Venezuela’s Maduro tells US court ‘I am still president’ as he pleads not guilty to drugs charges BBC NEWS 05/01/26
People protest against U.S. strikes against Venezuela and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
Summary
Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro says “I am still president” as he pleads not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges in his first appearance at a New York court
He and his wife Cilia Flores were seized from their Caracas compound on Saturday and flown to the US as part of a special forces operation – here’s what happened
Today’s hearing ended with a tense exchange between a member of the public and Maduro, who said he was a “prisoner of war”, our reporter in court says
Outside, protesters have been gathering, with some brandishing placards – one reads “USA Hands-off Venezuela”, while another says “Thank You President Trump”
Earlier, dramatic images showed the pair being transferred to the courthouse in handcuffs, surrounded by armed officers
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s new leader Delcy Rodríguez is due to be sworn in before the country’s National Assembly
Aerial footage shows Maduro and wife en route to New York court Maduro and wife, handcuffed, being taken to helicopter Live Reporting Edited by Tinshui Yeung, Caitlin Wilson and Ben Hatton, with Madeline Halpert in New York and Nicole Kolster in Caracas
Recap: Maduro and his wife both plead not guilty in New York court published at 18:19
North America editor, reporting from outside the New York courthouse
Handcuffed and wearing tan coloured prison clothing Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were surrounded by heavy security as they were moved from a Brooklyn prison to the courthouse in Manhattan.
They were deliberately paraded in front of live TV cameras as the couple were first driven in convoy to a heliport, where they were flanked by heavily armed police and federal agents as they were transferred onto a helicopter. Maduro appeared to be limping slightly as he was made to bend over and bow his head whilst boarding the chopper.
Maduro and his wife are facing charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy and weapons charges.
The indictment against them states that for more than 25 years they have enriched themselves by working with international drug traffickers to ship illicit drugs into the US.
In the past hour they have both plead not guilty to the charges against them.
Speaking in Spanish, Maduro called himself the president of Venezuela and complained that he had been captured from his home in Caracas before he was interrupted by the judge.
The American attorney general, Pam Bondi, has said the former Venezuelan leader will soon face the full wrath of American justice.
Donald Trump has said Maduro will “go through a slog of a trial”. But it is likely to take years before a prosecution could be completed.
Forecasters warned the end of 2025 will not be “particularly fantastic”, with temperatures around 7-8C, but things will take a turn for the worse as 2026 arrives.
Those celebrating the arrival of the new year will have to brave cold temperatures, with an amber health alert in place across parts of the UK.
Forecasters warned the end of 2025 will not be “particularly fantastic”, with temperatures around 7-8C, but things will take a turn for the worse as 2026 arrives.
The next few days will be cold and cloudy overall, according to Sky News meteorologist Dr Christopher England, although there will be clearer spells, bringing a threat of overnight frost and fog.
It will be breezy in the south, Dr England added, while the north should expect some hard frosts.
Find out the forecast for your area
Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said: “We’re losing this sort of settled but chilly conditions, and bringing in something a little bit more showery with more wintry hazards in the forecast, particularly for the north of the country.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber cold health alert for the North East and North West of England – where temperatures are expected to fall to around 3-5C – from 8pm on Sunday to 12pm on 5 January.
The agency said the weather is “likely” to cause significant impacts across health and social care settings, including a “rise in deaths” among those with health conditions or aged 65 or over.
It added that the UK may also see “impacts on younger people” and said there will likely be an “increase in demand for health services” across the regions.
Impact from cold temperatures
Other impacts include “temperatures inside places like hospitals and care homes dropping below the levels recommended for assessing health risks” and “challenges keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18C leading to more risk to vulnerable people”, the UKHSA said.
It also warned of staffing issues due to external factors such as travel delays, and said other sectors such as transport and energy could start to see the impacts.
The agency also issued a yellow cold health alert for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London.
Temperatures are expected to fall to around 4-6C from New Year’s Day in areas covered by the yellow health alert.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: “As the colder weather sets in it is vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.
“The forecasted temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.”
It comes after a state of emergency was declared in New York as a powerful winter storm disrupted one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
Imran Khan and wife given further jail terms after state gift fraud
BBC NEWS
By Carrie Davies, BBC Pakistan correspondent and Anna Lamche
Published
20 December 2025,
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to further jail terms following a fraud case involving state gifts.
They were convicted of breaking Pakistan’s rules on gifts after Bibi was given a luxury jewellery set by Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman during a 2021 state visit.
The pair are already serving time in prison for earlier convictions, and the new sentences – 10 years for criminal breach of trust and seven years for criminal misconduct, and a fine – will reportedly run concurrently to their earlier terms.
Khan has described the charges as politically motivated and his lawyer told BBC News his team plan to challenge the verdict.
Speaking to the BBC after the hearing, the former prime minister’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, said Khan’s legal team had only been informed about the sentencing late on Friday night, after normal court hours.
They planned to mount a challenge to the verdict in the high court, Mr Safdar said.
This case is the latest in a series of charges laid against the cricket star-turned-politician, who has been detained since August 2023. In January, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison over a separate corruption case.
He has faced charges in more than 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts. The BBC has been unable to confirm the exact number brought against him.
The jewellery case, referred to as Toshakhana 2 in Pakistan, concerns a Bulgari jewellery set given to Bushra Bibi by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a state visit in 2021, according to court documents.
Under Pakistan’s rules on state gifts, these items go to Pakistan’s Toshakana department (state treasury), but politicians are able to purchase the items back.
Khan is alleged to have asked a private firm to undervalue the jewellery set, before purchasing it back at a significantly reduced price.
In addition to their jail terms, the pair were handed a fine of over 16 million Pakistani rupees (£42,600).
Khan was also convicted in an earlier, different Toshakhana case – but he challenged that conviction, meaning his sentence is suspended until the outcome of his appeal.
He also has other cases outstanding against him.
These include terrorism charges relating to violent protests that took place on 9 May 2023, when he was previously arrested.
Khan was Pakistan’s prime minister until April 2022 when he was ousted in a vote of no confidence.
Although he has not been seen in public, his social media accounts have continued to operate with messages attributed to him on X often appearing after jail visits.
These have been highly critical of Pakistan’s current government and its politically powerful army Chief Field Marshall Asim Munir, including posts calling him a tyrannical dictator.
In November, he was denied any visitors for nearly a month.
After campaigning by his family and party, his sister was allowed to visit in early December; a few hours after she saw him, his account posted a comment credited to Khan calling the Field Marshall Asim Munir a “mentally unstable person”.
Khan has not been allowed any family visits since.
The judgement states the judge was lenient in sentencing because of Khan’s “old age”.
Update: This story was updated to clarify the latest legal status of Khan’s earlier, separate Toshakhana case.
Imran Khan and wife given further jail terms after state gift fraud BBC NEWS By Carrie Davies, BBC Pakistan correspondent and Anna Lamche Published 20 December 2025,
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to further jail terms following a fraud case involving state gifts.
They were convicted of breaking Pakistan’s rules on gifts after Bibi was given a luxury jewellery set by Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman during a 2021 state visit.
The pair are already serving time in prison for earlier convictions, and the new sentences – 10 years for criminal breach of trust and seven years for criminal misconduct, and a fine – will reportedly run concurrently to their earlier terms.
Khan has described the charges as politically motivated and his lawyer told BBC News his team plan to challenge the verdict. Speaking to the BBC after the hearing, the former prime minister’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, said Khan’s legal team had only been informed about the sentencing late on Friday night, after normal court hours.
They planned to mount a challenge to the verdict in the high court, Mr Safdar said.
This case is the latest in a series of charges laid against the cricket star-turned-politician, who has been detained since August 2023. In January, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison over a separate corruption case.
He has faced charges in more than 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts. The BBC has been unable to confirm the exact number brought against him.
The jewellery case, referred to as Toshakhana 2 in Pakistan, concerns a Bulgari jewellery set given to Bushra Bibi by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a state visit in 2021, according to court documents.
Under Pakistan’s rules on state gifts, these items go to Pakistan’s Toshakana department (state treasury), but politicians are able to purchase the items back.
Khan is alleged to have asked a private firm to undervalue the jewellery set, before purchasing it back at a significantly reduced price.
In addition to their jail terms, the pair were handed a fine of over 16 million Pakistani rupees (£42,600).
Khan was also convicted in an earlier, different Toshakhana case – but he challenged that conviction, meaning his sentence is suspended until the outcome of his appeal. He also has other cases outstanding against him.
These include terrorism charges relating to violent protests that took place on 9 May 2023, when he was previously arrested. Khan was Pakistan’s prime minister until April 2022 when he was ousted in a vote of no confidence.
Although he has not been seen in public, his social media accounts have continued to operate with messages attributed to him on X often appearing after jail visits.
These have been highly critical of Pakistan’s current government and its politically powerful army Chief Field Marshall Asim Munir, including posts calling him a tyrannical dictator.
In November, he was denied any visitors for nearly a month. After campaigning by his family and party, his sister was allowed to visit in early December; a few hours after she saw him, his account posted a comment credited to Khan calling the Field Marshall Asim Munir a “mentally unstable person”.
Khan has not been allowed any family visits since. The judgement states the judge was lenient in sentencing because of Khan’s “old age”. Update: This story was updated to clarify the latest legal status of Khan’s earlier, separate Toshakhana case.
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