Assange's lawyer Barry Pollack to fight Maduro's US narcotics chargesBarry Pollack — the Washington lawyer who represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — will defend toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a U.S. drug case that could test immunity claims for foreign leaders and the legality of his capture. Pollack appeared with Maduro on Monday as he pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court days after Maduro and his wife were seized in a U.S. military raid. Defending Assange gave Pollack a taste of cases steeped in global intrigue and with consequences for America’s standing in the world. The case tested whether U.S. law could criminalize the publishing of sensitive information.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/assanges-lawyer-barry-pollack-fight-maduros-us-narcotics-charges-2026-01-05/Colombia leads the charge against US at UN Security CouncilZalabata’s condemnation of the US received the support of other progressive Latin American democracies like Mexico, Brazil and Chile, and all represented African countries,including South Africa. The US claim that its attack on Venezuela was justified received the support from the right-wing governments of Argentina and Paraguay, whose support for US foreign policy has been all but unconditional.
https://colombiareports.com/colombia-leads-the-charge-against-us-at-un-security-council/Mexican Authorities Arrest 157 Officers Accused of Ties to Drug TraffickingIn Ocozocoautla, 68 municipal police officers were arrested, including Commander Javier N. Federal authorities confiscated 75 cell phones, 11 radios, four .22 caliber cartridges, 17 bags of marijuana, and a homemade pistol. In Cintalapa, authorities arrested 58 officers of various ranks, and while those arrested were transferred to Tuxtla Gutierrez municipal prison on charges of organized crime, 75 cell phones and 23 bags of marijuana were seized.
https://www.telesurenglish.net/mexican-authorities-arrest-157-officers-accused-of-ties-to-drug-trafficking/Israel extends Gaza occupation beyond ‘yellow line’ in north, bombs southAl Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said, “The ongoing Israeli attacks on the ground, the expansion of the ‘yellow line’ are meant to eat up more of the territory across the eastern part, really shrinking the total area where people are sheltering.” “Everyone is cramped here. The population here not just doubled but tripled in many of the neighbourhoods, given the fact that none of these people is able to go back to their neighbourhoods. We’re talking about Zeitoun, Shujayea, as well as Tuffah,” he added.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/5/israel-extends-gaza-occupation-beyond-yellow-line-in-north-bombs-southhttps://archive.ph/F9g45Israeli media and US lawmakers signal Iran intervention after Venezuela attackThe Jerusalem Post reported on Monday that the US is weighing “some intervention” in Iran’s protests. The article also said how Israel believes that the US’s abduction of Maduro over the weekend may indicate a new US risk threshold for intervention in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The report follows an appearance by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Fox News in which he sported a “Make Iran Great Again” baseball hat, saying, “I pray and hope 2026 will be the year that we make Iran great again.”
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-media-and-us-lawmakers-signal-iran-intervention-following-venezuela-attackUN team enters Sudanese city of El Fasher after paramilitary massacre: ‘It’s like a ghost town’The UN team members were the first external witnesses to arrive at the epicenter of the tragedy. What they found was a destroyed and deserted city as well as abandoned villages nearby, triggering serious concerns for the civilians who remain there and for those missing. In August, the UN estimated the town’s population at around 260,000 people, of whom about 100,000 fled after the RSF seized the site. So far, no one has been able to confirm the whereabouts or wellbeing of tens of thousands of missing residents.
https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-05/un-team-enters-sudanese-city-of-el-fasher-after-paramilitary-massacre-its-like-a-ghost-town.htmlUK: Labour minister tells local councils they could be sued for boycotting IsraelThe threat comes after multiple local authorities in the past year voted to boycott companies complicit in Israeli war crimes, arm Israel or benefit from its occupation of Palestinian territory. "Councils should stay out of foreign conflicts and get on with the job of delivering local services," Communities Secretary Steve Reed said. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded in 2005 as a means of non-violently pressuring Israel to comply with its obligations under international law. In opposition the Labour Party opposed a bill brought by the Conservative government in 2024 banning public bodies from divesting in Israel.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-government-tells-councils-they-could-be-sued-over-bds-boycottsHospital workers to strike for seven days in pensions rowSome receive the NHS pension of 6.5 per cent employee contributions and 23.78 per cent employer contributions, while others on the AGHS domestic pension receive 4 per cent employee contributions with just 3 per cent employer contributions. GMB organiser Joe Wheatley accused administrators of telling frontline workers that “they don’t care if they can’t afford to retire.” He added: “This dispute is about whether NHS workers retire with dignity or in poverty.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/hospital-workers-strike-seven-days-pensions-rowGerman court convicts student for criticising the militaryExtensive investigations were launched against Bentik. The files show that the police requested data from the US corporation Meta to identify the user of the Instagram account. In addition, the Bundeswehr department responsible for military security and protection dealt with the case. This department normally handles the defence and security of the armed forces, protecting against threats, espionage and sabotage, and safeguarding military facilities and personnel.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/01/05/wpgp-j05.htmlNorthern Ireland criminal barristers striking indefinitely from Monday over justice system “crisis”Donal Lunny KC, chairman of the Bar Council of Northern Ireland, said barristers will not resume work on legally aided crown court cases “until the department shows the pragmatism and the urgency that’s required to resolve the issue of crown court fees”. Counsel in the region had already withdrawn their services in some legal aid-funded cases last year due to the long-running dispute with Stormont’s Department of Justice. Barristers plan to increase their action from Monday by not participating in any current cases before the crown courts.
https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/northern-ireland-criminal-barristers-striking-indefinitely-from-monday-over-justice-system-crisis-N2GCOMDVA5DCJINMIV57BMXNVQ/India's Supreme Court denies bail to Muslim activists after 5 years in jail without trial“Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand on a qualitatively different footing as compared to other accused,” the Supreme Court said in its verdict, according to Bar and Bench, a legal news website. The two student activists were a leading voice in nationwide protests against the citizenship law, which marked one of the most significant challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s far-right Hindu nationalist government. Their detention has been widely seen as emblematic of a broader crackdown on dissent under Mr Modi, drawing criticism from rights groups over the use of anti-terror laws against activists and student leaders.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/indias-supreme-court-denies-bail-muslim-activists-after-5-years-jail-without-trialCherry-picked quake data may have been submitted for Hamaoka nuclear plantHayashi said that some data used to calculate the plant’s maximum seismic motion may have been handled inappropriately to meet the safe standards drafted after a tsunami triggered by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake knocked out the electricity at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and caused a triple meltdown. The company will establish an independent panel to investigate the incident, he said.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/05/companies/chubu-electric-nuclear-power/