The edition of
Saturday 3 January 2026
13 stories, section by section, the most important first.
International
Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, first lady Cilia Flores, are captured by U.S. forces and flown out of the country. Venezuelan vice president Delcy Rodríguez becomes acting president.
The United States carries out airstrikes around Caracas, Venezuela, killing at least 40 people, including civilians and military personnel. A national state of emergency is declared following the strikes.
After being held aboard the USS Iwo Jima, Maduro is taken to New York, where U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi says he has been indicted on drug and weapons charges.
Footage shows United States Marine Corps Bell AH-1Z Vipers striking Fort Tiuna and Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base with Hellfire air-to-surface missiles during the operation. Fort Tiuna is later evacuated.
At least eight people are killed and 42 others are injured in overnight Russian attacks on the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Sumy Oblasts of Ukraine.
At least 30 people are killed and others kidnapped by armed bandits in a raid on a village market in Borgu, Niger State, Nigeria. The market was also looted of food before being set on fire.
An arson attack on the Teltow Canal targeting the Lichterfelde gas-fired power plant causes a power outage in south Berlin, with tens of thousands affected.
British and French aircraft carry out a joint strike on an underground facility alleged to be occupied by the Islamic State near Palmyra in central Syria.
Business
The Central Bank of Syria begins exchanging old banknotes for a new currency that removes two zeros from the previous denominations, with 100 old pounds converted to one new pound, as part of economic stabilization measures following the change in government.
The Law
Four more protesters are shot dead by security forces in Malekshahi County, Ilam province, Iran.
Environment
26 people are killed and 14 others are missing after a boat carrying 52 passengers capsizes in Nguru, Yobe State, Nigeria.
Six people are killed after a car collides with a minibus taxi near Fouriesburg, South Africa.
Sport
In professional darts, English player Luke Littler wins a second PDC World Darts Championship back-to-back after defeating Dutch player Gian van Veen 7–1 in the final.
Stories adapted from Wikipedia’s Current events portal for 3 January 2026, by Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.