How 2026 started on a rocky note – Firstpost

This week, we bid goodbye to 2025 and welcomed 2026. Cities across the world, from Sydney to Paris, scaled down celebrations. And if the first few days of the new year are any indication, uncertainty is on the cards.

As we enter 2026, there are more conflicts on the horizon. Venezuela has plunged into an unprecedented crisis. The US, in the early hours of Saturday (January 3), launched a large-scale attack against the South American country and
captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Donald Trump has been ramping up pressure on Venezuela since he started his second presidency last January. He blames Maduro for sending migrants and drugs to the US and has labelled him a “narco-terrorist”.

The ouster of Maduro is one of the most defining moments of Trump’s legacy. The US has said that it will “run” Venezuela and take control of its oil reserves. While Maduro faces drug and terror charges in the US, the South American nation is now led by
Delcy Rodriguez, who has been serving as the vice president and oil minister. It remains to be seen what happens next.

Iran has been gripped by unrest.
Protests erupted in Tehran last Sunday (December 27) and have spread to other parts of the country. There is growing anger over the ailing economy and rising cost of living.

The rift between the UAE and Saudi Arabia has grown. Once allies, they are now on opposite sides of the Yemen conflict.

Meanwhile, Switzerland is reeling from a deadly blaze. In the wee hours of Thursday (January 1), a fire ripped through a bar in a luxury ski resort in
Crans-Montana in the southern part of the country, killing more than 40 people and leaving hundreds injured.

Bangladesh mourned the loss of its first woman prime minister, Khaleda Zia. She died aged 80 on Wednesday (December 30) after a prolonged illness. Zia was an arch-rival of Sheikh Hasina and
a critic of India.

We talk about all this and more in our weekly wrap from around the world.

1. Let us talk about Venezuela. After months of tension, Donald Trump launched an attack on the country and captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. They were flown out of the country and brought to the US. Maduro is being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. But
why did the US strike Venezuela and go after Maduro?
What happens to him next? These stories explain.

2. On Friday night (January 2), after months of tracking and surveillance, Donald Trump gave the go-ahead for Operation Absolute Resolve, a mission to capture Nicolas Maduro. What followed was a complex operation, including 150 US aircraft and thousands of troops. The elite US forces dramatically snatched the Venezuelan leader and his wife from their ‘fortress’ in Caracas in the early hours of Saturday (January 3), and successfully brought them to the US, where they will face trial on drug and weapon charges.
Here is how it all unfolded.

3. A New Year’s celebration at a bar at a plush ski resort in Switzerland’s Crans-Montana turned tragic. More than 40 people died, and around 115 were injured after a fire ripped through the popular Le Constellation. Multiple people are still missing. So what caused the blaze? Eyewitnesses point to
sparklers placed in champagne bottles. However, officials say the investigation will take time.

4. Iran is gripped by unrest as protests against the rising cost of living have spread across the country. The appointment of a new central bank governor has not helped contain the anger. Clashes between citizens and security forces turned violent, leading to at least seven deaths on Thursday (January 1). These are the largest demonstrations Iran has seen since the 2022 anti-hijab protests, after the death of a young woman named
Mahsa Amini. This time, the anger is against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But
will it lead to a change in regime?

5. In New York City, as the clock struck 12 on January 1, Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the mayor in an
abandoned subway station. It was a private inauguration, attended by family and a handful of close invitees. There was yet another public ceremony for the city’s first Muslim mayor of Indian origin. What stood out was that the 34-year-old took the oath on the Quran; three editions of Islam’s holy book were used. We explain what
this move signified in a divided America.

6. The UAE and Saudi Arabia were allies. However, now they stand on the opposite side of the Yemen conflict, which they entered to defeat Iran-backed Houthis.

Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla on Tuesday (December 30) after a weapons shipment from the UAE arrived for separatist forces in the war-torn country. The Kingdom warned that it viewed Emirati actions as “extremely dangerous”. The UAE rejected the accusation but announced the withdrawal of its remaining forces in Yemen. However, the tension hasn’t eased, with flights at Yemen’s Aden airport shutting down on January 1 (Thursday).
So what’s going on?

7. Bangladesh started the New Year mourning. It lost a key political figure. Khaleda Zia, the country’s first woman prime minister, died on Wednesday (January 30) at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness. She was once a “shy housewife”; her husband, Ziaur Rahman, was a leading figure in Bangladesh’s independence struggle and later went on to become the president in 1977. However, after his assassination, Zia rose to lead the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and served two terms as prime minister. This is the
story of her life and legacy.

8. Pakistan had a wedding that raised eyebrows. Asim Munir, the chief of the defence forces, married off his daughter to his brother’s son. The December 26 celebration was hosted at the Pakistan army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi. According to the buzz on social media, the groom is Munir’s nephew, Abdul Rehman.
Here is what we know about him.

9. Finally, let’s talk about 2026 and what to expect from it. If Nostradamus is to be believed, there will be war, death and catastrophe. The 16th-century French astrologer wrote about the “seven months great war” and “the great man will be struck down”. Can we expect more conflict and the death of a powerful figure?
We decode.

That’s our reading list for the first Sunday of the year. It should get you up to date with all the news you missed during the celebrations and holidays. For more such explainers,
bookmark this page.

Have a peaceful 2026.