The first lady had been embroiled in a long-running legal dispute linked to online conspiracy theories claiming she is transgender

A Paris court has found ten people guilty of cyber-harassing the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, Brigitte, for spreading claims that she is a transgender woman who was born a man, Le Monde reported on Monday.

Macron has long been at the centre of legal disputes over online conspiracy theories alleging that she is transgender. In 2024, a Paris court fined the originators of the rumor a total of €14,000 ($15,000). The case drew international attention after US commentator Candace Owens last year amplified the claims and later alleged that the Macrons had ordered her assassination.

Under the latest ruling, all the defendants, men and women aged between 41 and 65, received differing sentences, ranging from mandatory courses against online hate speech to suspended prison terms of between four and eight months. One defendant was sentenced to six months in jail for failing to appear in court.

The court cited “particularly degrading, insulting and malicious” comments posted and circulated online, referring to claims about the French first lady’s alleged trans identity and accusations of pedophilia that drew on and distorted the 24-year age gap between her and her husband.

READ MORE: US pundit claims Macron has ordered her assassination

The relationship between Macron, 48, and his wife Brigitte, 72, who met when she was a drama teacher at his school, has drawn sustained attention since his election in 2017. In recent years, that scrutiny has given way to the spread of false claims, which the first couple have said they will no longer ignore and are challenging through the courts.

Former VP Delcy Rodriguez has urged Washington to engage in dialogue, insisting that peace not war reflects the Latin American nation’s stance

Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez has called on Washington to work with Caracas following a US raid in which President Nicolas Maduro was seized and taken out of the country.

Rodriguez, who had served as vice president since 2018, assumed the role of interim president after Maduro was abducted by US forces in Caracas and flown to New York to face charges of orchestrating a “narco-terrorism conspiracy.”

“President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war,” Rodriguez wrote on Telegram on Monday. “This has always been President Nicolas Maduro’s message, and it is the message of all of Venezuela right now.”

She also called for a “balanced and respectful” relationship with the US, urging the White House to work with Caracas on “an agenda for cooperation aimed at shared development.” Rodriguez affirmed the Bolivarian Republic’s right “to peace, to development, to sovereignty and to a future.”

The interim president had earlier demanded that Washington immediately release Maduro, while saying Venezuela would “never return to being the colony of another empire” or “return to being slaves.”

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On Sunday, Trump warned Rodriguez she would pay a “bigger price” than her recently captured predecessor “if she doesn’t do what’s right.”

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured on Saturday during a US operation that included a series of air strikes in the capital city and several other states. Washington said on Sunday that the pair had been indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons offences.

Maduro has repeatedly rejected claims that he has any links to drug trafficking, saying Washington is using the allegations as a pretext for regime change in Venezuela.

The latest US operation in the Latin American state followed decades of strained relations marked by deepening diplomatic rifts, sweeping unilateral sanctions, political confrontation and mutual accusations. Washington had refused to recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president.

Trump claimed Bogota is “run by a sick man,” referring to Columbian President Gustavo Petro

US President Donald Trump has threatened Colombia with military action similar to last week’s raid on Venezuela.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said Colombia is “run by a sick man,” referring to President Gustavo Petro, whom he labeled a “drug leader.” The US president suggested that Petro, whom he sanctioned last year, could be removed from power too.

“Colombia is very sick… run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you,” Trump stated. Asked directly whether the US would launch a military operation against the country, he replied: “It sounds good to me.”

Petro responded sharply in a series of posts on X, urging Trump to “stop slandering” and calling on Latin American nations to unite or risk being “treated as servants and slaves.”

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The exchange follows growing outrage over Washington’s unprecedented military operation to seize Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, which the Trump administration says was needed to bring the Venezuelan president to trial on drug trafficking charges. Caracas rejects this explanation as a pretext for regime change. Media reports say at least 80 people, both military and civilian, were killed in the raid. Maduro, who has denied all allegations, was abducted and forcibly flown to the US along with his wife.

The raid has drawn condemnation from the Global South, while China slammed the abduction as a violation of international law. Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Spain have issued a joint statement warning that America’s action has set “an extremely dangerous precedent” for regional security.

Trump justified the raid by invoking the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, which designates Latin America as Washington’s sphere of influence, while asserting that the US is now “in charge” of Venezuela. He told reporters that Saturday’s military intervention was not about regime change or resources but securing “peace on Earth,” particularly in the Western Hemisphere. He went on to warn that the US could strike again if Caracas “doesn’t behave.”

READ MORE: Trump explains how he wants to ‘run’ Venezuela

Besides Colombia and Venezuela, Trump has also ramped up rhetoric against other countries in the region, claiming Cuba “is ready to fall” due to the loss of Venezuelan oil revenue and threatening Mexico with possible military intervention, saying the country “has to get their act together because [drugs] are pouring through Mexico and we’re going to have to do something.”

Vasyl Zvaryc criticized the Czech Republic’s chamber of deputies speaker for his opposition to supplying Kiev with arms

The Czech Republic’s Foreign Ministry reportedly plans to summon Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Zvaryc to demand an explanation for his criticism of Tomio Okamura, the speaker of the country’s Chamber of Deputies.

In a New Year’s video message posted on Facebook last week, Okamura said it was unacceptable to use Czech taxpayers’ money to buy weapons for what he called Kiev’s “absolutely senseless war” with Moscow. He argued the funds ultimately end up with “Ukrainian thieves from the entourage of Vladimir Zelensky’s junta,” claiming they are used “to install golden toilets” – a reference to a major corruption scandal involving Ukraine’s state nuclear operator, Energoatom, and Zelensky’s longtime associate, Timur Mindich.

“Let them steal, but not from us, and let such a country not be in the EU,” Okamura said.

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Zvaryc responded sharply, calling the remarks “undignified and completely unacceptable.” In a Facebook post, he accused Okamura of being influenced by “Russian propaganda,” insisting his comments contradicted “the principles of a democratic society and the values on which the Czech Republic is based.”

Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka will now summon Zvaryc to demand an explanation, CNN Prima NEWS reported on Sunday, citing Finance Minister Alena Schillerova. She said Macinka had authorized her to confirm the meeting publicly.

Macinka had earlier criticized the ambassador’s conduct, saying it was “inappropriate” for a foreign envoy to publicly assess statements by the Czech Republic’s third-highest constitutional official.

“If diplomatic missions have concerns, there are standard diplomatic channels,” he said, adding that Czech politics are for Czech citizens and their elected representatives.

READ MORE: EU state’s Interior Ministry takes down Ukrainian flag

Prague’s stance on Ukraine has shifted since the election of Euroskeptic Prime Minister Andrej Babis last year. While the previous government strongly backed Kiev after the 2022 escalation with Russia, Babis campaigned on curbing military aid and refocusing on domestic issues. His government has since taken symbolic steps, removing Ukrainian flags from state buildings and rejecting further financial support for Kiev, including an EU proposal to fund Ukraine through a loan tied to frozen Russian assets.

Cuba says 32 of its citizens died in Washington’s military intervention to abduct President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas

The death toll from the US raid to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro has risen to at least 80, which includes both soldiers and civilians, the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing a senior Venezuelan official.

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez confirmed that US forces had killed a “large part” of Maduro’s security detail in the operation, without giving a figure. Venezuelan officials also accused the US of hitting civilian areas but have not released an official death toll yet.

Meanwhile, Cuban officials say 32 of its citizens, including military personnel, were killed in the attack. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has announced that January 5th and 6th will be official days of mourning.

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“Our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism and fell, after fierce resistance, in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombings,” he said.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto paid tribute to the deceased Cubans who “offered their lives” while carrying out duties as part of cooperation and defense missions, while describing the US raid as a “criminal and infamous” attack.

US President Donald Trump said no American troops had been killed, while suggesting some service members may have been wounded. Two unnamed US officials told the New York Times that about half a dozen soldiers were injured during the operation to capture Maduro and his wife.

Media reports have suggested that the US bombardment targeted several key military sites, communication infrastructure, and depots. However, American officials have said the airstrikes were meant to provide cover for seizing Maduro so that he could be brought to America to stand trial on drug trafficking and weapons charges.

Venezuela’s leadership has long denied accusations that it is connected with the drug trade, arguing that the charges coming from the US only serve as a pretext for regime change.

America’s president says taking control of the island is a matter of “national security” for Washington

Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has urged Washington to stop threatening a “historically close ally,” after President Donald Trump suggested Copenhagen cannot properly manage and protect the island from Russian and Chinese threats. Greenland is an autonomous territory within Denmark.

“We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense,” Trump told The Atlantic on Sunday, noting that it was up to others to decide the wider implications of US military action in Venezuela.

In response, Frederiksen said “the US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom.”

“I would therefore strongly urge the US to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale,” she told the media.

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Trump first proposed buying Greenland in 2019, a plan swiftly rejected by Copenhagen and Greenland’s authorities. Since returning to office last year, he has revived the idea, even hinting at the possible use of force.

Denmark has responded by strengthening Arctic defenses and expanding military and civilian monitoring, viewing the pressure as a direct threat to its sovereignty.

“You know what Denmark did basically, to boost up security in Greenland? They added one more dog sled,” Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One later in the day, claiming that the island is “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships” and that Copenhagen can’t handle the “threat.”

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“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. And the European Union needs us to have it, and they know it,” he stated, adding, “let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.”

Tensions over Greenland have continued to rise in recent weeks. In December, Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, who has openly backed incorporating Greenland into the US, as a special envoy to the autonomous territory, prompting Copenhagen to summon the US ambassador for an explanation.

After the US launched a controversial military operation in Venezuela on Sunday, a former Trump administration official, Katie Miller, suggested in a cryptic social media post that Washington will “soon” take over Greenland.

The US president said he needs “law and order” to take advantage of the Latin American country’s resources

President Donald Trump has outlined his vision for Venezuela following the US military intervention, stating the country must first be restored to “law and order” and economic discipline before any future elections can be considered.

In an interview with the New York Post on Sunday, Trump brushed aside concerns that the unprecedented military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro could draw Washington into a protracted quagmire akin to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Trump framed the intervention as an attempt to save “literally a third world country ready to fail” after decades of socialist rule.

“We should run the country properly,” Trump stated. “We should run the country with law and order. We should run the country where we can take advantage of the economics of what they have – which is valuable oil and valuable other things.”

On Sunday, Venezuela’s Supreme Court formally ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to assume the presidency to guarantee the “continuity of the State” and “defense of sovereignty.”

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Rodriguez confirmed that she had spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio but framed it as a defense of national dignity, stating Caracas is principally ready for “respectful relations” with Washington. She also said that Venezuela “will never return to being the colony of another empire” and “never return to being slaves.”

Trump warned Rodriguez she could be next after Nicolas Maduro, who is now in a New York jail after being abducted by US troops.

“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” he told The Atlantic in another phone interview, arguing that he will not stand for Rodriguez’s defiant rejection.

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Trump made it clear that a new election in Venezuela is not a priority for him, saying the US is currently “dealing with the people that just got sworn in,” in apparent reference to Rodriguez.

“Don’t ask me who’s in charge, because I’ll give you an answer, and it’ll be very controversial… It means we’re in charge,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One late on Sunday.

Trump also refused to back any opposition figures, including Maria Corina Machado – a Nobel Peace Prize winner who had openly backed US military action against her own country.

The US action has drawn sharp rebukes from key powers in the Global South. China has condemned the operation as “hegemonic,” stating it seriously violates international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty. Another BRICS member, Brazil, also condemned the US move, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stating Washington’s actions “cross an unacceptable line.” Russia, a major strategic partner of Caracas, expressed “firm solidarity” in a call between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and acting President Rodriguez. 

The world’s “lukewarm” reaction to Washington’s action is a sign of “regression at the civilizational level,” the former Ecuadorian president  has told RT

Washington’s abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro set a “disastrous precedent” that can throw the world back into “barbarism,” former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa told RT. The hypocritical international reaction has allowed the US to get away with actions “impossible to accept in the 21st century,” the politician believes.

US special forces conducted airstrikes on the oil-rich South American country and captured Maduro and his wife in an early Saturday raid. They were then flown to the US and charged with drug trafficking – allegations that Maduro has long denied. The Venezuelan president had previously warned that Washington was seeking regime change to get its hands on his country’s natural resources.

READ MORE: Maduro pleads ‘not guilty’ as he appears before US judge: Live Updates

“Imagine for a moment that… [Russian President Vladimir] Putin captured [Ukraine’s Vladimir] Zelensky,” Correa said. “Can you imagine what the world’s response would be? Nothing like the response the United States is getting.”

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According to the former president, international reaction to the abduction has demonstrated nothing but “global hypocrisy” and double standards so far.

“This unprecedented, extraordinary event deserves a much stronger response from the international community,” Correa said, adding that Washington has trampled on international law and brought back the times when might makes right.

“What they’re saying is, either you do what I say or I’ll bomb you again,” Correa said. “It’s something extremely dangerous for the entire planet, not just for Venezuela, not just for Latin America.”

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The US operation has been strongly condemned by BRICS members, including Russia, China, Brazil and Iran. Moscow called for Venezuela to be guaranteed the right to determine its own fate. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that Washington’s actions “cross an unacceptable line,” while Beijing called it a “hegemonic act.”

Reactions from the West have been much more muted. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged “restraint,” calling for adherence to the UN Charter. A follow-up joint statement signed by all EU members except Hungary neither condemned nor supported the move.

The test was conducted as a show of “deterrence” less than a day after the US raid on Venezuela

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally observed a missile drill designed to test the readiness of the country’s ‘war deterrent’ on Sunday – a move that came just hours after Pyongyang condemned recent US military intervention in Venezuela.

The drill, conducted early Sunday morning local time, involved a hypersonic missile launched from Pyongyang’s Ryokpho District. It traveled 1,000 kilometers before hitting a target in the Sea of Japan, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). State media framed the test as an operational evaluation of the country’s strategic weapons.

While not explicitly linking the test to Venezuela, Pyongyang closely juxtaposed the two events in its official messaging. Around the time of the launch, the Foreign Ministry sharply denounced America’s action in Venezuela as “the most serious form of encroachment on sovereignty” and proof of Washington’s “rogue and brutal nature.”

While overseeing the launch, Kim Jong-un called the exercise a “very important strategic task” to maintain and expand a “powerful and reliable nuclear deterrent.”

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“Our activity is clearly aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a high-developed basis. Why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events,” he stated, according to KCNA.

Kim Jong-un praised the launch unit for “playing the prelude of the first combat drill in the new year” and extended New Year’s greetings to the country’s missile forces, calling them a “reliable shield for defending sovereignty and security.”

North Korea has long insisted that its weapons programs are needed for self-defense. They have recently focused on developing increasingly sophisticated hypersonic missiles. Pyongyang has accused the US, South Korea, and Japan of undermining regional security by conducting joint military exercises, calling them an attempt to create an “Asian version of NATO.”

A major blackout has hit five districts in southwestern Berlin, with the police treating the incident as arson

A group of self-described climate activists has claimed responsibility for a massive power outage that hit five districts in southwestern Berlin, saying the action targeted the fossil fuel industry and “the rich.”

Up to 50,000 households and 2,200 commercial entities were affected by the blackout in the early hours of Saturday, a spokesman for the local electricity provider, Stromnetz Berlin, told the Berliner Zeitung. “Full restoration of power supply” is expected no sooner than January 8, according to the company. The residents of the affected areas would have to remain without power in “freezing temperatures” ranging from -7C to -1C, the paper reported.

Police are treating the incident as a targeted arson attack, according to local media. The blackout was caused by a blaze that hit a power bridge over the Teltow Canal, which goes through the southern part of the city. Several nursing homes and elderly care centers had to be evacuated because of the incident, according to a local fire department. No casualties have been reported in connection to the incident.

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Police also said they had received a letter signed by the “Volcano Group” on Saturday evening, in which the climate activists and anti-Fascists claimed responsibility for the incident. The group blamed the industrial extraction of natural resources for the “destruction” of Earth and that humanity “can no longer afford the rich.” The group then said they had “successfully sabotaged” a gas power plant, adding that their action was “socially beneficial” and targeted the fossil fuel industry.

The regional office of the German domestic security service was verifying the letter’s authenticity, according to the police.

According to the Berliner Zeitung, the group had carried out similar attacks in the past. They claimed responsibility for the sabotage of two power cables in southeastern Berlin in September. That attack also left around 50,000 households without power at the time.