Bulgaria adopts euro, 20 years after joining EUAFP, SOFIABulgaria yesterday became the 21st country to switch to the euro as it entered the new year, a milestone met with cheers and fears, nearly 20 years after the Balkan nation joined the EU. At midnight, Bulgaria gave up the lev currency, which has been in use since the late 19th century, and Bulgarian euro coins were projected onto the central bank’s building. People hold euro banknotes as they celebrate New Year’s Day and Bulgaria’s adoption of the euro in front of the Bulgarian National Bank in Sofia yesterday. Revelers light sparklers as they celebrate the new year in front of the Bulgarian National Bank in Sofia yesterday, as Bulgaria officially adopted the euro. “The whole of Europe has managed with the euro, we’ll manage, too,” retiree Vlad said.

Revolutionary Guard killed in protestsGROWING: The protests, which started with shopkeepers in Tehran, spread to other provinces after students joined in earlier this week amid the rapid depreciation of the rialAP, DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesA volunteer member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp was killed in a western province during widening demonstrations sparked by the country’s ailing economy, authorities said yesterday, marking the first fatality among security forces during the protests. The state-run IRNA news agency reported on the Guard member’s death, but did not elaborate. An Iranian news agency called the Student News Network, believed to be close to the Basij, directly blamed demonstrators for the Guard member’s death, citing comments from Lorestan Province Deputy Governor Saeed Pourali. Another 13 Basij members and police officers sustained injuries, he added. Iran’s prosecutor general on Wednesday said that peaceful economic protests were legitimate, but any attempt to create insecurity would be met with a “decisive response.”Additional reporting by AFP

Lockheed gets US$328.5 million Taiwan contractUNDER WAY: The contract for advanced sensor systems would be fulfilled in Florida, and is expected to be completed by June 2031, the Pentagon saidReuters, WASHINGTONLockheed Martin has been given a contract involving foreign military sales to Taiwan to meet what Washington calls “an urgent operational need” of Taiwan’s air force, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The contract has a ceiling value of US$328.5 million, with US$157.3 million in foreign military sales funds obligated at the time of award, the Pentagon said in a statement. “This contract provides for the procurement and delivery of 55 Infrared Search and Track Legion Enhanced Sensor Pods, processors, pod containers and processor containers required to meet the urgent operational need of the Taiwan air force,” it said. Taiwan Mirage 2000 fighter jets prepare for takeoff at the Hsinchu Air Base on Monday. The announcement comes days after China staged massive military drills around Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday.

Democracy in a constitutional fogBy Bonnie Yushih Liao 廖雨詩Taiwan has long been accustomed to political rivalry. Supporters argue that the move defends constitutional order; critics see it as an expansion of executive discretion. The opposition, while accusing the government of constitutional violations, has avoided invoking the most powerful legislative remedy — a no-confidence vote — mindful of the electoral uncertainty and political risk such a move entails. Citizens observe laws suspended in ambiguity, constitutional disputes unresolved and political leaders invoking democratic principles while avoiding decisive institutional action. If constitutional uncertainty is allowed to harden into routine, the consequences will not be immediate or spectacular.

Generations of Uighurs, the Turkic ethnic minority in China’s Xinjiang region, have played it at parties and weddings. Photo: APDuring the meeting, authorities warned residents that those who listened to banned songs, stored them on devices or shared them on social media could face prison. The prerecorded message gave the example of several people who had served 10 days in detention for being found with the banned songs. While at the police station, he said he spoke to others who had been summoned specifically for storing or sharing certain Uighur songs. “Because they sent each other a Uighur song on WeChat, they were arrested,” the former cadre said, referring to the teens.

Lai urges unity on national defensePERCEPTION: The opposition’s boycotting of the defense budget sends a worrying message to friendly nations about Taiwan’s commitment to self-defense, Lai saidStaff writer, with CNAPresident William Lai (賴清德), in his New Year’s Day address yesterday, urged the opposition parties to put national security before partisan politics and swiftly pass a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.76 billion) special defense budget amid China’s “rising expansionary ambitions.”“As president, my position has always been clear: to staunchly defend national sovereignty, strengthen national defense, and enhance whole-of-society defense and resilience, and to comprehensively establish robust deterrence and democratic defense mechanisms,” Lai said in the address titled “Island of Resilience — Light of Hope.”To that end, Lai said that his administration has drafted legal revisions aimed at bolstering national security, and has proposed the special defense budget to strengthen Taiwan’s overall defense posture over the next eight years and boost the domestic weapons manufacturing industry. People take pictures in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei yesterday before the annual New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony. President William Lai, center, waves a Republic of China flag at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. “Therefore, I very much hope that the opposition parties will allow this budget to pass, to enable us to better protect this country and its people,” he said. Photo: CNA“I hope that the ruling and opposition parties will demonstrate unity,” he said.

US boat strikes kill eightAP, WASHINGTONThe US military on Wednesday said it struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats over two days, killing eight people, while others jumped overboard and might have survived. The latest attacks bring the total number of known boat strikes to 35 and the number of people killed to at least 115 since early September last year, according to numbers announced by US President Donald Trump’s administration. The White house also stepped up a pressure campaign against Venezuela’s oil exports by sanctioning companies based in Hong Kong and mainland China, along with related oil tankers it accused of evading restrictions. US Southern Command, which oversees South America, did not reveal where the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday occurred. Three people were killed when the first boat was struck, while those in the other two boats jumped overboard and distanced themselves from the vessels before they were attacked, the military said.

Khmer classical dance, performed to traditional music, is renowned for its graceful hand gestures and stunning costumes, and has a 1,000-year history. Dance student Tola Thina, 18, last month practices with other students at the Secondary School of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh. Khmer classical dance, performed to traditional music, is renowned for its graceful hand gestures and stunning costumes and has a 1,000-year history. Photo: AFPEnrollment in the Secondary School of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh is falling, and many entrants do not complete the grueling nine-year curriculum. The Secondary School of Fine Arts has more than 90 classical dance teachers and is the primary training center for the next generation.

Trump to pull National Guard from three citiesReuters and AP, WASHINGTONUS President Donald Trump on Wednesday said his administration was removing — for now — the US National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that comes after legal roadblocks held up the effort. Governors typically control states’ National Guards, and Trump had deployed troops to all three cities against the wishes of state and local Democratic leaders. The court said the president’s authority to take federal control of National Guard troops likely only applies in “exceptional” circumstances. The local leaders who opposed Trump’s deployment of the National Guard on Wednesday said the legal challenges compelled him to end the deployments in those cities. “We’ve said it from day one: the federal takeover of California’s National Guard is illegal.”In New Orleans, about 350 National Guard troops deployed by Trump arrived in the city’s historic French Quarter on Tuesday and were set to stay through Mardi Gras to help with safety.

Viral ‘6-7’ tops list of overused words in 2025APRespondents to an annual Michigan college survey of overused and misused words and phrases say “6-7” is “cooked” and should come to a massive full-stop heading into the new year. Those are among the top 10 words on the 50th annual “Banished Words List,” released yesterday by Lake Superior State University. Photo: APAbout 1,400 submissions came from all 50 US states and a number of countries outside the US, including Uzbekistan, Brazil and Japan, Lake Superior State said. “The list definitely represents the fad and vernacular trends of the younger generation,” Lake Superior State University president David Travis said. Each number can be spoken aloud as “six, seven.” They even can be combined as the number 67; at college basketball games, some fans explode when a team reaches that point total.

Mamdani sworn in as New York mayorReuters and AP, NEW YORKZohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City mayor in the first minutes of the new year at the historic, decommissioned City Hall subway station, with his wife, Rama Duwaji, standing by his side. The oath, in which he pledged to support the US constitution and the laws of New York, was administered by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in as the first Muslim leader of the US’ biggest city, placing his hand on a Koran as he took his oath. Zohran Mamdani, center, is sworn in as mayor of New York at City Hall station in New York yesterday. Mamdani was to be sworn in again, in grander style, in a public ceremony at City Hall at 1pm by US Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the mayor’s political heroes.

Dozens presumed dead following fire at Swiss Alps pubAP, CRANS-MONTANA, SwitzerlandA fire ripped through a bar’s new year celebration in a Swiss Alpine resort less than two hours after midnight yesterday, with dozens of people feared dead and about 100 more injured, most seriously, police said. “Several tens of people” were presumed killed at the bar, Valais Canton Police Commander Frederic Gisler told a news conference. Valais Canton Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries, officials said. Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV that they were inside when they saw a barman carrying a barmaid on his shoulders.

New birth subsidies not enough to boost birthrate: expertBy Chiu Chih-jou, Chung Li-hua and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerNew birth subsidies offering NT$100,000 (US$3,181) per newborn that took effect yesterday would not be enough alone to boost the nation’s dramatically falling birthrate, an expert said. Photo courtesy of Hungchi Women and Children’s HospitalOne-time subsidies would not be a sufficient incentive for young couples to have children, he said. For women up to age 39, subsidies for the first attempt increased to NT$150,000 from NT$100,000, while subsidies for the second and third attempts rose to NT$100,000 from NT$60,000. Subsidies for attempts No. Women aged 39 to 44 are eligible for subsidies for three attempts, NT$130,000 for the first, NT$80,000 for the second and NT$60,000 for the third.

Joshua discharged from hospital following crashAFP, LAGOS, NigeriaFormer world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has been discharged from hospital, state officials said on Wednesday, after surviving a car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends. Newspapers reporting on a crash involving boxer Anthony Joshua are displayed at a stall in Abeokuta, Nigeria, on Tuesday. “Anthony Joshua was discharged from hospital late this afternoon,” spokesmen for the Lagos and Ogun state governments said in a joint statement late on Wednesday night. After leaving the hospital, Joshua and his mother paid their respects at the funeral home where the bodies of his friends were “being prepared for repatriation,” the statement said. Joshua, 36, was admitted at Lagos’ Lagoon Hospital, the statement said, contradicting earlier information by a TRACE official who gave the name of a different hospital.

Nsue scores first ‘legal’ goal at CupAP, RABAT and CASABLANCA, MoroccoEmilio Nsue on Wednesday scored a contender for goal of the tournament in his first legal start at the Africa Cup of Nations after an 11-year ineligible career with Equatorial Guinea. Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue scores during their Group E Africa Cup of Nations game against Algeria at Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday. Algeria’s Zineddine Belaid celebrates scoring during their Group E Africa Cup of Nations game against Equatorial Guinea at Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday. Mozambique’s Bruno Langa, left, and Christian Bassogog of Cameroon vie for the ball during their Group F Africa Cup of Nations match at Grand Stadium in Agadir, Morocco, on Wednesday. Arsene Kouassi sealed the Stallions win with a late goal as Burkina Faso finished second in the group.