World bids goodbye to 2025 with fireworks and icy plunges
People around the world said goodbye to a sometimes challenging 2025 and expressed hopes for the new year to come. Midnight arrived first on the islan...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 29 October, covering the latest developments you need to know.
1. Trump says talks with Xi will be 'great outcome for world' as he lands in South Korea
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea for the final leg of his Asia trip, aiming to ease trade tensions with China and meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. Talks with Beijing’s Xi Jinping could pave the way for a tariff truce and a new economic framework between the world’s two largest economies.
2. Jamaica's strongest-ever storm, Hurricane Melissa, turns to Cuba
Hurricane Melissa battered Jamaica with winds up to 185 mph, submerging towns and cutting power to more than half a million residents before moving toward Cuba. Officials called it Jamaica’s “storm of the century,” as forecasters warned of catastrophic flooding and long-lasting damage across the Caribbean.
3. Trump says Gaza ceasefire holds, Israel has right to hit back if attacked
President Donald Trump said the U.S.-backed ceasefire in Gaza was not at risk despite Israeli airstrikes that killed at least 26 people in retaliation for the death of an Israeli soldier. Both sides accuse each other of ceasefire violations, Israel says Hamas attacked forces inside the agreed deployment line, while Hamas denies responsibility and says it remains committed to the deal.
4. China says it 'absolutely will not' rule out use of force over Taiwan
China reaffirmed on Wednesday that it will “absolutely not” rule out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, despite emphasising its preference for peaceful reunification. Taiwan’s government rejected the remarks, saying Beijing’s “one country, two systems” model used in Hong Kong and Macau has no place or support on the island.
5. Ukraine targets Moscow with drones for third straight night
Russia said it destroyed 100 Ukrainian drones overnight, including several targeting Moscow and industrial sites in the south, marking the third consecutive night of such attacks. Kyiv says the strikes aim to hit military and industrial targets, demonstrating that the conflict is now reaching deep inside Russia.
The Russian radio station known as 'Doomsday Radio' (or UVB-76) unexpectedly began playing ‘Swan Lake’, music from a ballet composition. The last time this was done was during the deaths of Soviet-era leaders and the 1991 coup.
Protests in Iran over soaring prices and a plunging rial have spread to universities in Tehran, as students join shopkeepers and bazaar merchants in demanding government action. With inflation above 42% and the rial at record lows, unrest continues to grow across the country.
As Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, rising casualties, economic struggles, and mounting unrest expose cracks in society. Despite Kremlin propaganda, frustration is growing as more Russians question the government’s narrative, according to The Washington Post.
The head of Yemen’s Presidential Council, Rashad al-Alimi, has ordered all forces linked to the United Arab Emirates to leave Yemen within 24 hours.
European leaders held talks on Ukraine after Russia said it would revise its negotiating position, citing an alleged Ukrainian drone attack that Kyiv has firmly denied.
Senior officials from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, met in Beijing this week for talks with Chinese counterparts, marking a rare in-person engagement between the four-nation grouping and China amid heightened strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific.
People around the world said goodbye to a sometimes challenging 2025 and expressed hopes for the new year to come. Midnight arrived first on the islands closest to the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean, including Kiritimati, Tonga and New Zealand.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that Tehran’s answer to any aggression will be decisive and “discouraging” and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged his counterparts to strongly denounce US President Donald Trump’s recent threat of military strike against Iran.
The United States Embassy in Tashkent has confirmed that the issuance of Diversity Visas (DV) commonly referred to as Green Card visas has been suspended, although applicants may continue to submit applications and attend interviews, according to an official embassy statement.
Afghanistan is expected to remain one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises in 2026, with nearly half of the population projected to require humanitarian assistance, according to a new report published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
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