A New York court confirmed the charges brought in the case of Donald Trump and set a sentencing date for January 10. Judge Juan M. Merchan argued for the so-called unconditional release of the US president-elect, which on the eve of the inauguration would secure Trump's status as a criminal, The New York Times reported .

A dog of the German Miniature Spitz breed named Chanel ran away from its owner in St. Petersburg, frightened by the explosions of firecrackers. They searched for the miniature dog, only 27 centimeters tall, for three days and found it in the middle of the Neva, where the animal was hiding among a pile of ice hummocks, Fontanka reported . Chanel got lost on January 1 in the Chernova Dacha garden in the Nevsky district of the city.

The German Foreign Ministry has launched an online service for submitting applications for national visas in 28 categories. The service is not yet available to citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia and some other countries, but officials promise to connect them by the end of April, Deutsche Welle reports. After selecting the type of national visa on the new portal, the user must indicate his country and the consular office where it will be convenient for him to receive the document.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken believes that the Chinese authorities asked Russia not to use nuclear weapons in the war with Ukraine. The head of the State Department spoke about this in an interview with the Financial Times. Is Ukraine preparing a counteroffensive?

Chairman of the Duma of the city of Dalnegorsk, Primorsky Territory, United Russia member Nikita Kharlamov compared people complaining about the poor work of municipal authorities to maggots. The speaker of the City Duma published the video in the comments to a post on the local telegram channel Administration_Dalnegorsk. The publication was noticed by the publication “7x7. Horizontal Russia".

In Thailand, a dog returned home from a walk with a round homemade explosive device that looked like a ball in its teeth. The animal gave the object to the child, and the frightened parents called the police, Thai newspaper Thairat reported . A four-year-old son, having received a homemade bomb from a dog, decided to show the find to his father. The bomb was tightly wrapped in cellophane and actually resembled a ball in shape and size, the publication reported.

A drunk man quarreled with his pregnant wife at home in Moscow, stabbed her several times, and then began to strangle her. The police who arrived on the call shot at the man, but he survived and is now in the hospital, the Moscow department of the Investigative Committee reported . The man and woman are husband and wife; the quarrel occurred in an apartment in a residential building on Teply Stan Street on the afternoon of January 4, investigators said.

The head of the Belgorod district administration, Anna Kutashova, reported that in 2024, one large family received a greenhouse from the authorities. The publication “7x7” drew attention to the official’s publication.

In Kenya, a metal ring with a diameter of about two and a half meters and weighing about half a ton fell from the sky onto a village. Local authorities described the ring as a rocket part and said no one was injured when the object fell, the BBC reported . The space object fell in the village of Mukuku, Makueni district, 50 kilometers southeast of the capital, Nairobi.

Every year, Bloomberg experts compile a list of interesting places where travelers should go. In 2025, it included both classic Italy and Spain, as well as new ones that few others have visited, for example, Algeria, Greenland and Chile. Where and why you should go in the new year - in the "Cold" gallery. Fishing villages, royal gardens and giant icebergs.

The administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden will announce a new package of military aid to Ukraine “in the coming days.” John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, stated this at a meeting with reporters on January 3, Voice of America reports. At the same meeting, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh announced that the 25th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group would be held in Ramstein on January 7.

From April 3, 2025, Spain will stop issuing new residence permits to foreigners for investments of more than 500 thousand euros, including for the purchase of real estate. Such residence permits are also called “golden visas”. The amendment was published in the Official State Gazette of Spain, RBC noted . Golden visas will be issued to investors or their relatives who apply before the effective date of the new law, which is April 3. Already issued residence permits will not be cancelled.

Red wine is becoming less popular among French youth, and overall red wine consumption in the country has fallen by 90 percent in 50 years. Consumers are increasingly switching to beer, spirits and soft drinks, reports the Financial Times. “With every generation in France we see changes. If the grandfather drank 300 liters of red wine a year, the father drinks 180 liters, and the son 30 liters,” complained Jean-Pierre Durand, board member of the Association of Winemakers of Bordeaux (CIVB).

The oldest person on Earth, 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka, has died in Japan. She became the eighth oldest person in the history of the planet whose date of birth was officially confirmed. The woman's death was reported by the Guinness Book of Records. The woman died on the night of December 29 in a nursing home in the city of Asia, Hyogo Prefecture, where she had lived for the past five years.