Christmas 2025: Global celebrations marked by fragile peace and winter storms

Christmas traditions vary significantly across the globe. In the Gaza Strip, Christmas was observed for the first time following two years of conflict, with local communities offering prayers for lasting peace.

Putin requested NATO membership in 2001, declassified transcript reveals

A declassified transcript released by the U.S. National Security Archive reveals that in 2001, Russian President Vladimir Putin asked his American counterpart, George W. Bush, to consider Russia's entry into NATO.

Meta slams Kremlin for depriving millions of encrypted chat rights

WhatsApp has announced it will defend the right of its Russian users to private communication. This comes as Russian authorities continue to throttle messaging services, prompting citizens to sue Roskomnadzor and the Ministry of Digital Development.

Russia’s "Terrorist" list hits record high in 2025 with unprecedented surge in minors

Russia’s federal financial monitoring service, Rosfinmonitoring, expanded its registry of "terrorists and extremists" by a record 4,018 names in 2025. According to an investigation by the outlet Viorstka, this represents a 26% increase compared to the previous year.

Zelenskyy says Ukrainian unity is stronger than war in Christmas address

Ukrainian unity, faith, and identity remain stronger than the war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared in his Christmas message.

Russia’s hospitality sector shrinks for the first time since 2022

The total number of food service establishments in Russia fell by 3.1% year-on-year this November. Data from Yandex Maps indicates a loss of approximately 3,700 venues, leaving the national total at 115,000.

Trump envoy used weight-loss drug diplomacy to free Belarusian political prisoners

In a striking display of unconventional diplomacy, Donald Trump’s special envoy, John Cole, reportedly secured the release of hundreds of Belarusian political prisoners by bonding with dictator Alexander Lukashenko over weight-loss medication.

ICC accepts testimony of Ukrainian woman held in Russian slavery

In late October 2025, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague formally accepted the testimony of Olena Yagupova.

Japan clears path to restart Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, the world's largest nuclear plant

Japan took the final major step on Monday toward resuming operations at the world's largest nuclear power plant. The Niigata Prefectural Assembly voted in favor of the governor’s proposal to support the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa facility.

Only Donald Trump can convince Vladimir Putin to accept peace in Ukraine, says NATO chief

Only US President Donald Trump can persuade Russian leader Vladimir Putin to accept a peace settlement in Ukraine. The statement was made by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in an interview published Sunday, December 21, by the German publication Bild am Sonntag.

Moscow rejects most peace proposals from Miami talks

Most proposals emerging from the Miami negotiations between the US, Europe, and Ukraine regarding a peaceful settlement to the war "will not be acceptable" to Moscow.

President Nicușor Dan announces referendum for Romanian magistrates in January

Romanian President Nicușor Dan announced on Sunday, December 21, at the Cotroceni Palace, that he will launch a referendum among the country's magistrates this January.