Politics

Mahathir Mohamad, 100, was hospitalized after a fall and treated for a broken right hip; his daughter said it is serious but not life-threatening and doctors have ruled out surgery because of his age.

A Met Office yellow warning for snow and ice is in force until Tuesday at 11:00 GMT, and more than 300 schools across Anglesey, Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Gwynedd, Pembrokeshire, Powys and Wrexham are closed because of poor road conditions.

Supporters say three Palestine Action-affiliated prisoners on a rolling hunger strike have shown worsening health, with two beyond seven weeks without food and a third fasting intermittently; they will have spent more than 18 months in custody before trial.

Rank-and-file Labor members have asked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to withdraw an invitation to Israeli president Isaac Herzog over Israel's military actions in Gaza; legal experts say prosecution is unlikely because Herzog is a sitting head of state with immunity and there is no ICC arrest warrant for him.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said draft peace proposals discussed in Berlin could be finalised within days and would be presented to the Kremlin; major questions remain over the status of territory in Donbas and Crimea.

President Donald Trump said Venezuela would provide 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., and the White House has arranged a Friday meeting with major U.S. oil companies. Venezuelan officials also reported dozens of deaths after a U.S. military operation aimed at capturing Nicolás Maduro, and prosecutors announced an investigation.

Iran announced 10 million rial in vouchers per person to be distributed over four months, reported as about £5, while protests and security deployments continue; officials said they would hold direct talks with trade unions and merchants.

Young protesters in Nepal who helped bring an interim government to power say it has not delivered on promises of corruption accountability and many have returned to the streets; the government says it is preparing parliamentary elections for March 5.

President Donald Trump mocked transgender athletes on Jan. 6 while addressing House Republicans, citing weightlifting and boxing as examples; no further actions were announced.

Opposition figures and rights groups say security forces have used tear gas and other tactics at Bobi Wine's campaign events, and President Yoweri Museveni said security forces should use tear gas; the presidential election is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2026.

A YouGov poll found 51% of Britons disapprove of the US capture of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro, while 20% of respondents hold a favourable view of Donald Trump versus 18% for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

The U.S. State Department added 25 countries — bringing the list to 38 — whose citizens may be required to post bonds up to $15,000 to obtain a B1/B2 visa; the policy takes effect on January 21.

Allies met in Paris to discuss security arrangements for Ukraine after a possible ceasefire, but progress was uncertain as U.S. attention shifted to operations in Venezuela; 35 officials including 27 heads of state attended and the U.S. was represented by envoys.

The Department of Justice says Claudio Neves Valente admitted in recorded videos to the shootings at Brown University and the later killing of an MIT professor; investigators found the recordings during a search of a storage unit where his body was later recovered and the investigation is ongoing.

Judge Benny Sagi, who had been involved in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption case, was killed after a vehicle entered Route 6 and struck his motorcycle; police say a full investigation is under way.

Less than two weeks before her Jan. 17 inauguration, Abigail Spanberger said she is still digesting becoming Virginia's first female governor.

The Texas American Federation of Teachers filed a federal suit saying the Texas Education Agency improperly pushed investigations of educators' social media posts after Charlie Kirk's killing; the union asked a court to stop the probes.

The State Department added 25 countries to a visa-bond list, bringing the total to 38; the bond requirement, with amounts from $5,000 to $15,000, takes effect Jan. 21.

Demonstrators in multiple US cities rallied both for and against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro after US forces captured him in Caracas; Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty at a Manhattan federal hearing and are being held in federal custody.

The White House told Reuters that President Trump and senior advisers are exploring options to acquire Greenland and described control of the territory as a national security priority; the statement said using the US military is "always an option". The comments were framed as intended to deter rivals in the Arctic region.

Tim Walz announced he will not seek a third term after reports of a fraud scandal, and Senator Amy Klobuchar has said she is "seriously considering" a run for governor.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has set a 4.3% pay rise for MSPs, increasing salaries from £74,507 to £77,710 from 1 April; the rise was calculated using the ONS average weekly earnings index and is nearly double the forecast 2.2% CPI rate.

Wyoming's Supreme Court struck down two laws that would have banned most abortions and a ban on abortion pills, leaving abortion legal in the state. Governor Mark Gordon said he will seek a constitutional amendment and a public vote this fall.

A coroner has told the Mayor and Transport for London that action is needed after a man died at Stratford Tube station on Boxing Day 2023; the coroner said recommended track-detection technology had not been implemented and risks remain unmitigated.

At a House Republicans retreat, President Trump praised a recent US operation that captured Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro and received warm applause; he also addressed the midterm elections and repeated other political claims.

DOJ prosecutors under Pam Bondi told a New York court that 'Cartel de los Soles' is not an actual cartel, while still charging Nicolás Maduro with a drug‑trafficking conspiracy.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to say the United States is running Venezuela after President Trump suggested US officials would 'run' the country. Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has been taken into US custody and is expected to face a Manhattan court hearing on Monday.

President Trump told House Republicans he wants flexibility on the 50-year-old Hyde Amendment to help reach a deal on health-care subsidies; negotiations continue after expanded ACA payments expired on Dec. 31, 2025.

U.S. forces removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and he was arraigned in Manhattan federal court; U.S. officials say the action was lawful while U.N. and several governments expressed concern about its implications for international law.

Fujitsu's European boss told MPs the company is "not a parasite" and declined to provide a compensation figure for victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal; the government has paid £1.32bn so far and the inquiry's final report is expected later this year.