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Maduro arrives for first US court appearance after capture

Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro arrived at a New York court on Monday just over 48 hours after being seized in Caracas in a stunning US military operation that paves the way for Washington’s plans to control the oil-rich country. Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, were brought to the Manhattan courthouse under heavy guard to face narcotrafficking charges.

The pair were snatched by US commandos in the early hours of Saturday in an assault backed by warplanes and a heavy naval deployment.
In a series of shock announcements over the weekend, President Donald Trump declared that the United States is now running Venezuela with an eye to rebuilding and controling its huge but decrepit oil industry.

Amid international alarm, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told an emergency UN Security Council meeting that there should be “respect for the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity.”
There was sharp criticism Monday from Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum said the Americas “do not belong” to anyone, while Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a fiery statement saying that as a former guerrilla fighter he was ready to “take up arms” against Trump.

Also today

• As of today, emergency services in Luxembourg will be able to initiate video calls to better communicate and understand those in need of assistance.
• The latest pilot project launched by the Ministry of Health will see specially-trained GPs permitted to prescribe “physical activity” to their patients, with exercise programmes tailored to their physical abilities as part of their treatment.
• As a result of organisational and structural changes at the Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch, waiting times for ultrasounds have increased to at least 6 weeks.
• New regulations come into force in Britain today, banning daytime TV and online adverts for junk foods, in what the government calls a “world-leading action” to tackle childhood obesity.
• The European Union has said it hopes to sign a long-delayed trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur “soon”, pointing to progress towards approval by the bloc’s member states.
• Switzerland will hold a national day of mourning on Friday for the 40 victims of the fire in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, while prosecutors are now investigating the two bar managers under criminal law.

On air

What are your New Years Resolutions? And watch out! There’s a yellow warning for Snow and Cold over the next 24 hours

Figure of the day

Joe Root hit his 41st ton, in an innings of 160, at the final test in Sydney

• England cricketer, Joe Root, today hit 160 to bring him in line with Ricky Ponting on 41 career 100’s: joint third with 41 on the all-time century-makers’ list
• Only India’s Sachin Tendulkar (51) and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis (45) have scored more Test centuries.
• Root is second in the table of ‘Most Test Match Runs’, on 13,937, with Tendulkar also in first place in this list with 15,921

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