Africa
Nigeria kidnappings continue
Earlier this year, gunmen in Nigeria abducted 253 school students and 12 staff members from St. Mary’s Catholic School. As of Dec. 28, the unidentified group released one adult and 99 students. Human rights groups said the abduction reflects insecurity in Nigeria and is a reason that 19 million Nigerian children do not attend school.
Sudan civil war continues
A civil war in Sudan continued into 2025, leading to famine and claims of genocide in the western Darfur region. The war started in April 2023 after a struggle for power began between the country’s army and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces. Since the war began, more than 150,000 people have died while another 12 million have fled their homes.
Asia
Thailand-Cambodia reach ceasefire
Thailand and Cambodia have begun to implement a ceasefire along their border. Thanks to the new ceasefire, reinforcements are now banned while civilians living in border areas will be returned as soon as possible. The dispute between the two countries has forced almost one million people from their homes.
Former Malaysia Prime Minister sentenced to jail
A number of former Asian leaders found themselves in trouble with the law in 2025, including former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. He was sentenced to 15 years in jail for abuse of power and money laundering. Najib was accused of misappropriating nearly $569 million from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Europe
Russia continues invasion of Ukraine
In 2025, Russia’s military continued its invasion of Ukraine. Recently, Ukraine officials said Russia is carrying out systematic attacks on the country. In particular, Russia has focused on blocking Ukraine’s access to maritime logistics. As of late 2025, around 400,000 Ukrainian military members have been killed or injured.
Vatican chooses new pope
Earlier this year, Pope Leo XIV became the first Pope to have been born in the United States. He said he wants his message of peace to enter everyone’s hearts and has the same properties as former Pope Francis. Leo has criticized violence in Gaza and also posted and reposted content critical of President Trump’s immigration approach.
Latin America
Former Brazil president sentenced
In 2025, former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and 3 months in prison. He is accused of multiple crimes related to a planned coup. In November, Bolsonaro was arrested and eventually transferred back to prison after he attempted to remove an electronic ankle tag. He also received a temporary release at the end of the year to undergo a hernia operation.
Trump backed candidate takes Honduran election
Honduras closed out the year by nominating Nasry Asfura, a conservative of the National Party, as president. He is backed by U.S. President Donald Trump and won 40.3 percent of the vote. The election count was delayed twice because of technical outages. Luis Redondo, president of the country’s Congress, said the results of the election was “completely illegal.”
North America
Trump ramps up deportations
This year, the United States ramped up efforts to deport undocumented people. As of Sept. 25, more than 59,000 migrants were in ICE detention. ICE told Congress in July that it has identified 435,000 undocumented people with criminal convictions who were not in custody. In 2025, unauthorized crossings at the southern border dropped, according to data from Customs and Border Protection.
Congress passes Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill
In 2025, the US Congress passed President Donald Trump’s mega bill. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill could add $3.3 trillion to federal deficits over the next 10 years and leave millions without health insurance. The bill made Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent, lifted taxes on tips and Social Security recipients, and allocated $150 million to spend on border security, immigrant officers, and detention centers.
