Author: staff
Published on 01/01/2026 – 15:27 GMT+1 Authorities in Syria said on Thursday that a suicide bomber who killed a security forces member in Aleppo on New Year’s Eve was a member of the so-called Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which had planned attacks on churches and gatherings. IS recently increased its attacks in areas of Syria controlled by the new Damascus authorities and was blamed for an attack last month in Palmyra that killed three US citizens. The interior ministry said in a statement it had information that IS planned “suicide operations and attacks targeting New Year’s celebrations in a…
Swiss and European politicians expressed condolences and the incoming Swiss president postponed his New Year’s address after a fatal fire disaster in a ski resort in French-speaking southern Switzerland killed several dozens. According to Swiss media, a bar in the municipality of Crans-Montana in Valais caught fire around 1:30 a.m. Thursday. At a press conference in the morning, authorities said several dozen people are believed to be dead and around 100 injured, many of them seriously. Victims are likely to include nationals from several countries, as the resort is popular with international visitors. Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who just took…
Cold winds and steady rain did not deter dozens of people who gathered at Carcavelos beach, near Lisbon, for the first sea swim of 2026. The event, held on Thursday, marked the start of the new year with a plunge into the Atlantic despite low temperatures and rough conditions. Some swimmers wore festive outfits as they ran into the water, laughing and encouraging each other from the shore. The New Year swim has become a familiar tradition in the Cascais area, drawing local residents and visitors alike.
The day Spain and Portugal signed up to what was then the European Economic Community in 1986, few imagined how far the countries would go, particularly as both were still healing after decades of dictatorship. In Spain, fascist dictator Francisco Franco had died only 11 years earlier, while in Portugal, the 1974 Carnation Revolution was still a fresh memory. The Spanish economy was in serious trouble. GDP was barely €226 billion. More than 2 million people were out of work and the unemployment rate was around 21%. Inflation had reached 20% in the previous years. The country was still paying…
By Euronews Published on 01/01/2026 – 13:14 GMT+1 Mexican forces detained a suspected drug trafficking leader facing US terrorism charges, government sources said Wednesday. Authorities captured Pedro Inzunza Noriega in Sinaloa state in northwestern Mexico. Washington indicted Inzunza Noriega in May, accusing him of directing a major smuggling operation that moved fentanyl, cocaine and heroin across the border. Prosecutors described him as holding a senior position within the Beltran Leyva Organisation, a group they say emerged from the Sinaloa cartel but has since collapsed. The charges against Inzunza Noriega represent the first time US officials applied terrorism statutes to a cartel…
Published on 01/01/2026 – 13:18 GMT+1 •Updated 13:22 North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un hailed troops fighting in an “alien land” in his New Year message, state media reported on Thursday, in which he underscored Pyongyang’s “invincible alliance” with Moscow. Without mentioning fighting with Russia against Ukraine, Kim addressed personnel in what the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described as “overseas operations units,” congratulating them on their “heroic” defence of the nation’s honour and instructing them to “be brave.” “As the whole country is enveloped in a festive atmosphere of greeting the new year, I all the more miss you,…
By Una Hajdari with AP Published on 01/01/2026 – 12:54 GMT+1 When the Oracle of Omaha speaks, investors listen — and they have been listening to the seemingly divinely-inspired business analysis of financier Warren Buffett for decades. As Buffett steps down as CEO after 60 years at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway, his greatest legacy may be the plain-spoken yet sharp advice about money, mistakes and human nature that inspired legions of fans. Buffett, now one of the world’s richest people, built his fortune through decades of investing and by turning Berkshire Hathaway from a struggling textile company into a sprawling conglomerate spanning…
George Clooney is a prominent and longtime fundraiser for the Democratic Party. In July 2024, he published a much-noticed op-ed in the New York Times, urging then U.S. President Joe Biden to step back as the Democratic nominee after Biden’s disastrous performance in a TV debate with Trump. Less than two weeks after, Biden withdrew from the race. Trump referenced that episode in his post, mocking Clooney’s political judgment. “Remember when Clooney … dumped Joe during a fundraiser, only to go onto the side of another stellar candidate, Jamala(K!), who is now fighting it out with the worst governor in the…
By Dr Alexander Wolf, Head of the Berlin Office, Hanns-Seidel-Foundation Published on 01/01/2026 – 12:22 GMT+1 The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews. While millions of Europeans are renewing their gym contracts or committing to “Dry January” these days, this ritual of private self-optimisation at the turn of the year seems strangely out of date. 2025 was not just another turbulent year in the history books, but the year in which the old world order was finally laid to rest. Anyone who on 1 January…
Zelenskyy stressed that he would only sign a “strong agreement,” because a weak agreement would “only fuel war.” He said: “What does Ukraine want? Peace? Yes. At any cost? No. We want the end of the war — not the end of Ukraine.” The president thanked nearly all European countries for their support, listing them individually, but did not mention Hungary. Referring to Budapest’s stance on Russia’s invasion, he said: “A Budapest-style piece of paper will not satisfy Ukraine.” On U.S. President Donald Trump, he said: “The U.S. president always mentions our people and talks about how bravely Ukrainians are…