. Chinese military officials said the exercises, which are expected to include live-fire drills, would focus on "joint seizure of comprehensive superiority" as a "stern warning against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces." [more]

CAMBODIA AND THAILAND | Two days after their countries signed a new cease-fire agreement aimed at ending weeks of border clashes, the foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand met today with Chinese mediators to discuss plans to build sustained peace and rebuild trust. Analysts note that the meeting, held in China, is seen as part of efforts to expand China's influence in global diplomacy. [more]

IRAN | In an interview published Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his country is "in a full-scale war with the U.S., Israel, and Europe," and claimed that those perceived enemies do not want Iran to "remain stable." [more]

TURKEY | Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that three police officers and six militants were killed today in clashes between security forces and Islamic State militants during a police raid in Turkey's northwestern Yalova province. Yerlikaya noted that the raid in Yalova was one of 100 such operations being carried out simultaneously against Islamic State targets across Turkey. [more]

SOMALILAND | Twenty mostly Middle Eastern and African countries, along with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, issued a joint statement Saturday rejecting Israel's recognition of Somaliland a day earlier, saying the move has "serious repercussions" for security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. Reports note that, prior to Israel's move on Friday, no nation had formally recognized Somaliland, which began attempts to split from Somalia in 1991. [more]

NORTH KOREA | In the latest of a series of similar actions ahead of its planned Workers' Party congress early next year, North Korea fired multiple long-range strategic cruise missiles into the sea off its west coast yesterday. The official Korean Central News Agency cited leader Kim Jong Un as saying the launches were an "exercise of the right to self-defense and war deterrence" in the face of external security threats. [more]

GUATEMALA | President Bernardo Arevalo declared three days of national mourning in Guatemala after at least 15 people were killed, and more than a dozen others were injured, Friday in the crash of a bus outside the town of Totonicapan. [more]

MEXICO | Government officials say at least 13 people were killed, and 98 others were injured, yesterday when a train derailed in Mexico's southern Oaxaca state. Investigations into the cause of the derailment are ongoing. [more]

KOSOVO | Reports say preliminary election results indicate that Prime Minister Albin Kurti's Self-Determination Party won nearly 50% of the vote in Kosovo's snap elections yesterday, but that it remains unclear if the party will win an outright majority in the country's 120-seat parliament. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Avatar: Fire and Ash" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $64 million in receipts, followed by "Zootopia 2" and "Marty Supreme." [more]

R.I.P. | French actress, singer, model, and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot died yesterday at the age of 91. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1937, with the enactment of a new constitution, the Irish Free State became known as Ireland. [more history]