A huge inferno gutted a 19th century Amsterdam church Thursday, as the Netherlands endured an unsettled New Year's Eve with two dead from fireworks and "unprecedented" violence against police. The blaze broke out in the early hours at the Vondelkerk, a tourist attraction that has overlooked one of »»»

Police in the Netherlands were pelted with fireworks and faced an "unprecedented amount of violence" on New Year's Eve, officers have said. A 19th century church in Amsterdam was engulfed by fire in the early hours of New Year's Day, although the cause of the blaze is not yet known. The Vondelkerk,»»»

With the start of the new year, Lebanon remained vulnerable to Israeli attacks and violations of the ceasefire agreement. Our correspondent in south reported that an enemy Zionist force penetrated six hundred meters into the lower neighborhood in center of Kfarkela town and carried out a large expl»»»

Abu Dhabi: The Sheikh Zayed Festival marked the arrival of 2026 with spectacular New Year celebrations, drawing large crowds to Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi for an evening of culture, entertainment and visual displays. Visitors gathered across the festival grounds as the countdown to midnight culminated »»»

For the first quarter of 2026, the country will operate under an extension law, which limits state spending to the revenues collected each month. Despite the absence of a regular budget, the minimum wage has been established at just over €620 per month, providing a stable baseline for workers amid »»»

Separatists from Yemen's Southern Transitional Council said on Thursday that Saudi-aligned government forces would enter territories seized by the UAE-backed group, in a step that appeared unlikely to satisfy Riyadh after it repeatedly demanded their full withdrawal. A surprise offensive by the STC»»»

Ukraine attempted to attack the residence of the Russian President in the Novgorod region on the night of December 28 to 29. Other statements by Russian Defense Ministry:Russian intelligence services retrieved a flight mission file from one of the Ukrainian drones that attacked Putin's residence.Th»»»

Greece has ushered in 2026 with higher toll fees on its northern highways, a change that will directly affect thousands of Bulgarian travelers crossing the border at Kulata en route to Thessaloniki and other destinations. The cost of a one-way journey to Thessaloniki has risen by 23 percent, increa»»»

The Hague: A huge inferno gutted a 19th century Amsterdam church Thursday, as the Netherlands endured an unsettled New Year's Eve with two dead from fireworks and "unprecedented" violence against police. The blaze broke out in the early hours at the Vondelkerk, a tourist attraction that has overloo»»»

Dubai: As 48 fireworks lit up the sky at 40 locations across Dubai on New Year's Eve, another spectacle unfolded on the ground, one that most revellers would only witness the results of when they woke up the next morning. Around 3,000 Dubai Municipality employees, alongside workers from private fir»»»

The biting cold kept people huddled next to their heat sources while fog obscured road vision last Tuesday in India’s Gurgoan and Faridabad. And in the middle of the frigid night, a woman’s cries for help as she was brutally raped in a moving car went unanswered, reports Times of India. The 25-year»»»

Several dozen people are presumed dead and around 100 injured after a fire ripped through a bar in a ski resort in southern Switzerland, officials have said. The fire broke out at around 01:30 (00:30 GMT) during new year celebrations in a bar called Le Constellation in Crans-Montana, police said. P»»»

Tunis, January 1 (TAP) – The average Money Market Rate (TMM) remained stable at 7.49% in December 2025 for the fourth consecutive month, according to the monetary and financial indicators published by the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT).The TMM has...»»»

Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City just after midnight on Thursday, taking the oath of office at a decommissioned subway station in Manhattan. Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in as the first Muslim leader of America’s biggest city, placing his hand on a Quran as he took his oath. “This is »»»

Abu Dhabi: President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has directed the launch of the Community-Managed Virtual Authority, a new initiative inspired by the vision of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed, to enhance the role of skilled individuals in shaping the nation's fu»»»

Rumen Hristov, leader of the Union of Democratic Forces, which is part of the GERB-UDF coalition, Thursday said that on this day, "a long-standing dream of the UDF and the democratic community became a reality." With the adoption of the euro, Bulgaria has finally become a full-fledged member of the»»»

Dubai: Pakistan’s inflation rate rose slower-than-expected in December, justifying the central bank’s decision to cut its policy rate to a three-year low to support growth. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The consumer price index rose 5.6% in December from a year earli»»»

Ras Al Khaimah Police, in coordination with their strategic partners, successfully secured the emirate’s New Year 2026 celebrations under a comprehensive security and traffic plan implemented to the highest standards. The plan included the deployment of more than 70 patrols and the extensive presen»»»

New water prices in Bulgaria take effect from today, January 1, 2026, with adjustments ranging from a 12 percent decrease to a 14 percent increase, as determined by the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission. However, not all consumers will see an immediate change, as the Ministry of Regional Devel»»»

Mobile gaming now accounts for the biggest share of global game revenue. Newzoo's 2025 outlook puts mobile at around $103 billion, which makes up about 55% of the gaming market. That dominance is clear in the numbers. But the real debate is about quality, not market size. Desktop fans want smooth f»»»

From today, January 1, 2026, natural gas in Bulgaria becomes 3.3 percent cheaper, with the new price set at 31.15 euros, or approximately 61 leva, per megawatt-hour, the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) announced. The reduction comes as part of the country’s planned winter supply strat»»»

Istanbul, Turkiye: Thousands joined a New Year's Day rally for Gaza in Istanbul Thursday, waving Palestinian and Turkish flags and calling for an end to the violence in the war-torn territory. Demonstrators gathered in freezing temperatures under cloudless blue skies to march to the city's Galata B»»»

Thousands joined a New Year's Day rally for Gaza in Istanbul Thursday, waving Palestinian and Turkish flags and calling for an end to the violence in the tiny war-torn territory. Demonstrators gathered in freezing temperatures under cloudless blue skies to march to the city's Galata Bridge for a ra»»»

Several dozen people are presumed to have died and more than 100 injured following a fire at a ski resort in southern Switzerland, officials have said. Police said several nationalities were likely involved in the New Year's Day fire, which happened at 01:30 local time (00:30GMT) in a bar called Le»»»

Representatives of political entities in the 51st National Assembly have extended New Year greetings and addressed this country's euro area accession in posts on social media. Bulgaria officially adopted the euro on January 1, 2026, becoming the 21st member of the euro area - exactly 19 year after »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Ukrainian attack in the Kherson Region was pre-planned, with drones deliberately striking a gathering of civilians, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo said that three Ukrainian drones struck a cafe and hot»»»

Taxi fares in Sofia are set to rise with the start of 2026, coinciding with Bulgaria’s official adoption of the euro. From today, January 1, the minimum daytime fare per kilometer is €0.73, equivalent to 1.43 leva, while the night rate increases to €0.84, or 1.65 leva per kilometer. These changes f»»»

Tokyo: A train collided with a car at a railway crossing on the JR Utsunomiya Line in Shiraoka City, Saitama Prefecture, on Thursday, police and fire officials said, adding that the train may have derailed after the incident. The accident occurred at around 2:20p.m. local time when the train struck»»»

The US Department of Health and Human Services is halting federal child care funding to all states, pending proper paperwork, following a scandal over alleged widespread fraud in daycare centers in Minnesota, an agency official has told ABC News. Federal funds will be released “only when states pro»»»

A toy store in the Kolonos district of Athens was broken into during the early hours of New Year’s Day, with €500 stolen from the cash register. According to police, the perpetrator or perpetrators accessed the premises by entering an adjacent building and reaching the first floor, where the store »»»

From today, January 1, 2026, Sofia’s Center for Urban Mobility adopts the euro for all payments, with transport fares recalculated at the official rate of 1 EUR = 1.95583 BGN and rounded down to benefit passengers. Short-term tickets and long-term subscription plans have been adjusted downward. The»»»

Dubai: Dubai Police concluded their New Year 2026 festivities with a series of entertainment, community and awareness events held at Naif and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, drawing more than 5,000 residents and visitors. Organised in a festive, family-friendly atmosphere, the celebrations co»»»

Sharjah: Sharjah Police have announced the successful implementation of their comprehensive security plan for the New Year 2026, ensuring public safety and smooth operations across the emirate during the celebrations. According to the Sharjah Police General Command, operations rooms handled 6,620 e»»»

The first successful euro withdrawal in Bulgaria was recorded at 00.20 am, according to payment service provider Borica AD. The transaction was made at an ATM in the seaside Sunny Beach resort. At 00:03 am, the first successful euro transaction via Borica’s infrastructure was completed using SoftPO»»»

PoliticsBulgariaBulgaria joins Eurozone despite oppositionLouis Oelofse with AFP, ReutersBulgaria became the 21st member of the currency union, bringing the number of people using the single European currency to more than 350 million. https://p.dw.com/p/56CRDNearly 20 years after Bulgaria joined th»»»

Dubai: A Dubai civil court has ordered an Arab national to pay Dh1,572,500 in compensation after he was found to have misappropriated funds entrusted to him to purchase rare Patek Philippe watches. The Court of First Instance ruled that the defendant had committed a breach of trust by taking money »»»

Dubai: As the emirate ushered in 2026 with its globally acclaimed New Year celebrations, Dubai’s Transportation Security Department (TSD) played a key role in ensuring the safety and seamless movement of residents and visitors across the city. Working in close coordination with the Dubai Event Secu»»»

A Russian drone attack damaged power infrastructure in several Ukrainian regions overnight, Ukraine's energy ministry said on Thursday. The ministry said a "significant number" of households in the ⁠Volyn and Odesa regions - in northwestern and southwestern Ukraine, respectively - were disconnected»»»

The New Year begins with cold conditions across the country, with frost expected during the early morning and evening hours on the mainland, locally strong in northern areas. In the greater Athens area, cloudiness will temporarily increase during the early hours, bringing a few local showers. Light»»»

Traffic flow on Parnitha Avenue in northern Athens, which was suspended on New Year’s Eve due to snowfall and icy conditions, was fully restored on Thursday morning. Traffic police said all weather-related obstacles have been cleared, allowing vehicles to move normally along the route. While snowfa»»»

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The US military says it struck two boats it alleges were carrying drugs on Wednesday, killing five people on board. US Southern Command did not say where it had carried out the latest strikes but US forces have been targeting vessels they suspect of smuggling narcotics to the Caribbean and the east»»»

Bulgaria became the 21st country to switch to the euro as it entered the New Year on Thursday, a milestone met with both cheers and fears, nearly 20 years after the Balkan nation joined the European Union. At midnight (2200 GMT Wednesday), Bulgaria gave up the lev currency, which has been in use si»»»

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, outgoing Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev said that major legislative reforms, delayed for years, had been implemented and two payments had been received from the European Commission within a single year. “In less than a year, we changed laws, introduced new rules, »»»

Countries around the world are welcoming the New Year as midnight strikes from time zone to time zone. The island of Kiritimati - an atoll in the remote Pacific nation of Kiribati - became the first place to enter 2026. One tourist there told us he marked it "on a beach with no satellites, no signs»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Al-Manar correspondent: A new incursion by Israeli enemy at dawn into “Al-Masareb neighborhood” in the town of Adaysah, and bombed one of t»»»

“Several tens of people” are presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, following a fire at a Swiss Alps resort town bar during a New Year’s celebration, police said Thursday. Specific casualty figures were not immediately available from the fire at the bar called bar called Le Co»»»

Dubai: India’s first bullet train is set to begin operations on August 15, 2027, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday, outlining a phased rollout plan for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor. Speaking during a Cabinet press briefing, Vaishnaw said the initial operatio»»»

Aleppo, Jan. 1 (SANA) The Syrian Interior Ministry announced Thursday that it had thwarted an ISIS plot to carry out suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations and churches, particularly in Aleppo. The ministry said in a statement on its Telegram channel that, as part of ongoing counterterrori»»»