Politics

UCU members at Aberdeen, Stirling, Heriot-Watt and Strathclyde are voting on whether to authorise strike action or action short of a strike amid proposed job cuts and refusals to rule out compulsory redundancies. Ballots opened on Monday and will remain open into February, with closing dates between 9 and 17 February.

Russell Findlay, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said being a conservative and a unionist is especially important ahead of the May Holyrood election and criticised Reform UK and Nigel Farage; Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said a referendum would not be held even if the SNP wins a majority.

Yulia Lemeshchenko, a Ukrainian weightlifting champion, was sentenced in Moscow to 19 years after being accused by Russian authorities of plotting sabotage and assassinations; she did not deny the charges and said she acted against Russian military aggression.

Labour MPs are pressing Prime Minister Keir Starmer to condemn a US operation that captured Venezuela's president, and Mr Maduro and his wife are due in court on Monday.

The prime minister said he wants closer alignment with the EU single market; opposition leaders and some Conservatives said the remarks breach previous Brexit pledges.

NSW police said they attended an unauthorised protest in George Street, Sydney, where three people were arrested and later released with no charges reported. Undetermined at this time.

President Trump warned Colombia could face military action, while Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces and is due to be arraigned Monday in Manhattan federal court.

A memorial service at the Kingsmill Memorial Wall will mark 50 years since the 1976 ambush that killed 10 men; a coroner and an official review have described the attack as sectarian and identified failings in the original police inquiry.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned President Trump's reshared post that linked the killing of lawmaker Melissa Hortman to a Somali-linked fraud probe; state leaders and Hortman's family called the claim a conspiracy or misinformation and said it risked endangering people.

Lee Jae Myung arrived in Beijing to meet Xi Jinping and other senior Chinese officials, and he will visit Shanghai; this is the first visit by a South Korean leader to China since 2019.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Venezuelans previously covered by temporary protected status can apply for refugee status, and she said the US wants a Venezuelan leader who will partner to curb drug trafficking and security threats.

President Trump told The Atlantic that acting Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez would 'pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro' if she 'doesn't do what's right.' Nicolás Maduro was arrested and is being held in a New York federal jail on U.S. drug trafficking charges.

The article reports that Gen. Dan 'Raizin' Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, described a U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, who is reported to be in U.S. custody. It also recounts an earlier, large U.S. strike on Iranian sites that the piece says was coordinated under Caine.

The article notes the Scottish Budget is due next week and says SNP finance minister Shona Robison has ruled out income tax rate cuts despite extra funds from Westminster policy changes.

Delcy Rodríguez was confirmed as Venezuela's interim leader after US officials announced the capture of Nicolás Maduro; Maduro is in US custody and is due to face trial in the United States.

The Guardian editorial calls the US seizure of Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro illegal and reports President Trump said the US would 'run' the country and 'take back the oil'.

Most Republicans initially backed the U.S. mission that captured Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the United States to face criminal charges, though some GOP lawmakers expressed unease about President Trump's comments suggesting the U.S. might 'run' Venezuela.

Reports say the New York Times and Washington Post were told about a US operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro shortly before it began; officials confirmed Maduro was captured and taken to the United States to face criminal charges.

European leaders are split between welcoming Nicolás Maduro's removal and insisting on respect for international law; US officials described the operation as self-defence over drug‑trafficking while some legal scholars dispute its legality.

A Daily Mail/JL Partners poll shows Vice President JD Vance with 49% support among Republican primary voters, 38 points ahead of Ron DeSantis at 11%, and with strong showing in a Turning Point USA straw poll.

Nicolás Maduro was captured and taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a federal jail that has faced longstanding problems though the Bureau of Prisons says it has made recent improvements.

On a CNN panel, Scott Jennings compared Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan's wearing of a headscarf to imagery from The Handmaid's Tale, which drew criticism from fellow panelists; Flanagan wore the scarf during a visit to a Somali market in Minneapolis amid reports of alleged daycare fraud.

Colombia has mobilised armed forces to its border with Venezuela after reports of US strikes, and President Gustavo Petro has called for an emergency UN Security Council session.

Ireland's Prime Minister Micheál Martin will make a five-day visit to China beginning Sunday and will meet President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji; he will also travel to Shanghai. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the visit is intended to expand cooperation and foster China–EU relations amid recent trade tensions.

President Zelenskyy said a peace agreement is “90% ready” but warned the remaining issues are decisive; Washington and Kyiv have been negotiating amid disputed proposals and cautious public sentiment in Ukraine.

Iran warned that US bases and forces across the region would become "legitimate targets" if Washington intervenes in its domestic protests, after US President Donald Trump said America was "locked and loaded" to protect protesters.

State-run election authorities reported early returns showing the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party leading the first phase of Myanmar's three-part vote, and the junta said turnout was about 52%; two further rounds are scheduled for Jan. 11 and Jan. 25.

Officials report a missile strike on an apartment block in Kharkiv left two people dead and dozens injured, and search and rescue teams are still working at the scene.

The justice secretary has launched a drive to recruit thousands of magistrates alongside criminal court reforms, and MoJ figures show about 79,600 criminal cases are currently backlogged in England and Wales.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy accused Governor Gavin Newsom of lying after California delayed cancelling about 17,000 commercial licenses for non‑domiciled drivers; the DMV says the cancellation date moved from Jan. 5 to March 6 while it works with federal authorities. Undetermined at this time.