Society
Almost 450 flights were cancelled and delayed at Schiphol Airport due to bad weather
About 450 flights have been cancelled and delayed at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam in the Netherlands due to snow and strong winds. There are warnings of significant delays throughout the day.
Bulgaria introduced the euro on 1 January and became the 21st country in the Eurozone
On 1 January 2026, Bulgaria officially switched to the euro and abandoned the lev. The country became the 21st member of the Eurozone after almost 19 years of preparation.
Protests in Iran spread to new cities: at least six dead amid economic crisis
At least six people were killed in mass protests in Iran. The unrest began in Tehran due to the economic crisis and inflation of more than 40 percent and spread to other regions.
In 2025, the Armed Forces of Ukraine's engineer troops defused almost a million explosive devices
In 2025, the engineer troops of the Armed Forces Support Forces defused 960,767 explosive devices and cleared more than 69,000 hectares of territory. The engineers work 10-20 km from the front line, combining combat and humanitarian demining.
ISW finds no evidence of drone attack on Putin's Valdai residence
ISW analysts said there was no evidence of a Ukrainian drone attack on Putin's residence in Valdai. Local residents have not heard any air defence activity, and Russian statements contradict each other.
Intelligence reports Russian information operation to disrupt Ukraine-US agreements
Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service announced the launch of a Russian information operation on 29 December. The Kremlin is using the fake drone attack to put pressure on Ukraine-US negotiations and justify possible strikes.
Compulsory evacuation of 45 settlements of Sinelnykivskyi district announced in Dnipro region
Due to the deteriorating security situation in the Dnipropetrovs'k region, a decision was made to evacuate residents of 45 settlements in the Sinelnykivsky district.
Another Putin palace in Crimea worth about $130 million
The Anti-Corruption Foundation has published an investigation into Vladimir Putin's new palace in occupied Crimea. According to the FBC, the facility with its own hospital and spa cost at least 10 billion rubles.
Mandatory evacuation of 14 border villages announced in Chernihiv region
In Chernihiv region, a decision was made to evacuate four communities from 14 border villages due to daily shelling. The evacuation is scheduled to be completed in 30 days.
Heavy rains in southern Spain cause flash floods, one dead and one missing
Heavy rains flooded the southern and eastern provinces of Spain. A man's body was found in Malaga, and two more people went missing. Valencia declared a red alert level, and 8 other provinces received orange warnings.
'Restored' drama theatre opened in occupied Mariupol on site of Russian air strike
The occupation authorities opened a drama theatre in Mariupol after a so-called reconstruction. The Ukrainian side calls it an attempt to conceal the Russian war crime and devalue the memory of hundreds of dead civilians.
Через шторм в Естонії без світла залишилися понад 14 тисяч споживачів
Потужний шторм в Естонії спричинив масові відключення електроенергії. Найбільше постраждали Харьюмаа, Ляене Вірумаа та Рапламаа, ремонтні роботи можуть тривати до кількох днів.
