Flagship

Venezuela cracks down on dissent

Venezuelan authorities launched a broad crackdown on dissent as the country’s new leader consolidated power, undermining early hopes that Washington’s capture of Nicolás Maduro could allow for democratic reforms. Exiles had cheered Maduro’s ouster over the weekend, but analysts largely cautioned that because the US left the rest of Venezuela’s regime in place, any flowering of freedoms was highly unlikely. That caution appears to have been well-placed: Security forces detained more than a dozen journalists, deporting one, and deployed paramilitary forces to ward off shows of support for Maduro’s removal. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was meanwhile sworn in to the presidency and chaired her first cabinet meeting. “Everything changes,” El País wrote, “yet nothing really changes.”

Machado courts Trump

Venezuelan Nobel prize-winning opposition leader María Corina Machado sought to win over US President Donald Trump in order to gain his backing to guide her country through its upheaval. Trump has dismissed Machado’s chances of ruling Venezuela, in part because US intelligence indicated she would struggle to run the government. He also resents her over her acceptance of the Nobel, which he has openly coveted: One source told The Washington Post it was her “ultimate sin.” Machado has recently praised the president and offered to share the Nobel with him, part of what an aide characterized as a long game: “She’s been in the fight for decades,” the aide told the Financial Times. “She can wait a few more months.”

Greenland looms over Ukraine talks

Transatlantic talks in Paris today, ostensibly focused on backing Ukraine, risk blowing up over US President Donald Trump’s threat to annex Greenland. The first year of Trump’s second term has been characterized by discord between the US and Europe over issues ranging from trade to security, with particular disagreement over Ukraine: Europe has sought to increase military support, while the US has pressed for a negotiated truce, at times appearing to favor Moscow over Kyiv. Officials hope that “keeping Greenland to one side,” as Politico put it, will allow for progress on Ukraine talks, but as a leading analyst warned, the stability and predictability that Brussels has sought in ties with Washington “is a pipe dream.”

Ukraine fights graft with reshuffle

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reshuffled his government, as part of his efforts to combat alleged corruption. Among the departures was the head of the security service, who is credited with some of Ukraine’s most successful operations against Russia. An anti-corruption investigation has already seen a top Zelenskyy ally resign, straining the president’s relationship with other key figures, Euronews reported. Zelenskyy is also increasingly downbeat about the prospects of ongoing US-brokered peace talks, The New York Times said. He has previously voiced optimism but, over the weekend, “made some of his most skeptical comments in months,” suggesting that Moscow “may block everything,” and saying the reshuffle was necessary to bolster Ukraine’s resilience.

China-Japan feud escalates further

China blocked exports of a raft of goods with potential military applications to Japan, ramping up recent tensions between the Asian powers. It was not immediately clear how punishing the new curbs would be, but their symbolic value is significant: Beijing had appeared to be lowering the temperature in the countries’ row over remarks by Japan’s prime minister that Tokyo’s forces could intervene militarily were China to invade Taiwan. Of particular concern was whether Beijing would include rare earths in the restrictions — China accounts for about 70% of Japan’s supply. “Japan has no choice but to endure this situation for a while,” one Tokyo-based expert told the Japanese news agency Kyodo.

Iran offers handouts to quell protests

Iran said it will offer citizens a monthly cash handout equivalent to $7, in an effort to end deadly protests now entering their 10th day. A currency collapse and surging inflation have squeezed living standards, with protests having erupted in 27 out of Iran’s 31 provinces; at least 35 are dead, including four children. Demonstrators have called for political change, with chants of “freedom” and “death to the dictator,” a sign of mounting anger toward the regime itself. US President Donald Trump threatened Tehran with reprisals if more protesters die. Iran’s president fell short of making political concessions, instead pledging tax cuts and modest handouts, a move which itself underlined the government’s limited fiscal capacity.

US eases vaccine guidance

The US health regulator reduced the number of routine vaccinations recommended for children. Vaccines, including those for flu, hepatitis, and meningococcal disease, will no longer be universally recommended: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr is a longstanding vaccine skeptic, and one physician told The Wall Street Journal that “[making] vaccines optional… puts children in harm’s way.” The Department of Health, however, said that the move brings the US system in line with that of Denmark, which has a lean vaccine system; other Western countries, including Australia, Canada, and the UK have schedules more like the previous US one.

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Using geothermal to capture carbon

A startup in Kenya plans to use geothermal energy to capture carbon from the air. The 4,000-mile-long Great Rift Valley up Africa’s east coast was created by tectonic plates pulling apart. Much of it is therefore hugely geologically active, and Kenya uses the energy to generate about a quarter of its electricity. But the vast majority of its potential is untapped, MIT Technology Review reported. Nairobi-based Octavia Carbon has built four prototype “direct air capture” machines powered by the Earth’s energy, to demonstrate that the technology is efficient, affordable, and scalable. The UN’s climate change body says that keeping warming to manageable levels will require not just cuts in emissions but pulling billions of tons of carbon from the air.

Pushback over AI ‘book clubs’

Ebook and audiobook retailers are increasingly offering AI-enabled interactive features, sparking a backlash from authors’ groups. Amazon and ElevenLabs now each allow readers to generate discussion of characters, plot, or themes with AI bots; ElevenLabs described the function as “a personal book club.” Amazon’s version, though, angered the Authors Guild, which said that publishers and authors could not opt out, and that it created in essence a new, interactive book format, for which authors’ rights should be renegotiated. The electronic market is increasingly important to publishers and authors. Recent polling found that US ebook owners are the biggest readers — 13% read more than 50 books in 2025, compared to 4% among those who prefer physical books.

Pizza popularity wanes in US

The US may have hit “peak pizza.” Pizzerias were once the second-most common restaurant type, behind generic “American,” but since 2019 their numbers have fallen and they are now outnumbered by coffee shops and Mexican joints. Sales growth at pizza restaurants has lagged behind the broader fast-food market. Food delivery apps have given consumers more options, and buyers are choosier, The Wall Street Journal reported. Several major pizza firms, including Pizza Hut and Papa Johns, are considering divestments or other strategic moves, and restaurants are engaged in damaging price wars with each other and rival fast-food outlets. The decline shouldn’t be overstated, though: Around one in 10 Americans will eat a slice of restaurant pizza on any given day.

• US President Donald Trump is due to speak at the House of Representatives Republican retreat.
• The Consumer Electronics Show, one of the world’s largest technology events, is held in the US state of Nevada.
• Christians globally celebrate Epiphany to commemorate the baptism of Jesus.

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Amazon Prime. The second season of this show — like all the seasons, really — is entertaining hokum, but it has become weirdly relevant now. In its first episode, Ryan tells a class that the greatest threat to world peace is Venezuela, thanks to its huge oil reserves, corrupt dictator, and ongoing economic collapse. It may not be too much of a spoiler to say the last episode involves a special forces assault on that dictator’s presidential palace. Clancy had form: His 1994 novel Debt of Honor has some uncanny parallels with 9/11. Watch Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime.

— Tom Chivers