Morning Briefing: Dec. 28, 2025

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including Myanmar's junta holding the country's first election since a coup in 2021, the EU voicing support for Somalia's unity after Israel's decision to recognize the breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent state, and a powerful 6.6 magnitude earthquake striking Taiwan.

TOP STORIES

• Myanmar junta holds first elections since 2021 coup

Voting in the first phase of general elections in Myanmar, the first since a military coup in 2021, began early on Sunday in the Southeast Asian country.

As many as 102 townships began voting in the polls' first phase, with the second and third phases slated for Jan. 11 and Jan. 25, respectively.

The elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) was ousted in 2021, and the country was plunged into more than four years of emergency rule. The NLD had won the November 2020 general elections.

• EU backs Somalia’s unity, calls for dialogue over Somaliland

The EU on Saturday said respecting Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity was “key for the peace and stability of the entire Horn of Africa region,” following Israel’s recognition of the country's Somaliland region as an independent state a day earlier.

In a statement, the bloc said it “reaffirms the importance of respecting the unity, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” in line with its Constitution and the charters of the African Union and the UN.

The EU said it “encourages meaningful dialogue between Somaliland and the Federal Government of Somalia to resolve long standing differences.”

• Taiwan shaken by 6.6 magnitude earthquake

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck off of eastern Taiwan at 11.05 pm (1505GMT) on Saturday, sending strong tremors through Taipei, New Taipei, and Yilan County.

Data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) showed the quake occurred at a depth of approximately 67-72.8 kilometers (41-45 miles), producing significant shaking across northern and eastern regions.

Taiwan's Central Weather Administration reported varied intensities, with stronger shaking nearer the epicenter at Yilan County.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Iran is in a state of “comprehensive war” with the US, Israel and Europe, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday.

• The UN Security Council is set to convene an emergency session Monday to discuss Israel’s recognition of Somaliland amid expectations that several members will criticize the move.

• Canada hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday with a new CAN$2.5 billion ($1.8 billion) economic aid package.
  

• President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Russian forces have captured the strategically significant Ukrainian cities of Myrnohrad and Huliaipole.
  

• France on Saturday condemned the Israeli army's firing on UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrols the previous day.
  

• NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Saturday insisted that the US remains fully committed to the alliance, pushing back against calls for Europe to pursue military independence from Washington.

• A member of the Syrian Defense Ministry was killed in a shooting attack in the northern city of Aleppo on Saturday, local media reported.
  

• Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that Kyiv is collaborating with the US on a strategic "roadmap for Ukraine's prosperity" extending to 2040, aimed at securing investment and long-term economic stability.
  

• Türkiye's Chief of General Staff Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu met on Saturday Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in Tripoli to condole the death of the country's army chief in a plane crash near Ankara this week.

• Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi called on the Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Saturday to immediately withdraw from Hadramout and Al-Mahra provinces in the country’s east and hand over military camps to government forces.
  

• China on Saturday adopted a revision to the law on civil unmanned aircraft, such as drones, for regulation purposes, state news agency Xinhua reported.