Venezuelan leader calls for ‘dialogue and diplomacy’ between Washington and Caracas following US claims of airstrike – key US politics stories from 2 January 2026 The Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, has urged Donald Trump to abandon his “illegal warmongering” and begin “serious talks” with his administration as mystery continued to surround a purported pre-Christmas CIA airstrike on the South American country. Speaking during an hour-long TV interview, Maduro declined to confirm reports of the apparent US attack, which would be the first on Venezuelan soil since Trump began his five-month campaign of military pressure in August. Continue reading...

Ninth circuit sides with gun owner that ban in counties with more than 200,000 people violates second amendment A US appeals court on Friday ruled that California’s ban on openly carrying firearms in most parts of the state was unconstitutional. A panel of the San Francisco-based ninth US circuit court of appeals sided 2-1 with a gun owner in ruling that the state’s prohibition against open carry in counties with more than 200,000 people violated the US constitution’s second amendment right to keep and bear arms. Continue reading...

Decision to carry the weapons at SCG not due to active or imminent threat but ‘to help the public feel safe’, NSW police chief says Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Police will carry long-arm rifles at the final Ashes Test in Sydney as police presence continues to be heightened after the Bondi terror attack. New South Wales police said public order and riot squad officers would carry the weapons at the fifth and final Ashes Test, which starts on Sunday at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), after similar measures were implemented at the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and New Year’s Eve events in Sydney. Continue reading...

Kentucky woman reportedly ordered medication to end her pregnancy and buried remains in her yard A Kentucky woman is facing multiple criminal charges after she allegedly induced her own abortion using medication. Kentucky state police arrested the woman, Melinda S Spencer, 35, on charges of fetal homicide in the first degree, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence, according to a local Kentucky news outlet. Spencer reportedly ordered medication online to end her pregnancy, then buried the remains of her pregnancy in her backyard. Continue reading...

Tourism operators in PNG’s highlands offer access to lush scenery, adventure and culture – in contrast with the region’s dangerous image In the lush hills of Papua New Guinea’s highlands, Ambua Lodge sits in picturesque but troubled surrounds. From this region – one of the country’s poorest and most dangerous – the hotel is attempting to carve another path for Hela province, which has long been beset by tribal fighting. Despite a history of conflict in the area, the hotel has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world, and the country’s leaders want to attract even more tourists to this hard-to-access location. Continue reading...

Frank likens challenges at Spurs to running a marathon Tottenham booed off after goalless draw at Brentford Thomas Frank has admitted he is not enjoying his job at Tottenham. The head coach is dealing with numerous problems as he navigates what always stood to be a transitional season, the most insistent being his team’s lack of creativity. Spurs were booed off after Thursday’s 0-0 draw at Brentford by the travelling support, who also chanted “boring, boring Tottenham”. But Frank is confident he will come to look back on the first half of his debut campaign more fondly once – and not if – his squad emerges on the other side, stronger and wiser for the suffering. Tottenham are 12th in the Premier League – their next game is at home to Sunderland on Sunday and Frank leant into a marathon-running analogy when he was asked whether he was enjoying the challenge to which he has signed up. Continue reading...

Humberside police confirm death of man, 67, as HM Coastguard say search continues for those still missing A search is under way for two people believed to be missing off Withernsea in East Riding of Yorkshire, HM Coastguard says. Emergency services were called just after 3pm and ambulances, helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft were among those to brave “horrendous conditions”, with waves having reportedly been as high as 9.8ft during the day. Continue reading...

Two workers have been recovered safely from Curragh coalmine as search continues for missing man A worker is missing and another is recovering in hospital after a roof collapse at a coalmine. Police were called to Curragh coalmine, in Central Queensland, about 3pm on Friday. Continue reading...

Horenstein family say crew did not seek consent to film inside their home days after it had been wrecked by Hamas The BBC has said it has reached a settlement with a Jewish family who survived Hamas’s 7 October attacks on southern Israel after a news crew filmed inside their destroyed home. The crew, which included senior correspondent Jeremy Bowen, entered the Horenstein family’s home in the days after the attacks in 2023. Continue reading...

Defending champion eases to 6-1 semi-final victory World No 1 hits back after losing first set to 20th seed Perhaps the curse of being Luke Littler is that after a while, performances like this begin to feel a little … mundane. What’s that? You’ve mastered the sport of darts at the age of 18, you pull 105 averages out of your back pocket and you’ve reached your third world championship final at your third attempt? Cool, yeah, if you could just put that in an email, cheers. In the end, it wasn’t remotely close. We all know already that Littler grows in stature as this tournament progresses, that he takes strength with every round, every beaten opponent, every increase in sets. A gathering purple storm is tearing through north London, and here it was Ryan Searle’s severe misfortune to find himself in its path. Continue reading...

Executive chair Richard Baker to replace Marc Metrick after company misses $100m interest payment on debt Saks Global said on Friday that its CEO, Marc Metrick, has stepped down and named executive chair, Richard Baker, as his successor, amid reports that the luxury retailer is preparing for bankruptcy. The change at the top comes days after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Neiman Marcus parent company is preparing for bankruptcy after missing an interest payment exceeding $100m on debt from its Neiman merger. Continue reading...

Star Wars alum gives an impressively modest performance in this slightly smarter-than-average survival tale Unlike some other less resilient horror subgenres, the zombie movie is, fittingly, never going to really die. Neither will film-makers attempting to add their own twist, understandable given how repetitive the die, wake up, lumber, bite and repeat formula has become. Australian director Zak Hilditch’s attempt, the rather buried We Bury the Dead, is therefore not quite as striking as it might have seemed a decade and change ago. Using words such as “contemplative” and “mournful” to describe a film that includes its fair share of gnarly head-smashing has become something of a cliche, so much so that last month’s meta-comedy Anaconda reboot had its characters joke that these days, even a film about a giant snake needs “intergenerational trauma” to work. But Hilditch mercifully avoids drowning his film in drab self-seriousness. Yes, it’s a zombie survival thriller that’s also about grief – but it’s also just a zombie survival thriller, albeit one with less carnage than some might expect. Those gearing up for gore would be forgiven for expecting such given the film’s cursed 2 January release date, typically handed over to the silliest of studio horror, from One Missed Call to Texas Chainsaw 3D to Season of the Witch (they’ll likely be satiated by next week’s killer chimp schlocker Primate instead). We Bury the Dead, which was part funded by the Adelaide film festival before premiering at SXSW, is less focused on death toll and more on the toll left on those who’ve lost someone, in this iteration as the result of a US government blunder. Continue reading...

NHL players return to men’s Olympic ice hockey US, Canada unveil rosters packed with star talent Knight leads US women as PWHL era reaches Games The return of ice hockey’s biggest stars to the Winter Games could spark a renaissance for the sport on the global stage, as gold-medal favorites United States and Canada handpicked top NHL talent for the Milano-Cortina Olympics. The National Hockey League has not permitted its athletes to participate in the Games since 2014, putting a damper on the men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament as the world’s best players were forced to stay home in 2018 and 2022. Continue reading...

‘Savanna’s law’ named after woman killed by ex-boyfriend, who had extensive record of domestic violence allegations A state law creating the first registry of people convicted of domestic abuse in the US took effect Thursday in Tennessee. Named after Savanna Puckett, a woman who was shot to death by her ex-boyfriend in January 2022, “Savanna’s law” requires the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to maintain a database of people who have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to at least two domestic violence offenses. Continue reading...

Series in Australia was meant to bring the best out of opener but he goes into Sydney Test with questions unanswered It seems a little distant now, a little by-the-by, that this Ashes series was billed, among other things, as a referendum on Zak Crawley’s England career. The tour he was groomed for. The hidden sub-menace in his one-year central contract offer. Here was a chance to justify the high-wire walk of the last few years, to find an answer, perhaps, to the eternal question: is Zak Crawley actually any good? In the event other things have happened, other warning lights blinked, other elements of England’s collective failure creaked more urgently. Shoaib Bashir, the project spinner, plucked from social media for this tour, is in the 12 for Sydney. He hasn’t taken a wicket in a proper game since July. Good luck babe! Continue reading...

FoI request reveals West Midlands police comments about concern over ban at match against Aston Villa Jewish communities warned West Midlands police that a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending a match against Aston Villa “could be perceived as antisemitic”, documents show. Supporters of the Israeli team were banned from attending the Europa League fixture at Villa Park in Birmingham on 6 November sparking outrage, with the prime minister, Keir Starmer, condemning it as “wrong” and suggesting it amounted to antisemitism. Continue reading...

Marcus Alexander Muench Casanova, 19, died on the Devil’s Backbone trail after reportedly falling 500ft A 19-year-old college freshman has been identified as one of the hikers whose remains were found on California’s Mount Baldy on Monday. The San Bernardino county sheriff announced this week that Marcus Alexander Muench Casanova, a resident of Seal Beach, California, was discovered along a mountain trail known as the Devil’s Backbone. Continue reading...

Manchester United coach prepares trio for Elland Road. Plus: Semenyo set to play for Bournemouth despite transfer talk, and Toone extends deal Continue reading...

Brian Cole, accused of planting bombs before Capitol attack, presents ‘intolerable risk of danger’, court finds A federal magistrate judge has ruled that the man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican headquarters the night before the 6 January Capitol attack must remain in custody while awaiting trial. In a memorandum opinion, the court determined that Brian Cole Jr, 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, “poses an intolerable risk of danger to the community if released”, granting the government’s motion for pretrial detention. Continue reading...

Hiroshi Nagai, in a post on X, has objected to his artwork being used by the agency to promote its deportation agenda The US Department of Homeland Security is facing backlash once again, this time from a Japanese artist who has condemned the agency for using his work without permission to promote deportations. In a post on X on New Year’s Eve, DHS posted a photo featuring a pristine and empty beach with palm trees and a vintage car. Written across the photo was “America after 100 million deportations,” along with a separate caption that said: “The peace of a nation no longer besieged by the third world.” Continue reading...

Collective grief in Swiss resort as relatives desperately seek information about missing loved ones’ whereabouts The group of 15 young people had travelled from Milan to Crans-Montana, some of them crossing the border by car, others by train, to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The Swiss ski resort was well known to them, having spent summers here with their families, and a big draw was marking the new year in the bar that in recent years had become known as the place to be. Eight from the group managed to escape the inferno that ripped through Le Constellation, killing about 40 people, while three are among the 80 who were critically injured. Two of the eldest, Marco, 20, and Gabriele, 18, had planned to join their friends in the venue – appreciated by young people for being an affordable place to party in a resort popular with celebrities and wealthy skiers – shortly after midnight but by a last-minute twist of fate decided not to. Continue reading...

Scientists argue ape-like Sahelanthropus tchadensis that lived in Africa 7m years ago is best contender but more fossils are needed In the murky first chapters of the human story is an unknown ancestor that made the profound transition from walking on all fours to standing up tall, an act that came to define us. The odds of stumbling on the fossilised evidence of such an evolutionary prize are slim, but in new research, scientists argue that an ape-like animal that lived in Africa 7m years ago is the best contender yet. Continue reading...

The first Muslim to play for Australia has been an inspiration for many in the way he has broken down barriers during his career More than half an hour into the press conference, with his retirement from Test cricket confirmed, Usman Khawaja was asked about the role of opening the batting and its relevance in the modern game. He answered with ease, detailing the specific mental challenges of facing the new ball. Minutes later, he was asked how Australia can unite after last month’s terrorist attack at Bondi Beach. Again, there was little hesitation before the lengthy reply. He cited the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, politicians who “try to divide and conquer” and closed with his reflections on the tragedy itself. This was no ordinary sporting farewell. Those who have tracked the path of Khawaja’s career closely will not have been surprised by the openness in the 50-minute press conference on Friday and the lines to have come from it. Reflecting on his proud journey as a Muslim boy born in Pakistan “who was told he would never play for the Australian cricket team”, Khawaja claimed he was still subject to “racial stereotypes”, arguing they had re-emerged at the start of the Ashes when he was scrutinised for playing golf in the buildup before sustaining back spasms in the first Test. Continue reading...

Updates from Alexandra Palace semis, from 7.30pm GMT Follow us on Bluesky | And get in touch: email Niall The Nuke. Heavy Metal. The Giant. The Flying Scotsman. What kind of steampunk terrordome are we walking into tonight? It’s the Alexandra Palace, London and these are the four gladiators still standing after an absolutely vintage world darts championship. First up, the champion. Luke Littler has been more rattled by the crowd than his opponents on a run to his third semi-final in three appearances. On paper, Ryan Searle looks outmatched – but the Devon dartist has played like a potential winner, dropping just two sets on his way here. If he can start well and get the fans on side, things could get very interesting. Continue reading...

Ex-adviser Paul Ovenden says ‘political perma-class’ has distracted government, but critics argue ministers already have power to act Downing Street only has itself to blame for failing to exercise power, Whitehall experts have said, after a former No 10 adviser said that lobbying by a “political perma-class” had distracted the government from voters’ priorities. Paul Ovenden prompted a debate about how Keir Starmer’s administration is governing after criticising what he described as the “sheer weirdness of how Whitehall spends its time”. Continue reading...