A jittery first Monday of 2026 opens with investors bracing for a year defined by competing forces, fresh flashpoints abroad, and a divisional title game with playoff stakes in the NFL.

Markets: A tug‑of‑war year begins
Reuters’ 2026 outlook frames the year as a contest between “gain and pain,” with attention on U.S., U.K., and Australian equities and a potential pickup in mergers and acquisitions as key themes for investors weighing opportunity against risk [1]. It’s a reminder that macro headwinds and deal hopes may share the stage in the early quarters of the year.

Venezuela: New images of Maduro in U.S. federal custody
New video images aired by NBC News show Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in U.S. federal custody, underscoring the high‑stakes legal and diplomatic saga now unfolding after his dramatic detention. The footage, shared via Modern Ghana’s feed of the NBC segment, offers the clearest public look yet at Maduro’s status as the case advances [3].

Korean Peninsula: Missile test heightens tension ahead of China talks
Seoul and Tokyo were on alert after North Korea launched ballistic missiles toward the sea, an escalation that came just hours before South Korea’s president was due to depart for talks in China expected to address Pyongyang’s nuclear program [2]. The timing adds urgency to regional diplomacy at the start of the year.

Switzerland: Progress identifying victims of Crans‑Montana blaze
Authorities have identified 24 of the 40 people killed in the devastating blaze in the Alpine resort of Crans‑Montana, a sobering milestone as investigators piece together the sequence of events and families seek closure [2].

Russia–Ukraine spillover: Drone strikes kill two in border regions
Two people were killed in drone strikes in Russian border regions, according to reporting highlighted by Toronto Star. The incidents, part of the continuing cross‑border violence linked to the war, kept tensions high over the holiday period [2].

Sports: NFC South title on the line in Week 18
The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons will decide the NFC South crown in a winner‑take‑all Week 18 showdown, a rare intra‑division finale with direct playoff implications. The Saints flag the matchup as the game that settles the division this weekend [4].

Big picture
From markets hedging between optimism and risk to flashpoints in East Asia and Europe—and a decisive NFL tilt—2026 wastes no time testing nerves. Watch for how geopolitical risk and policy signals shape dealmaking and equity flows in the weeks ahead, even as security crises and domestic politics vie for attention.