Throughout 2025, armed conflicts and military operations erupted across several regions, marking the year as one of widespread warfare. In April, a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir triggered Indian air and missile strikes on Pakistan under 'Operation Sindur,' followed by Pakistan’s counteroffensive 'Operation Buniyanum Marsus.' The four-day conflict ended on May 10 after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire agreement between the two countries. On June 13, Israel launched 'Operation Rising Sun,' a surprise assault on Iran that killed top Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated with 'Wadae Sadeq-3,' before a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 24.

The year also saw continued fighting in Eastern Europe, where the Russia-Ukraine war entered its third year without resolution despite U.S. mediation. Southeast Asia experienced renewed border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia in July and December. Civil war persisted in Sudan, while Israel carried out strikes in Lebanon and Syria. Border tensions flared between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the United States appeared to be preparing actions around Venezuela.

The report warned that new conflicts could emerge in various regions as 2026 begins.

The year 2025 witnessed widespread armed conflicts across multiple regions, with major wars breaking out between India and Pakistan, and Israel and Iran. The report highlights that Israeli attacks on Gaza continued throughout the year, while the Russia-Ukraine conflict remained unresolved. In South Asia, India launched air and missile strikes on Pakistan on May 6 following a deadly shooting in Kashmir, prompting a four-day war that ended on May 10 after U.S. President Donald Trump mediated a ceasefire.

In the Middle East, Israel launched a surprise assault on Iran on June 13 under “Operation Rising Sun,” killing top Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated with “Operation Wadae Sadeq-3,” before both sides agreed to a ceasefire announced by Trump on June 23, which took effect on October 24. Meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine war entered its third year without resolution despite U.S. mediation efforts.

Elsewhere, Thailand and Cambodia clashed twice over border disputes, Sudan’s civil war persisted, and Israel carried out strikes in Lebanon and Syria. The report warns that new conflicts may emerge in various regions in the coming year.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a strong message to global leaders ahead of 2026, calling for unity and a shift away from divisive politics and warfare. In a New Year video address, he urged leaders to focus on protecting people and the planet amid growing global instability, conflict, and uncertainty.

According to UN sources cited by AFP, Guterres said the world stands at a critical crossroads marked by division, violence, climate disasters, and widespread violations of international law. Referring to ongoing wars, including in Ukraine, he emphasized that reducing human suffering and taking effective action against climate change should be the top priorities for 2026.

Guterres criticized excessive military spending, noting that global defense expenditure rose by about 10 percent this year to 2.7 trillion dollars—13 times higher than global development spending and equal to Africa’s total GDP. He warned that the current scale of warfare has not been seen since World War II and argued that investing in poverty reduction would make the world safer. The year 2026 will mark his final year as UN Secretary-General.

As 2025 draws to a close, countries worldwide are preparing to welcome the new year with celebrations despite a backdrop of turmoil. The year was defined by Donald Trump’s tariff policies, a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, failed peace efforts in Ukraine, and the intensifying effects of climate change. Sydney, known as the “New Year capital,” observed a minute of silence before midnight to honor victims of a recent shooting, while millions gathered globally for festivities from New York to Rio de Janeiro.

The year 2025 was among the hottest on record, with wildfires in Europe, severe droughts in Africa, and deadly rains in Southeast Asia. Global events included the return of K-pop group BTS, the election of a new Pope, and the death of primatologist Jane Goodall. Trump’s tariffs unsettled markets, and economists warned of continued instability into 2026.

Looking ahead, NASA plans to send humans around the Moon in 2026 under the Artemis-2 mission, while investors show caution toward artificial intelligence. The world enters 2026 seeking peace, stability, and renewed hope after a year of heat, conflict, and uncertainty.

Outgoing UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has voiced deep concern over the growing divisions and conflicts worldwide. Speaking to AFP, Grandi said that increasing geopolitical fragmentation is intensifying crises and fueling hostility toward people fleeing violence and war. He reflected on his decade-long tenure at the UN refugee agency, describing the current global situation as one of the most troubling he has witnessed.

Grandi, an Italian diplomat, emphasized that geopolitical divisions have triggered numerous crises and are preventing the world from resolving conflicts. He warned that the inability to establish peace reflects a broader failure of the international community to unite in addressing global challenges.

According to Grandi, the deepening divisions not only hinder peace efforts but also exacerbate suffering for displaced populations, underscoring the urgent need for renewed global cooperation and solidarity.

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has predicted that the next major step toward superhuman artificial intelligence will come when AI systems achieve what he called “infinite, perfect memory.” Speaking on the Big Technology Podcast, Altman said the company is working toward this goal by 2026, envisioning AI that can remember every detail of a user’s life. He contrasted this with human assistants, who cannot recall every word, document, or interaction, describing current AI memory as still “very crude” and “very early.”

Altman’s remarks follow reports that he declared a “code red” at OpenAI after Google launched its Gemini 3 model in November, which the company described as marking a “new era of intelligence.” Despite acknowledging Gemini 3’s strong benchmark performance, Altman said OpenAI’s response was standard practice when facing competition. He noted that Gemini 3 had not yet had the impact initially feared but did expose weaknesses OpenAI is now addressing.

Altman outlined OpenAI’s strategy to stay ahead in the AI race: build the best models, create strong products around them, and ensure sufficient infrastructure for large-scale deployment.

On Friday night, several major football clubs recorded key victories across leagues. In the English Premier League, Manchester City defeated Nottingham Forest 2–1, Arsenal beat Brighton 2–1, and Liverpool won by the same margin against Wolverhampton. Manchester United, despite being outplayed in possession and attack, secured a narrow 1–0 home win over Newcastle United at Old Trafford, with Patrick Dorgu scoring the decisive goal. The victory marked coach Ruben Amorim’s first win in three matches. Meanwhile, in the Saudi Pro League, Cristiano Ronaldo’s two goals led Al Nassr to a commanding 3–0 win over Al Akhdood.

The results highlighted a competitive night of football across Europe and the Middle East. Manchester United’s win broke a short run of poor form, while Arsenal, City, and Liverpool maintained their strong performances in the Premier League. Ronaldo’s brace reaffirmed his influence in Saudi football as Al Nassr continued their winning momentum.

These outcomes could influence the standings in both leagues, with title races and top-four battles intensifying as the season progresses.

Nvidia has agreed to purchase assets from Groq, a designer of high-performance artificial intelligence accelerator chips, for $20 billion in cash, according to Alex Davis, CEO of Disruptive, which led Groq’s latest financing round. The deal, Nvidia’s largest to date, excludes Groq’s cloud business, which will continue operating independently. Groq’s founder and CEO Jonathan Ross, president Sunny Madra, and other senior leaders will join Nvidia to help scale the licensed technology, while finance chief Simon Edwards will become Groq’s new CEO.

In a blog post, Groq confirmed a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Nvidia for its inference technology but did not disclose financial details. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told employees that the company plans to integrate Groq’s low-latency processors into its AI factory architecture to expand support for inference and real-time workloads. Nvidia’s CFO Colette Kress declined to comment on the transaction.

The acquisition underscores Nvidia’s aggressive expansion in AI hardware and talent, following similar licensing and hiring deals with startups such as Enfabrica. Nvidia’s growing cash reserves have fueled major investments across the AI ecosystem, including partnerships with OpenAI, Intel, and CoreWeave.

Groq, Inc. was founded in 2016 by former Google engineers to develop specialized AI inference chips called Language Processing Units (LPUs). The company grew rapidly through major funding rounds, key acquisitions, and global infrastructure expansion, including launching its GroqCloud platform.

Belgium has formally joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), becoming the latest nation to intervene in the high-profile proceedings. The ICJ confirmed that Belgium submitted its declaration on December 23 under Article 63 of the Court’s Statute, which allows states with an interest in treaty interpretation to participate. Several countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, and Turkey, have already joined the case.

The ICJ has invited both South Africa and Israel to submit written observations regarding Belgium’s intervention in accordance with Article 83 of the Court’s rules. South Africa initially filed the case on December 29, 2023, accusing Israel of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention through actions in Gaza. The Court has since issued multiple provisional measures ordering Israel to prevent acts of genocide and ensure humanitarian access.

Legal analysts note that Belgium’s participation adds diplomatic weight to the case and reflects growing international scrutiny of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The ICJ’s next hearings are expected to focus on compliance with its earlier orders.

A faction of pro-Khalistan Sikhs is set to hold coordinated protests outside Indian embassies in seven countries on Wednesday, condemning the killing of Shahid Sharif Osman Hadi, a Bangladeshi activist. The demonstrations, organized by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), will take place at noon local time in Dhaka, Islamabad, Melbourne, London, Milan, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, D.C. SFJ’s general counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun announced the plan in a video message, demanding the closure of Indian consulates.

Pannun accused Indian intelligence agencies of orchestrating Hadi’s killing and alleged that Indian diplomatic missions serve as operational centers for such activities. He also linked the protests to broader claims of Indian interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs, including alleged plots against the government led by Muhammad Yunus. Indian authorities have not responded to the allegations.

The protests underscore ongoing tensions between pro-Khalistan activists and the Indian government, with SFJ continuing to use international platforms to challenge India’s policies. Security around Indian diplomatic missions in the mentioned cities is expected to be tightened.

Google’s 2025 global search trends highlight how billions of users turned to the platform for answers spanning entertainment, technology, and politics. Among the most-searched topics were the assassination of U.S. political activist Charlie Kirk, Netflix’s animated hit *K-pop Demon Hunters*, and the viral collectible toy character Labubu from Pop Mart. These topics dominated global curiosity and reflected the year’s cultural pulse.

Artificial intelligence also emerged as a major search driver, particularly around Google’s own AI model, Gemini. Queries such as “What is AI?” and “How does Gemini work?” surged, showing that public interest in AI extended far beyond experts. Meanwhile, geopolitical issues like the Iran-Israel conflict and the U.S. government shutdown pushed political searches to new highs.

The data underscores how Google remains central to daily digital life, with users relying on it for both breaking news and everyday information such as weather, translations, and social media updates.

A recent analytical essay by a former university researcher argues that the relationship between democracy and media has reached a critical turning point in the digital age. The author contends that modern media infrastructures—social networks, search engines, and data algorithms—are now dominated by a handful of global technology corporations, shifting moral and civic authority toward techno-plutocratic control. This concentration of power, the essay warns, endangers the democratic values of free expression, informed debate, and public consent.

Tracing the historical evolution of media from oral traditions to the digital era, the essay cites thinkers from Aristotle and Mill to Chomsky and Habermas to show how information flow has always defined the strength of democracy. It highlights how corporate ownership, algorithmic manipulation, and misinformation now erode the public sphere, replacing truth with emotional narratives. The author concludes that defending media freedom is no longer just a journalistic duty but a civilizational struggle to preserve human autonomy, ethical reasoning, and the very existence of democracy itself.

Several European countries have expressed concern over new US sanctions imposed on two judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The sanctions, announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, target judges Gocha Lordkipanidze and Erdenebalsuren Damdin. European governments argue that such measures undermine the court’s independence and the global fight against impunity.

France called for the immediate withdrawal of the sanctions, condemning all forms of coercion against ICC officials and supporting organizations. Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot warned that the move weakens efforts to uphold judicial freedom. Denmark, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Norway also reaffirmed their support for the ICC as an impartial judicial body.

The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between Washington and European allies over the ICC’s authority. Analysts suggest the sanctions could complicate transatlantic cooperation on international justice and accountability issues, particularly in cases involving alleged war crimes.

A new international study led by researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands has found that increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide is diminishing the nutritional quality of major food crops. While higher CO₂ levels may boost crop yields, the research shows a decline in essential nutrients such as zinc, iron, and protein, alongside a rise in toxic elements like lead. The findings suggest that foods are becoming more calorie-dense but less nutritious.

The decade-long study examined 43 crops, including rice, wheat, potatoes, and tomatoes, analyzing 32 key nutrients. On average, nutrient levels were found to drop by 3.2%, with zinc in chickpeas projected to fall by as much as 37.5%. Lead researcher Sterre Ter Haar described the results as “alarming,” noting that the changes could have serious health implications.

Experts warn that this nutrient decline may worsen global malnutrition, even as food production increases. The study highlights the need for urgent climate action and agricultural adaptation to preserve food quality as atmospheric CO₂ levels have already reached 425.2 parts per million.

Cricket and football fans are set for a busy weekend of live sports broadcasts, led by the Ashes third Test between Australia and England in Adelaide. The decisive fifth day of the match will air from 5:30 a.m. on Star Sports, while New Zealand face West Indies in the second Test on Sony Sports. Domestic T20 action continues with the Big Bash League clash between Melbourne Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes, and ILT20 fixtures featuring Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, Desert Vipers, and MI Emirates.

Football coverage remains equally intense, with Aston Villa hosting Manchester United in the English Premier League, Villarreal facing Barcelona in La Liga, Heidenheim meeting Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, and Al Nassr taking on Al Najma in the Saudi Pro League. Broadcasters including Star Sports, FanCode, and Bet365 will carry these matches live.

The packed schedule underscores the global appetite for year-end sports, offering fans a mix of international Tests, franchise cricket, and top-tier football across continents.