Armed conflicts and attacks

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. (CBS News) (BBC News)

• https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/venezuela-us-military-strikes-maduro-trump/
• https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c5yqygxe41pt

Armed conflicts and attacks

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. (RBC-Ukraine) (The Kyiv Independent)

• https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/russian-missile-strike-hits-kharkiv-death-1767487876.html
• https://kyivindependent.com/at-least-6-killed-42-injured-in-russian-attacks-on-ukraine-over-past-day/

Armed conflicts and attacks

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. (The Guardian)

• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/03/british-and-french-aircraft-attack-underground-isis-weapons-store-in-syria

Disasters and accidents

26 people are killed and 14 others are missing after a boat carrying 52 passengers capsizes in Nguru, Yobe State, Nigeria. (Reuters) (Africanews)

• https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/least-25-dead-14-missing-nigeria-boat-accident-officials-say-2026-01-04/
• https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/26-dead-and-14-missing-after-boat-capsizes-in-northeastern-nigeria/ar-AA1TASMl?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=485a52861af443f8e053d90a47dc80d3&ei=12

Disasters and accidents

Six people are killed after a car collides with a minibus taxi near Fouriesburg, South Africa. (IOL)

• https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/2026-01-04-six-lives-lost-in-tragic-r26-collision-between-sedan-and-minibus-taxi-near-fouriesburg/

Sports

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. (BBC Sports)

• https://www.bbc.com/sport/darts/articles/cq5y28xg5z7o