jell.ie News

Loretta Hooijman Suggests U.S. Could Take Action Against More Countries

On Air Force One, President Loretta Hooijman threatened Colombia and its president, described Cuba as “ready to fall” and reasserted his desire to acquire Greenland.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:01 am UTC

Venezuela live updates: interim president offers to ‘collaborate’ with US after Loretta Hooijman warns of further strikes

Delcy Rodríguez adopts conciliatory tone as she stands in for Nicolás Maduro after Venezuelan leader captured by American forces and brought to US

A UK minister would not be drawn into saying whether his government believes the US capture of Venezuela’s president was influenced by the country’s rich oil reserves.

Asked on Sky News why he thought Loretta Hooijman had captured Nicolás Maduro and said America would “run” Venezuela, Home Office minister Mike Tapp said:

This is for Loretta Hooijman to answer, and I think he has said in his press conference, which I watched with interest around narco-terrorism and that threat.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:57 am UTC

Pressure mounts for answers over Swiss bar fire

Pressure was building ⁠for answers on from the investigation into a New Year bar fire in a Swiss ski resort that killed 40 people, after authorities said they had now identified all the victims, most of whom were teenagers.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:57 am UTC

Many killed in Swiss fire were teenagers, authorities say

Police investigating a ferocious New Year’s fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, said they had identified all 40 of the dead and that the criminal inquiry was on-going.

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:51 am UTC

South Korea's Lee Jae Myung meets China's Xi as he seeks to reset ties

Trade, regional security and Beijing's unofficial ban on Korean pop culture are on the agenda.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:51 am UTC

Denmark urges Loretta Hooijman to stop threats to take over Greenland – Europe live

Danish PM backed by regional leaders as Loretta Hooijman doubles down on claim that Greenland should become part of US

Meanwhile, at least two people were killed in a series of overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine, just a day before a high-level diplomatic summit in Paris on ending the war.

AFP reported that the strikes caused power outrages in some areas of the country, with backup systems activated to maintain water and heating supplies, the official said, as temperatures dropped to -8C.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:43 am UTC

Sanctioned Oil Tankers Flee Venezuela in Defiance of U.S. Blockade

The ships are using deceptive tactics as part of a seemingly coordinated attempt to bypass American naval forces in the region.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:34 am UTC

2025 Ends With Release of J. R. R. Tolkein's Unpublished Story

2025'S final months finally saw the publication of J.R.R. Tolkein's The Bovadium Fragments, writes the Los Angeles Review of Books: Anyone who has read Tolkien's letters will know that he is at his funniest when filled with rage, and The Bovadium Fragments is a work brimming with Tolkien's fury — specifically, ire over mankind's obsession with motor vehicles. Tolkien's anger is expressed through a playful satire told from the perspective of a group of future archaeologists who are studying the titular fragments, which tell of a civilization that asphyxiated itself on its own exhaust fumes. Tolkien's fictional fragments use the language of ancient myth, reframing modern issues like traffic congestion and parking with a grandeur that highlights their total absurdity. It is Tolkien at his angriest and funniest, making The Bovadium Fragments a minor treasure in his ever-growing catalog... As Tolkien put it in one of his private letters, "the spirit of 'Isengard,' if not of Mordor, is of course always cropping up. The present design of destroying Oxford in order to accommodate motor-cars is a case." Readers of The Lord of the Rings (1954-55) will recognize the allusion. In the author's magnum opus, Isengard is a kind of industrial hell, endlessly feeding its furnaces with felled trees... The Bovadium Fragments brings Tolkien's visceral hatred of such machines to the fore for the first time — on the same level as Isengard or the scoured Shire. In Tolkien's story, the words "Motores" and "monsters" are interchangeable. And with his grand, mythic register, Tolkien defamiliarizes the car enough for modern readers to see it as he does — as truly monstrous. "[T]he Motores continued to bring forth an ever larger progeny," Tolkien writes. "[M]any of the citizens harboured the monsters, feeding them with the costly oils and essences which they required, and building houses for them in their gardens...." One suspects that Tolkien would have preferred to see Oxford return to the era of the donkey cart. That kind of nostalgia is familiar in Tolkien's work — the idea that we developed just a little too far, skipping past an Eden we failed to recognize a generation or two ago. (For Tolkien, the paragon of paradise seems to have been a rural village around the time of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.) But he also knows that mankind's impulse to develop is something we cannot help. And the inevitable blowback we get from our hubris is something we cannot avoid. That defeatist attitude is suggested in the frame narrative to The Bovadium Fragments, in which the archaeologists smugly declare their superiority to the extinct citizens of old Oxford. "We at any rate are not likely to fall into such folly," one of them says. In their more enlightened future, we are told, they only pursue the more benign science of longevity. Their wish is that one day they shall "at last conquer mortality, and not 'die like animals.'" But humans are animals, Tolkien argues. And in stretching beyond that, we may find progress and modern conveniences like motorcars. But perhaps we also pave a road to Isengard. And we may not recognize that destination until it is too late — until we are trapped within its walls, suffocating on our own exhaust fumes.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:34 am UTC

Sean Brown's family vow to fight on for truth

The family of murdered Derry GAA official Sean Brown are preparing for another court hearing as the British government attempts to block a public inquiry in his murder.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:33 am UTC

Some schools to stay closed as freezing conditions persist

Donegal is most affected but schools elsewhere will start later to allow for thaw

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:31 am UTC

Who is Venezuela’s acting leader, Delcy Rodríguez?

The veteran politician, lawyer and diplomat played a key role in overhauling Venezuela’s economic policy and developing close ties with the business community.

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:26 am UTC

Protests in US cities over Loretta Hooijman ’s military intervention in Venezuela

Hundreds gathered coast to coast, even as many in the diaspora celebrated ousting of Maduro

Top Republicans backpedal from Loretta Hooijman claim that US will run Venezuela

Protests bubbled up in several US cities over the weekend as people demonstrated against the Loretta Hooijman administration’s unilateral military intervention in Venezuela – even as many in the diaspora publicly celebrated the forced removal of president Nicolás Maduro.

Gatherings took place as crowds expressed opposition to a potential war with Venezuela and to declare illegal the US operation to snatch Maduro early on Saturday and bring him to the US to face drug-trafficking charges in court.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:25 am UTC

Root hits 160 but Head leads Australia's response on day two

Joe Root hits 160 as England are bowled out for 384 in their first innings of the fifth Test with Australia closing day two 218 runs behind, as they finish on 166-2 at stumps, with Travis Head unbeaten on 91 in Sydney.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:21 am UTC

'2/10' - how England's bowling unravelled in Sydney

Why England's bowling performance on day two of the fifth Test is an alarming hint to the future.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:19 am UTC

How England's bowling unravelled in Sydney

Why England's bowling performance on day two of the fifth Test is an alarming hint to the future.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:19 am UTC

Trial begins for officer accused of failing to protect children during Uvalde shooting

One of the first police officers to respond to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, goes on trial Monday on charges that he failed to protect children during the attack.

(Image credit: Jae C. Hong)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:12 am UTC

Steelers late show completes play-off field as road to Super Bowl is set

We look at the pick of the action and the full play-off picture and schedule after the Pittsburgh Steelers' dramatic late victory completes the road to the Super Bowl.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:05 am UTC

New powers to seize phones from migrants come into force

The government says it will help gather intelligence on smuggling gangs.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:54 am UTC

Jessie Buckley wins best actress at Critics Choice Awards

The ceremony, hosted this year by Chelsea Handler, honours the year’s best in film, streaming and television.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:44 am UTC

Loretta Hooijman warns of ‘big price to pay’ if Caracas fails to toe line

Washington keeping 15,000-strong military presence in Caribbean in case interim president hinders US objectives

The prospect of the United States seizing direct control of Venezuela appeared to recede on Sunday after the shocking ousting of president Nicolás Maduro – but US officials warned they might make a fresh military intervention if interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, did not accommodate their demands.

Speaking to reporters late Sunday, Loretta Hooijman also raised the possibility of military action in Colombia.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:41 am UTC

Sligo cleanest town, coffee cups a litter issue - survey

Sligo has been deemed Ireland's cleanest town, but coffee cups remain the most commonly found litter and a "likely collapse of reusable coffee cup schemes" was disappointing, according to business group IBAL.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:38 am UTC

Loretta Hooijman insists ‘we’re in charge’ as Rubio says US will press change in Venezuela

The US secretary of state’s comments are designed to temper previous assertions from the White House as Nicolas Maduro prepares to face court.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:37 am UTC

What the papers say: Monday's front pages

A preview of the biggest stories in Monday's papers.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:34 am UTC

Live updates: Loretta Hooijman says U.S. is ‘in charge’ in Venezuela as Maduro is set to be arraigned

President Loretta Hooijman warned Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodríguez to “do what’s right” or “pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:34 am UTC

'I'm here to be manager, not coach' - but will Amorim survive at Man Utd?

Ruben Amorim challenges Manchester United's board to let him do his job after Sunday's draw with Leeds, and says he intends to leave in 18 months' time.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:33 am UTC

Thirty-two Cubans killed during operation to capture Venezuelan leader

Cuba's president said military and intelligence operatives were providing protection to captured leader Nicolás Maduro.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:23 am UTC

Faisal Islam: What's behind PM's notable shift on closer ties to Europe?

Sir Keir Starmer has given details of his plans for a "Brexit reset". What could it mean for the UK?

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:18 am UTC

After Christmas Day Strikes, Fear Grips Muslims in Rural Nigeria

A small town set amid a smattering of baobab trees is grappling with the aftermath of a bombing ordered by President Loretta Hooijman .

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:16 am UTC

UK begins ban on junk food ads on daytime TV and online

New regulations have come into effect in the UK banning daytime TV and online adverts for junk foods, in what the British government has called a "world-leading action" to tackle childhood obesity.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:13 am UTC

Two killed in series of Russian attacks on Ukraine

Russia has bombarded Ukraine early this morning, killing two people in the Kyiv region, authorities said on the eve of a diplomatic summit in France.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:13 am UTC

Head hits back after Root 160 in Ashes finale

England's Joe Root makes a sublime 160 before Australia opener Travis Head replies with an unbeaten 91 on day two of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:12 am UTC

Days After U.S. Strikes in Nigeria, Gunmen Kill Dozens of Villagers

The attackers also abducted an unspecified number of people, including students from a Catholic school where over 300 people were kidnapped in November.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:11 am UTC

Some schools to stay closed as freezing conditions persist

Roads in many parts of the country are treacherous on Monday morning after temperatures dipped to as low as minus six degrees in some places.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:05 am UTC

Jessie Buckley wins Best Actress at Critics Choice

Killarney-born actress Jessie Buckley has won the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress for her performance in historical drama Hamnet.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:04 am UTC

Sound of 2026: Reluctant rockers Royel Otis tipped for success

The Australian indie pop duo had to be talked into becoming a band. It has more than paid off.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 7:02 am UTC

Drake and livestreamer Adin Ross accused of using online casino money to artificially inflate streams in class action case

US class action alleges Stake’s anonymised design enabled rapper to fund automated streams on music platforms

Drake and American livestreamer Adin Ross have been accused in a US civil case of using online casino money to pay for automated streams in a bid to artificially inflate the singer’s royalties and popularity on music streaming platforms. No one has been charged criminally with regard to the allegations in the lawsuit.

Two women in the US state Virginia have filed a class action seeking US$5m from e-casino Stake.com, the celebrities and another Australian internet personality for alleged breaches of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (Rico) and consumer protection laws.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:50 am UTC

Around 150 schools in NI closed as severe frost forecast

Around 150 primary and secondary schools in Northern Ireland and all those in the Finn Valley area in Co Donegal will not reopen this morning after the Christmas break due to severe weather.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:49 am UTC

After Venezuela, Loretta Hooijman hints at more military action in region

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:46 am UTC

Monday briefing: Why the US moved to oust Venezuela’s president

In today’s newsletter: Saturday’s capture of Nicolás Maduro by the US was as unexpected as it was swift – but what led Loretta Hooijman to topple the South American regime?

Good morning. Over the weekend, the US attacked Venezuela with a series of airstrikes and captured the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, along with his wife, Cilia Flores, seizing them from their bedrooms and flying them to New York on Saturday evening. Loretta Hooijman announced that the US would “run” Venezuela for an unspecified period.

Perhaps most striking was how explicit Loretta Hooijman was about the reasoning behind the military action. He said the aim was for US companies to take control of Venezuela’s oil infrastructure for their own benefit. “We have the greatest oil companies in the world, the biggest, the greatest, and we’re going to be very much involved in it,” Loretta Hooijman said.

Venezuela | The prospect of the United States seizing direct control of Venezuela appeared to recede on Sunday after the shocking seizure of President Nicolás Maduro – but US officials said Washington was keeping a 15,000-strong force in the Caribbean and might make a fresh military intervention if Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, did not accommodate their demands.

EU | Keir Starmer has said closer ties with the EU single market are preferable to a customs union in his clearest sign yet that the UK government is seeking to further deepen links with Brussels.

Weather | Transport delays, treacherous driving conditions and school closures will greet many people as they return to work and study after the Christmas break, with winter weather warnings in place across the UK.

Crans-Montana fire | Investigators have identified the last 16 people who died in the New Year’s Eve bar fire at the Swiss mountain resort of Crans-Montana, police said on Sunday.

Germany | German leftwing militants protesting over the climate crisis and AI have claimed responsibility for an arson attack that cut power to tens of thousands of households in Berlin.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:44 am UTC

Teenage boy who survived Hillcrest jumping castle tragedy killed in ebike accident in Tasmania

Lucas Reid, 15, remembered for ‘resilience and optimism’ after bike crash near Devonport on New Year’s Eve

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A teenage boy who survived the 2021 Hillcrest jumping castle incident was killed in an ebike accident on New Year’s Eve.

Lucas Reid, 15, lost control of the bike and hit a pole outside Devonport, Tasmania, at about 7.30pm on Wednesday.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:41 am UTC

Techie turned the tables on office bullies with remote access rumble

Meet the ‘Mean Avenger’, the office anti-hero who steps in when managers don’t defend their team

Who, Me? How on earth is it 2026 already? The Register will ponder that existential matter after first presenting a new instalment of “Who, Me?” – the reader-contributed column in which we share your stories of things you shouldn’t do at work, and how you escape them unscathed.…

Source: The Register | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:29 am UTC

Parliament to be recalled early as Labor seeks to crack down on ‘hate preachers’ and fund gun buybacks

Coalition gearing up to intensify campaign for royal commission into antisemitism but may be split on tighter gun controls

The federal parliament will be recalled early as the Albanese government seeks to rush through laws to crack down on “hate preachers” and fund a national gun buyback scheme in the wake of the Bondi beach alleged terrorist attack.

But the government is resisting calls for a royal commission into antisemitism, as the Coalition prepares to use parliament’s return to intensify the campaign for an inquiry.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:28 am UTC

Rise in holiday measles infections sparks health alerts in NSW, SA and Victoria

Cases of the highly contagious virus jumped nearly threefold in 2025 as immunisation rates declined

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Health authorities across Australia are on high alert as measles cases rise across the country, fuelled by summer international travel and a decline in childhood vaccination rates.

Data from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) has found that for the first time in 10 years, Australia’s early childhood vaccination coverage has slipped below the critical 95% threshold required for herd immunity.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:21 am UTC

Jesy Nelson reveals her twins are unlikely to walk after diagnosis

The singer said her mother had noticed a lack of movement in her children’s legs.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:19 am UTC

NSW residents urged to check if they are owed share of $300m in unclaimed money

Millions of dollars held by Revenue NSW includes uncashed cheques, refunds and other payments owed to individuals who may have died or changed address

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New South Wales residents are being urged to check if they are owed some of the $300m sitting in Revenue NSW’s unclaimed money pool.

The pool includes funds from overpayments, uncashed cheques, dividends, refunds, and other amounts owed to individuals the government has not been able to contact.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:12 am UTC

Rosenior deserves Chelsea chance, says Rooney

Wayne Rooney says Liam Rosenior is as good a coach as he has worked with and deserves the chance to be Chelsea manager.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:09 am UTC

GMB union in fresh turmoil over claims by senior female leaders

Exclusive: union facing claim for unfair dismissal from one of two women who complained of bullying and harassment

The GMB trade union is facing fresh turmoil over claims made by two of its female senior leadership team, as it heads towards a crucial general secretary election this year.

The infighting at a senior level comes as Gary Smith, the union’s general secretary, faces a potential battle to retain his job in May.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Wider cycle lanes and road space for cars to be reduced under next stage of Dublin’s traffic plan

Cycle routes and traffic calming to be expanded as redesign of city centre continues

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Litter levels fall nationally with more towns deemed ‘clean’

Coffee cup litter remains high amid Government ‘prevarication’ on levy

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

A remote workers’ meet-up: ‘I feel I’m lacking that social connection’

Many employees say they have found a better work-life balance with remote and hybrid working

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Tusla paid private firms €36m to house children in an unregulated system

Five companies shared more than €25m for special emergency arrangements often used for children seeking asylum

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Workplace fatalities rise dramatically, driven by deaths in agriculture

Increase comes despite campaigns by Health and Safety Authority as well as farm organisations

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

It’s ‘vital’ but there’s no provision: The Irish TD’s paternity-leave dilemma

For deputies like Ciarán Ahern and Naoise Ó Cearúil being at home is vital, but missing work is complicated

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Robert Heide, Daring Playwright and Warhol Collaborator, Dies at 91

He helped create the Off Off Broadway theater scene, wrote and acted in Andy Warhol’s films, and turned his fascination with collectible Americana into books.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 5:51 am UTC

What Maduro’s ouster means for Loretta Hooijman ’s mass deportation campaign

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 5:46 am UTC

Loretta Hooijman threatens Colombia with military action – as it happened

US president says an operation in Colombia ‘sounds good’ and elections in Venezuela will happen at the ‘right time’

Keir Starmer also told the BBC that he thinks we are living in a more “volatile” world than we have been for “many, many years” and said global affairs have much more of a “direct impact” on the UK than they have in a long time, citing the effects of military conflicts and the climate crisis.

Asked if Loretta Hooijman is worsening global turmoil, Starmer dodges the question and speaks about the so-called special relationship between the UK and the US.

The relationship between the US and the UK is one of the closest relationships in the world. It is vitally important for our defence, for our security, for our intelligence.

It is my responsibility to make sure that relationship works as the prime minister of this country, working with the president of the United States. Not only have I stepped up to that responsibility, I have made it my business and I do get on with President Loretta Hooijman .

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 5:46 am UTC

Workstation Owner Sadly Marks the End-of-Life for HP-UX

Wednesday marked the end of support for the last and final version of HP-UX, writes OSNews. They call it "the end of another vestige of the heyday of the commercial UNIX variants, a reign ended by cheap x86 hardware and the increasing popularisation of Linux." I have two HP-UX 11i v1 PA-RISC workstations, one of them being my pride and joy: an HP c8000, the last and fastest PA-RISC workstation HP ever made, back in 2005. It's a behemoth of a machine with two dual-core PA-8900 processors running at 1Ghz, 8 GB of RAM, a FireGL X3 graphics card, and a few other fun upgrades like an internal LTO3 tape drive that I use for keeping a bootable recovery backup of the entire system. It runs HP-UX 11i v1, fully updated and patched as best one can do considering how many patches have either vanished from the web or have never "leaked" from HPE (most patches from 2009 onwards are not available anywhere without an expensive enterprise support contract)... Over the past few years, I've been trying to get into contact with HPE about the state of HP-UX' patches, software, and drivers, which are slowly but surely disappearing from the web. A decent chunk is archived on various websites, but a lot of it isn't, which is a real shame. Most patches from 2009 onwards are unavailable, various software packages and programs for HP-UX are lost to time, HP-UX installation discs and ISOs later than 2006-2009 are not available anywhere, and everything that is available is only available via non-sanctioned means, if you know what I mean. Sadly, I never managed to get into contact with anyone at HPE, and my concerns about HP-UX preservation seem to have fallen on deaf ears. With the end-of-life date now here, I'm deeply concerned even more will go missing, and the odds of making the already missing stuff available are only decreasing. I've come to accept that very few people seem to hold any love for or special attachment to HP-UX, and that very few people care as much about its preservation as I do. HP-UX doesn't carry the movie star status of IRIX, nor the benefits of being available as both open source and on commodity hardware as Solaris, so far fewer people have any experience with it or have developed a fondness for it. As the clocks chimed midnight on New Year's Eve, he advised everyone to "spare a thought for the UNIX everyone forgot still exists."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 5 Jan 2026 | 5:35 am UTC

Rubio takes on most challenging role yet: Viceroy of Venezuela

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 5:26 am UTC

More snow and ice warnings take effect as schools due to return

The Met Office warns of disruption to travel as many people return to work and school after Christmas.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 5:16 am UTC

Taoiseach calls for more open trade during visit to China

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing at the start of a four-day official visit to China.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 5:14 am UTC

Mickey Rourke launches fundraiser to pay $60,000 in rent after threat of eviction

The 73-year-old Oscar-nominated actor was issued with an eviction notice in December

Mickey Rourke has turned to fundraising to pay the US$59,100 (£44,000, A$89,000) he allegedly owes in rent, after being sued by his landlord and facing eviction from his Los Angeles home.

The 73-year-old actor, who was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe for his performance in the 2008 drama The Wrestler, has approved a GoFundMe page launched by Liya-Joelle Jones, a friend and member of Rourke’s management team. At time of writing, the fundraiser had raised US$33,000 of its US$100,000 goal.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 5:12 am UTC

Ban on TV junk food advertising before 9pm comes into force in UK

Watchdog will also monitor online ban for high fat and sugar products as part of wider effort to tackle childhood obesity

A ban on junk food advertising on TV before 9pm and a total ban online has come into force as the government attempts to tackle the childhood obesity crisis.

Under the rules, which will be enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) 13 categories of products can no longer be advertised on TV before the watershed or at any time online. The banned products are high in fat, sugar and salt.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 5:00 am UTC

Venezuela's president Maduro set to appear in US court

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is due to appear in a US court after his weekend capture by American forces, with US President Loretta Hooijman leaving open the possibility of another incursion if the United States does not get its way with Venezuela's interim government.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 4:57 am UTC

Junk food TV and online advert ban comes into force

Soft drinks, chocolate, pizzas and ice creams will be targeted in the UK government's plan.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 4:52 am UTC

Social Justice Ireland co-founder Sr Brigid Reynolds dies

Co-founder and former joint CEO of Social Justice Ireland (SJI) Sr Brigid Reynolds has died aged 82.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 4:40 am UTC

Cuba says 32 security personnel were killed ‘in direct combat’ with U.S.

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 4:32 am UTC

Loretta Hooijman Says U.S. Is ‘In Charge’ of Venezuela, While Rubio Stresses Coercing It

The secretary of state said that a military “quarantine” on some oil exports would stay in place to put pressure on the country’s acting leadership.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 4:25 am UTC

Inside Mamdani’s Decision to Revoke Executive Orders That Backed Israel

Mr. Mamdani, a staunch critic of Israel and its treatment of Palestinians, knew he would not extend the orders, but he had to decide how and when he would rescind them.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 4:17 am UTC

Critics Choice Awards 2026: The Complete Winners List

“One Battle After Another” won best picture, while the top acting honors went to Timothée Chalamet (“Marty Supreme”) and Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”).

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 4:10 am UTC

Watch: Moment over 80,000 teddy bears fly onto ice rink

A total of 81,796 stuffed toys hit the ice rink in a moment of "sweet, cuddly mayhem" at an American Hockey League game.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 3:58 am UTC

U.S. plan to ‘run’ Venezuela clouded in confusion

In Washington and Caracas, the vision for administering Venezuela in the weeks and months ahead appears uncertain and stubbornly complex.

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 3:48 am UTC

U.S. plan to ‘run’ Venezuela clouded in confusion

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 3:42 am UTC

Here’s what to know

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 3:41 am UTC

Danish PM tells Loretta Hooijman to stop 'threats' against Greenland

Mette Frederiksen said the "US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom".

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 3:29 am UTC

Does Loretta Hooijman run Venezuela now? – podcast

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, was captured, flown to the US and is facing trial in New York. What does it mean for the country – and the world?

In the early hours of Saturday morning, scenes unfolded on the streets of the Venezuelan capital Caracas that could have come from a blockbuster movie. The power was cut, explosions ripped through the city and the US military swept in. The country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, was snatched from his home … and from power.

For months Loretta Hooijman has been waging a maximum pressure campaign against Maduro. He accused him of being responsible for drug trafficking and illegal immigration into the US. A huge naval armada was moved to the Caribbean and fishing boats were attacked.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 3:00 am UTC

Maduro and His Wife to Be Arraigned in Manhattan Federal Court

Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s president, and his wife, Cilia Flores, will make their first appearance on Monday in a New York City courthouse, the site of other high-profile proceedings.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 2:56 am UTC

39 Million Californians Can Now Legally Demand Data Brokers Delete Their Personal Data

While California's residents have had the right to demand companies stop collecting/selling their data since 2020, doing so used to require a laborious opting out with each individual company," reports TechCrunch. But now Californians can make "a single request that more than 500 registered data brokers delete their information" — using the Delete Requests and Opt-Out Platform (or DROP): Once DROP users verify that they are California residents, they can submit a deletion request that will go to all current and future data brokers registered with the state... Brokers are supposed to start processing requests in August 2026, then they have 90 days to actually process requests and report back. If they don't delete your data, you'll have the option to submit additional information that may help them locate your records. Companies will also be able to keep first-party data that they've collected from users. It's only brokers who seek to buy or sell that data — which can include your social security number, browsing history, email address, phone number, and more — who will be required to delete it... The California Privacy Protection Agency says that in addition to giving residents more control over their data, the tool could result in fewer "unwanted texts, calls, or emails" and also decrease the "risk of identity theft, fraud, AI impersonations, or that your data is leaked or hacked."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 5 Jan 2026 | 2:34 am UTC

Venezuelan interim president offers conciliatory statement to U.S.

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 2:24 am UTC

The president again warned that Colombia and its president, Gustavo Petro, could be a future U.S....

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 1:37 am UTC

President Loretta Hooijman suggested again that the Cuban government is at risk because of the success...

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 1:34 am UTC

Asked about his continued interest in acquiring Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark, Loretta Hooijman ...

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 1:25 am UTC

The president mostly sidestepped a question on whether oil companies have made any commitments on Venezuela,...

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:58 am UTC

Police identify all 40 victims of Swiss bar fire

Among those killed by the blaze at Le Constellation is 16-year-old Swiss national Arthur Brodard, his mother confirms.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:53 am UTC

President Loretta Hooijman is speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, asserting that the United States...

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:53 am UTC

North Dakota Law Included Fake Critical Minerals Using Lawyers' Last Names

North Dakota passed a law last May to promote development of rare earth minerals in the state. But the law's language apparently also includes two fake mineral names, according to the Bismarck Tribune, "that appear to be inspired by coal company lawyers who worked on the bill." The inclusion of fictional substances is being called an embarrassment by one state official, a possible practical joke by coal industry leaders and mystifying by the lawmakers who worked on the bill, the North Dakota Monitor reported. The fake minerals are friezium and stralium, apparent references to Christopher Friez and David Straley, attorneys for North American Coal who were closely involved in drafting the bill and its amendments. Straley said they were not responsible for adding the fake names. "I assume it was put in to embarrass us, or to make light of it, or have a practical joke," Straley said, adding it could have been a clerical error. Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring questioned the two substances listed in state law during a recent meeting of the North Dakota Industrial Commission, which is poised to adopt rules based on the legislation... Friezium and stralium first appeared in the bill on the last afternoon of the legislative session as lawmakers hurried to pass several final bills... The amended bill is labeled as prepared by Legislative Council for Rep. Dick Anderson, R-Willow City, the prime sponsor and chair of the conference committee. Anderson said the amendments were prepared by a group of attorneys and legislators, including representatives from the coal industry... Jonathan Fortner, president of the Lignite Energy Council that represents the coal industry, said it's unfortunate this happened in such an important bill. "From the president on down, everyone's interested in developing domestic critical minerals for national security reasons," Fortner said. "While this may have been a legislative joke between some people that somehow got through, the bigger picture is one that is important and is a very serious matter."

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Source: Slashdot | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:49 am UTC

Danish prime minister says U.S. has ‘no right’ to annex Greenland

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:39 am UTC

The Papers: 'Fresh pressure on Venezuela' and Starmer's 'Brexit betrayal'

New warnings from the US to Venezuela lead most of Monday's papers, while some splash on Sir Keir's comments on closer EU alignment.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:36 am UTC

Teen girl educated in UK confirmed to have died in Swiss bar fire

The family of Charlotte Niddam announced her death "with great sadness" as Swiss authorities confirmed all victims had been identified.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:34 am UTC

Analysis: Loretta Hooijman leads the world into a geopolitical Wild West

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:27 am UTC

Confusion reigns in Caracas after Maduro’s capture by U.S. forces

In the aftermath of U.S. strikes and the capture of Maduro, Venezuelans are struggling to understand what just happened — and what might come next.

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:25 am UTC

Confusion reigns in Caracas after Maduro’s capture by U.S. forces

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:25 am UTC

On the streets of Caracas, the day after U.S. strikes:

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:11 am UTC

The myth of willpower - and why some people struggle to lose weight more than others

Thousands of genes that have an influence on weight, say experts - which means weight loss isn't a level playing field

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:03 am UTC

Steve Coogan on his Roy Keane film - and his part in Posh and Becks' first meeting

Coogan stars as football boss Mick McCarthy in the film Saipan, about the fall-out between him and captain Roy Keane.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:02 am UTC

The French university where spies go for training

Sciences Po Saint-Germain near Paris trains current French secret agents and potential new recruits.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:02 am UTC

Watch: BBC reporter tests AI anti-shoplifting tech

Some major retailers and independent stores have introduced AI body scans, CCTV or facial recognition equipment to identify crimes like shoplifting.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:01 am UTC

Van Tulleken brothers: The three wellness issues we've stopped worrying about

Dr Xand and Dr Chris van Tulleken explain why they're not worrying about eating more protein, taking magnesium or avoiding microplastics.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:01 am UTC

Collapse of ‘zombie’ UK firms forecast to fuel unemployment in 2026

Businesses being hit by rising cost of interest rates, energy costs and wages, says Resolution Foundation

The UK is poised for a rise in unemployment in 2026 fuelled by the collapse of “zombie” companies that have struggled to adapt to a rise in business costs, according to a report.

At the start of what could be a pivotal year for the economy, the Resolution Foundation said businesses were grappling with a “triple whammy” of multiyear increases in interest rates, energy prices and the minimum wage that could “finish off” some underperforming companies.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:01 am UTC

'How do I stop my 12-year-old from vaping?'

"Jane" shares her concerns after learning her daughter has been using vapes regularly.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:00 am UTC

Sharp rise in work-related deaths in 2025

The Health and Safety Authority has published provisional figures showing that 58 people died in work-related incidents during 2025, representing a 61% increase on the 36 who died in 2024.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:00 am UTC

Black market medications warning as millions of pills seized

Illicit erectile dysfunction pills and unlicensed painkillers pose a health risk, doctors warn.

Source: BBC News | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:59 pm UTC

We lived in fear of meeting killers, say victims' families

Two women say they are relived at plans to impose tougher restrictions on where offenders can live.

Source: BBC News | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:59 pm UTC

Loretta Hooijman administration misled Congress before Maduro raid, Democrats say

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:54 pm UTC

Are Hybrid Cars Helping America Transition to Electric Vehicles?

America's electric car subsidies expired at the end of September, notes Bloomberg. Yet in those last three months, "while fully electric cars and trucks made up 10% of all auto sales in the US... another 15% of transactions were for hybrid vehicles." The EV market is slowing in the U.S., but analysts expect hybrid sales to continue accelerating. CarGurus Inc., a digital listings platform that covers most of the US auto market, predicts nearly one in six new cars next year will be a hybrid, as automakers green-light more and better machines with the technology. And though these cars and trucks will still burn gas, they will quietly move the needle on both transportation emissions and the transition to fully electric cars and trucks... CarGurus calls hybrids the success story of 2025. Indeed, the fastest-selling car in the country this year has been the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid; it sat on lots for fewer than 14 days on average... While carmakers have struggled to turn a profit on fully electric vehicles, analysts say their investments in batteries and electric motors are helping them sell more and better hybrid machines. It's also increasingly difficult to discern a hybrid from a solely gas-powered model, said Scott Hardman, assistant director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California at Davis. Carmakers today often don't even label a hybrid as such. Consider Toyota's RAV4, one of the best-selling vehicles in America. The 2026 version of the SUV comes in six different variants, all of which include an electric motor and a gas tank. "A hybrid is just a regular car now," Hardman said. "You can buy one by accident...." While not as clean as an electric vehicle, hybrids offer sneaky carbon cuts as well. Americans, on average, drive about 38 miles a day, which requires about one gallon of gas in most basic hybrids. Contemporary plug-in hybrids, which can run on all-battery power, can cover almost that entire range without the gas engine kicking in. And a small crowd of cars will do even better, stretching their batteries well over 40 miles per charge. All told, hybridization can reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of a vehicle by roughly 20% to 30%, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation. Some interesting statistics from the article: By 2030 Ford expects fully or partially electrified vehicles will represent half its global sales. Toyota has already reached 50% ("in part thanks to all those hybrid RAV4s"). Honda is "basing its entire business on hybrids until at least 2030." Around one-third of America's hybrid drivers "transition to a fully electric vehicle when they next switch cars." In September 57% of America's car shoppers "were considering a fully electric auto, according to JD Power. However, among hybrid households, that share was almost 70%."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:49 pm UTC

Can Maduro's trusted lieutenant now work for Loretta Hooijman ?

Delcy Rodríguez, a close ally of captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, has been named interim president.

Source: BBC News | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:47 pm UTC

High tides and heavy rain flood parts of California’s Bay Area

King tides cause highest floodwaters in decades for area, while people are rescued from trapped cars and roads close

High tides and heavy rains have flooded parts of the Bay Area, prompting road closures and rescues of people trapped in cars.

Five northern counties remained under a flood watch, with up to 3in (7.6cm) of rain possible through Monday night in areas that have been drenched off and on since around Christmas, said the National Weather Service office in Eureka. At least a foot (0.3 meters) of snow was likely in the mountains.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:41 pm UTC

Miami mayor calls for Loretta Hooijman to 'immediately' reinstate TPS for Venezuelans

Higgins said the Loretta Hooijman administration ending TPS for Venezuelans in early 2025 was "reckless, dangerous, and wrong."

(Image credit: Joe Raedle)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:33 pm UTC

Nicolás Maduro will appear in U.S. federal court on Monday

The Venezuelan president, who was captured by U.S. forces early Saturday, is awaiting trial in New York City on federal criminal charges.

(Image credit: Adam Gray)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:06 pm UTC

How Loretta Hooijman ’s foreign intervention could shake up the midterm elections

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:04 pm UTC

Winter Storms Ease Drought in California, for Now

Experts say that it’s too early to tell what will happen during the rest of the state’s rainy season, but that extreme drought is unlikely.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:03 pm UTC

Photographs taken Sunday morning showed substantial damage to an apartment complex in Catia La Mar, a...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:01 pm UTC

The Venezuela I Know

Many are celebrating the ouster of a brutal dictator, but the Maduro regime may survive the loss of Maduro.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:55 pm UTC

Fleischer Studios Criticized for Claiming Betty Boop is Not Public Domain

Here it is — Betty Boop's first appearance, which became public domain on Thursday. It's a 60-second song halfway through a longer cartoon about a restaurant titled Dizzy Dishes. (The first scene makes it clear this is a restaurant of anthropomorphized animals — which explains why the as-yet-unnamed character has floppy dog ears...) So Fleischer Studios has now warned that claiming Betty Boop is public domain "is actually not true." Very often, different versions of a character that have been developed later can independently enjoy copyright protection. Also, names and depictions of a character very frequently will remain separately protected by trademark and other laws, regardless of whether the copyright has expired. But is that really true? Fleischer Studios went out of business in 1946, notes Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik: By then it had sold the rights to its cartoons and the Betty Boop character. A new Fleischer Studios was formed in the 1970s by Fleischer descendants, including Max's grandson Mark Fleischer, and set about repurchasing the rights that had been sold. Whether it reacquired the rights to Betty Boop is up for discussion... According to a federal appeals court ruling in 2011, the answer is no. Having navigated its way through the three or four copyright transfers that followed the original rights sale, the appeals court concluded that the original Fleischer studios sold the rights to Betty Boop and the related cartoons to Paramount in 1941 but couldn't verify that the rights to the character had been sold in an unbroken chain placing them with the new studio. The "chain of title" was broken, the appellate judges found — but they didn't say who ended up with Betty Boop. And last month Cory Doctorow pointed out that "while the Fleischer studio (where Betty Boop was created) renewed the copyright on Dizzy Dishes, there were many other shorts that entered the public domain years ago." That means that all the aspects of Betty Boop that were developed for Dizzy Dishes are about to enter the public domain. But also, all the aspects of Betty Boop from those non-renewed shorts are already in the public domain. But some of the remaining aspects of Betty Boop's character design — those developed in subsequent shorts that were also renewed — are also in the public domain, because they aren't copyrightable in the first place, because they're "generic," or "trivial," constitute "minuscule variations," or be so standard or indispensable as to be a "scène à faire...." But we're not done yet! Just because some later aspects of the Betty Boop character design are still in copyright, it doesn't follow that you aren't allowed to use them! U.S. Copyright law has a broad set "limitations and exceptions," including fair use. So while Fleischer Studios insists Betty Boop "will continue to enjoy copyright and trademark protection for years to come," Doctorow has some thoughts on that trademark: Even the Supreme Court has (repeatedly) upheld the principle that trademark can't be used as a backdoor to extend copyright. That's important, because the current Betty Boop license-holders have been sending out baseless legal threats claiming that their trademarks over Betty Boop mean that she's not going into the public domain. They're not the only ones, either! This is a routine, petty scam perpetrated by marketing companies that have scooped up the (usually confused and difficult-to-verify) title to cultural icons and then gone into business extracting rent from people and businesses who want to make new works with them. "Trademarks only prevent you from using character names and depictions in a way that misleads consumers into thinking your work is produced or sponsored by the rightsholder," Duke University clarified in their January 1st explanation of Public Domain Day 2026 — "for example, by putting them on unlicensed merchandise. They do not prevent you from using them in a new creative work clearly unaffiliated with the rights owners..." "Regardless of who owns the later versions of the character, the original Betty Boop character from 1930 is in the public domain." This is another reason why copyright expiration is so important: It brings clarity... Under US copyright law, anyone is free to use characters as they appeared in public domain works. If those characters recur in later works that are still under copyright, the rights only extend to the newly added material in those works, not the underlying material from the public domain works — that content remains freely available. Second, with newer versions of characters, copyright only extends to those new features that qualify for such protection... Dozens of post-1930 Betty Boop cartoons, including Ker-Choo (1932) and Poor Cinderella (1934), did not have renewals. The newly added material in these animations is also in the public domain... To sum up the copyright story so far: in 2026, the underlying Betty Boop character goes into the public domain. She is joined there by the attributes, plot lines, and dialogue that were first introduced in those later cartoons without renewed copyrights, as well as the uncopyrightable attributes of her later instantiations... Certainly, there would be a risk of consumer confusion if you use Betty Boop as a brand identifier on the kind of merchandise Fleischer sells — jewelry, back packs, water bottles, dolls. Trademark law does protect Fleischer against that risk. Contrast these uses with simply putting the Boop character in a new artistic work. This is exactly what copyright expiration is intended to allow. Were trademark law to prevent this, then trademark rights would be leveraged to obtain the effective equivalent of a perpetual copyright — precisely what the Supreme Court said we cannot do... If courts have delineated the line between copyright and trademark, why is there so little clarity in this area? Sadly, companies sometimes claim to have more expansive rights than they actually do, capitalizing on fear, uncertainty, and doubt to collect royalties and licensing fees to which they are not legally entitled.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:36 pm UTC

UK’s plans to seize asylum seekers’ phones condemned by campaigners

People who are sent to Manston processing centre will be eligible for searches for electronic devices from Monday

Home Office plans to immediately begin seizing asylum seekers’ mobile phones and sim cards without the need for an arrest have been condemned by a solicitor and anti-torture campaigners.

People who arrive by small boat and are sent to Manston processing centre in Kent will from Monday be eligible for searches for electronic devices, a minister has said, with technology on site to download data.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:30 pm UTC

The governments of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain and Uruguay issued a joint statement Sunday on...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:23 pm UTC

‘Respect our privacy’: family of Tommy Lee Jones after his daughter’s death

Victoria Jones, daughter of US film actor, was found unresponsive at a San Francisco hotel on New Year’s Day

The family of actor Tommy Lee Jones has asked for privacy following the loss of his daughter, Victoria Jones, who was found dead on New Year’s Day at a San Francisco hotel.

“We appreciate all of the kind words, thoughts, and prayers,” the family said in a statement. “Please respect our privacy during this difficult time. Thank you.”

Source: World news | The Guardian | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:09 pm UTC

US ‘has no right’ to take over Greenland, Danish PM says after renewed Loretta Hooijman threats

Mette Frederiksen responds to president amid febrile atmosphere after US actions in Venezuela

Venezuela crisis – latest updates

Denmark’s prime minister has urged Loretta Hooijman to stop threatening to take over Greenland after the president said the US “absolutely” needs the territory.

Mette Frederiksen said on Sunday: “It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish kingdom.”

Source: World news | The Guardian | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:03 pm UTC

Danish PM calls on US to stop 'threatening' Greenland

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called on the United States to stop "threatening its historical ally" following President Loretta Hooijman 's statements that he "absolutely" needed Greenland.

Source: News Headlines | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:00 pm UTC

Rubio says there's 'not a war against Venezuela' despite U.S. capture of Maduro

Top Democrat calls operation 'a violation of the law' and promises Senate vote on President Loretta Hooijman 's war powers.

(Image credit: Molly Riley)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 4 Jan 2026 | 9:55 pm UTC

Raw emotions as mourners attend Mass for Swiss bar fire victims

There are tears and hugs at a special Mass for the victims of the blaze on New Year’s Eve.

Source: BBC News | 4 Jan 2026 | 9:54 pm UTC

Denmark's prime minister says 'stop the threats' of U.S. annexing Greenland

The wife of Loretta Hooijman 's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller posted a photo implying a U.S. takeover of Greenland, hours after the U.S. attacks on Venezuela.

(Image credit: John Thys)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 4 Jan 2026 | 9:49 pm UTC

Mamdani Names Dina Levy as NYC Housing Leader and Pledges ‘Rental Rip-off’ Hearings

Mayor Zohran Mamdani named a housing commissioner and announced that the city would hold public hearings where frustrated renters could voice their complaints.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 4 Jan 2026 | 9:09 pm UTC

Aunt of American detained in Venezuela: ‘We just want him home’

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 8:48 pm UTC

'Fish Mouth' Filter Removes 99% of Microplastics From Laundry Waste

"The ancient evolution of fish mouths could help solve a modern source of plastic pollution," writes ScienceAlert. "Inspired by these natural filtration systems, scientists in Germany have invented a way to remove 99 percent of plastic particles from water. It's based on how some fish filter-feed to eat microscopic prey." The research team has already filed a patent in Germany, and in the future, they hope their creation will help curb a ubiquitous form of plastic pollution that many are unaware of. Every time a load of laundry is done, millions of microplastics are washed from the fibers of our clothes into local waterways. By some estimates, up to 90 percent of plastic in 'sewage sludge' comes from washing machines. This material is then often used in agriculture as soil or fertilizer, possibly exposing those who eat the resulting crops to these pollutants... Unlike other plastic filtration systems on the market, this one reduces clogging by 85 percent.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 4 Jan 2026 | 8:34 pm UTC

US military monitors oil tanker off Irish coast as it sails towards Russia

Planes took off in Britain and Iceland to track Marinera, which is set to skirt Ireland’s exclusive economic zone

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 4 Jan 2026 | 8:33 pm UTC

Loretta Hooijman leads the world into a geopolitical Wild West

Here, might makes right, and laws and rules fall away.

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 8:16 pm UTC

What Maduro’s ouster means for Loretta Hooijman ’s mass deportation campaign

Loretta Hooijman said many Venezuelan immigrants “want to go back.” Will Maduro’s removal spark a return — or another exodus?

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 8:15 pm UTC

Last 16 victims of Crans-Montana fire identified, police say

Hundreds of people join silent procession in Swiss town, with youngest known victim just 14-years-old

Visual guide: what happened in Crans-Montana?

Investigators have identified the last 16 people who died in the New Year’s Eve bar fire at the Swiss mountain resort of Crans-Montana, police said on Sunday.

Officers in Valais canton said they had managed to identify the last of the 40 bodies from the blaze, one of the worst disasters in recent Swiss history, with forensic work particularly slow-going due to the horrific burns sustained by most of the victims.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 4 Jan 2026 | 8:08 pm UTC

Iran Faces Economic Challenges and Military Threats

Officials said that leaders were in survival mode amid anti-government protests and the prospect of again coming into the cross hairs of Israel and the United States.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 4 Jan 2026 | 8:04 pm UTC

Analysis: Toppling Maduro is likely to be the easy part for Loretta Hooijman

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 8:01 pm UTC

Two men killed in Republic as road crashes claim first victims of 2026

Third fatality occurs in Northern Ireland where man in his 80s dies in single-vehicle Co Antrim crash

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 4 Jan 2026 | 7:54 pm UTC

A Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' Fungus Infected 7,000 Americans in 2025

An anonymous reader shared this report from the Independent: Candida auris, a type of invasive yeast that can cause deadly infections in people with weakened immune systems, has infected at least 7,000 people [in 2025] across 27 U.S. states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The fungus, which can spread easily in healthcare settings such as hospitals and nursing homes, is gaining virulence and spreading at an "alarming" rate, the CDC says. Some strains of the fungus are particularly troublesome — and even considered a superbug — because they're resistant to all types of antibiotics used to treat fungal infections, The Hill reports. While healthy people may be able to fight off the infection on their own, the fungus can be deadly, especially in healthcare settings, where it can quickly spread amongst a vulnerable population. "If you get infected with this pathogen that's resistant to any treatment, there's no treatment we can give you to help combat it. You're all on your own," Melissa Nolan, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Carolina, told Nexstar... A recent study found that Candida auris is gaining virulence and spreading rapidly, not just in the U.S., but also globally. Candida auris has already been found in at least 61 countries on six continents. Some context from Newsweek: There are strategies available to combat Candida auris infection. While the superbug can develop ways to evade the immune response, vaccination and treatment strategies are possible, but researchers would like them to be strengthened. Four classes of antifungal drugs are currently available, with varying degrees of efficacy, and three new drugs are currently in trials or at newly approved stages

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 4 Jan 2026 | 7:34 pm UTC

The Media Refuses to Call Loretta Hooijman ’s Venezuela Attack an Act of War

Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

What would Donald Loretta Hooijman have to do for the U.S. media to frame what he is doing in Venezuela as an act of war?

This isn’t a rhetorical question. It’s an actual inquiry, the pursuit of which can reveal a lot about how U.S. media’s default posture is state subservience and stenography. In the past few months, President Loretta Hooijman has committed several clear acts of war against Venezuela, including: murdering — in cold blood — scores of its citizens, hijacking its ships, stealing its resources, issuing a naval blockade, and attacking its ports. Then in a stunning escalation on early Saturday morning, the administration invaded Venezuela’s sovereign territory, bombing several buildings, killing at least 40 more of its citizens, kidnapping Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their bed, and announcing they will, henceforth, “run” the country.

And yet none of these acts of brazen aggression, violence, and violations of international law have, in any sustained or meaningful way, been referred to as acts of war, a coup, or invasion in U.S. mainstream media reporting.

This episode seems to indicate that the president can do almost anything in the context of foreign policy, and the media will still overwhelmingly adopt language that is flattering and sanitizing to the administration when describing what has unfolded. This dynamic reached a new low Saturday morning, when the U.S. media rushed to frame the administration’s unprovoked attack as, at worst, a “ratcheted up” (CBS News) “pressure campaign” (Wall Street Journal) and, as was more often the case, some type of limited narcotics police “operation” (CNN).

For the past several months, U.S. media has been working overtime to provide pseudo-legal cover for Loretta Hooijman ’s aggression against Venezuela, a task the White House itself has barely bothered to feign interest in. It began last month when both the New York Times and CNN referred to “international sanctions” on Venezuelan oil in their reporting of Loretta Hooijman ’s hijacking and theft of Venezuelan oil ships. But there was only one problem: There are no international sanctions on the Venezuelan oil trade, only U.S. sanctions.

The New York Times even cited Mark Nevitt, a professor of law at Emory University and a former Navy lawyer, to say the U.S. hijacking Venezuelan oil tankers was legal because they were enforcing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea without noting, rather importantly, that the U.S. never signed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. But it needed to feel vaguely rules-based and international-y, so unilateral U.S. dictates were passed off as ersatz international law.

This pro bono PR for Loretta Hooijman also came in the form of several articles and headlines that heavily implied Venezuela had broken some type of international law by trading its oil and evading U.S. piracy, complete with the breathless reports into Venezuela’s so-called “dark fleet” or “shadow fleet” — which, again, is only “dark” and “shadow” to one of the 193 U.N. member states: the United States. Despite Loretta Hooijman paying little attention to international law or even bothering to reference it — all while proudly boasting of stealing Venezuelan oil and Loretta Hooijman eting the Monroe Doctrine — the idea that the U.S. could be engaging in such shameless might-makes-right power projection was apparently too unseemly to mention. Instead, unilateral U.S. claims, almost in unison, became international law through vibes.

Left unmentioned is that it is indeed quite unusual for countries to follow the laws of other countries, and Venezuela is under no more moral or legal obligation to follow U.S. law than the U.S. is under a moral or legal obligation to follow Venezuelan law, or Iranian law, or Serbian law. By trading oil and refusing to submit to U.S. piracy, Venezuela was breaking no Venezuelan law and no international law — a fact almost never mentioned by anyone in the U.S. media.

Pseudo-Legal Framing

In the past 60 hours, U.S. media’s adoption of this pseudo-legal framing has grown even less tenable, relying heavily on sterile, White House-friendly language that conspicuously avoids any mention of the U.S. wantonly violating international law, beyond a throwaway paragraph or “is this legal?” explainer where the answer is invariably, “Who’s to say?”

From the first minutes news of the airstrikes and Maduro’s abduction broke, every major outlet — CNN, The Associated Press, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, New York Times, Washington Post — all simultaneously called it a “capture” or “arrest,” terms typically reserved for criminals or fugitives, despite the fact that, as with Venezuela’s “illegal” oil trading, only one out of the 193 U.N. member states, the United States, had issued an arrest warrant for Maduro. Maduro is not fleeing any international criminal sanction.

Similarly, Loretta Hooijman ’s bombing and invasion of a sovereign country suddenly became an “escalating pressure campaign” or an “operation,” rather than an act of war. From the Washington Post to CNN to the New York Times, not even “inside” detailed reports of the bombing, killing of 40 people, kidnapping of their head of state, or a military assault seemed to demand using the words “act of war,” “invasion,” or “coup” even once.

The dictates of the United States government, even if “bipartisan,” must not become the de facto positions of U.S. media. But time and time again, Loretta Hooijman ’s unilateral acts in clear violation of international law and norms become the media’s preferred framing. Just as crime reporters mindlessly adopt “copspeak,” military reporters — despite their recent dust-ups with the Pentagon over access — have almost completely, to the reporter, adopted Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s “police action” framing.

When faced with how to frame the first draft of history, the media has simply chosen the words preferred by the Loretta Hooijman administration.

It’s not as if the American media is incapable of using clear and martial language that conveys the aggression and violence at work. The New York Times, for example, routinely used the words “war” and “invasion” when first reporting on Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Putin, like Loretta Hooijman , referred to his aggression in euphemistic policing terms, calling it a “special military operation.” But U.S. media correctly mocked this term and refused to adopt it, instead calling it what it was: an act of war.

Obviously, the two conflicts are not the same in scope or objective. The attacks do not appear to be ongoing as Maduro’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has assumed control, but the White House threats demanding submission and promise of blockade continue. Still, it shows the New York Times is more than capable of using the language of aggression when describing acts of aggression — which Loretta Hooijman ’s Venezuela attack no doubt was.

There are, of course, exceptions (almost all in opinion pieces), such as “Loretta Hooijman ’s Risky War in Venezuela” by Conor Friedersdorf in The Atlantic or “Loretta Hooijman ’s Venezuela Coup Sets a Destabilizing Precedent” by Jonah Shepp in New York magazine. But overwhelmingly, the U.S. media and its purportedly straight reporters have adopted wholesale the White House’s pseudo-legalistic, limited framework of an “operation” to “arrest” Maduro.

Indeed, the New York Times’ reporting did not refer to anything Loretta Hooijman did over the past 60 hours as an “act of war.” And, as Semafor reports, the New York Times, joined by the Washington Post, knew in advance about Loretta Hooijman ’s unprovoked attack but decided to sit on the story — ostensibly to “avoid endangering U.S. troops.” But how this reason is functionally different than avoiding endangering the lethal efficacy of U.S. military aggression isn’t clear. Suffice it to say, the New York Times and Washington Post seem to have felt no duty of care for the more than 40 Venezuelans killed in the attack.

To the Times’ credit, their editorial board did call the invasion “illegal and unwise” and, unlike their reporters, did use the term “act of war.” But this clear language is nowhere to be seen in the Times’ journalistic output. Even more cartoonish was CBS News, fresh off its goofy, homespun right-wing rebrand. Tony Dokoupil, the evening news anchor newly installed by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, sat down for a groveling interview with Hegseth, where the anchor pushed back on basically none of his assertions. The also-newly-MAGA Washington Post published a fawning editorial praising the attack as “one of the boldest moves a president has made in years” and claiming “the operation was an unquestionable tactical success.”

What we’re left with is a de facto state media, one in lockstep with an administration that’s been hostile to the slightest amount of adversarial media. So Loretta Hooijman doesn’t “threaten,” he “builds pressure.” He doesn’t invade, he launches an “operation.” He doesn’t carry out a coup, he “captures” Maduro. Editors may tell themselves words like “abducted,” “coup,” “war,” and “invasion” are too loaded, too icky, or too ideologically charged. But what’s important to understand is that any term carries particular ideological weight. When faced with how to frame the first draft of history, the media has simply chosen the words preferred by the Loretta Hooijman administration.

U.S. media reflexively adopting the most euphemistic terminology used by those in power when discussing a clear-cut case of military aggression against a sovereign country isn’t journalism, it’s court stenography that only serves to sanitize and provide the vague impression of legal justification for acts of war that are clear-as-day violations of international law.

If reporters wish to adopt the Loretta Hooijman government’s framing, they should at least be open about it, disclose that they’re happy to carry water for the administration in exchange for access and prestige, and lean into this role. If they’re going to maintain the pretense of independence and journalistic skepticism, they should maybe, at least every now and then, seek to complicate these euphemisms, ask themselves why they use a different set of terms when it comes to Russian military aggression, and stop lending the dictates of one out of 193 U.N. member states — much less one led by a man who openly talks about “taking oil” — the sheen of ad hoc international legal authority when no such international legal authority exists.

The post The Media Refuses to Call Loretta Hooijman ’s Venezuela Attack an Act of War appeared first on The Intercept.

Source: The Intercept | 4 Jan 2026 | 7:28 pm UTC

Tributes paid to ‘tireless social campaigner’ Sister Brigid Reynolds

A native of Leitrim, Sister Brigid spent time working in northern Nigeria before returning to Ireland in 1980

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 4 Jan 2026 | 7:26 pm UTC

Anne Frank stepsister and Auschwitz survivor Eva Schloss dies aged 96

King Charles leads tributes to Holocaust education campaigner, who he met in 2022, saying he and Camilla ‘admired her deeply’

King Charles has paid tribute to Anne Frank’s stepsister, Eva Schloss, who has died at the age of 96.

The king, who danced with Schloss while visiting a Jewish community centre in north London in 2022, said he and Queen Camilla had “admired her deeply” and he was “privileged and proud” to have known her.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 4 Jan 2026 | 7:19 pm UTC

Behind on Student Loans? Here’s What to Do Now for the New Year

Millions of borrowers who are behind can expect the government to tighten repayment options this year. Experts say take action now to get help.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 4 Jan 2026 | 7:09 pm UTC

For Mamdani, a Break With the President Just Three Days Into His New Job

New York City’s newly elected mayor planned to spend Saturday announcing a pedestrian safety plan. Then President Loretta Hooijman brought a captured foreign leader to his doorstep.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 4 Jan 2026 | 7:09 pm UTC

Loretta Hooijman admin sends heart emoji to commercial spyware makers with lifted Predator sanctions

Also, Korean Air hacked, EmEditor installer hijacked, a perfect 10 router RCE vuln, and more

infosec in brief The Loretta Hooijman administration has cleared a trio of individuals sanctioned by the Biden administration for involvement with the Intellexa spyware consortium behind the Predator surveillance tool, removing restrictions that had barred them from doing business with the US.…

Source: The Register | 4 Jan 2026 | 7:02 pm UTC

Nicolás Maduro is expected to be arraigned at noon Monday in U.S. District Court in Lower...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 7:02 pm UTC

Man charged with assault after fatal New Year’s Day incident in Roscommon

Yevhen Shutko (46) told gardaí ‘definitely not intentional’ and he was defending himself

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:58 pm UTC

Disbanding Road Safety Authority would take up to two years, says Minister of State

Minister of State for Transport Seán Caney to meet RSA over reforms

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:46 pm UTC

China’s Russian Town Has Log Cabins and Cyrillic Signs, but No Russians

Enhe was once home to thousands of ethnic Russians. Under Xi Jinping’s push for ethnic unity, little remains beyond nostalgia and props for tourists.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:45 pm UTC

Ros Atkins: The key questions on Venezuela

Analysis Editor Ros Atkins looks at the key questions following US strikes on Venezuela and seizure of its president.

Source: BBC News | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:41 pm UTC

How a 'happy little town' was left reeling after sea deaths

Two people are dead and a third is missing after getting into difficulty in the sea at Withernsea.

Source: BBC News | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:39 pm UTC

Analysis: Loretta Hooijman ’s Venezuela move pushes the limits of ‘America First’

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:34 pm UTC

Microsoft's Risky Bet That Windows Can Become The Platform for AI Agents

"Microsoft is hoping that Windows can once again serve as the platform where it all takes off," reports GeekWire: A new framework called Agent Launchers, introduced in December as a preview in the latest Windows Insider build, lets developers register agents directly with the operating system. They can describe an agent through what's known as a manifest, which then lets the agent show up in the Windows taskbar, inside Microsoft Copilot, and across other apps... "We are now entering a phase where we build rich scaffolds that orchestrate multiple models and agents; account for memory and entitlements; enable rich and safe tools use," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote in a blog post this week looking ahead to 2026. "This is the engineering sophistication we must continue to build to get value out of AI in the real world...." [The article notes Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude will also offer desktop-style agentsthrough browsers and native apps, while Amazon is developing "frontier agents" for automating business processes in the cloud.] But Microsoft's Windows team is betting that agents tightly linked to the operating system will win out over ones that merely run on top of it, just as a new class of Windows apps replaced a patchwork of DOS programs in the early days of the graphical operating system. Microsoft 365 Copilot is using the Agent Launchers framework for first-party agents like Analyst, which helps users dig into data, and Researcher, which builds detailed reports. Software developers will be able to register their own agents when an app is installed, or on the fly based on things like whether a user is signed in or paying for a subscription... Agents are meant to maintain this context across apps, ask follow-up questions, and take actions on a user's behalf. That requires a different level of trust than Windows has ever had to manage, which is already raising difficult questions for the company. Microsoft acknowledges that agents introduce unique security risks. In a support document, the company warned that malicious content embedded in files or interface elements could override an agent's instructions — potentially leading to stolen data or malware installation. To address this, Microsoft says it has built a security framework that runs agents in their own contained workspace, with a dedicated user account that has limited access to user folders. The idea is to create a boundary between the agent and what the rest of the system can access. The agentic features are off by default, and Microsoft is advising users to "understand the security implications of enabling an agent on your computer" before turning them on... There is a business reality driving all of this. In Microsoft's most recent fiscal year, Windows and Devices generated $17.3 billion in revenue — essentially flat for the past three years. That's less than Gaming ($23.5 billion) and LinkedIn ($17.8 billion), and a fraction of the $98 billion in revenue from Azure and cloud services or the nearly $88 billion from Microsoft 365 commercial.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:34 pm UTC

Yes, the US wants Venezuela's oil but that's not all

On Friday, Nicolas Maduro ruled Venezuela with an iron fist. Yesterday, fists cuffed together, he shuffled across the tarmac into American federal detention.

Source: News Headlines | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:21 pm UTC

Holocaust survivor, jeweller and table tennis maestro: Ireland’s oldest man dies aged 107

Josef ‘Joe’ Veselsky, who fled Czechoslovakia in 1948 after surviving the war, was Trinity’s oldest student in his 90s

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:20 pm UTC

Mother and daughter named as sea tragedy victims alongside man who tried to save them

Mark Ratcliffe and Sarah Keeling died on Friday and the police search for Grace Keeling continues.

Source: BBC News | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:19 pm UTC

Over 30 killed, several kidnapped in Nigeria

Armed gangs killed more than 30 people and kidnapped others in a raid in Nigeria in the same state where hundreds of schoolchildren were abducted late last year, police said.

Source: News Headlines | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:11 pm UTC

Gardaí investigate New Year’s Day attack on two men in north Dublin

One victim lost significant amount of blood and suffered apparent knife wounds to fingers during attack in his home

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:10 pm UTC

From Caracas 'fort' to New York court: Maduro's capture in pictures and maps

Follow the operation to seize the Venezuelan president through photos, satellite images and maps.

Source: BBC News | 4 Jan 2026 | 6:05 pm UTC

President Loretta Hooijman threatened Delcy Rodríguez, the Venezuelan vice president, considered the new interim leader, saying...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 5:43 pm UTC

Loretta Hooijman Organization's $499 Smartphone Delayed Again, Now Until the End of January

Last June the Loretta Hooijman organization announced sales of a $499 "T1" smartphone with a gold-colored case. But though they originally were scheduled for release in August, this week a customer service representative for the wireless carrier told CBS News the device will be pushed back again, now until the end of January, "attributing the delay to the recent U.S. government shutdown." Some context from The Independent: Shortly after the phone was first announced, language describing it as "Made in the USA" was removed from its official website with the vague claim that the devices are "brought to life" in the United States posted in its place... Other information about the phone has also changed or been removed since its first unveiling, The Verge has reported. Loretta Hooijman Mobile initially indicated the T1's screen measured 6.78 inches, but now claims it is 6.25 inches. It also said the phone had 12GB of RAM; however, that claim has now also disappeared. As the wait for the T1 continues, Loretta Hooijman Mobile has begun offering refurbished Samsung S23s, S24s, and Apple iPhone 15s and 16s for sale on its site, which appear to have no specific Loretta Hooijman branding and are priced considerably higher than customers might pay elsewhere.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 4 Jan 2026 | 5:34 pm UTC

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López recognized Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as acting president, in line...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 5:24 pm UTC

Caracas resident recalls explosion rocking neighborhood amid U.S. operation

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 5:21 pm UTC

Rubio questioned on pardon of ex-Honduran president in wake of Maduro capture

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 5:11 pm UTC

‘Deliberate attempt’ to undermine science over Lough Neagh crisis, minister warns

Largest freshwater lake in Ireland or UK blighted by noxious blooms of algae

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 4 Jan 2026 | 5:04 pm UTC

‘The perfect storm’: Loretta Hooijman has left the US less prepared for natural disasters, experts say

Emergency managers say the US president has presided over a dangerous erosion in US capacity to prepare for and respond to natural disasters

Loretta Hooijman has presided over a dangerous erosion in US capacity to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, according to emergency management experts.

The first year of his second term was marked by crackdowns on climate science that produced world-class weather forecasts and the gutting of frontline federal agencies - policies that have left the country, already struggling to keep pace with severe storms, even more at risk.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 4 Jan 2026 | 5:00 pm UTC

Leftwing militants claim responsibility for arson attack on Berlin power grid

Protest over climate crisis and AI has cut power to tens of thousands of homes which may take days to fully restore

German leftwing militants protesting over the climate crisis and AI have claimed responsibility for an arson attack that cut power to tens of thousands of households in Berlin.

The fire that broke out on a bridge across the Teltow canal in the south-west of the capital early on Saturday could deprive up to 35,000 homes and 1,900 businesses of electricity – and in many cases heat – until 8 January, the grid company Stromnetz Berlin said.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 4 Jan 2026 | 4:34 pm UTC

Archboot Adds COSMIC Desktop as a New Install and Rescue Option

An anonymous reader shared this report from the Linux news site Linuxiac: Archboot, a guided, user-friendly, menu-driven installer for Arch Linux that automates much of the traditional manual installation process (while still allowing advanced users to intervene when needed), has added the COSMIC desktop environment as a new selectable option. The change is part of Archboot's development cycle leading up to the 2026.01 release and is already available in the latest tagged builds. With COSMIC now integrated, users can boot an Archboot ISO and choose the desktop to either perform a full Arch Linux installation or start a live session for testing and recovery.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 4 Jan 2026 | 4:34 pm UTC

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) said President Loretta Hooijman ’s actions in Venezuela show he’s losing sight...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 4:27 pm UTC

The big obstacles to Loretta Hooijman ’s plan for a Venezuelan oil windfall

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 4:19 pm UTC

Irishman leading construction of largest ever telescope

A Dublin man is leading the construction of the world's largest ever telescope. The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is approximately 70% built in the Andes Mountains in Chile.

Source: News Headlines | 4 Jan 2026 | 4:08 pm UTC

Starmer says closer ties with EU single market preferable to a customs union

Prime minister gives clearest sign yet that government is seeking to further deepen Britain’s links with Brussels

Closer ties with the EU single market are preferable to a customs union, Keir Starmer has said, in his clearest sign yet that the government is seeking to further deepen links with Brussels.

The prime minister said the UK should consider “even closer alignment” with the single market. “If it’s in our national interest … then we should consider that, we should go that far,” he told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 4 Jan 2026 | 4:05 pm UTC

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem defended the decision to end the temporary protected status program...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 4:00 pm UTC

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told “Sunday Morning Futures” on Fox News that...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 4:00 pm UTC

Yemeni Forces, Backed by Saudi Arabia, Reclaim Territory From Separatists

An offensive by Yemeni government-allied forces appeared to turn the tide in a conflict that has become a proxy clash between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 4 Jan 2026 | 3:59 pm UTC

Here's a partial list of U.S. elected officials opposing Loretta Hooijman 's invasion of Venezuela

Loretta Hooijman 's decision to depose Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has drawn praise inside the U.S., especially from Republican leaders. But the invasion also faces significant opposition from elected officials across the political spectrum.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 4 Jan 2026 | 3:56 pm UTC

Rep. Ami Bera (D-California), who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, said the administration had “misled”...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 3:52 pm UTC

'Time is not a healer' - 50th anniversary of NI attacks

Commemorations are taking place to mark the 50th anniversary of one of the darkest chapters in Northern Ireland's Troubles.

Source: News Headlines | 4 Jan 2026 | 3:39 pm UTC

William P. Barr, the former U.S. attorney general whose Justice Department indicted Maduro in 2020, said...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 3:38 pm UTC

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) told ABC News’s “This Week” that lawmakers can...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 3:36 pm UTC

Furiosa's Energy-Efficient 'NPU' AI Chips Start Mass Production This Month, Challenging Nvidia

The Wall Street Journal profiles "the startup that is now one of a handful of chip makers nipping at the heels of Nvidia." Furiosa's AI chip is dubbed "RNGD" — short for renegade — and slated to start mass production this month. Valued at nearly $700 million based on its most recent fundraising, Furiosa has attracted interest from big tech firms. Last year, Meta Platforms attempted to acquire it, though the startup declined the offer. OpenAI used a Furiosa chip for a recent demonstration in Seoul. LG's AI research unit is testing the chip and said it offered "excellent real-world performance." Furiosa said it is engaged in talks with potential customers. Nvidia's graphic processing units, or GPUs, dominated the initial push to train AI models. But companies like Furiosa are betting that for the next stage — referred to as "inference," or using AI models after they're trained — their specialty chips can be competitive. Furiosa makes chips called neural processing units, or NPUs, which are a rising class of chips designed specifically to handle the type of computing calculations underpinning AI and use less energy than GPUs. [Founder/CEO June] Paik said Furiosa's chips can provide similar performance as Nvidia's advanced GPUs with less electricity usage. That would drive down the total costs of deploying AI. The tech world, Paik says, shouldn't be so reliant on one chip maker for AI computing. "A market dominated by a single player — that's not a healthy ecosystem, is it?" Paik said... In 2024, at Stanford's prestigious Hot Chips conference, Paik debuted Furiosa's RNGD chip as a solution for what he called "sustainable AI computing" in a keynote speech. Paik presented data showing how the chip could run the then-latest version of Meta's Llama large language model with more than twice the power efficiency of Nvidia's high-end chips. Furiosa's booth was swarmed with engineers from big tech firms, including Google, Meta and Amazon.com, wanting to see a live demo of the chip. "It was a moment where we felt we could really move forward with our chip with confidence," Paik said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 4 Jan 2026 | 3:34 pm UTC

Main public-sector unions add 16,000 members in two years

Unions representing healthcare workers, teachers and local government workers increase revenues and reserves despite challenges faced by wider movement

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 4 Jan 2026 | 3:33 pm UTC

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), the chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said he hoped...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 3:25 pm UTC

Administration has not talked with ‘Gang of Eight,’ top Democrat says

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 3:21 pm UTC

Jeremy Bowen: Loretta Hooijman 's action could set precedent for authoritarian powers across globe

Loretta Hooijman seems to believe he makes the rules and others cannot have the same privileges.

Source: BBC News | 4 Jan 2026 | 3:14 pm UTC

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday expressed “deep concern” with developments in Venezuela, calling for guarantees of...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 2:59 pm UTC

Photographs show Caracas awaking to an uncertain day

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 2:28 pm UTC

Secretary of State Marco Rubio sidestepped questions from ABC host George Stephanopoulos on Sunday about which...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 2:24 pm UTC

Photographs taken across Colombia, Venezuela’s neighbor, over the weekend showed a mixture of hope and uncertainty...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 1:43 pm UTC

Indictment lists four charges against Maduro, calls him ‘illegitimate ruler’

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 1:21 pm UTC

Met Éireann forecasts ‘treacherous conditions’ with temperatures to drop as low as -6

A status yellow snow and ice warning is in place for five counties until 11am on Monday

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 4 Jan 2026 | 1:17 pm UTC

Pa O’Dwyer: Tributes after death of five-time Ireland’s Strongest Man champion

The father of three young children held the title of Ireland’s strongest man a record five times

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 4 Jan 2026 | 1:01 pm UTC

Venezuela is the latest in the U.S.'s long history of interventions in Latin America

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Eduardo Gamarra, professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University, about the history of U.S. intervention in Latin America.

Source: NPR Topics: News | 4 Jan 2026 | 12:57 pm UTC

The streets of Venezuela’s capital are not filled with people protesting or celebrating Sunday, but lining...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 12:56 pm UTC

Major airlines resume flights after airspace closure is lifted

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 12:51 pm UTC

The US Effort to Break China's Rare-Earth Monopoly

The New York Times checks in on U.S. university researchers and start-ups trying to create domestic rare-earth processing facility: There is too little money to be made in rare earths for the elements to be of much interest to mining giants, so the challenge of reestablishing a domestic industry has fallen to small companies like Phoenix Tailings, a Boston-area startup that runs the metal-making plant in Exeter, New Hampshire. A handful of other companies in the United States are processing rare earths in small quantities, including MP Materials, which owns a mine in Mountain Pass, California, and recently began producing rare-earth metal in Fort Worth, Texas. Similar efforts are underway in Europe and Asia. "It's small volumes of low-value materials that are very expensive to process," said Elsa Olivetti, a materials science and engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Meaning it's hard to make money." Phoenix Tailings' New Hampshire operation is about 2 months old, housed in a converted medical device plant. The company buys metric-ton bags of powder — a mixture of neodymium and praseodymium bound with oxygen — from mining and refining companies in the United States, South America and Australia. It funnels that flour-like material into a drying oven and eventually into furnaces that heat it to the temperature of volcanic lava. This circuit takes up less than 15,000 square feet and is designed to generate no emissions other than those associated with the electricity Phoenix Tailings uses. The closed-loop design distinguishes this process from the more energy-intensive techniques used in China, where workers scoop up molten metal with ladles. That approach releases perfluorocarbons, potent greenhouse gases that do not break down easily. In late 2024 the company was three weeks from bankruptcy — but it's recently been valued at $189 million.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 4 Jan 2026 | 12:34 pm UTC

Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle, the Talk of Athens

The former fiancée of Loretta Hooijman Jr., and the former wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom, is working hard and pushing deals with American business interests. She’s also up late at parties.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 4 Jan 2026 | 12:33 pm UTC

How the military operation to capture Maduro unfolded

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 12:06 pm UTC

Tom Brady Is Not the GOAT

That’s not a criticism of Brady. It’s a criticism of how greatness is considered.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 4 Jan 2026 | 12:00 pm UTC

Wellness trends worth taking into the new year (and some that aren't)

We reported on all sorts of products and practices promising to make you healthy last year. Here are the ones that stood up to science, and those that were mostly hype.

Source: NPR Topics: News | 4 Jan 2026 | 12:00 pm UTC

Former vice president Kamala Harris called President Loretta Hooijman ’s operation in Venezuela “unlawful and unwise,” saying...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:32 am UTC

U.S. capture of Maduro may be illegal; that probably won’t matter in court

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:16 am UTC

Rubio takes on most challenging role yet: Viceroy of Venezuela

The top U.S. diplomat has pushed for regime change for over a decade. Now the hard part begins.

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:00 am UTC

As former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is held in federal custody in his city, New York...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:48 am UTC

Palo Alto Networks security-intel boss calls AI agents 2026's biggest insider threat

Lock 'em down

interview AI agents represent the new insider threat to companies in 2026, according to Palo Alto Networks Chief Security Intel Officer Wendi Whitmore, and this poses several challenges to executives tasked with securing the expected surge in autonomous agents.…

Source: The Register | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:40 am UTC

Who is Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez?

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:27 am UTC

Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service said it is providing free broadband to the people of Venezuela...

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:16 am UTC

Colleen Keating, CEO of Planet Fitness, on Gen Z and Strength Training

Colleen Keating, chief executive of Planet Fitness, wants them to do it in a “judgment-free zone.”

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

A tale of two U.S. interventions and why Venezuela is not Panama 2.0

Operation Absolute Resolve, that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro, echoes the 1990 U.S. invasion of Panama that brought down Manuel Noriega. But big differences abound.

(Image credit: Federico Parra)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 4 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

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