Portal:Current events/2026 January 3
January 3, 2026 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Operation Southern Spear, War on drugs
- 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela
- The United States carries out airstrikes around Caracas, Venezuela, killing at least 40 people, including civilians and military personnel. A national state of emergency is declared following the strikes. (The Times) (CNN)
- Footage shows United States Marine Corps Bell AH-1Z Vipers striking Fort Tiuna and Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base with Hellfire air-to-surface missiles during the operation. Fort Tiuna is later evacuated. (El Tiempo in Spanish) (The Aviationist)
- 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)
- After being held aboard the USS Iwo Jima, Maduro is taken to New York, where U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi says he has been indicted on drug and weapons charges. (BBC News) (AP)
- 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela
- Russo-Ukrainian war
- 2025 Sumy offensive, Kharkiv strikes, Kherson strikes, Mykolaiv strikes
- 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)
- 2025 Sumy offensive, Kharkiv strikes, Kherson strikes, Mykolaiv strikes
- Nigerian bandit conflict
- At least 30 people are killed and others kidnapped by armed bandits in a raid on a village market in Borgu, Niger State, Nigeria. The market was also looted of food before being set on fire. (AP) (The Punch)
- War against the Islamic State
- 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)
- 2026 arson attack on the Berlin power grid
- An arson attack on the Teltow Canal targeting the Lichterfelde gas-fired power plant causes a power outage in south Berlin, with tens of thousands affected. (Politico.eu) (Deutsche Welle)
Business and economy
- Economy of Syria
- The Central Bank of Syria begins exchanging old banknotes for a new currency that removes two zeros from the previous denominations, with 100 old pounds converted to one new pound, as part of economic stabilization measures following the change in government. (AP)
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)
- Six people are killed after a car collides with a minibus taxi near Fouriesburg, South Africa. (IOL)
Law and crime
- 2025–2026 Iranian protests
- Four more protesters are shot dead by security forces in Malekshahi County, Ilam province, Iran. (Hengaw) (Iran International) (AP)
Sports
- 2026 PDC World Darts Championship
- 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)