Venezuela’s Vice President: “There is only one president here, and his name is Nicolás Maduro.”The Vice President of Venezuela demanded the release of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores during the National Defense Council, reaffirming Maduro as the sole president and at the same time announcing the activation of the Citizen Security Agency and national power to defend independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, which they denounce as attacked.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/venezuelas-vice-president-there-is-only-one-president-here-and-his-name-is-nicolas-maduro/Cuban president denounces 'state terrorism' against VenezuelaMeanwhile, thousands of Cubans are worried over the fate of relatives and friends working in Venezuela. Cuba's health ministry tweeted on Saturday they were "well protected." In an interview U.S. President Donald Trump gave to the New York Post on Saturday, he said he is not considering additional military action against Cuba. “No, Cuba is going to fall of its own volition. Cuba is doing very poorly,” Trump said.
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cuban-president-denounces-state-terrorism-against-venezuela-2026-01-03/Palestine Action-linked hunger striker hospitalised for fifth timeKamran Ahmed is one of eight pro-Palestine activists who began a hunger strike last year after Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, failed to respond to a letter setting out concerns over their treatment. The group’s demands include immediate bail, an end to interference with their personal communications in prison, and the de-proscription of Palestine Action, which accuses the UK government of complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-action-linked-hunger-striker-hospitalised-fifth-timeHundreds at New Year’s Eve London prison protestHundreds of people assembled on Caledonian Road carrying Palestinian flags and banners, with the demonstration centred on solidarity with prisoners rather than disruption. Nevertheless, police responded with a large and visibly disproportionate deployment. Protesters counted at least 21 police vans in the immediate area, equating to roughly 170 officers. Many were deployed in boiler suits and carrying long batons, signalling a preparedness for confrontation rather than assembly facilitation.
https://freedomnews.org.uk/2026/01/02/excessive-policing-at-new-years-eve-prison-protest/Berlin power outage hits 45,000 homes after suspected arson attackSome households may also be without heating as the outage has affected local systems at a time when the German capital is blanketed in snow and temperatures are hovering around freezing. Emergency services were alerted early on Saturday that several high-voltage cables on a bridge near a power plant had gone up in flames.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/03/berlin-power-outage-hits-homes-suspected-arson-attackInternet disruption, several arrests made as Iran protests continueIranian authorities have shut down or slowed connectivity levels during previous rounds of protests, limiting Iranians to only a localised intranet. Internet connectivity came to a near-complete halt in mid-June for several days during the height of the war with Israel and the United States.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/3/internet-disruption-several-arrests-made-as-iran-protests-continuehttps://archive.ph/iZoKcYemen presidency says Saudi-backed forces retake key provinceTwo government military officials also told AFP earlier that neighbouring Mahra province and its armed forces, which had also fallen in with the STC during its recent advance, had switched their loyalty to Saudi-backed forces without any resistance. One of the two officials said the Mahra forces had "lowered the separatist flag and raised the Yemeni flag".
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/01/yemen-presidency-says-saudi-backed-forces-retake-key-province Iraq's Al-Sadr urges restraint after “militias” killed PSM official Muqtada Al-Sadr, leader of Iraq’s Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM), on Saturday accused “brazen militias” of assassinating a senior figure in his movement, urging his supporters to avoid being dragged into “sedition.” In a written message, Al-Sadr urged that the law “take its true course” in identifying the perpetrators, warning followers not to be drawn into unrest or “schemes sought by the corrupt.” He stressed that any response must be confined to lawful channels and “disciplined tribal frameworks.”
https://www.shafaq.com/en/Iraq/Iraq-s-Al-Sadr-urges-restraint-after-militias-killed-PSM-officialBorder killings highest in 5 yearsThe killing of Bangladeshis by India’s Border Security Force and Indian citizens along the border in 2025 marked the highest level in the past five years, despite repeated pledges by the neighbouring country to bring the number of border killings down to zero. According to human rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra’s yearly human rights report, 34 Bangladeshis were killed by the BSF in 2025. Of them, 24 were killed in BSF firing and 10 others died after facing physical torture by the BSF.
https://www.newagebd.net/post/foreign-affairs/287103/border-killings-highest-in-5-years Student youth dies from ruthless AFP bombing in Occidental Mindoro Doydora was among the youth who expressed the desire to interview the indigenous people and farmers in Mindoro and the New People’s Army (NPA) Red fighters. They wanted to learn the masses’ concrete situation, the reasons for the armed conflict, and the genuine solution to achieve peace. The NDF-Mindoro facilitated the reception of the visitors in Abra de Ilog before the new year. The indigenous people and farmers in the area guided them, and the NPA unit welcomed them.
https://philippinerevolution.nu/angbayan/student-youth-dies-from-ruthless-afp-bombing-in-occidental-mindoro/China’s Communist Party paper warns of Japanese militarism seeping into culture and sportsThese activities included football player Kaoru Mitoma being photographed with cards relating to a Japanese World War II soldier accused of war crimes, as well as visits by Harimoto and others to Tokyo’s Togo Shrine, the commentary published on Friday noted. The shrine is dedicated to Togo Heihachiro, an admiral who fought against China in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895). Japan celebrates him as a “god of victory” but China sees him as a pioneer of Japanese militarist expansion.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338620/chinas-communist-party-paper-warns-japanese-militarism-seeping-culture-and-sportshttps://archive.ph/nsk50Missing worker found dead after roof collapse deep underground at Queensland coalmineThe man was inside the Curragh mine in central Queensland when the collapse happened about 3pm on Friday. There were fears he was as deep as 1km underground. Emergency responders found the dead worker on Saturday night, according to the state’s acting mines minister, Tony Perrett.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/04/missing-worker-found-dead-after-roof-collapse-deep-underground-at-queensland-coalmine-ntwnfb