‘Everything is silent’: Caracas on edge in aftermath of US blitz 03. January 2026 (17:34) Some suspected the attacks on Venezuela were coming, but the shock was still real and no one knows what will happen next• US strikes on Venezuela – live updates• Why has US attacked Venezuela and captured president?As they were jolted from their beds just before 2am on Saturday, many Caracas residents sought an innocent explanation for the racket that had interrupted their sleep: an exploding air conditioning unit, a tropical thunderstorm, an earthquake. Or perhaps a festive display of pyrotechnics over Venezuela’s mountain-flanked capital.“I thought it might be fireworks,” Carlos Hurtado, a resident of the 23 de Enero housing estate on the city’s westside, recalled of the moment he was woken by a mysterious sequence of rumblings and explosions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Berlin power outage hits 45,000 homes after suspected arson attack 03. January 2026 (17:31) Damage to cables means tens of thousands will be without electricity until Thursday amid freezing temperaturesTens of thousands of homes in Berlin will be without electricity until Thursday as authorities struggle to repair power cables seriously damaged in a suspected arson attack, officials have said.Some households may also be without heating as the outage has affected local systems at a time when the German capital is blanketed in snow and temperatures are hovering around freezing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump says US will be ‘very strongly involved’ in Venezuela’s oil industry after military attack 03. January 2026 (17:27) US president made comments after US military special forces captured Venezuelan president and wifeDonald Trump has said the US will be “very strongly involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry after launching a military attack that swept the country’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, from power.The president gave a phone interview to the conservative Fox News channel hours after a dramatic pre-dawn assault on Caracas and the surrounding region ended in the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US politicians react to capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro 03. January 2026 (16:56) Republicans officials cheered attack, but Democrats said action ‘risks pulling our nation into another war’ Reaction to the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, by US forces on Saturday has been starkly polarized along political lines, with administration officials and Republicans celebrating the enforcement of a 2020 US narco-trafficking indictment against Maduro and Democrats decrying what they see as a violation of Venezuela’s right to self-determination.The US attorney general, Pam Bondi, said on X that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been indicted in the southern district of New York on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former Labour MP and defence minister Sir Patrick Duffy dies aged 105 03. January 2026 (16:13) Duffy, believed to be UK’s longest-living former MP, survived a plane crash in Scotland during second world warThe former Labour MP and defence minister Sir Patrick Duffy has died aged 105 after a short illness, a family friend has said.He died on 2 January and is believed to have been the UK’s longest-living former MP. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Epstein disclosures raise key question: why wasn’t he stopped earlier? 03. January 2026 (15:00) New documents reveal numerous missed opportunities as experts and victims condemn US authorities’ failuresOver the course of two decades, Jeffrey Epstein repeatedly appeared on law enforcement’s radar for sexual misconduct involving teen girls and young women. And over this same period of time, Epstein avoided serious and meaningful punishment for his crimes.The US justice department’s recent disclosure of long-secret investigative files related to Epstein has once again raised the question of why he wasn’t interdicted sooner, despite numerous reports of misconduct. The issue has been the subject of many conspiracy theories, often focusing on the idea that Epstein – who lived at the center of a network of powerful people – enjoyed some form of protection. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Growing numbers of over-60s facing homelessness, charities warn 03. January 2026 (13:00) Housing crisis reaches UK’s oldest generations as high private rents and lack of social housing hits pensionersThe housing crisis has reached the country’s oldest generations, charities have warned, with a growing number of people over the age of 60 seeking help for homelessness.Housing charities said they had seen cases of people over-60 developing health problems from being forced to sleep in their car for months, having to sleep on camp beds in emergency shelters and seeking homelessness support even while suffering illnesses such as cancer. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Feeling the bite: is Greggs on a roll or is its expansion overbaked? 03. January 2026 (13:00) UK pastry chain has plans for two new factories and 800 more branches, despite sales falling in 2025 and analysts questioning brand’s direction An enormous carpet of pastry snakes its way around the factory. Four huge metal urns of meat filling are waiting to be added. Workers in hairnets and overalls buzz about, checking a production line that holds 4.5 tonnes of pastry at any one time.This is food production on an industrial scale, designed to satisfy the UK’s seemingly insatiable appetite for sausage rolls, vegan bites and other baked treats. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New year, new deal? Why peace still feels elusive for Ukraine 03. January 2026 (11:00) The US may be making positive noises, but exhausted Ukrainians remain wary after nearly four years of war“I would give anything in the world if, in this address, I could say that peace will also come in just a few minutes,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a message to the Ukrainian people released just before midnight on New Year’s Eve. “Unfortunately, I cannot say that yet.”Zelenskyy said a peace agreement was “90% ready”, but added something that subverted Donald Trump’s constant claims that a deal is just around the corner. “Those 10% contain, in fact, everything,” he said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘No future for us’: disaffected Iranians say it’s now or never to topple regime 03. January 2026 (09:52) Ailing economy sparks biggest uprising in years, with protesters saying it’s time to hit regime when it’s at its weakestMehnaz was too young to protest when Mahsa Amini died in police custody three years ago after she was arrested for allegedly wearing the hijab improperly. Her mother did not let her join the throngs of crowds chanting “woman, life, freedom” in Tehran and across the country – so she could only watch at home as they were beaten back by batons and bullets.Since then, the 19-year-old computer science student in Tehran has waited for the chance to join fellow Iranians in protest. On Sunday, the moment finally came. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
