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Nicolás Maduro, the deposed Venezuelan president, is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday afternoon on drugs and weapons charges after US special forces seized him in a shocking raid at the weekend.
Maduro and the first lady, Cilia Flores, were captured on Saturday during an assault on Caracas that reportedly left 40 people dead. Donald Trump later said the US would “run” the South American country of 30 million people.
US officials warned of further military intervention if the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, did not meet their demands. Although Rodríguez initially condemned Maduro’s capture as an “atrocity”, she had by Sunday called for a “balanced and respectful” relationship with the US.
The New York Times reported that Trump administration officials had, several weeks earlier, identified Rodríguez as a potential successor to Maduro, partly because of her ties to Wall Street and the oil industry.
What is the reaction in Caracas? While some quietly rejoiced at Maduro’s demise, the traumatic night-time assault on the city prompted stockpiling, uncertainty and fear.
Trump has left the US less prepared for natural disasters, experts warn
Trump has dangerously weakened the US’s ability to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, emergency management experts have warned.
In 2025, his administration moved aggressively against climate science that produced state-of-the-art weather forecasts and slashed support for frontline federal agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).
The dismantling of climate science and emergency management services comes as damage from extreme weather surpassed $101bn in the first half of 2025, according to Dr Adam Smith, who tracked the data until the federal database that recorded it was scrapped in May. “That cost is by far the most costly first half of any year on record dating back to 1980,” he said.
What’s the global impact of Trump’s slashing of climate science? It’s substantial. Scientists and forecasters around the world depend on US satellites and studies to track extreme weather in Europe, plan disaster responses in the Caribbean and monitor deforestation in the Amazon.
Final 16 victims of Crans-Montana fire identified, police say
Investigators have identified the remaining 16 people who died in the New Year’s Eve bar fire at the Swiss mountain resort of Crans-Montana, police have said.
Hundreds of people joined a silent procession through the town on Sunday to honor the 40 victims of one of the worst disasters in recent Swiss history. Switzerland will hold a national day of mourning on Friday.
The final 16 victims are two Swiss girls, both 15; a 22-year-old Swiss woman, a 24-year-old woman with Swiss and French nationality; two Italian girls, 16 and 15; a 16-year-old Italian boy, a 22-year-old Portuguese woman; a 17-year-old Belgian girl; two French women, 33 and 26; two French men, 23 and 20; two French teenage boys, 17 and 14; and a 15-year-old girl with French, British, and Israeli nationalities, according to the police. A total of 119 people were injured in the fire.
How did the fire begin? Investigators believe the blaze was started when sparkling candles were held too near to the ceiling of the venue’s basement, according to the region’s chief prosecutor. Two people who ran the bar are under criminal investigation.
In other news …
Canadian officials have said US health institutions can no longer be relied on for accurate information, as fears grow that misinformation from the Trump administration is eroding Canadians’ confidence in vaccines.
Denmark’s prime minister has said the US “has no right” to annex Greenland after Trump said the country “absolutely” needs the territory.
The actor Evangeline Lilly has said that she has sustained brain damage after fainting and hitting her head in a fall.
Stat of the day: 31 people died in ICE custody in 2025, the deadliest year in decades
Thirty-one people died in the custody of 2025 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2025 – the highest level in decades, as the Trump administration detained a record number of people. They died of seizure and heart failure, stroke, respiratory failure, tuberculosis or suicide, while human rights advocates, immigration lawyers and lawmakers have reported inadequate conditions, food and medical care conditions in increasingly crowded detention facilities. Here are some of their stories.
Building power: Gun-safety advocates are riding a ‘seismic’ wave to US legislatures
A growing gun-safety movement has become a pipeline for new candidates running for public office across the US. Some are entering politics after taking part in the March for Our Lives student protests, while others became advocates after losing loved ones to gun violence. It is a far cry from the situation 15 years ago, when calling for firearms regulations could end political aspirations, says Shannon Watts, a violence-prevention activist and founder of Moms Demand Action.
Don’t miss this: How cowboy poetry is lassoing a new generation
Cowboy poetry – an art form that dates to the 1870s, when men would exchange stories and songs during long cattle drives from Texas – is enjoying a revival. As a wave of workshops attract a younger and more diverse audience, the writer Renée Reizman went to an event in Los Angeles to explore the history of the form and why it is resonating with a new generation of poets.
Climate check: Flooding forces hundreds to flee homeless shelter in San Diego
For the third time in seven years, flooding forced hundreds of people to evacuate a homeless shelter in San Diego after a storm dumped a month’s worth of rain last week. Such extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent as a result of the climate crisis, with people experiencing homelessness among those most severely affected.
Last Thing: ‘I ran 1,400 miles around Ireland’
The Guardian’s Adharanand Finn, a seasoned long-distance runner, had visited Ireland many times to see relatives but never knew the country well. Then, at 50, he took on a herculean challenge: to run around the entire country. It took him 10 weeks, and he received a warm welcome along the way: “Often, people would come out to run with me. Those were the easiest days, when the miles would slip by unnoticed, like water under a boat, the chat being the wind in our sails.”
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