Politics

Human rights groups say unrest has spread to more than 100 cities across all 31 provinces, and rights monitors report dozens killed and thousands arrested.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said they support a peaceful, negotiated and Venezuelan-led transition, after reports that U.S. forces removed former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife and brought them to New York.

The Fraser of Allander Institute found a roughly £1 billion shortfall between the £8.1 billion of projects set out last June and about £7.1 billion now available, and it has urged the Scottish Government to say which capital projects will be cut; the government will publish an infrastructure delivery pipeline alongside the draft budget on January 13.

Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander said Britain is "absolutely willing" to increase support after UK involvement in a joint operation to seize the tanker Marinera; a separate tanker, the Arcusat, was reported transiting the English Channel and is linked to a wider 'ghost fleet'.

US forces seized a Russian‑flagged tanker after a more than two‑week pursuit and are reported to be pursuing up to 16 other tankers that US authorities say left Venezuelan waters in breach of sanctions. Undetermined at this time.

Police said two people were killed and several others injured in a shooting outside a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Salt Lake City; authorities said no suspect was in custody and they do not believe the attack was aimed at the faith.

A professor fired after resharing a post about Charlie Kirk's death has been reinstated and will receive $500,000 for counselling under a settlement; the university said it did not follow required termination procedures.

Vice‑President JD Vance publicly defended an ICE officer who fatally shot Renee Good, saying the officer acted in self‑defense and criticizing media coverage; officials say the incident is under investigation.

The Senate voted to display a plaque honoring the police who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, directing the Architect of the Capitol to place it in a publicly accessible location in the Senate wing; the plaque had been approved years earlier but was not on display.

New START, the last U.S.-Russia nuclear arms treaty, will expire on Feb. 5; Russia proposed a 12-month extension in September and the United States has not formally replied.

Environmental groups say public records reveal federal and state officials discussed federal reimbursement for the Everglades detention center and FEMA later approved $608 million; the facility remains open while appeals continue.

President Trump told the New York Times there could be additional U.S. strikes in Nigeria if Christians are killed, and Nigeria has previously denied that Christians face systematic persecution.

The Trump administration and Republican lawmakers are pursuing a plan to overturn President Biden's 2023 20-year mining ban on 225,504 acres of the Superior National Forest. The effort centers on filing a notice in the Congressional Record and could trigger a 60-day congressional review that, if successful, would allow mining leases for Antofagasta's Twin Metals project to be reissued pending environmental reviews and permits.

In a New York Times interview, President Trump said he does not 'need international law' and that his authority is constrained only by his 'own morality.'

Terry Bennett, a Washington Metropolitan Police officer struck by a vehicle on Dec. 23 while assisting a stranded motorist, has died; the driver remained at the scene and the department says the incident is under investigation.

Russia condemned the U.S. seizure of the tanker Bella 1 as a violation of maritime law; U.S. officials said the vessel was taken for alleged sanctions violations.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser amended a federal lawsuit saying the administration cut programs and funding after the state refused demands to free convicted elections clerk Tina Peters; the filing asks a judge to declare that Colorado's sovereign powers were violated.

The Department of Homeland Security posted that it is surging law enforcement to Minneapolis, and CBS News reported about 2,000 ICE and HSI agents would be deployed to Minnesota for 30 days, though DHS did not confirm that number.

The Scottish Government has asked a court to rule that last year’s Supreme Court decision breaches the human rights of trans prisoners, and critics including an SNP MSP and opposition figures say the move risks the safety and privacy of women in custody.

Sir Keir Starmer will face MPs at his first Prime Minister's Questions of 2026 after he pledged British forces could be part of post‑war peacekeeping in Ukraine, and ministers are expected to update the Commons following talks in Paris.

RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled as US forces prepared to intercept a Venezuelan tanker now operating as the Marinera in the North Atlantic; the vessel was previously sanctioned in 2024. Undetermined at this time.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reiterated that an ICE agent acted in self‑defense in the Minneapolis shooting; local leaders and video footage have disputed that account, and the Minnesota BCA said it would withdraw as the FBI leads the investigation.

Harvey Weinstein has asked a New York judge to toss his conviction, saying jurors faced verbal pressure during deliberations; the judge is expected to decide whether to set aside the verdict, order a hearing, or let it stand.

A federal judge has temporarily barred the Department of Health and Human Services from removing words tied to diversity, equity and inclusion from Head Start grant applications and from laying off more Office of Head Start staff. The order arises from a lawsuit challenging the administration's changes to Head Start; further court steps are undetermined at this time.

Governor Wes Moore said Maryland lost about 24,900 federal jobs over the past year and attributed the losses to the Department of Government Efficiency; the department was disbanded in November.

The State Department said it has paused all U.S. assistance to Somalia's federal government after alleging Somali officials destroyed a U.S.-funded World Food Program warehouse and seized 76 metric tons of food aid; the department said any resumption will depend on Somali accountability and remedial steps.

M23 held a symbolic burial in Goma for 22 people it says were killed in a Jan. 2 drone strike in Masisi. Government officials and at least one researcher dispute parts of that account, and talks between M23 and the Congolese government are ongoing.

Economy Minister Amer Bisat said Lebanon needs security and political reforms alongside economic measures for recovery, and the military reported completion of the first phase of a plan to disarm non-state groups; a draft fiscal gap law endorsed by some ministers is awaiting parliamentary action.

Denmark's defence ministry said a 1952 military rule requires forces to engage immediately if Greenland is attacked and that the order remains in force; Denmark and Greenland will meet U.S. officials next week to discuss the matter.

State and local governments asked Congress to delay cost-sharing provisions that would shift some Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) expenses to states, saying operational strains during the 2025 federal shutdown and other implementation challenges left programs exposed; the groups proposed pushing the start of the cost-share until 2030.