- Nicolás Maduro Pleads Not Guilty in U.S. Court: Following a U.S. military raid in Caracas, the ousted Venezuelan leader and his wife appeared in a Manhattan federal court to plead not guilty to drug trafficking charges; Maduro claimed he was “kidnapped” and maintains he is still the president.
- Interim Leadership and U.S. Threats in Venezuela: Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president following Maduro’s capture, while President Trump warned she could “pay a very big price” if she does not follow U.S. directives.
- Trump Reiterates Interest in Annexing Greenland: President Trump has repeated threats to annex the Danish territory of Greenland for national security reasons, prompting the Danish Prime Minister and Greenland’s leaders to warn against “fantasies” of annexation.
- Kimwolf Botnet Infects 2 Million Android Devices: Cybersecurity researchers discovered the Kimwolf botnet has compromised over 2 million devices via exposed ADB and proxy networks, monetizing the infection through DDoS attacks and residential proxy sales.
- Deadly Swiss Ski Resort Fire: At least 40 people were killed and 116 injured after a massive fire broke out at a busy bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
- Early Release for Bitfinex Hacker Ilya Lichtenstein: Ilya Lichtenstein, convicted for his role in the 2016 Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange hack, has been released early from prison under the U.S. First Step Act.
- Cyberbullying Convictions Regarding Brigitte Macron: A Paris court found ten individuals guilty of “malicious” cyber-bullying for spreading false claims about the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron.
- Hackers Target Ukrainian Military via Viber: The Russia-aligned threat actor UAC-0184 has been observed using the Viber messaging platform to deliver malicious archives to Ukrainian government and military entities.
- Berlin Infrastructure Sabotage: A far-left group claimed responsibility for setting fire to cables in Berlin, leaving thousands of citizens without power or cell service for several days.
- Death of Holocaust Survivor Eva Schloss: Eva Schloss, the stepsister of Anne Frank who survived Auschwitz and spent decades educating the public about the dangers of prejudice, has died at the age of 96.