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Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine’s occupied Kherson region said on Thursday that a Ukrainian drone strike killed at least 24 people and injured more than 50 others during New Year celebrations, amid rising tensions despite ongoing peace efforts. According to Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed head of the region, three drones struck a café and hotel in the coastal resort town of Khorly on the Black Sea. He said one of the drones carried an incendiary substance, causing a fire. The claim could not be independently verified, and Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment. Senior Russian officials condemned the alleged attack. Federation Council chair Valentina Matviyenko said the strike reinforced Moscow’s determination to pursue its objectives in the nearly four-year war. The statement comes as Russia accused Ukraine of launching a separate drone attack targeting one of President Vladimir Putin’s official residences earlier this week, a claim Kyiv dismissed as false and aimed at disrupting peace talks. Diplomatic efforts have intensified in recent weeks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a peace agreement was “90% ready,” though key issues such as territory remain unresolved. Meanwhile, US and European officials reported productive discussions on advancing the peace process. Despite talks, drone and missile attacks have continued on both sides, underlining the fragile security situation.

Russian drones struck apartment buildings and power infrastructure in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight, injuring six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday. Four apartment blocks were damaged, and two energy facilities suffered significant harm, according to regional authorities and the DTEK power provider. The attacks come as Russia has intensified strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy systems ahead of the nearly four-year mark of its invasion in February, aiming to disrupt heat and electricity during winter. In his New Year’s address, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in eventual victory, praising Russian troops as heroes. Meanwhile, Kyiv denied Russian claims of a recent drone attack on Putin’s residence, calling it a fabricated attempt to distract from ongoing peace talks. On the diplomatic front, U.S. and European officials held talks to advance Ukraine’s peace process, including security guarantees and reconstruction plans. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said NATO countries have contributed $4.3 billion to a weapons fund supporting his country, with Romania and Croatia joining the effort.

Britain’s Queen Camilla on Wednesday publicly shared her experience of indecent assault for the first time, highlighting her long-standing campaign against domestic violence. The queen, who has made fighting abuse one of her key causes, recalled being attacked by a man on a train in the 1960s as a teenager. She said she fought back and only spoke about the incident years later after hearing other women share their own experiences. “I thought, well, if I’ve got a tiny soapbox to stand on, I’d like to stand on it,” Camilla told the BBC, emphasizing the importance of raising awareness about domestic abuse, which she said remains a taboo topic. Her remarks came during an interview with the surviving family of Louise Hunt and her relatives, who were murdered by Louise’s ex-partner in July 2024. Camilla praised their efforts and others working to combat domestic violence. The assault was previously mentioned in the book Power and the Palace by Valentine Low, which described how Camilla defended herself during the attack and helped have the assailant arrested.

The European Union’s top diplomat on Wednesday rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine targeted Russian government sites, calling the allegations an attempt to distract attention and derail ongoing peace efforts. Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the claims were unfounded and should not be taken seriously. Writing on social media, she accused Moscow of trying to shift focus from its own actions in the war. She said no one should believe claims made by an aggressor that has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians. Earlier this week, the Kremlin alleged that Ukraine had tried to carry out a drone attack on one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residences near Lake Valdai in northwestern Russia. Moscow said it could reconsider its position in peace talks because of the alleged incident. Russian officials and state media later repeated the claim, with some lawmakers using strong language. Russia’s defence ministry also released what it said was evidence, including a map and video footage of a downed drone. However, the footage could not be independently verified. Ukrainian officials dismissed the material as unconvincing. Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi described the Russian claims as laughable, according to Reuters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also denied the allegation. He said the claim was linked to recent progress in US-led talks aimed at achieving a ceasefire and accused Russia of trying to disrupt positive momentum between Ukraine and its partners. Zelensky warned that the allegation could be used as a pretext for further Russian strikes. While no damage was reported in Kyiv following brief air alerts overnight, several other parts of Ukraine were hit by drones, including the port city of Odesa, where civilians were injured and power supplies were disrupted. Efforts to restart peace negotiations are expected to continue in early January with the involvement of US and European officials, but progress remains uncertain amid rising tensions and continued fighting.   With inputs from BBC

Russian drones targeted apartment buildings and energy infrastructure in southern Ukraine’s Odesa overnight, injuring six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday. Oleh Kiper, head of the regional military administration, said four apartment buildings were damaged in the attacks. Power company DTEK reported significant damage to two of its facilities and noted that 10 electricity substations in Odesa region had been damaged in December alone. Russia has intensified long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities this year, increasingly targeting energy infrastructure to disrupt heat and water supplies during winter. From January to November, over 2,300 Ukrainian civilians were killed and more than 11,000 injured, a 26% rise compared to the same period in 2024, according to the United Nations. Kiper described the Odesa strikes as “further evidence of the enemy’s terror tactics, which deliberately target civilian infrastructure.” Moscow has claimed that Ukraine attempted to attack Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence with 91 long-range drones late Sunday and early Monday, a claim denied by Ukrainian officials. Maj. Gen. Alexander Romanenkov of the Russian air force said the drones launched from Sumy and Chernihiv regions, but independent verification was not possible. The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas dismissed the Russian allegations as a “deliberate distraction” from peace talks. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Romania and Croatia have joined a NATO-backed fund to buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine, bringing the total contributions to $4.3 billion since August. Ukraine’s air force reported that 127 Russian drones were fired overnight, with 101 intercepted, while Russia said 86 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russian territory, the Black Sea, and annexed Crimea. An oil refinery in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region caught fire from a Ukrainian drone strike but was quickly extinguished, local authorities said.

Turkish authorities continued nationwide operations against suspected Islamic State members Wednesday, detaining 125 people in coordinated raids across 25 provinces. The raids follow a week of large-scale operations aimed at preventing attacks during Christmas and New Year festivities. Last Monday, suspected IS militants opened fire on police in Yalova province, killing six suspects and three officers, while wounding eight other officers and a night guard. Authorities said all militants were Turkish citizens. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the operations, conducted by police and gendarmerie forces, included major cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, and Yalova. He vowed that those targeting Turkey’s unity and values would face the full power of the state. Turkey has carried out similar anti-IS sweeps in previous years amid a global resurgence of the group, including recent attacks in Australia and strikes on U.S. forces in Syria. U.S. Central Command said nearly 25 IS operatives were killed or captured in Syria this month, while Syrian forces recently captured a local IS leader and killed a senior commander near Damascus.

Bulgaria becomes the 21st country to adopt the euro on New Year’s Day, marking a milestone in its European Union integration, even as many citizens express concern over potential price increases and economic instability. Supporters view the switch from the lev as a major achievement since the country’s 1989 transition from a Soviet-style economy to democracy and free markets. They hope euro adoption will attract investors and strengthen ties with wealthier Western European nations. Yet public confidence remains low. Inflation has rebounded to 3.7%, and surveys indicate about half of Bulgarians oppose joining the euro. Political instability has compounded worries: the government resigned after less than a year amid anti-corruption protests, leaving Bulgaria without a full budget and ahead of its eighth election in five years. Some citizens, like 64-year-old Nevelin Petrov, welcome the euro as a step toward long-term prosperity, while others, such as Sofia pedicure salon owner Darina Vitova, caution that rising prices and low incomes may make daily life harder despite the convenience of a shared currency with EU neighbors. Economists note that immediate economic changes may be modest, since the lev has been pegged to the euro since 1999. Analysts also say euro adoption could strengthen Bulgaria’s European integration and reduce Russian influence, while offering a signal to investors about the country’s commitment to EU standards, though political uncertainty may temper that effect. Dual use of the lev and euro will continue throughout January, but all change will be given in euros.

Trains were running again Wednesday in both directions through the Channel Tunnel between continental Europe and the United Kingdom but problems remained after a day of travel chaos caused by power malfunctions. Eurotunnel, the tunnel operator, said the 50-kilometer (32-mile) undersea link was back to “full capacity” following overnight repairs to the electrical fault. The company did not provide details on the cause of the outage. Eurostar, which operates passenger trains through the tunnel, warned travelers of ongoing “knock-on impacts” from Tuesday’s disruption. Its website reported delays on routes between London and Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, along with early-morning cancellations. Another related power incident on the U.K. side Tuesday affected passengers aboard three trains. An overhead cable fell on a Eurostar train from London to Paris, and moving the stranded train proved “very complex,” Eurostar said. Passenger Ghislain Planque described an 11-hour journey that should have taken 90 minutes, saying travelers endured darkness, no heating, no air-conditioning, and no way to charge phones during the ordeal.

Burglars made off with property worth tens of millions of euros after breaking into a bank vault in western Germany during the holiday period, authorities said. Police said the thieves targeted safety deposit boxes at a Sparkasse bank branch in Gelsenkirchen, affecting around 2,700 customers. According to police spokesperson Thomas Nowaczyk, investigators estimate the total value of the stolen items at between 10 million and 90 million euros ($11.7 million to $105.7 million). German news agency dpa described the incident as potentially one of the largest bank heists in the country’s history. The bank remained closed on Tuesday as tensions rose, with about 200 customers reportedly gathering at the branch demanding access. The crime came to light early Monday morning after a fire alarm alerted police and firefighters shortly before 4 a.m. Responders discovered a hole in the wall and found the vault heavily looted. Investigators believe the suspects used a powerful drill to penetrate the vault through the basement. Witnesses told police they had seen several individuals carrying large bags in a nearby parking garage over the weekend. Security footage from the garage reportedly shows masked suspects inside a stolen vehicle in the early hours of Monday. Gelsenkirchen is located about 192 kilometers northwest of Frankfurt. Source: AP 

Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system has officially entered active service in Belarus, the Russian Defense Ministry announced Tuesday, as U.S.-led efforts to broker a resolution to the nearly four-year war in Ukraine reach a critical stage. A ministry video showed mobile intermediate-range ballistic missile vehicles conducting forest maneuvers as part of combat training. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko earlier confirmed the arrival of up to 10 Oreshnik systems in the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin had said the missiles would enter combat duty before year-end, warning that Moscow would pursue further gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies rejected Russia’s peace demands. The announcement coincides with high-profile U.S.-mediated diplomacy. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida over the weekend, describing Kyiv and Moscow as “closer than ever” to a deal, though major disputes remain over troop withdrawals and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Putin previously tested a conventional Oreshnik strike in Ukraine in November 2024. He claims the missile’s multiple warheads reach speeds of up to Mach 10 and are virtually unstoppable, with conventional strikes potentially as devastating as nuclear ones. Moscow has warned the West that the missiles could target nations assisting Ukraine with long-range attacks on Russia. Belarusian authorities said the Oreshnik has a range of up to 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles). Russian media highlighted it could reach a Polish air base in 11 minutes and NATO headquarters in Brussels in 17. The missile’s payload—nuclear or conventional—cannot be verified before impact. The deployment underscores Belarus’ growing military and political dependence on Russia. Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya criticized the move, while the country’s history of hosting Russian tactical nuclear weapons and the 2024 revised Russian nuclear doctrine further extend Moscow’s influence. Source: AP