News 03/01/26

Donald Trump says the United States will run Venezuela until what he called a proper transition can take place.

He said the US would govern the country until a safe and judicious transition was possible. He added the United States would run Venezuela until conditions allowed that transition.

The Slough Jets recorded a first win of 2026 with an 8-2 victory over the Solent Devils.

Netminder Rouri McGibbon made his first start for the Jets and kept a clean sheet for the final two periods. The Jets recovered from being two one down to secure the win. They are next in action away to Chelmsford on Sunday.

Luke Littler has won his second successive World Darts Championship after defeating Dutchman Gian van Veen at Alexandra Palace.

The eighteen year old lost the opening set but then stormed back with seven straight sets to seal the title. It was his third final in a row, having lost to Luke Humphries in twenty twenty four when he was sixteen. Nicknamed the Nuke, Littler dropped only four sets during the entire tournament.

Swiss prosecutors say the French managers of a bar where a fire killed forty people are under criminal investigation.

The blaze at Le Constellation in Crans Montana on New Year’s Eve injured one hundred and nineteen others. With many identified, families face an agonising wait for information about those still missing.

Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has returned to the UK after a fatal car crash in Nigeria that killed two close friends.

The thirty six year old was a passenger in a Lexus SUV which collided with a stationary truck near Lagos on Monday. Team members Sina Ghami and Latif Latz Ayodele died. Joshua was treated in hospital and discharged on Wednesday.

The UK was not involved in any way in the US led strike on Venezuela, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Sir Keir said he had not spoken to US President Donald Trump about the operation to seize President Nicolas Maduro in the capital, Caracas. Asked whether he condemned the US action, as some UK politicians have, the prime minister said he wanted to establish facts and speak to President Trump first about the fast moving situation. He added that he was working with the UK embassy to ensure around five hundred British citizens in Venezuela are well looked after, safeguarded, and given appropriate advice.

US attorney general Pam Bondi has said Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York.

She said the Venezuelan president faces charges including narco terrorism conspiracy and conspiracy to import cocaine. Other charges listed include possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.

Police have identified the first four victims killed in a fire at a bar in a Swiss ski resort on New Year’s Eve.

The bodies of two Swiss women aged twenty one and sixteen, and two Swiss men aged eighteen and sixteen, have been returned to their families. Valais cantonal police said extensive work by officers and forensic specialists made the identifications possible, and efforts to identify remaining victims continue. The blaze at Le Constellation in Crans Montana killed forty people and injured one hundred and nineteen others, with families still waiting for news of those missing.

US President Donald Trump says the United States has carried out what he described as a large scale strike against Venezuela and has captured its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife.

In a statement posted on Truth Social, President Trump said the operation was conducted alongside US law enforcement and that President Maduro and his wife had been flown out of the country. He said further details would follow, with a news conference planned for eleven this morning at Mar-a-Lago.

Two people, including a three year old child, have been killed and around twenty eight others injured following a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, according to officials.

A multi storey apartment block was almost completely destroyed in what was described as a dual missile attack on Friday afternoon. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the strike heinous, while Russia’s Defence Ministry denied responsibility, suggesting the explosion was caused by Ukrainian ammunition detonating. The attack comes ahead of talks in Kyiv on Saturday linked to a US brokered peace plan.

At least 40 people have died and a further 119 were injured in a fire at the Constellation bar in Crans-Montana during New Year’s celebrations.

Officials say sparklers placed on champagne bottles are the likely cause. The severity of burns is making it difficult to identify victims, with some requiring DNA testing, a process expected to take weeks. Among those still missing is a former Hertfordshire schoolgirl. Emergency services are working to support families and keep them updated as the investigation continues.

Two people have died amid a major search and rescue operation off the Yorkshire coast.

Humberside Police were first alerted to reports of people in difficulty near Withernsea at 3.10pm on Friday. A 67-year-old man was recovered from the water but later confirmed dead. A second body was found later the same day, with circumstances not believed to be suspicious. Searches continue, and one person is still thought to be missing. Authorities are coordinating efforts with HM Coastguard to locate anyone remaining in the sea.

The government has launched a recruitment drive to attract thousands of new magistrates in England and Wales to tackle the courts backlog.

Since 2022, more than 2,000 magistrates have been trained, and ministers aim to recruit the same number over the next financial year. The initiative is part of broader reforms, including plans to limit jury trials, aimed at speeding up justice. Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy emphasised the vital role magistrates play across all jurisdictions in delivering justice for victims.

Sixteen-year-old Maisy Creed from Sheffield has set her sights on Formula One after becoming the first female PF International X30 Junior Champion in November.

The title has previously been won by future stars including Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Lando Norris. Maisy said competing alongside male drivers and achieving a first for a female felt very special. She hopes to join the F1 Academy and continue on the path to the sport’s top tier.