Pete Hegseth issues formal censure to Democratic senator Mark Kelly 05. January 2026 (17:24) US defense secretary also started proceedings that could strip Kelly from retired military rank and cut pensionDefense secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that he had issued a formal censure to Democratic senator Mark Kelly and initiated proceedings that could strip the Arizona lawmaker of his retired military rank and cut his pension, escalating a dispute that began when Kelly urged service members to resist unlawful orders.Just days after a covert mission to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and strike the capital city, Hegseth announced that Kelly faces retirement grade determination proceedings, a rare administrative action that could see the former astronaut and navy captain demoted in his retired rank. Hegseth accused Kelly of making “seditious statements” that undermined military discipline. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Delcy Rodríguez strikes conciliatory tone with US after Trump warning 05. January 2026 (17:19) Venezuela’s interim leader offers to work with US after Trump threatened she could pay ‘very big price’Analysis: Delcy Rodríguez must walk tightrope as Venezuela’s interim leaderVenezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has offered to work with the US, dialing down the confrontational tone she intially adopted after the capture of the dictator Nicolás Maduro.In a statement late on Sunday, Rodríguez said she had “invited the US government to work together on an agenda of cooperation”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer urged to scrap ‘outdated’ law limiting power to stop new gambling premises 05. January 2026 (17:00) ‘Aim to permit’ rule places legal duty on licensing authorities to err on the side of allowing new bookmakers or 24-hour slot machine shops Keir Starmer has been urged to abolish an “outdated” rule that limits the power of communities to prevent bookmakers and 24-hour slot machine shops from opening on high streets.In a letter to the prime minister, nearly 300 politicians and campaigners called for an end to the “aim to permit” policy, introduced when Tony Blair’s Labour government liberalised gambling laws in 2005. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump’s attack leaves China worried about its interests in Venezuela | Amy Hawkins 05. January 2026 (16:51) Maduro had just affirmed ‘strong bonds of brotherhood’ with Beijing when US made its shocking interventionVenezuela crisis – latest updatesHours before his life and the fate of his country was changed dramatically, Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, was exchanging smiles and handshakes with a Chinese delegation in the presidential palace in Caracas.On Friday evening, shortly before he was seized by US forces, Maduro wrote on Telegram of his meeting with China’s special envoy for Latin American affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi: “A fraternal meeting that reaffirms the strong bonds of brotherhood and friendship between China and Venezuela. Through thick and thin!” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tim Walz says he will not run for third term as Minnesota governor 05. January 2026 (16:27) Announcement comes after ongoing fraud of social services cases became focus of ire for Republicans and TrumpUS politics live – latest updatesTim Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota who ran for vice-president in 2024, announced on Monday that he is abandoning his quest for a third term in office.
The move comes after ongoing fraud of social services cases caught the attention of US Republicans, including Donald Trump, who then used the cases as a pretext to go after Somali residents.Walz said in a statement that he wasn’t able to “give a political campaign my all”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
All 116 people injured in Swiss resort fire identified, say police 05. January 2026 (16:09) Bodies of first foreign victims repatriated after 40 people died in fire at New Year’s Eve party in Crans-Montana All 116 people injured in the fire that tore through a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana during a New Year’s Eve party, killing 40 mostly young partygoers, have been identified, police have said, as the bodies of the first foreign victims were repatriated.Police in Valais canton said in a statement on Monday they had revised the number of wounded down from 119 because three people admitted to accident and emergency wards on Thursday morning had been wrongly recorded as injured in the blaze. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US aircraft monitor tanker off Ireland in clampdown on Venezuelan oil 05. January 2026 (16:05) A dozen other ships are reportedly trying to evade Donald Trump’s naval blockade by turning off location beaconsA tanker is under US military surveillance 250 miles off the coast of Ireland while about a dozen vessels with Venezuelan oil are apparently trying to evade a naval blockade in the Caribbean.The ships, which are under US sanctions, turned off transmission signals that can be used to follow them after they sailed from Venezuela, according to TankerTrackers.com. The monitoring service said satellite images showed at least four left Venezuelan waters through a route north of Isla Margarita, the country’s largest island and a popular resort. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK credit card borrowing rises at fastest annual rate in almost two years 05. January 2026 (16:01) Bank of England says individuals borrowed extra £2.1bn in consumer credit in NovemberBusiness live – latest updatesCredit card borrowing rose at the fastest annual rate for almost two years in November, according to the Bank of England, as households took on debt to finance the rising cost of Christmas.In a snapshot covering the month of Rachel Reeves’s highly anticipated autumn budget, the central bank said individuals borrowed an additional £2.1bn in consumer credit, up from a £1.7bn increase in October. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One person in custody after attack on JD Vance’s Ohio home, officials say 05. January 2026 (14:58) US vice-president was not at his Cincinnati home when attacker smashed windows trying to get into the houseOne person is in custody after an overnight attack on the home of JD Vance in which windows were broken, authorities in Ohio said on Monday.The US vice-president was not at his Cincinnati residence at the time, according to a statement from the US Secret Service. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Prax Lindsey oil refinery bought out of administration by US rival 05. January 2026 (14:54) Insolvency Service says 250 staff remaining at Lincolnshire will be guaranteed jobs until the end of MarchBusiness live – latest updatesThe Prax Lindsey oil refinery in north Lincolnshire is to merge with a neighbouring rival, after the US energy company Phillips 66 bought the site, which collapsed into administration last summer.The US company plans to integrate the former Prax operations with the nearby Humber Refinery, which it already owns. It said it would not restart the Lindsey site in North Killingholme as it was not “viable in current form”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
