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CBS News

January 2026

Proposed Venezuelan bill could lead to release of hundreds of political prisoners

May this law serve to heal the wounds left by the political confrontation fueled by violence and extremism,
Alfredo Romero (activist)penal President
A general amnesty is welcome as long as its elements and conditions include all of civil society, without discrimination, that it does not become a cloak of impunity, and that it contributes to dismantling the repressive apparatus of political persecution,
The regime's repressive apparatus is brutal and has responded to the numerous criminal forces that answer to this regime, and it is all that remains,
We recall that these people were arbitrarily imprisoned for exercising rights protected by international human rights instruments, the National Constitution, and Venezuelan laws,
God is good. God heard us,
Edward Ocarizvenezuelan human rights activist
We, Venezuelans, have all endured so much, all unjust, merciless and trampling on our dignity. No one deserves this,
We are pleased to confirm the release by the interim authorities of all known U.S. citizens held in Venezuela,

Satellite photos show activity at Iran nuclear sites as protest tensions rise

Rafael Grossiargentine diplomat
Iran has the capacities there; industrial and technological capacities. So if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again,
They want to be able to get at any recovered assets they can get to without Israel or the United States seeing what survived,

Danish veterans protest outside U.S. Embassy over Greenland

Denmark has always stood side by side with the USA — and we have showed up in the world's crisis zones when the USA has asked us to. We feel let down and ridiculed by the Trump Administration, which is deliberately disregarding Denmark's combat side by side with the USA,
We have nothing but the deepest respect for Danish veterans and the sacrifices Danish soldiers have made for our shared security. There was no ill intent behind the removal of the flags,
It all started within the association and grew into a large event,
We also want to tell Americans that what Trump said is an insult to us and the values that we defended together,
Martin Aaholmdanish combat veteran
I think America has lost its soul. It's not the America I grew up with, where America was the defender of peace in the world and wanted to spread democracy,
I have sacrificed a lot of friends, family, girlfriends, all because I was placed on the path of helping America after 9/11,
Words cannot describe how much it hurts us that Denmark's contributions and sacrifices in the fight for democracy, peace and freedom are being forgotten in the White House,

Israel strikes in Gaza kill at least 30 Palestinians

The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip systematically violate international law, brutally exploiting civilian infrastructure and the Gazan population as human shields for terrorist activities,

Iranians are anxious, but some hope Trump will "fulfill his promise"

Donald Trumppresident
We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn’t have to use them.”
Number one, no nuclear. And number two, stop killing protesters,
I see that my father has been buying food and other necessities and is advising the whole family to be prepared for much more difficult days,
The U.S. cannot do any damn thing,
President Trump has said a lot of nonsense that he has forgotten the next day, and these recent comments of his against the Islamic Republic of Iran are just baseless threats,
I don't want America coming and liberating us, because it is the job of our own people,
I want President Trump to fulfill his promise to the Iranian people, when he told the protesters to keep up, as help is on the way,

Remains, jacket found over 2 years after woman vanished in wilderness

Nathan James Johnstoncommander
We recognize how significant these developments are for Celine's family, and we are ensuring they receive updates as sensitively and promptly as possible,
Nathan James Johnstoncommander
Today's search resulted in the discovery of more bones, as well as clothing items — including a polar fleece jacket — that we believe are likely to belong to Celine,

Trump threatens tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba

The order would primarily put pressure on Mexico, a government that has acted as an oil lifeline for Cuba and has constantly voiced solidarity for the U.S. adversary, even as President Claudia Sheinbaum has sought to build a strong relationship with Mr. Trump

Claudia Sheinbaumpresident
So the contract determines when shipments are sent and when they are not sent,

Gymnast Jordan Chiles granted appeal in Olympic bronze medal ruling

We are delighted that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has righted a wrong and given Jordan the chance she deserves to reclaim her bronze medal,
In the highly exceptional circumstances of the case in question,... it considers that there is a likelihood for the audio-visual recording of the final on Aug. 5, 2024 to lead to a modification of the contested award in favor of the applicant (Chiles).
USA Gymnastics will continue to support the efforts of Jordan and her team to retain her bronze medal in the 2024 Olympic women's floor exercise,

Scientists "quite surprised" to find one polar bear population thriving

As the climate changes and the ice melts, in one region at least, polar bears are thriving — finding new ways to survive, and even packing on the pounds

Jon Aarsthe head of the Polar Bear Program in Norway and lead study author
I think what this shows is they need less sea ice than we thought,
Jon Aarsthe head of the Polar Bear Program in Norway and lead study author
Some of us would predict that they should be in trouble already,
Jon Aarsthe head of the Polar Bear Program in Norway and lead study author
I was quite surprised,... because we have lost so much sea ice since I started."
Jon Aarsthe head of the Polar Bear Program in Norway and lead study author
A fat bear is a healthy bear,
Bears are still able to cope with the situation as it is today,
Some of them would be on land as much as 90% of the time now, which is a lot,

Why Trump's threatening to punish Iraq if a former leader is reelected

Al-Maliki, a member of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority, was forced to resign in 2014 after two consecutive terms in office amid pressure from both inside and outside the country as it grappled with the rise of the Sunni terror group ISIS

Donald Trumppresident
Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq and, if we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom,

Iranian protester who survived deadly massacre: "I am lucky"

But after weeks of trying, one man in Iran was able to get through the blackout and speak with CBS News on a video call

Ancient species that survived mass extinction event found in China

The treasure trove of fossils offers a rare glimpse into a cataclysmic event that brought a sudden end to the greatest explosion of life in our planet's history

Han Zengpaleontologist professor
It surprised us when we found the Huayuan biota shared various animals with the Burgess Shale, including the arthropods Helmetia and Surusicaris that were previously only known from the Burgess Shale,
We have collected over 50,000 fossil specimens from a single quarry that is 12 meters high, 30 meters long and eight meters wide,
The deep ocean is one of the most stable environments through geological time, in a similar way to how the cellar of a house is buffered from daily and seasonal changes and has less temperature fluctuations than the attic,
Many fossils show soft parts including gills, guts, eyes and even nerves,

Analysts say Starlink may have guided Russian drones into a Ukrainian train

Volodymyr Zelenskyypresident
In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in the same way — purely as an act of terrorism,
Olena Kryzhanivskaanalyst
The territory of Ukraine is not targeted evenly with air defense systems and mobile fire units,
Olena Kryzhanivskaanalyst
Russia has started using Starlink on other drones, and now is using it on Shaheds as well,
It was not the locomotive, but the center of the train,
Volodymyr Zelenskyypresident
There were 291 passengers on board. People were evacuated as quickly as possible,

Are Trump's tariffs fueling a boom in trade deals for China and India?

Statements by European leaders suggest the self-proclaimed king of the deal, President Trump, and his tariffs-based trade policy over the last year, likely helped propel the two sides toward a final agreement

Aleksandar Tomicchess player
Many countries previously have not been China-friendly are now kind of pivoting to China... because the United States is becoming a lot less predictable,
I think China has done a good job and rightly so to position itself as the reliable and stable trade partner,
For years, our approach to China has been dogged by inconsistency — blowing hot and cold, from Golden Age to Ice Age. But like it or not, China matters for the U.K. As one of the world's biggest economic players, a strategic and consistent relationship with them is firmly in our national interest,
Mark Carneycanadian Prime Minister
The one comparison I will give you with the United States, our relationship is … much more multifaceted, much deeper, much broader than it is with China,
I think they [India and U.S.] are actually very close behind the scenes,
Ursula von der Leyeneuropean Commission President
We did it, we delivered the mother of all deals,
Many of these countries harbor deep concerns about China's approach to trade, its use of economic coercion, and unresolved maritime and historical disputes,
If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.,
In a time of growing global instability, where events abroad continue to rebound on people at home, the Prime Minister has promised to act in the U.K.'s national interest,
If you look at the last 12 months, the country that has concluded the most number of trade deals is the United States. There are plenty of countries around the world who are still interested in doing deals with the U.S.,

Australia kills wild dogs linked to death of woman, sparking backlash

An autopsy conducted on James' body found evidence "consistent with drowning" but also detected injuries corresponding to dingo bites

Mathew S. Crowtheraustralian biologist
That's the worst thing you can do to a wild animal,
Bill Bateman (drummer)american drummer
These are important animals, and therefore we need to change the way we deal with them, otherwise we're just going to keep reacting to these attacks and driving the population of dingoes down,
Once again, it feels as though economic priorities are being placed above the voices of the people and traditional owners, which is frustrating and difficult to accept,
Pre-mortem dingo bite marks are not likely to have caused immediate death,
Mathew S. Crowtheraustralian biologist
There's no moral from the dingoes' point of view. They're just being wild animals, doing wild things,
George Seymourlocal mayor
A big part of what (the rangers) do is to try and separate dingoes from humans, but we're continuing to have this situation of dingoes, and in some ways it's inevitable that there will be a fatality, given how many bites and attacks are happening over the years,
Obviously, the operation will continue,