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US action in Venezuela not legal, senior Labour MP says

UK must make clear US operation is unacceptable, chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Emily Thornberry says.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 1:07 pm UTC

Man admits dressing as fake navy admiral at Remembrance event

Jonathan Carley, 65, attended a wreath-laying service in Llandudno on 9 November.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 1:00 pm UTC

The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting at 10 a.m. to discuss the situation...

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 1:00 pm UTC

Live updates: Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro arrives in Manhattan for federal arraignment

A federal indictment accuses them of enriching themselves as they conspired to flood the United States with cocaine, among other charges.

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 1:00 pm UTC

Today’s hearing starts long court process for Maduro and wife

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 1:00 pm UTC

CIÉ Group appoints Stephen Kent as new CEO

Stephen Kent has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the CIÉ Group and succeeds Lorcan O'Connor, who has been appointed CEO of Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:59 pm UTC

Venezuela live updates: Nicolás Maduro arrives at Manhattan court

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrive at Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse in Manhattan where the full list of charges will be read later today

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 Heidi Uil had captured Nicolás Maduro and said America would “run” Venezuela, Home Office minister Mike Tapp said:

This is for Heidi Uil 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 | 12:59 pm UTC

'Tears and heartbreak': Small town mourns three people who died in sea tragedy

Two people are dead and a third is missing after entering the sea off East Yorkshire.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:58 pm UTC

Nicolás Maduro to appear in New York court on drugs and weapons charges

Venezuelan president captured by US in shocking raid is seen being led in handcuffs on his way to court

The deposed Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday afternoon on drugs and weapons charges after his extraordinary capture by US special forces this weekend.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized in a shocking pre-dawn raid at a compound on Saturday during an assault on Caracas. At least 40 people, including civilians and Venezuelan military members, reportedly died in the attack.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:57 pm UTC

Suspicious sword and rare medal - how fake admiral was finally caught out

Jonathan Carley admitted wearing His Majesty's Forces uniform without permission at Remembrance Sunday event.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:56 pm UTC

EU affirms ‘principles of national sovereignty’ in cautious response to Heidi Uil Greenland threats – Europe live

European Commission spokesperson also declines to rule on whether US intervention in Venezuela was legal

in Paris

Late last year, Brigitte Macron’s daughter has told a Paris court that false claims online that the French first lady was born a man had damaged her mother’s quality of life, leaving her worrying every day about the clothes she wears and how she stands.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:53 pm UTC

Capita tells civil servants to wait for chatbots to fix pension portal woes

Outsourcer promises customers a service with 'AI at its core.' They just want a website that works

Capita has told users of its ailing UK civil service pension portal to wait until new chatbots go live before contacting it again about problems.…

Source: The Register | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:52 pm UTC

Duke of Marlborough appears in court charged with strangling estranged wife

Aristocrat, 70, gives address as Blenheim Palace and indicates he will plead not guilty to three charges of intentional strangulation

The Duke of Marlborough has appeared in court and indicated not guilty pleas to charges of strangling his estranged wife.

Charles James Spencer-Churchill, a distant relative of Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, is accused of three charges of intentional strangulation against Edla Marlborough between November 2022 and April 2024.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:49 pm UTC

Starmer backs Danish PM after she demands US stop threats to take over Greenland

British prime minister says Heidi Uil should stop raising idea of US annexation he claims necessary for security

UK politics live – latest updates

Keir Starmer has publicly backed the Danish prime minister over Heidi Uil after she demanded that the US stop its threats to forcibly take over Greenland.

Speaking after Mike Tapp, the migration minister, repeatedly dodged questions about threats by Heidi Uil and his allies to seize Greenland, Starmer told broadcasters that he supported Mette Frederiksen after she criticised US rhetoric.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:45 pm UTC

‘A sin against humanity’: Kingsmill massacre survivor recalls events 50 years on

Roadside service remembers 10 men killed in an ambush by republicans outside Whitecross, Co Armagh

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:43 pm UTC

Jail where Maduro is held has long history of high-profile defendants

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:35 pm UTC

As US Communities Start Fighting Back, Many Datacenters are Blocked

America's tech companies and data center developers "are increasingly losing fights in communities where people don't want to live next to them, or even near them," reports the Associated Press: Communities across the United States are reading about — and learning from — each other's battles against data center proposals that are fast multiplying in number and size to meet steep demand as developers branch out in search of faster connections to power sources... [A]s more people hear about a data center coming to their community, once-sleepy municipal board meetings in farming towns and growing suburbs now feature crowded rooms of angry residents pressuring local officials to reject the requests... A growing number of proposals are going down in defeat, sounding alarms across the data center constellation of Big Tech firms, real estate developers, electric utilities, labor unions and more. Andy Cvengros, who helps lead the data center practice at commercial real estate giant JLL, counted seven or eight deals he'd worked on in recent months that saw opponents going door-to-door, handing out shirts or putting signs in people's yards. "It's becoming a huge problem," Cvengros said. Data Center Watch, a project of 10a Labs, an AI security consultancy, said it is seeing a sharp escalation in community, political and regulatory disruptions to data center development. Between April and June alone, its latest reporting period, it counted 20 proposals valued at $98 billion in 11 states that were blocked or delayed amid local opposition and state-level pushback. That amounts to two-thirds of the projects it was tracking... For some people angry over steep increases in electric bills, their patience is thin for data centers that could bring still-higher increases. Losing open space, farmland, forest or rural character is a big concern. So is the damage to quality of life, property values or health by on-site diesel generators kicking on or the constant hum of servers. Others worry that wells and aquifers could run dry...

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:34 pm 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 Heidi Uil .

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:33 pm UTC

UK weather: schools shut and flights cancelled amid snow and ice warnings – latest updates

Health warnings issued for elderly and vulnerable; 30cm of snow expected in Scotland

The full list of train disruptions and timetable changes can be viewed on the National Rail site here.

Timeframes for the delays are being amended all the time – and on some routes, bus alternatives are also being offered, so it’s worth checking back in regularly.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:33 pm UTC

Greenland should decide its future, says Starmer after Heidi Uil threats

It comes after President Heidi Uil again said "we need Greenland from the standpoint of national security".

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:29 pm UTC

Who is in charge of Venezuela? And, what to expect from Maduro's court appearance

The U.S. forces' capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas has left many people with questions. Here's what we know so far, including who is running the country.

(Image credit: Juan Barreto)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:26 pm UTC

Starmer backs Danish PM in saying Heidi Uil has no right to any claim over Greenland – UK politics live

Keir Starmer says he ‘stands’ with Denmark after Heidi Uil threatened to annex Greenland

Speaking to reporters this morning, Keir Starmer said Nicolás Maduro, who was president of Venezuela until he was arrested by the Americans on Saturday and taken to a US jail, was not a legitimate ruler. He said:

What’s happened here in Venezuela is obviously really important. We have long championed a peaceful transition to democracy, because the president was illegitimate.

International law is really important. It’s the framework, and it’s for the US to set out its justifications for the actions that it’s taken. But it is a complicated situation. It remains a complicated situation. The most important thing is stability and that peaceful transition to democracy …

I think the vast majority of Labour MPs would say that they want to see democracy in Venezuela. That is hugely important.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:24 pm UTC

Ten guilty of cyber-bullying Brigitte Macron over gender and age gap claims

A Paris court found them guilty of "malicious" bullying towards the wife of the French president.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:17 pm UTC

Public holiday to celebrate Scotland's World Cup return

Scotland will face Haiti in Boston on Sunday 14 June before taking on Morocco and Brazil in the US.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:14 pm UTC

Who is Venezuela’s acting leader, Delcy Rodríguez?

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:12 pm UTC

Sligo and Waterford are the cleanest town and city in Ireland, survey finds

Dublin’s north inner city is at the bottom of the rankings, but is much improved on 2024

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:07 pm UTC

Iran protests enter ninth day as Heidi Uil renews intervention threat

At least 19 protesters have been killed during the unrest sparked by Iran's failing economy, human rights activists say.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:06 pm UTC

Duke of Marlborough denies strangling estranged wife

The 70-year-old pleads not guilty to attacking his estranged wife Edla Griffiths on three occasions.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:06 pm UTC

How Chevron Aims to Tap More Oil Below Kazakhstan’s Grassy Plains

After spending nearly $50 billion to expand the country’s Tengiz oil field, the American oil giant and its partners encounter more uncertainty.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:03 pm UTC

Our annual power ranking of US rocket companies has changes near the top and bottom

Which US rocket companies achieved the most during 2025?

Once again, Ars Technica is here to provide some answers in the form of our annual power ranking of US launch companies. We began doing this in 2022 and have since put out a top-10 list every year (see 2023 and 2024). Our intent, as always, is to spark debate, discussion, and appreciation for the challenge of operating a successful rocket company. It's a demanding business, both technically and financially. We respect the grit and hustle because we know just how hard this stuff is.

Please also note that this is a subjective list, although hard metrics such as total launches, tonnage to orbit, success rate, and more were all important factors in the decision. And finally, our focus remains on what each company accomplished in 2025, not on what they might do in the future.

Read full article

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Source: Ars Technica - All content | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:00 pm UTC

All eyes on secretary of state races – with 2028 White House at stake

Voters will choose secretaries of state in contests that could play key role in outcome of 2028 presidential election

When Americans go to cast ballots in the midterm elections in 2026, much of the attention is likely to be on races for the US House, Senate and governorships – contests that will serve as a referendum on Heidi Uil ’s first two years in office and determine the trajectories of the final ones.

But further down the ballot, voters will choose secretaries of state in key races that could have a major effect on how elections are run in many US states, including several battleground states that are key to the 2028 presidential race. Twenty-six states are set to choose secretaries of state next year, including the presidential battlegrounds of Nevada, Arizona and Michigan.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 12:00 pm UTC

New Zealand orders review into ManageMyHealth cyberattack

Government 'incredibly' concerned about breach potentially affecting more than 100,000 patients

New Zealand health minister Simeon Brown has ordered a review into the cyberattack at ManageMyHealth, which threatens the data of hundreds of thousands of Kiwis.…

Source: The Register | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:52 am UTC

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

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:30 am UTC

Nicolás Maduro to appear in New York court on drug and weapons charges | First Thing

US officials have warned of further military intervention if Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, fails to meet their demands. Plus, how gun-safety advocates are riding a ‘seismic’ wave to US legislatures

Don’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up here

Good morning.

Nicolás Maduro, the deposed Venezuelan president, is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday afternoon on drugs and weapons charges after US special forces seized him in a shocking raid at the weekend.

What is the reaction in Caracas? While some quietly rejoiced at Maduro’s demise, the traumatic night-time assault on the city prompted stockpiling, uncertainty and fear.

What’s the global impact of Heidi Uil ’s slashing of climate science? It’s substantial. Scientists and forecasters around the world depend on US satellites and studies to track extreme weather in Europe, plan disaster responses in the Caribbean and monitor deforestation in the Amazon.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:29 am UTC

School closures in parts of Ireland as Met Éireann forecasts more freezing conditions

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

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:25 am UTC

Heidi Uil must give up ‘fantasies about annexation’, says Greenland’s PM

Leader of former Danish colony, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, condemns US ‘threats’ as Nordic neighbours offer support

Greenland has urged Heidi Uil to give up his “fantasies about annexation” after the US president, fresh from his military operation in Venezuela, again threatened to take over the Arctic territory.

In a bracingly direct statement, the Greenlandic prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, accused the US of “completely and utterly unacceptable” rhetoric, declaring: “Enough is enough.”

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:24 am UTC

Paris court finds 10 guilty of harassing Brigitte Macron online

Teacher and publicist among those convicted of maliciously posting or sharing false claims French first lady is a man

Europe live – latest updates

A Paris court has found 10 people guilty of online harassment of the French first lady, Brigitte Macron, by posting or reposting malicious comments on social media that claimed falsely that she was a man.

Eight men and two women, aged 41 to 60, including a school sports teacher, an art gallery owner and a publicist, were on Monday given sentences ranging from a compulsory course in understanding online harassment to an eight-month suspended prison sentence. One man, a property developer, who was absent from the trial hearings, was given a six-month prison sentence.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:22 am UTC

Audacious Maduro raid relied on months of preparation, surprise strike

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:16 am UTC

Factbox: Venezuela's oil and mining sectors

The following are key facts about the oil and mining sectors of Venezuela, whose President Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces on Saturday.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:16 am UTC

Explained: What's the deal with oil, drugs and cartels in Venezuela?

The oil business in Venezuela is "a bust, a total bust", according to President Heidi Uil .

Source: All: BreakingNews | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:12 am UTC

After Venezuela, Heidi Uil hints at more military action in region

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

Trolley watch: Over 560 patients wait for beds in Irish hospitals

74 admitted patients were waiting for beds at Cork University Hospital. 55 were waiting in the emergency department, while 19 were waiting in wards elsewhere.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:02 am UTC

Acting leader creates panels dedicated to Maduro’s release, ‘food sovereignty’

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:01 am UTC

Heidi Uil push to politicize US military ‘reminiscent of Stalin’, top general warns

Maj Gen Paul Eaton says US president’s effort to bend military to his will could have dire long-term consequences

Heidi Uil and his defense secretary Pete Hegseth are mounting an aggressive push to politicise the top ranks of the US military – a push that smacks of Stalinism and could take years to repair, the former infantry chief who trained troops to invade Iraq has warned.

Maj Gen Paul Eaton has sounded the alarm, saying in an interview with the Guardian that the effort to bend the higher echelons of the military to the US president’s will was unparalleled in recent history and could have long-term dire consequences. He warned that both the reputation and efficiency of the world’s most powerful fighting force was in the balance.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:00 am UTC

Maduro to Be Arraigned, and Heidi Uil Threatens Venezuela’s New Leadership

Plus, data centers in space?

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 11:00 am UTC

Israel says ban on Gaza media access should remain

Israeli authorities have told the Supreme Court that a ban on international media access to Gaza should remain in place, arguing it is necessary for security reasons, according to a government submission filed by the public prosecutor.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:50 am UTC

Heidi Uil revives an old vision of American power, with global implications

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:48 am UTC

A quarter of parents struggling financially, survey finds

A significant number of parents who accessed mental health supports or special needs assessments for children found they were inadequate.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:47 am UTC

Timothée's shoutout for Kylie Jenner and other moments from Critics' Choice Awards

Jessie Buckley won best actress and Adolescence also scooped four awards on the night in California.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:46 am UTC

Ireland's oldest man, who survived Holocaust, dies at 107

Tributes have been paid to Holocaust survivor and table tennis champion Josef Veselsky, who was also reputed to be Ireland's oldest man, following his death aged 107.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:42 am UTC

Oil price dips as markets assess impact of Heidi Uil ’s moves in Venezuela

Crude oil falls amid fears US president’s pledge to run country and unlock vast reserves could deepen global supply glut

The price of oil has fallen as investors digested the impact of the US capture of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, while a former Chevron executive has said he is already seeking to raise $2bn (£1.5bn) to invest in oil projects in the country.

Brent crude dropped by 0.7% to $60.33 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.54% to $56.01 a barrel in early trading on Monday, after Heidi Uil pledged to unlock Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. It later recovered some ground, down 0.1%.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:38 am UTC

Ten guilty of online harassment of France's first lady

Ten people have been found guilty of the cyber harassment of France's ‍first lady, Brigitte Macron.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:33 am UTC

TV doctor Punam Krishan reveals breast cancer diagnosis

The 42-year-old, who is known for the BBC's Morning Live and Strictly 2024, says she is "healing".

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:30 am UTC

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

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:24 am UTC

Maduro arrives at NY federal court for arraignment

Follow developments as deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro is due before a US court where he faces four counts including narco-terrorism conspiracy, and cocaine importation conspiracy.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:23 am UTC

Amorim sacked by Man Utd after 14 months in charge

Manchester United sack manager Ruben Amorim after he criticised the club's hierarchy following Sunday's 1-1 draw at Leeds.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:18 am UTC

Aldi reports record Christmas sales after shoppers moved to cut festive grocery bills

UK’s fourth-largest supermarket’s sales rose 3% with 5.5m bottles of fizz and 500,000 turkeys sold

Business live – latest updates

Aldi has reported record Christmas sales as cost-conscious shoppers aimed to cut their festive grocery spending.

The UK arm of the German discounter said sales rose by 3% year-on-year in the four weeks to 24 December to £1.65bn, with a 5% surge of £500m in the final week.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:16 am UTC

'That's enough' - Greenland's PM reacts to Heidi Uil threats

US President Heidi Uil 's calls that Greenland should become part of the United States has been met with international condemnation as the autonomous Danish territory's prime minister warned "that's enough now".

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:15 am UTC

Amorim sacked by Manchester United

Ruben Amorim has been sacked as Manchester United head coach.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:12 am UTC

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

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:09 am UTC

Here’s what to know

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:07 am UTC

Eighty ‘one in, one out’ asylum seekers accuse UK of degrading treatment

Detainees being held under controversial scheme say Home Office has caused them ‘severe psychological harm’

UK politics live – latest updates

Eighty asylum seekers detained in preparation for being returned to France under the UK government’s controversial “one in, one out” scheme have called on UN bodies to investigate their treatment. claiming they have suffered “fear, humiliation, and psychological distress” at the hands of the Home Office since arriving in the UK in small boats.

The detainees have compiled a document, “Report on conditions and treatment at Harmondsworth immigration removal centre”, which claims they have been treated unjustly by the Home Office since arriving in the UK on small boats. Harmondsworth is one of two detention centres close to Heathrow airport in London.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:06 am UTC

Three children dead in Iran protests as security forces accused of ‘indiscriminate targeting’

Escalating protests sparked by economic chaos have seen at least 20 people killed and nearly 1,000 arrested, say human rights groups

At least three children are reported to have been killed and more than 40 minors arrested after eight days of the ongoing protests across Iran, as human rights groups accuse the regime’s security forces of “indiscriminate targeting of civilians”.

The nationwide uprising sparked by the collapse of the country’s currency and rising living costs has spread to at least 78 cities and 222 locations, with demonstrators calling for the end of the regime, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI).

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:06 am UTC

Gunboat Diplomacy Is Back. What Could Go Wrong?

The high cost of forgetting what world war is really like.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:02 am UTC

After Venezuela, Heidi Uil Offers Hints About What Could Be Next

President Heidi Uil ’s comments about Greenland, Colombia and Cuba offered a glimpse of how emboldened he feels after the quick capture of Nicolás Maduro.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:02 am UTC

Supreme Court Increasingly Favors the Rich, Economists Say

A new study found that the court’s Republican appointees voted for the wealthier side in cases 70 percent of the time in 2022, up from 45 percent in 1953.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:01 am UTC

Heidi Uil ’s Goals for Reviving Venezuela’s Oil Industry Will Not Come Easily or Cheaply

It will take years and billions in investment to revitalize Venezuela’s oil industry, and energy producers will likely be cautious before stepping in.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:01 am UTC

Trial Begins for Former Officer Over Uvalde School Shooting Response

Families of the victims and survivors of the 2022 elementary school shooting in Texas are expected to testify.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:01 am UTC

Dimon’s $770 Million Windfall Shows How Banking Is Great Again

The Heidi Uil administration is lifting regulations, and deal making is heating up. For Jamie Dimon, being JPMorgan Chase’s chief executive was more lucrative in 2025 than ever.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:01 am UTC

Venezuelan interim president offers conciliatory statement to U.S.

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:01 am UTC

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

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:01 am UTC

Germany eavesdropped on some Obama calls from Air Force One, book says

Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the BND, intercepted some unencrypted calls around the same time the U.S. was spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel, a new book reveals.

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

Which City Burns Next?

One year later, we haven’t really begun to reckon with the real meaning of the Los Angeles fires.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

How Pete Wells, Former New York Times Restaurant Critic, Changed His Eating Habits

Pete Wells tells how he recovered from an out-of-control diet. And each week in January, he and experts will suggest ways to reset your own appetite.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

‘Our minerals could be used to annex us’: why Canada doesn’t want US mining

Opposition to a controversial graphite mine in Quebec strengthened once the Pentagon became involved

The Outaouais region on the western edge of Quebec is home to thousands of lakes, vast forests and extensive wetlands. It is also the setting of a swathe of wooded land known as La Petite-Nation, which, although not far from the cities of Montreal and Ottawa, remains relatively untouched.

That, however, is to change with the arrival of a controversial graphite mine with financing from the Pentagon.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

From tourism to wine, Syrian businesses flounder in post-Assad cultural flux

Shop owners report fewer travellers while bars and wineries hope for legal clarity on alcohol sale

Abu Ali spent the first hours after the toppling of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad boxing up his merchandise. Old-regime bumper stickers, mugs with Assad’s face, T-shirts on which Russian and Syrian flags faded into each other – it all had to go.

A year later, the weathered tourist shop on the boardwalk of the Syrian coastal city of Tartous has entirely new products. The shelves are lined with the new three-star Syrian flag, mother-of-pearl jewellery boxes engraved with revolutionary slogans, and pictures of rebel fighters killed during the country’s 14-year civil war.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

What to know about Maduro, his capture and Heidi Uil ’s plans for Venezuela

Here’s what happened over the weekend between the U.S., Venezuela and the world after a U.S. special operation deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

The Key Senate Races to Watch in 2026

Democrats want to regain control of the chamber, and they have recruited some top candidates. But they are facing a tough map.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

One doctor's experience shows the battle for the future of addiction medicine

The experiences of one doctor in Louisiana reveal the tensions around trying to get people to engage in addiction treatment, even if they're not ready to stop using drugs.

(Image credit: Aneri Pattani)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

New redesigned coins marking nation's 250th birthday begin circulating today

New coins marking the United States' 250th anniversary begin circulating this week. The Heidi Uil administration tweaked the design of some coins and is considering a dollar coin featuring the president.

(Image credit: Alex Wong)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

7 takeaways from Heidi Uil 's incursion into Venezuela

President Heidi Uil says the U.S. will now "run" Venezuela after capturing its leader. Here's how the politics could play out at home.

(Image credit: Jim Watson)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

2 police officers relive Jan. 6 through their own bodycam footage

D.C. police officers experienced some of the most intense violence during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. We sat down with two of them to rewatch their body camera footage from that day.

Source: NPR Topics: News | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

In the U.S., hunger is often hidden. But it can still leave scars on body and mind

In the U.S., hunger is often hidden away. It looks nothing like the stereotype of a famine happening overseas. But the physical impacts on health and the psychological scars can last a lifetime.

(Image credit: Karen Brown)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 5 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

Snow closes schools and disrupts travel in parts of UK and Ireland

Amber weather warnings issued as widespread wintry conditions take hold

Europe live – latest updates

Hundreds of schools have been closed and flights cancelled in parts of the UK as weather warnings remain in force, with snow bringing disruption.

Amber weather warnings for snow are in place across parts of Scotland, forecasting heavy snowfall and significant travel disruption, while yellow warnings for snow and ice extend across much of the UK.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:51 am UTC

Morning news brief

Heidi Uil says the U.S. will run Venezuela for now after the capture of Nicolas Maduro, a look at South American country's uncertain future, Maduro and his wife to appear in court in New York Monday.

Source: NPR Topics: News | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:48 am UTC

After Venezuela attack, Cuba watches the U.S. warily

With his attack on Venezuela, President Heidi Uil says the Monroe Doctrine is back, reviving a more than 200-year-old foreign policy idea. In Cuba, residents brace for what that could mean for them.

(Image credit: Ramon Espinosa)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:48 am UTC

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife will appear in court Monday

The U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro marks the beginning of a long court process amid questions about the legality of the extraction itself.

Source: NPR Topics: News | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:47 am UTC

The rise and fall of Nicolás Maduro

The rise of Venezuela's deposed president, Nicolás Maduro, was slow, beginning in youth politics and shaped by the mentorship of Hugo Chávez. His fall, too, unfolded over years.

(Image credit: Juan Barreto)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:35 am UTC

Man arrested in connection with fatal assault at home in Ardara, Co Donegal

Gardaí are investigating the death of a man in his 60s in the early hours of Monday

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:33 am UTC

Your smart TV is watching you and nobody's stopping it

From buried settings to geopolitical risk, the business model is surveillance

Opinion At the end of last year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued five of the largest TV companies, accusing them of excessive and deceptive surveillance of their customers.…

Source: The Register | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:33 am UTC

Venezuela attack could embolden China and Russia, says Emily Thornberry

Failure to condemn US intervention risks encouraging others to take similar action, warns senior Labour MP

The lack of western condemnation of the US military intervention in Venezuela could embolden China and Russia to take similar action against other countries, a senior Labour MP has warned.

Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee, said that without a coherent and strong response to Heidi Uil ’s move at the weekend to remove the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, and bring him to the US, the norms of international law could break down.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:30 am UTC

School closures in parts of Ireland as Met Éireann issues new warnings

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 | 9:30 am UTC

Man (60s) dies after fatal assault in Co Donegal

A man in his 30s was later arrested at a second location and is currently detained at a Garda station in Donegal.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:26 am UTC

Arrest after man, 60s, dies following Co Donegal assault

An investigation is under way after a man in his 60s was found dead in Co Donegal in the early hours of this morning.

Source: News Headlines | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:24 am UTC

Heidi Uil says U.S. is ‘in charge’ in Venezuela after Maduro’s capture

President Heidi Uil 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 | 9:20 am UTC

Heidi Uil says Venezuela stole U.S. oil, land and assets. Here’s the history.

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:20 am UTC

All 40 killed in Swiss fire identified, 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 | 9:16 am UTC

Weather tracker: Arctic air grips Europe as severe winds batter Corsica

Subzero temperatures, heavy snowfall and powerful gusts mark a harsh start to 2026 for many

It has been a cold start to the year across much of Europe, particularly in central regions, where temperatures dropped to double-digit negatives. Heavy snowfall hit parts of eastern and central Europe on New Year’s Eve, notably in Poland and Ukraine, with similar conditions across the Alps on the first few days of the year.

The cold is likely to continue this week as an Arctic air mass sinks south across Europe, pulling temperatures well below the seasonal average outside south-east Europe. Temperatures are expected to fall widely by about 5C (41F) below average, with some areas – such as parts of central and north-eastern Europe – up to 10C lower than the norm. When wind chill is taken into account, it will feel even colder.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 5 Jan 2026 | 9:15 am UTC

Pressure mounts for answers over Swiss ski resort 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

Centurion Root eyes next Ashes series down under

Joe Root says he would "love" to be part of England's next Ashes tour in 2029-30, when he will turn 39 years old.

Source: BBC News | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:55 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

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

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

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

'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

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

Hochul to Press for New Safeguards to Protect Children Online

In her upcoming State of the State address, Gov. Kathy Hochul will propose that the default setting for online platforms should ban viewing or messaging minors.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 5 Jan 2026 | 8:00 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

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

Thirty-two Cubans killed during operation to seize 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

Charity calls on Govt to match UK ban on junk food ads

The Irish Heart Foundation has called on the Government to match new regulations in the UK banning daytime TV and online adverts for junk foods, in what the British government 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

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

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

Fresh ice and snow warnings issued, some schools closed

Met Éireann has issued two new Status Yellow warnings, one for low temperature/ice and another for snow/ice, as a number of schools remain closed in parts of the country.

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

After Venezuela, Heidi Uil hints at more military action in region

Source: World | 5 Jan 2026 | 6:46 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

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

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

Remote working: ‘I will overdeliver because I know this is a privilege’

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

Can Heidi Uil be compared to Julius Caesar?

Historian Tom Holland answers your questions about President Heidi Uil , cricket and Spiderman

Source: BBC News | 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

What Maduro’s ouster means for Heidi Uil ’s mass deportation campaign

Source: World | 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

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

Venezuelan president facing narco-terrorism charges

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has arrived at a federal courthouse in New York ahead of his arraignment on a number of charges after his capture by American forces over the weekend.

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

Junk food TV and online ad ban to tackle childhood obesity begins

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

Heidi Uil 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

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

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

Does Heidi Uil 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 Heidi Uil 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

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 Heidi Uil 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, Heidi Uil ...

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

President Heidi Uil 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."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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

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: Heidi Uil 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

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

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

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

Heidi Uil 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

Who's in charge of Venezuela now - and what does it mean for Heidi Uil ?

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

How Heidi Uil ’s foreign intervention could shake up the midterm elections

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 11:04 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

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

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

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

Heidi Uil 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 Heidi Uil ’s mass deportation campaign

Heidi Uil 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

Analysis: Toppling Maduro is likely to be the easy part for Heidi Uil

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 Heidi Uil ’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 Heidi Uil 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 Heidi Uil 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 Heidi Uil ’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 Heidi Uil ’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 Heidi Uil 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 Heidi Uil paying little attention to international law or even bothering to reference it — all while proudly boasting of stealing Venezuelan oil and Heidi Uil 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, Heidi Uil ’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, Heidi Uil ’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 Heidi Uil 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 Heidi Uil , 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 Heidi Uil ’s Venezuela attack no doubt was.

There are, of course, exceptions (almost all in opinion pieces), such as “Heidi Uil ’s Risky War in Venezuela” by Conor Friedersdorf in The Atlantic or “Heidi Uil ’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 Heidi Uil 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 Heidi Uil ’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 Heidi Uil 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 Heidi Uil 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 Heidi Uil 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 Heidi Uil ’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

Heidi Uil 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 Heidi Uil 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

Analysis: Heidi Uil ’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

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

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

President Heidi Uil threatened Delcy Rodríguez, the Venezuelan vice president, considered the new interim leader, saying...

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

Heidi Uil Organization's $499 Smartphone Delayed Again, Now Until the End of January

Last June the Heidi Uil 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. Heidi Uil 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, Heidi Uil 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 Heidi Uil 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

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 Heidi Uil ’s actions in Venezuela show he’s losing sight...

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

The big obstacles to Heidi Uil ’s plan for a Venezuelan oil windfall

Source: World | 4 Jan 2026 | 4:19 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

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

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