Just a few hours after the Philippines greeted 2016, a fire hit around 1,000 homes in Tondo, Manila. A city official told Rappler that thousands of people were affected, and at least 4 were injured. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Read more about the Manila blaze on Rappler.

A fire hit the 5-star Address Downtown hotel in Dubai as people there were preparing to welcome the new year. The fire at the hotel, which is near the iconic Burj Khalifa, left at least 16 people injured.

Here is the latest update on the Dubai hotel fire.

Many European cities had muted celebrations on New Year’s Day, amid concerns over terrorism. For instance, France deployed more than 100,000 policemen, while Belgium cancelled festivities and fireworks.

Check out how other countries stepped up security for the New Year revelry.

New People’s Army rebels released an abducted soldier to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on New Year’s Eve, citing humanitarian grounds. The soldier, Corporal Adriano Bingil of the Philippine Army’s 26th Infantry Battalion, was kept as a prisoner of war for 102 days.

Get more details about the soldier’s release here.

In a preliminary report, the Philippine Statistics Authority said there were fewer unemployed Filipinos in 2015 than in 2014. The unemployment rate slid to 6.5% in 2015 compared to 6.8% in 2014. No reasons have been given for the lower unemployment rate yet.

Take a look at the breakdown of the data here.

The Chinese Defense Ministry confirmed Beijing is building its second aircraft carrier, amid maritime disputes with neighbors in the East and South China Seas. The official confirmation comes after months of rumors and hints from military officials.

Read more about China’s new move on Rappler.

New Delhi in India, the world’s most polluted capital, banned more than a million private cars from its roads on January 1. The move, which is still in the trial phase, is part of a wider drive aimed at reducing smog.

Find out about New Delhi’s anti-pollution plan here.

Filipino boxer Vic “Vicious” Saludar got knocked out in 6 rounds by WBO strawweight titleholder Kosei Tanaka. He’s the second Filipino to lose a world title fight in Japan in the last week of December 2015.

More details about the fight in this Rappler story.

One more beauty queen from the Philippines won an international title, as Leren Bautista was named Miss Tourism Queen of the Year. She was crowned on New Year’s Eve in Malaysia and follows in the footsteps of successful Filipino beauty queens like Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach.

Read about Leren Bautista’s victory here.

Following the shocker at the coronation of the Miss Universe 2015 pageant, Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez admitted she felt humiliated and had to take time off to mourn. But the first runner-up also said that everything happens for a reason.

Check out what else Miss Colombia had to say about her experience.