From Stockholm to Istanbul, crowds dedicate New Years Day to protesting genocide:

• Hundreds in Sweden Cancel New Year’s Celebrations to Rally in Support of Palestine (Andalou Ajansi)
• Pro-Palestine March Draws Around 520,000 to Istanbul’s Galata Bridge on New Year’s Day (Andalou Ajansi)

Iranian protests turn increasingly violent:

• Volunteer in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Reportedly Killed During Widening Protests (AP)
• Iran Protesters Try to Break into Government Building as Unrest Continues (BBC)
• Iran’s Pezeshkian Urges Unity as Protests over Economic Woes Turn Deadly (Aljazeera)
• Iran Faces Widest Unrest Since 2022: What We Know So Far (Euronews)

Israeli war crimes continue:

• Israel Escalates West Bank Demolitions amid Illegal Settlement Expansion (Aljazeera)
• Including 2 Children, Soldiers Shoot 3 Palestinians Near Ramallah, Hebron (IMEMC)
• Palestinians Watch as Israeli Bulldozers Claw Down Their West Bank Homes (PBS)
• West Bank: Israel Arrested Around 7,500 Palestinians in 2025 (Middle East Eye)
• IDF Says It Shot Three Palestinians Who Threw Stones in West Bank, Killed One (Haaretz)
• Palestine Deadliest Place to Be a Journalist in 2025: Report (Iran Front Page)
• LIVE: Israel’s Ban on 37 Aid Groups Kicks in, Gaza Starts 2026 with Despair (Aljazeera)

Both "the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces  (RSF) ... [and] the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) ... worked together to oust Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's ruler for 30 years, before splitting in 2023. Each is aligned with smaller armed groups.... Regional powers are also involved":

• Warlords, Sheikhs and Politicians: The Men at the Heart of Sudan's Bloodshed (Middle East Eye)

"Showcasing the Quran that belonged to ... an Afro-Latino writer whose work shaped the Harlem Renaissance, underlines the city’s blend of faiths and racial and ethnic backgrounds":

• Mamdani Is First New York Mayor to Use the Quran at His Swearing-In (NY Times)

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