News of the World: January 3, 2026

BRAZIL

New year, new world record. Rio de Janeiro now holds the title of host of the largest New Year’s Eve celebration in the world by Guinness World Records. The certificate was presented to Mayor Eduardo Paes on stage in Copacabana before the city’s annual Reveillon after it was verified that approximately 2.5 million people gathered on Copacabana Beach to ring in 2025.

JAPAN

A soy sauce manufacturer installed two massive wooden barrels in an effort to produce a more mellow flavor of its signature condiment. This is a departure from the modern stainless steel barrels, and a return to a more traditional aging method for the fermented soybeans, which currently only accounts for about 1% of total production. Yuasa Soy Sauce Ltd. put in the over 18-foot high and 11-foot wide structures — among the largest in the country — in Yuasa, Wakayama Prefecture, considered the birthplace of Japanese soy sauce.

MEXICO

Monterrey is prepping to host four World Cup matches by getting a facelift ahead of the June tournament. The northeastern Mexican city, which is the capital of Nuevo León, is anticipating a record number of visitors, as its Rayados stadium holds 53,500 people and millions more will flock to the city’s Fundidora Park for the FIFA Fan Festival. In anticipation of the massive crowds, the state government has invested millions in its stadium and international airport as well as in new highways, metro lines, and bus fleets.

IRELAND

The Temple Bar is attempting to rid itself of its rowdy reputation after a string of assaults has given it a bad name. In 2024, a judge deemed it a “violent post-apocalyptic place,” after sentencing a man who attacked an innocent patron there with a cider can. In 2025, two other attacks at the Dublin watering hole made headlines. Pittsburgh Steelers’ Skylar Thompson was reportedly jumped and robbed at the bar and an English tourist was seriously injured. In an attempt to offset its nefarious history, the owners are now promoting its location as “Dublin’s cultural quarter,” noting the many art galleries, coffee shops, vintage clothing stores and hotels that surround it. “The era of massive drinking – it’s not that now. Temple Bar is an entirely different place. It’s the front room of Dublin city,” Martin Harte, CEO of the Temple Bar Company, told The Guardian.

AUSTRALIA

The country’s iconic red and yellow beach flags, which are supposed to denote a safe place to enter the water, are under fire for dangerously confusing tourists. The country is considering a change to the flag system, introduced in the 1930s, as drowning rates rise, with a large portion of the deaths being tourists. The flags mark the safest area to swim, where lifeguards are on patrol and conditions are chosen to avoid rip currents. However, according to research, non-native swimmers often misinterpret the flags, and think they mean the area they mark off is dangerous.

With Wires