News 05/01/26

Donald Trump spoke to NBC News following Nicolas Maduro’s court appearance, calling it an “extraordinary moment in history”.

When asked whether the US is at war with Venezuela, he replied: “No, we’re not. We’re at war with people that sell drugs.” The president said operations targeting boats bringing drugs toward the United States would continue.

New cold weather warnings remain across the UK after Arctic conditions brought snow, sleet and hail, causing flight cancellations, rail disruptions and school closures.

Temperatures dropped to minus ten point nine degrees at Shap in Cumbria overnight, and fifty two centimetres of snow were recorded in Banffshire, Scotland. Yellow warnings remain in place for Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, with additional alerts covering the east of England, west Wales, Devon and Cornwall. Drivers and commuters are advised to take care.

Three teenagers have been jailed after posing for selfies following the fatal attack of a homeless man near King’s Cross station in London.

Eymaiyah Lee Bradshaw-McKoy, eighteen, Mia Campos-Jorge, nineteen, and Jaidee Bingham, eighteen, chased and beat Anthony Marks, fifty one, on 10 August 2024. Mr Marks suffered a head injury with bleeding on the brain and died five weeks later. The court handed down custodial sentences to all three.

New cold weather warnings have been issued across the UK after Arctic conditions brought snow, sleet and hail, causing travel disruption and school closures.

Warnings remain in force on Monday after temperatures fell to minus ten point nine degrees at Shap in Cumbria overnight, and fifty two centimetres of snow was recorded in Banffshire. Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England are under yellow warnings for snow and ice.

Two teenagers have died after a car left the road in Kent, police say.

A seventeen year old boy and a sixteen year old girl were killed when a blue Ford Fiesta came off Old Ferry Road near Iwade on Saturday the third of January at around eight thirty in the evening. Another sixteen year old girl in the car was treated in hospital and later discharged.

High street retailers Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop are being put into administration, putting around two thousand five hundred jobs at risk.

Owner Modella Capital said both chains will enter insolvency proceedings across the UK and Ireland to find a buyer. It follows tough trading conditions and alarming low Christmas sales, leaving the businesses in a vulnerable position.

Alvin Hellerstein, the 92-year-old veteran district judge, will hear Nicolas Maduro’s court case, scheduled within the next hour.

Nominated by Bill Clinton in 1998, Hellerstein has overseen high-profile cases including compensation claims over the 9/11 attacks, crimes linked to the Darfur genocide, and a proposed settlement against Harvey Weinstein. He is known for a particularly sensitive relationship with Donald Trump.

Celtic have sacked manager Wilfried Nancy after just eight games in charge.

Paul Tidsdale, the club’s head of football operations, has also left following Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat by Rangers. In a statement, the club thanked Nancy for his efforts and wished him and his family well for the future, confirming the termination of his contract with immediate effect.

Ofcom has made urgent contact with Elon Musk’s company xAI after reports its AI tool Grok can be used to create sexualised images of children and undress women.

The regulator said it is investigating concerns that Grok has produced undressed images of people. The BBC has seen examples on X showing users asking the chatbot to alter real images to depict women in bikinis or sexual situations without consent. X has not responded to a request for comment but warned users not to use Grok to generate illegal content, including child sexual abuse material.

A further weather warning has been issued for Northern Ireland.

It is for ice, beginning at five pm and continuing until ten am tomorrow. The Met Office warns that ice on untreated surfaces is likely to cause impacts on Monday evening and overnight into Tuesday morning. Drivers and pedestrians are advised to take care.

A thirty year old man treated for a gunshot wound in south east London is in a stable condition in hospital, police say.

Officers were called to reports of a shooting in Broadway, Bexleyheath, at two fifteen on Sunday. The London Ambulance Service treated him at the scene before he was taken to hospital. The Metropolitan Police confirmed his condition on Monday.

After military action in Venezuela, Donald Trump has again suggested he would like to take over Greenland.

Sir Keir Starmer has responded on camera, backing Denmark. He joined other European leaders in saying Greenland’s future should be decided by the people who live there and by their rulers in Denmark. Starmer said the future of Greenland is for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.

Thames Water has discharged sewage into a Buckinghamshire waterway for more than five hours this year.

The Iver North Waste Water Treatment Works released untreated sewage into Colne Brook for five hours and fifteen minutes between January the first and January the fourth. There were six storm discharges. Colne Brook flows towards the River Thames near Iver and Colnbrook.

Donald Trump says Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Vladimir Putin during an apparent drone attack.

Moscow had accused Ukraine of attempting to strike a residence in Russia’s northern Novgorod region with ninety one long range drones. After checks by American officials, Trump said something happened nearby but the Russian leader’s residence was not targeted.

China has urged the United States to release Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro immediately.

The foreign ministry says a US military operation to capture him violated international law. It adds that China maintains positive communication and cooperation with the Venezuelan government. Hours before his capture, Maduro was hosting a Chinese delegation in Caracas led by the special representative on Latin American affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi.

Ruben Amorim has been sacked by Manchester United after fourteen months in charge.

His final match was a 1-1 draw against rivals Leeds United. After the game, Amorim told director of football Jason Wilcox and the club’s scouting team to do their jobs, saying he wanted to be the manager, not the coach. Amorim was announced as head coach when he arrived from Sporting CP fourteen months ago.

Ten people have been found guilty of cyber bullying France’s first lady Brigitte Macron.

The case followed false claims that the French president’s wife is a transgender woman born a man. The defendants, eight men and two women aged between forty one and sixty, posted degrading, insulting and malicious comments about her gender and sexuality. The couple have been married since two thousand and seven.

Hundreds of schools have closed and travel has been disrupted after heavy snowfall across northern Scotland as cold weather hits the UK.

Roads are impassable in places, with train services and flights cancelled as people return after the Christmas break. Amber warnings remain in northern Scotland, while NHS leaders warn of added pressure on the health service.

Australia opener Travis Head responded after England’s Joe Root made 160 on day two of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney. Root’s innings guided England to 384 at the Sydney Cricket Ground before a late collapse.

Head punished loose bowling to reach an unbeaten 91 from 87 balls. Australia closed on 166 for two after 34.1 overs, cutting the deficit to 218. England earlier lost seven wickets for 158 runs, including five for 61, with Jamie Smith dismissed playing a poor shot to Marnus Labuschagne.

Donald Trump has warned Venezuela’s new leader Delcy Rodríguez that she could pay a very big price if she does not do what he described as the right thing.

He made the comments to the US magazine The Atlantic as Venezuela’s deposed president Nicolás Maduro was preparing to appear in a New York court on Monday. The United States accuses Maduro, who denies the allegations, of drug trafficking and weapons offences and of running what it calls a narco terrorist regime. Rodríguez, who previously served as his vice president, struck a more conciliatory tone at her first cabinet meeting on Sunday, offering co operation with the United States.

A former pupil at two British schools has been confirmed as one of those killed in a fire at a Swiss ski resort.

Charlotte Niddam’s family announced her death with great sadness in a post on social media and said details of funeral arrangements would be shared later. The Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also confirmed the news in a message on X. Swiss officials said they had now identified all forty victims of the New Year’s Day bar fire in Crans Montana. Charlotte, believed to be fifteen, previously attended Immanuel College in Hertfordshire and the Jewish Free School in north west London.