A Times analysis of footage from three camera angles shows that the motorist was driving away from — not toward — a federal officer when he opened fire.
The conversation appeared to defuse a crisis that erupted after President Trump said military action against Colombia “sounds good.” President Gustavo Petro spoke to The New York Times just before the call.
Donald Trump consigned the remnants of the rules-based international order to the bottom of the Caribbean Sea as US forces extracted Nicolás Maduro to face trial in the US. With allies and adversaries of Washington still adjusting to last weekend’s audacious assault on Caracas, Trump and his inner circle are thinking about their next steps to secure US interests in what they regard as “our hemisphere”.
Our reporting team, led by Latin American correspondent Tom Phillips, gauges the reaction to Maduro’s abduction on the ground in Caracas and among Venezuela’s closest neighbours, while Dan Sabbagh explains how the US military had planned and executed the operation.
Since the start of the US military buildup and blockade of Venezuela, Trump had claimed that Maduro needed to be “brought to justice” for his alleged role in drug trafficking, which Trump claimed had caused thousands of deaths in the US. But, as international commentators Julian Borger and Nesrine Malik explain, that has proved the thinnest of justifications and already by last Saturday it was clear that Venezuela’s huge oil reserves were uppermost on his mind.
Spotlight | Iran in turmoil An ailing economy and plummeting exchange rate have prompted the biggest street protests in many years, report Deepa Parent and William Christou
Science | Is de-extinction really possible? Bringing woolly mammoths and dire wolves back to life captured the public’s imagination last year but, Patrick Greenfield reports, there are questions around what can actually be achieved
Feature | The power and purpose of guilt Psychologist Chris Moore saw first-hand how powerful and complex an emotion it is, as he explains to Emine Saner
Opinion | Adieu to the French art of lunch Paul Taylor mourns the demise of a convivial lunch at a bistro serving freshly prepared food and the end of an unpretentious part of working culture
Culture | Is the crisis in masculinty just a joke? It’s a ridiculous time to be male – and that’s good news for a new genre of social media comedy poking fun at the manosphere, finds Matthew Cantor
Turner is on our banknotes, Constable in our hearts By Ferdinand Mount
Coming out of Tate Britain just before noon on Budget Day, you are blinded by a blistering white sun behind Vauxhall Cross. The steepling glass towers south of the river are washed in an opal mist, the ziggurats of the MI6 HQ eclipsed to a ruined beige. Vauxhall Bridge gleams in the scarlet and yellow of a Turner sunset. J. M. W. would have rushed to the Embankment, whipped out his sketchbook, then worked up the whole shimmering scene into a six-footer and called it something like “The End of England”. John Constable would probably have turned away to catch the next coach to Hampstead Heath to paint Branch Hill Pond again.
‘One day, they’ll find me out’
How the young Dylan Thomas repeatedly stole from others By Alessandro Gallenzi
Mother was always right
A love-hate relationship recalled by France’s ‘greatest living writer’ By Marie Darrieussecq
The notebook fallacy
Why stylish stationery won’t change your life By Ian Sansom
The U.S. had been pursuing the Russian-flagged tanker as part of its pressure campaign against Venezuela. The move deepens a confrontation with Russia.
Needing support to fend off Russia in Ukraine, European leaders are cautious about criticizing President Trump on Greenland, Iran, Venezuela and much else.
Venezuela could lose the bulk of its oil export revenues this year if the U.S. blockade stays in place, a scenario that would set off a humanitarian crisis.
The reactions revealed a society divided: Some saw what happened in Venezuela as a playbook for seizing Taiwan, while others warned about ideological rigidity.
President Trump’s comments about Greenland, Colombia and Cuba offered a glimpse of how emboldened he feels after the quick capture of Venezuela’s leader.
Among the tasks left for Mayor Zohran Mamdani by his predecessor, Eric Adams, were two politically delicate measures related to Israel and antisemitism.
Ukrainian Political Reawakening Puts Pressure on Zelensky
President Volodymyr Zelensky is reshuffling his cabinet as a corruption scandal reshapes the political landscape at a pivotal point in peace negotiations.
The Trump administration had been working for months to oust Nicolás Maduro, who has led Venezuela since 2013.
In an interview with The Times, President Trump said “a lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops” were responsible for the mission’s success.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said New York City would intervene in the Pinnacle Group’s bankruptcy case. Tenants have long complained about the company’s properties.
A Burning Ceiling, a Pulse of Heat and ‘I Felt Like I Was on Fire’
Right before the blaze that killed 40 people at a Swiss bar, fireworks attached to Champagne bottles sent up sparks that appeared to have ignited insulation.
Swiss Authorities Say Sparklers Probably Caused New Year’s Fire
An official said the sparklers were attached to bottles of champagne held too close to the ceiling. Forty people died and more than 100 were injured. Many of the victims were teenagers.
President Trump’s remarks that he was ready to come to the protesters’ “rescue” were a sharp escalation as demonstrations over economic hardship turned deadly.
With Obamacare’s Higher Premiums Come Difficult Decisions
As enhanced subsidies expire, many Americans covered under the Affordable Care Act are having trouble paying for insurance.
As populations age, the number of younger people entering the workforce is shrinking – and that’s a big problem for “pay as you go” state pension schemes where employees fund the pensions of an expanding cohort of retired people.
Confusingly, a new poll of six European nations reveals how most voters can see this problem and realise their state pensions will soon become unaffordable. But at the same time, they also believe state pensions are too low, and are unwilling to support reforms to them.
Where do governments under increasing pressure from populists go from here? For our first big story of 2026, the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley, reports on a ticking timebomb for the continent’s social contract.
Spotlight | The prospects for peace in Ukraine in 2026 As Russia inches forward on the battlefield and – despite Donald Trump’s optimism – peace talks remain deadlocked, Kyiv’s best hopes of progress may be on the economic and political fronts, writes Dan Sabbagh
Science | How great a threat is AI to the climate? The datacentres behind artificial intelligence are polluting the natural world – and some experts fear the exponential rise in demand could derail the shift to a clean economy. Ajit Niranjan reports
Feature | Returning to the West Bank after two decades The former Guardian correspondent Ewen MacAskill used to report frequently from the Palestinian Territory. Twenty years after his last visit, he went back – and was shocked by how much worse it is today
Opinion | Need cheering up after a terrible year? I have just the story for you A single act of kindness reminded columnist Martin Kettle that, despite so much evidence to the contrary, the better angels of our nature are not necessarily doomed
Culture | The Brit boom Whether it’s Charli xcx or chicken shops, UK culture is having a moment. Can it be future-proofed from the diluting forces of globalisation? Rachel Aroesti investigates
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
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