Scotland’s growing numbers of public inquiries are too expensive, ‘poorly defined’ and are damaging front-line services, a scathing new report has found.

Since the country first gained the legal powers to hold public inquiries in 2007, the cost to taxpayers has reached a staggering £258 million.

Several of the probes, including investigations into the Edinburgh trams fiasco and the death of Sheku Bayoh, have been widely criticised for dragging on for years.

Now a Holyrood committee has recommended that ministers fix budgets to stop costs spiralling – and also set definite timetables.

MSPs on the finance and public administration committee said inquiries are a valuable tool for ‘holding public bodies to account, reviewing past wrongs, identifying solutions and recommending changes to policy’.

But they concluded that the system is ‘overstretched and poorly defined’, with some inquiries lacking a ‘core objective’.

Sheku Bayoh and his partner Collette Bell. The inquiry into his death has been criticised for the length of time it has taken

Despite so far costing £26.2 million, the inquiry into Mr Bayoh’s death faces an uncertain future after its chairman Lord Bracadale resigned in October

Their report also warns that, in some cases, participation in long-running inquiries is preventing judges and police officers from doing their core jobs.

In October, The Scottish Mail on Sunday revealed that Police Scotland had warned the MSPs preparing the report that sending so many officers to take part in inquiries was hampering the force’s efforts to fight crime.

Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr said: ‘Scotland is being governed by an SNP administration that is simply not up to the job.

‘£258 million has been blown on public inquiries because ministers can’t set clear objectives, control costs or take responsibility.

‘This is a second‑rate government in action – endless drift, no grip, and a taxpayer‑funded gravy train that’s draining money away from frontline services.’

Committee convener Kenneth Gibson, a Nationalist MSP, said: ‘There is currently limited ability for ministers to control expenditure and stop costs spiralling – or to stop an inquiry dragging on for years.

‘We are also concerned at the impact on existing public services if resources are redirected to inquiries that may last for years.’

The committee concluded other countries use systems that provide ‘better alternatives for cost effectiveness and effective delivery’.

Mr Gibson added: ‘For example, Sweden normally requires its public inquiries to conclude within two years and within a set budget.’

The first public inquiry of the Holyrood era examined the 2004 ICL Stockline tragedy – in which nine people died when a plastics factory in Glasgow exploded. It published its report in 2009, exposing a series of failings and made recommendations for improving industry safety – all for the relatively modest cost of £1.9 million.

Other completed probes include the Campbell Inquiry into a police fingerprinting scandal, costing £4.8 million, the Vale of Leven Inquiry into hospital-acquired infections, costing £10.7 million and the £12.1 million Penrose Inquiry into the ‘tainted blood scandal’ that saw NHS patients infected with hepatitis C and HIV.

The inquiry into delays and costs during the construction of Edinburgh’s tram system was itself years late and massively over budget – finally producing a report in 2023 at a cost of £13.1 million.

The probe into the death of Sheku Bayoh – a 31-year-old who died in Kirkcaldy, Fife, while being restrained by police in 2015 – has been running for five years.

Despite so far costing £26.2 million, it faces an uncertain future after its chairman Lord Bracadale resigned in October amid claims he had not remained impartial.

The Holyrood report found the cost of inquiries overall was £258.8 million since 2007 – including £30 million this year alone.

Six public inquiries are ongoing. Two have only just started – investigating rogue surgeon Sam Eljamel and the death of sex worker Emma Caldwell – while four others, looking into Covid, child abuse, Scottish hospitals and the death of Mr Bayoh, have been running for more than four years.

The most expensive is the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, which started in 2014 and has so far cost more than £102 million.

The report concluded that some inquiries drag on because ministers were too vague in spelling out what they hoped to achieve.

Last night the Scottish Government said the chair of an inquiry is already legally obliged to avoid unnecessary costs – but also said ministers would consider the report’s recommendations.

A spokesman added: ‘We welcome this report. The proposals will be responded to in due course. Inquiries operate independently of government and are set up when no other avenue is deemed sufficient.’

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Sam Wilder decided to eat at the popular pub chain every day for a week

23:06, 20 Dec 2025Updated 23:06, 20 Dec 2025

Sam Wilder ate at Wetherspoons for a week

A British food influencer has shared the one thing which let him down after eating at Wetherspoons every day for a week.

Sam Wilder is a creator who is known for carrying out challenges where he tries to eat just one type of food for a week. He’s previously done food from other popular chains, but this time decided to try out Wetherspoons.

The pub chain is best known for its cheap booze and toilets you need a map, compass, and flaming torch to find, but Sam found it also offers a surprisingly wide selection of budget food. But there was one thing which simply did not work out.

READ MORE: Two Australians visit Wetherspoons with £20 to see how many drinks they can actually getREAD MORE: Wetherspoon’s rules that could see you turned away or charged to enterSam tried a variety of items over the week

Sam’s clip racked up some 100,000 views online, and he shared: “It’s 100% great for people that are on a budget. Somewhere like Spoons, you know what you’re getting and you can’t really argue with the price.

“The quality is definitely varied among the dishes they serve. But if you’re looking to eat out cheap and cheerfully, then it’s a good place to go.”

The dishes that Sam tried included pancakes with fresh fruit and maple syrup, as well as nachos, halloumi fries and southern fried chicken strips. Other days included a ramen noodle bowl, as well as a gourmet burger.

Sam said the food was good for the price

Sam generally felt lukewarm with the food, though said it was good for a budget. He said: “All of the food wasn’t too bad, but I couldn’t help but think this might be meant for more than one person.”

But there was one dish which stuck out for all the wrong reasons. This was the bangers and mash.

You might think bangers and mash would be a pub staple – you can scarcely get more British than that, after all. But sadly, Sam was left less than impressed with what he was given.

The bangers and mash was a let down

“It’s not good,” he said. “Whoever cooked this definitely left it in the microwave a bit too long.

“It’s way too hot that it has any right to be. It’s a microwave job; it wasn’t properly cooked.”

But it wasn’t all bad, with Sam praising a pasta alfredo with bacon as his favourite dish. “It was the prettiest looking meal I’d had so far,” he said.

The pasta alfreddo was a high point for Sam

“[It] looked absolutely delightful. Zero complaints. The best thing I’ve had.”

He added: “The sauce was really tasty, I like how the bacon is cooked and mixed with it. The bacon is slightly crisp to give it some texture and the rocket helps give it that pepperiness.

“It’s seasoned well. I was honestly happily surprised.”

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The talks between the four countries lauded the first stage of the truce, including expanded humanitarian assistance, return of captives, force withdrawals and reduction in hostilities.

The United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye have urged the parties to the Gaza ceasefire to honour their commitments and show restraint, the chief US envoy says after talks in the US city of Miami.

Senior officials from the four mediator countries met Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, on Friday to review the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which took effect on October 10, according to a joint statement released on Saturday.

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The meeting was held against the backdrop of ongoing Israeli attacks on the enclave. The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza said that six people were killed on Friday when an Israeli strike hit a school housing displaced people, raising the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the deal took effect to about 400.

“We reaffirm our full commitment to the entirety of the President’s [Trump’s] 20-point peace plan and call on all parties to uphold their obligations, exercise restraint, and cooperate with monitoring arrangements,” Witkoff said in a statement posted on X.

First phase of truce

Saturday’s statement cited progress yielded in the first stage of the peace agreement, including expanded humanitarian assistance, the return of captives’ bodies, partial force withdrawals and a reduction in hostilities.

It called for “the near-term establishment and operationalisation” of a transitional administration, which is due to happen in the second phase of the agreement, and said that consultations would continue in the coming weeks over its implementation.

Under the truce deal’s terms, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, an interim authority is to govern the Palestinian territory instead of Hamas, and an international stabilisation force is to be deployed.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that countries would contribute troops for the stabilisation force, but also urged the disarmament of Hamas, warning the process would unravel unless that happened.

Hamas statement

A meeting was also held between Hamas’s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin in Istanbul on Saturday.

In a statement from Hamas after the meeting, the group said it was committed to abiding by the ceasefire agreement, despite Israeli violations.

“The delegation stressed the urgent need to halt these continuous violations,” the statement added.

“The delegation also reviewed the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip with the onset of winter, emphasising the critical priority of urgently bringing in tents, caravans, and heavy equipment to save our people from death by cold and drowning, given the destruction of infrastructure and homes.”

Winter storms have been worsening the conditions for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza, as aid agencies warn that Israeli restrictions are preventing lifesaving assistance from reaching people across the besieged enclave.

Bodies recovered, Israeli strikes continue

On Saturday, an Israeli air strike targeted two people in northern Gaza, according to a statement from the military, which alleged that they “posed an immediate threat” to Israeli troops after crossing the so-called yellow line, which separates areas under Israeli army control from those where Palestinians are permitted to move.

No details were yet available on whether the two people were killed or injured.

Gaza’s Civil Defence on Saturday also said it recovered the bodies of 94 Palestinians from the rubble in the enclave.

The bodies were retrieved in central Gaza City and transferred to the forensic department at Al-Shifa Medical Complex to arrange their burial in the Martyrs’ Cemetery in the central city of Deir el-Balah, according to a statement from the Civil Defence.

Thousands of Palestinians are believed to still be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza.

The Israeli army has killed more than 70,700 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, and injured more than 171,000 others since it began its genocidal war on the enclave in October 2023.

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Minns: ‘We are not going to solve this huge problem with more hate’

The premier says authorities can’t do anything to stop an anti-immigration rally planned for Sunday in Sydney but that any gathering will be met with a “massive police presence”.

What I would say is this is the last thing we need right now, an attack on immigrants or immigrant communities. The Jewish community are burying their dead and deserve an opportunity to do that [in a] state of grace and with some peace. We are not going to solve this huge problem with more hate.

Minns said those who are angry or concerned might honour the request of a rabbi who was killed during the Bondi attacks who suggested people do a “good deed for someone you’ve never met” instead of giving into a “corkscrew of hate”.

If you want to do something positive, give blood, donate to charity, do something positive.

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Updated at 23.22 CET

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Caitlin Cassidy

Crowds gather at Bondi Pavilion to mark one week since shooting

A crowd of hundreds have gathered at Bondi Pavilion in white to mark a week since the terror attack took the lives of 15 people.

Formal proceedings have started with a rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, a song that was composed by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, who were Jewish, followed by a minute of silence.

It is a sweltering day in Sydney, and days out from Christmas there would usually be a festive mood in the air. Instead, screens are being set up on the promenade for a memorial this evening, and police helicopters circle overhead.

Among those to have gathered at Bondi Pavilion is the minister for social services, Tanya Plibersek, the governor general, Sam Mostyn, and independent member for Kooyong, Monique Ryan. Warringah MP Zali Stegall and former Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel are also in attendance.

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Updated at 00.26 CET

Support shown to Jewish community has been ‘touching’, rabbi says

Efforts to show solidarity with the Jewish community have been welcomed even as people work through their grief, community leaders say.

Rabbi Eli Feldman, leader of the Newtown synagogue, said the community was still “in shock” and “devastated” a week on from the Bondi attack.

You know, it’s not just numbers, it’s people. People have died. People are suffering. People are in hospital. A good friend of mine is in hospital. Had a surgery yesterday. His father was executed – he couldn’t even go to the funeral.

Feldman said the support has been shown to date has been “touching” with political leaders and, leaders from other faiths contacting him in solidarity with the Jewish community, and flowers being left outside the rabbi’s synagogue in Newtown.

It’s so touching and we appreciate it so much. And I think that practically, what every Australian can do, in addition to showing their support, is also to help those widows and orphans and help those families.

Rabbi Eli Feldman at the Bondi Pavilion memorial on Friday. Photograph: Steve Markham/AP

On efforts to address antisemitism and anti-Jewish hatred in the community, Feldman said “nothing happens in a vacuum and nothing happens by itself” and that “we have to look at – where is the ideology coming from? How is being inculcated within young people in our country?”

Ultimately, we’re all created in the image of God and that’s what every single human being is. And I think that if people are educated in the positive side, they’ll be less susceptible for the wicked ideologies.

Here is more on how you can help at this time:

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Updated at 00.05 CET

The families of those killed and injured during the Bondi attack a week ago are still grappling with the enormity of what has taken place, community leaders say.

Speaking to ABC News this morning, Alyx Ryvchin from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said he had been spending time with the families.

They’re in a bewildered state, they’re still in shock, they don’t know what to do with themselves.

He said there was “a lot of anger” in the community at present.

We’re cycling through the various emotions, the various stages, and there’s a real feeling of having been let down and betrayed; the community wants answers and we want change.

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A key piece of Port Arthur-era gun reform remains unfinished. Could it have helped prevent the Bondi attack?

A national firearms register, which would track weapons across the country in real time, was a priority for law enforcement and gun control advocates after the 1996 Port Athur massacre.

But almost 30 years later, it remains unfinished.

The Australian Federal Police Association president, Alex Caruana, told Guardian Australia this week that a robust national firearms database would have allowed New South Wales police to better assess the risk posed by the Bondi gunmen ahead of Sunday’s terror attack.

Sajid Akram, who was shot dead by police, held a firearm licence and owned six guns, which he and his son Naveed allegedly used to open fire on Jewish families celebrating Hanukah at Bondi beach.

It was disclosed on Monday that Naveed, who has now been charged with 59 offences including 15 counts of murder, came to the attention of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) in October 2019 “on the basis of being associated with others”.

For more, read Ariel Bogle’s full report here:

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Updated at 23.46 CET

Australian football star pays tribute to Bondi victims in Scottish league game

A rising Australian player in Scotland has paid tribute to victims of the Bondi tragedy on an afternoon when Socceroo Martin Boyle shone again.

Sydney football export Zac Sapsford, who is Jewish, has paid tribute to victims of the Bondi shooting at a Scottish Premiership match, with his manager at Dundee United explaining the young striker knew people involved in the tragedy.

At the end of a week when the 23-year-old former Western Sydney Wanderers prospect made a name for himself in Scotland by scoring a spectacular winner in United’s rare victory over champions Celtic, Sapsford wore a black armband in their 1-1 home draw with Hibernian on Saturday.

The United boss, Jim Goodwin, was left to explain afterwards:

Unfortunately, Zac knew a number of people involved in the tragedy in Bondi Beach. His family stay quite close to there.

– AAP

Zac Sapsford (in orange) wore a black armband in tribute to victims of the Bondi attack during Dundee United’s match against Hibernian. Photograph: Alan Rennie/ShutterstockShare

Updated at 23.42 CET

Australians asked to hold minute’s silence tonight at 6.47pm

Australians are being invited to light a candle at 6.47pm this evening and hold a minute’s silence to mark the moment when the gunman in the Bondi attack opened fire.

In a post to social media, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the opportunity marked a “moment for Australians to stand with our Jewish community”.

At 6:47pm, you can light a candle in your window to remember the victims of the antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi and support those who are grieving.

Standing together to show that hatred and violence will never define who we are.

The Australian and Aboriginal flags fly at half mast on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Sunday has been designated a national day of reflection for the victims of the Bondi terror attack. Photograph: Mark Baker/APShare

Updated at 00.20 CET

Tom McIlroy

Albanese convening national security committee for eighth time since attack

Anthony Albanese is convening the national security committee of cabinet again this morning, the eighth time the group has met since the Bondi shootings last weekend.

Albanese is expected to join mourners commemorating the 15 people killed at a memorial service at Bondi beach tonight, with the theme of “a night in unity”.

Sunday has been declared a national day of reflection to honour the victims and to give Australians a chance to stand in solidarity with the country’s Jewish community. A national day of mourning is planned in 2026 and a permanent memorial site is expected to be built in the future.

Yesterday the prime minister said he expected tonight’s commemorations at Bondi to be “a very significant event for our nation”.

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Updated at 23.35 CET

Minns says the thought that something might have been done to avoid or prevent the attack keeps him awake at night.

It’s something I stay up at night wondering about and worrying about. I bear responsibility for it. Of course I do. I was the premier of the state over the last two years when there’s been this ratcheting up of antisemitism in our community.

This is why the premier says a royal commission is necessary to “ensure it doesn’t happen again”.

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Updated at 23.23 CET

Minns: ‘We are not going to solve this huge problem with more hate’

The premier says authorities can’t do anything to stop an anti-immigration rally planned for Sunday in Sydney but that any gathering will be met with a “massive police presence”.

What I would say is this is the last thing we need right now, an attack on immigrants or immigrant communities. The Jewish community are burying their dead and deserve an opportunity to do that [in a] state of grace and with some peace. We are not going to solve this huge problem with more hate.

Minns said those who are angry or concerned might honour the request of a rabbi who was killed during the Bondi attacks who suggested people do a “good deed for someone you’ve never met” instead of giving into a “corkscrew of hate”.

If you want to do something positive, give blood, donate to charity, do something positive.

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Updated at 23.22 CET

Minns describes ‘evil washing machine of hate’ linking pro-Palestine protests to Bondi attacks

The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has also pledged to “fight radical terrorism”, antisemitism and racism “wherever we find it” in the wake of the Bondi attacks.

The premier made the comments while speaking to ABC News following an earlier appearance on Channel Seven, where he described extremist ideology as an “evil washing machine of hate with different things tipped into the top”.

However, the premier said that he believed there was a slippery slope where slogans and social media posts manifested in vandalism and arson against Jewish places of worship.

I believe antisemitism begins with slogans and then it graduates online and then it’s a Twitter post and then it’s antisemitism in the street, and then it’s graffiti on the side of the synagogue, then we saw a synagogue burned to the ground in arson, and then it manifests itself in violent acts in our community. This is an escalation, and I believe that in many cases when you see violent imagery and hateful slogans and chanting on the steps of the Opera House or in our parks, or in our community, it is unleashing forces that the organisers of the protests can’t control.

Whatever the reasons for those protests and genuine grievances or concerns about what is happening overseas, my responsibility is in Sydney today.

Chris Minns speaks to media on Saturday. Photograph: George Chan/Getty Images

The premier’s mention of the Opera House protest referred to events on 10 October 2023. Two days after the Hamas attack, pro-Palestine activists marched from Sydney town hall to the Opera House, which had been lit up in white and blue in solidarity with Israel after the 7 October attacks by Hamas.

A widely shared video of the protest included claims the protesters were chanting “Gas the Jews”, although NSW police later said an independent expert had analysed audio and visual files and concluded that the phrase used was “Where’s the Jews?”. The chant “Fuck the Jews” was also used.

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Updated at 23.45 CET

No ‘back to normal’ after Bondi attacks, Minns flags

Minns flagged “enormous change” within New South Wales, saying that there’s no “[going] back to normal” after the Bondi attacks.

We’ve announced the first tranche of changes in NSW in relation to hate speech, protests, gun laws, terrorist slogans, terrorist chants. But this isn’t the end of it. And I just want to make it clear in five, six, 10 weeks’ time, we just can’t turn the page on this and pretend that it didn’t exist and everybody goes back to normal.

Minns reiterated his pledge to crackdown on “hate preachers” within New South Wales saying his government will work to target “those that preach hate in our community, that put hate in young people’s hearts”.

We need to send a persistent and long-term message that we’re not going to put up with this. And it’s not the country that most of us in Australia recognise.

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Updated at 23.37 CET

Royal commission into Bondi shooting will complete ‘jigsaw puzzle’ of how attack occurred, premier says

A royal commission into the events surrounding the Bondi attacks will complete the “jigsaw” and give Australians the answers they are looking for in the wake of the attacks, the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, says.

Speaking to Channel Seven’s Sunrise on Sunday morning, the premier said an independent inquiry was “absolutely essential” to better understand happened and shape his state government’s response going forward.

I’ve got bits and pieces of the jigsaw puzzle. We know parts of why this occurred on Sunday, but until we have the full picture … I can’t explain that to the people of NSW.

The Premier said he could not offer a timeframe for when it will happen as he still had to consult with Jewish community leaders.

Minns added the details of any royal commission would need to be worked out in coordination with the federal government to ensure it was given the proper authority.

We need to make sure the terms of reference are tight. And I don’t mind telling you this morning I haven’t drafted them yet, and I’m not going to draft them until I speak to leaders of the Jewish community who’ve been burying their dead this week.

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Updated at 23.21 CET

Thirteen people still being treated in hospital

Thirteen people injured during the Bondi attacks remain in hospital where they are undergoing treatment, according to a NSW Health update at 7.30 this morning.

In its latest update, New South Wales health authorities say the patients are receiving care in hospitals across Sydney, with one patient in a critical condition at St Vincent’s hospital.

Three people are in a critical but stable condition at St George and St Vincent’s hospitals.

Another nine people are in a stable condition and receiving treatment at the Prince of Wales, Royal Prince Alfred and Royal North Shore hospitals.

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Updated at 22.28 CET

Good morning and welcome to the live blog

A week since 15 people were killed in a terror attack at a Hanukah event at Bondi beach, Australians will remember the 15 lives lost in a national day of mourning.

Flags will fly at half-mast and buildings will be lit in yellow as the nation stands in solidarity with the Jewish community on Sunday before a formal public service for victims and survivors. Lights will beam into the sky above Bondi Pavilion, where thousands of flowers and tributes have been laid since the tragedy.

NSW parliament will sit this coming week to consider legislation in response to the Bondi attack, Chris Minns has said – we’ll bring you all the reactions to his announcement yesterday that the state will move to ban the display of hateful symbols, matching national laws, and give police new powers.

And Anthony Albanese has backed Minns’s call for a state-based royal commission – more on that soon too.

I’m Royce Kurmelovs and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.

With that, let’s get started …

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Updated at 23.17 CET

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The US has seized an oil tanker that had recently departed from Venezuela, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.

It is the second time this month that the US has seized an oil-carrying ship off the country’s coast.

The move comes after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was ordering a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

Venezuela has not yet responded to the latest US seizure, but has previously accused Washington of seeking to steal its oil resources.

The operation was led by the US Coast Guard, similar to the operation earlier this month. The ship was boarded by a specialised tactical team, and was in international waters when it was taken.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees the Coast Guard, shared a video of the operation on X.

“In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela,” Noem wrote.

She posted a seven-minute video of the operation, which shows US helicopters landing on the deck of a ship with the name Centuries written on the side.

“The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region,” Noem wrote, adding: “We will find you, and we will stop you.”

The Centuries is a Panamanian-flagged ship, but in the past five years it has also sailed under the flags of Greece and Liberia, according to records seen by BBC Verify.

It is not on the US Treasury’s list of sanctioned vessels.

In recent weeks, the US has been building up its military presence in the Caribbean Sea and has carried out deadly strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling boats, killing around 100 people.

The US has provided no public evidence that these vessels were carrying drugs, and the military has come under increasing scrutiny from Congress over the strikes.

The US has accused Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro of leading a designated-terrorist organisation called Cartel de los Soles, which he denies.

The Trump administration accuses him and the group of using “stolen” oil to “finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping”.

Following the seizure of the second ship, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that the US will continue to “unflinchingly conduct maritime interdiction operations… to dismantle illicit criminal networks.”

“Violence, drugs, and chaos will not control the Western Hemisphere.”

Venezuela – which is home to the world’s largest proven oil reserves – is highly dependent on revenues from its oil exports to finance its government spending.

Trump’s announcement of a “blockade” came less than a week after the US seized an oil tanker believed to be part of the “ghost fleet” off the coast of Venezuela, which allegedly used various strategies to conceal its work.

The White House said the vessel in question, called the Skipper, had been involved in “illicit oil shipping” and would be taken to a US port.

Venezuela’s government decried the move, with Maduro saying the US “kidnapped the crew” and “stole” the ship.

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The US Coast Guard, with the support of the Pentagon, has seized another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X.  

What do we know so far?  

“The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region,” Noem said on Saturday, while posting an unclassified video of the reported incident. She did not provide concrete evidence that the tanker’s activities are being used to fund narco terrorism. 

In a post on X, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the US “will unflinchingly conduct maritime interdiction operations — through OPERATION SOUTHERN SPEAR — to dismantle illicit criminal networks. Violence, drugs, and chaos will not control the Western Hemisphere.”

Vessel-tracking service MarineTraffic said the crude oil tanker is flying under the flag of Panama and was recently active off the Venezuelan coast.   

It’s the second time the US has taken control of an oil tanker off Venezuela. US President Donald Trump has ordered a blockade, where US ships would seize any sanctioned oil tankers entering or exiting Venezuela.         

Jeremy Paner, a partner at the Washington, DC-based Hughes Hubbard law firm, told Reuters news agency that the tanker had not been targeted by US sanctions. 

“The seizure of a vessel that is not sanctioned by the US marks a further increase in Trump’s pressure on Venezuela,” Paner said.

Venezuela denounces ‘theft and hijacking’ of private oil vessel

The Venezuelan government under Nicolas Maduro released a statement regarding the oil tank seizure, condemning the US for its actions. 

Venezuela said the US engaged in “theft and hijacking” of a private vessel transporting Venezuelan crude oil.   

Brazil, Argentina divided over Trump’s aggressive Venezuela policy 

The move comes as Trump has not ruled out a potential war with Venezuela against Maduro’s government.Trump earlier said that the US military would launch land strikes on Venezuela.    

US ups pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro — but what’s the goal?

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Brazilian leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva earlier warned on Saturday at a Mercosur summit that a US military operation in Venezuela could trigger “a humanitarian catastrophe for the hemisphere and a dangerous precedent for the world.”

A potential US military intervention in Latin America would open old wounds in the region, with Washington having previously backed numerous coups in the region during the Cold War, including in Brazil. Moreover, a US conflict with Venezuela could exacerbate the flow of Venezuelan refugees into Brazil and other neighboring countries in the region.     

Trump’s actions toward Venezuela have sparked unease in Latin America’s Mercosur blocImage: Evaristo Sa/AFP

Argentina’s right-wing libertarian President Javier Milei, meanwhile, said his country “welcomes the pressure from the United States and Donald Trump to free the Venezuelan people. The time for a timid approach on this matter has run out.”

Venezuela under Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, has witnessed hyperinflation, stark poverty and food insecurity.  Maduro’s victories in previous elections has been met with protests and allegations that his rule is illegitimate. 

Will Machado’s Nobel affect Trump’s actions in Venezuela?

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Edited by: Sean Sinico

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A high-speed passenger train plowed into a herd of elephants in northeastern India early Saturday, killing seven elephants and injuring a calf.

The Rajdhani Express, which was carrying around 650 passengers, was traveling through Assam when its driver spotted about 100 wild Asiatic elephants crossing the tracks and applied the emergency brakes. 

Despite the effort, the train collided with several of the endangered animals, The Associated Press reported.

MOUNTAIN LION ATTACKS 4-YEAR-OLD WALKING WITH FAMILY AT WASHINGTON’S OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

Passengers on a train look at the carcass of an Asiatic wild elephant being removed from a railway track after a speeding train hit a herd of wild elephants in Changjurai village, east of Guwahati, India, on Saturday.  (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

The impact caused the engine and five coaches to derail. 

None of the train’s passengers, who were traveling from Sairang in Mizoram state to New Delhi, were harmed in the incident, AP reported.

“We delinked the coaches which were not derailed, and the train resumed its journey for New Delhi,” Indian Railways spokesman Kapinjal Kishore Sharma told AP. “Around 200 passengers who were in the five derailed coaches have been moved to Guwahati in a different train.”

SOUTH AFRICAN ELEPHANT KILLS TOURIST WHO WAS TRYING TO SAVE CHILDREN AT KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

Railway staff, workers, and police are present as they restore train service after a herd was struck by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Hojai District, Assam, Saturday.  (Anuwar Hazarika/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Veterinarians later conducted autopsies on the elephants. 

They were scheduled to be buried later in the day on Saturday, according to AP.

LAW STUDENT KILLED BY ELEPHANT DURING VACATION TO THAILAND: OFFICIALS

FILE PHOTO: A herd of wild elephants gathers near a field in search of food at a village in Nagaon district, Assam, India, on November 21, 2025.  (Anuwar Hazarika/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Assam is home to an estimated 7,000 wild Asiatic elephants, and train-related deaths have been an ongoing issue. 

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At least a dozen elephants have been killed on railway tracks in the state since 2020, AP reported.

Asiatic elephants are considered endangered, and there are currently only an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 left in the wild, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Sophia Compton is a Writer at Fox News Digital. Sophia was previously a business reporter covering finance, energy and tourism and has experience as a TV news producer. She graduated with a journalism degree in 2021 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

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Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Nick Reiner, who has been charged with the murder of his parents, the director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, is reportedly on suicide watch in solitary confinement in a Los Angeles jail.

Reiner, 32, is being made to wear a blue suicide-prevention smock and is not permitted to communicate with anyone outside his counsel and jail and medical staff, a law enforcement source told People.

“While he is on suicide watch, a supervisor checks on him every 15 minutes to ensure his safety,” the source said. “He is currently struggling with mental health concerns, but he has not attempted self-harm. He remains alone in his cell and communicates very little.”

The Independent has contacted Reiner’s attorney for comment.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department, which manages Los Angeles jails, directed questions about Reiner to the LAPD, which has not responded to an Independent request for comment.

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Nick Reiner is reportedly on suicide watch and being kept in solitary confinement ahead of his murder case for the alleged killing of his parents, the director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner (Reuters)

Prior to his arrest over the weekend, Reiner was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and he was being treated for a serious psychiatric disorder at the time of his parents’ murder, unnamed sources familiar with his background told NBC News. At some point prior to the killing, his medication had been adjusted, the outlet reports.

Before Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, the director and his son were reportedly seen arguing at a Christmas party, where some guests reported Nick Reiner had been acting erratically.

“Nick was freaking everyone out, acting crazy, kept asking people if they were famous,” a source told People.

Others have disputed this account. An unnamed source told The New York Times that the supposedly heated nature of the argument had been overblown, and that the intensity of the conversation between Rob Reiner and his son may have been misinterpreted or exaggerated.

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Rob Reiner (left) and his son Nick Reiner (third from left) were reportedly seen arguing at a Christmas party shortly before Rob and his wife Michele were found dead and Nick was arrested for allegedly murdering them (2025 Invision)

Reiner made his first, brief court appearance on Monday. He did not enter a plea, and an arraignment is planned for January.

“There are very, very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case,” his attorney, Alan Jackson, told reporters at the time, adding that it was “too early” for a plea to be entered.

“These need to be thoroughly, but very carefully, dealt with and examined and looked at and analyzed.”

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Nick Reiner will be arraigned in January and could face the death penalty if he is convicted (AP)

If convicted, the 32-year-old could face the death penalty.

Reiner has spoken previously of his struggles with drug addiction and homelessness.

Rob and Michele Weiner died of “multiple sharp force injuries,” according to records released by the Los Angeles County medical examiner.

If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you’re in the UK, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.

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NEED TO KNOW

• A wife reminded her husband to schedule his colonoscopy back in September 2025
• He waited until the last minute and tried to book it right before the holidays
• When she refused to leave work early to drive him, he resorted to calling her ‘selfish’

Scheduling medical appointments can sometimes turn into a surprising source of tension as schedules fill up and it falls down the list of priorities.

For one woman, planning her husband’s routine colonoscopy quickly collided with work and holiday travel, escalating into a full-blown argument.

The Reddit user’s husband had first gone to the doctor back in September and was advised to get a colonoscopy. She reminded him in October and again in November, even urging him to “try to schedule it before end of year because we hit all insurance and [its] basically free.”

Stock image of teacher upset on the phone.

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Despite these reminders, he waited until just before the holidays to book the procedure. When he finally scheduled it for Dec. 19, 2025, she reminded him that they would be out of town that day.

“We [are] supposed to be in NE for the holidays. He then said we needed to wait and then after his colonoscopy, we would drive there,” she explained in a post.

“Which means I would be driving 7 plus hours by myself in late afternoon and evening,” she continued. “I don’t do well at night. I could do it if in the morning.”

The couple tried to negotiate, but scheduling conflicts persisted. She asked him to reschedule the colonoscopy in the new year, citing her demanding teaching schedule, parents visiting for a project, a party she was leading and a parent conference after school.

Her husband resisted, arguing they needed to save money and doing it before the end of the year would be best for insurance coverage.

After rescheduling the procedure two days earlier, he asked her to pick him up around noon. However, the woman, who is a teacher, reminded him that she “can’t just leave my class for 30 minutes, especially at the lunch hour” – pointing out that under general anesthesia, he would need someone present.

“I also told him I can’t leave that day because I have parents coming in to help with a big project, a party I am leading, and a parent conference after school,” she wrote.

She noted that all of this was scheduled long before his colonoscopy, and all he had to do was ask about her schedule before making the appointment.

The disagreement escalated when her husband accused her of being “rigid, not flexible, and selfish.”

The Reddit user, however, tried to clarify the practical realities. “I wouldn’t have given him a week’s notice to figure it out for something that’s going to require me to take a day off of work,” she wrote. “And it’s not on me if he waited until last minute to get it scheduled.”

Ultimately, she stood firm, insisting he reschedule for after the holidays, even if it meant additional cost.

Stock image of couple arguing.

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Commenters praised the original poster for standing her ground, insisting that her husband was the one who had dropped the ball on scheduling his procedure.

“Is he always this disrespectful of your time and your opinion?” one user questioned. “He sounds unbearably rude to just flat out take no responsibility for his own procedure and just putting it all on you.”

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Trail hunting sees a scent laid out for the hunt to follow rather than a real animal, and was introduced as a replacement for fox hunting, which was banned by Labour in 2004

Boxing Day hunts could soon be a thing of the past(Image: Getty Images)

Boxing Day hunts are set to become a thing of the past with the process to ban trail hunting to start next year.

Trail hunting sees a scent laid out for the hunt to follow rather than a real animal, and was introduced as a replacement for fox hunting, which was banned by Labour in 2004.

Campaigners have long warned foxes are still often torn to shreds by dogs during the hunts, while the national police lead on illegal hunting, Devon and Cornwall’s assistant Chief Constable, Matt Longman, has claimed trail hunting was often used as “a smokescreen” for illegal fox hunting. Now the Government is set to deliver on a ban, expected within this parliament, which comes as part of its animal welfare strategy set to be published on Monday.

READ MORE: Nigel Farage’s awkward Boxing Day hunt video to announce Reform UK has overtaken ToriesREAD MORE: Fox hunters could be slapped with bigger fines – as activists demand jail timeFoxes are often killed on the hunts, campaigners say(Image: sandra standbridge via Getty Images)

Animal Welfare Minister Baroness Hayman said: “In our manifesto we said we would ban trail hunting, and that’s exactly what we’ll do. There is evidence that trail hunting is being used as a smokescreen for the hunting of wild animals, and that’s not acceptable.”

Ministers had committed to reforming animal welfare and will launch a consultation seeking views on how to deliver a full ban in the new year. Shooting hares in England is also expected to be banned for most of the year as part of the changes.

The RSPCA Director of Advocacy and Prevention Thomas Schultz-Jagow welcomed steps being taken to stop the “abhorrent and cruel bloodsport”. He said: “Every year, wild animals, pets and horses suffer whilst being chased and killed by packs of hounds on trail hunts while rural communities endure anti-social behaviour and intimidation.

“There is mounting evidence that, since the Hunting Act came into force in 2004, ‘legal’ trail hunting is being used as a smokescreen to illegally hunt with dogs. This has made enforcement of the Hunting Act extremely challenging for the authorities.”

League Against Cruel Sports figures found the hunting season saw 264 instances of illegal hunting, 211 foxes reported to have been pursued which is an increase of 10%, and 19 foxes confirmed or strongly suspected to have been killed.

Emma Slawinski, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports declared fox hunting would soon be finished for good. She said: “Trail hunting was invented after fox hunting was banned by the last Labour government in 2005, as the hunts were convinced the ban wouldn’t hold.

“It’s been 20 years, so it’s time the hunts got over themselves and finally realise fox hunting is never going to come back, that the government and the public aren’t taken in by their claims trail hunting is a real thing, and that actually it’s time to make the law stronger so it’s easier to prosecute those who are going to carry on hunting regardless.

“However, we would also ask the government goes further by closing the loopholes in the Hunting Act that give hunts other excuses to kill wild animals with dogs, such as deer, hares, otters and mink, and increase the penalties for those convicted of illegal hunting.”

The Countryside Alliance has warned changes to the law are completely unjustified, and claimed Labour had an “obsession” with hunting. Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: “Animal rights activists have spent 20 years making increasingly spurious claims about the legal activity of hunts without any evidential basis. Trail hunting is a legal activity which supports hundreds of jobs and is central to many rural communities. “Especially after its attack on family farms, the government should be focusing on addressing issues that actually help rural communities thrive, rather than pursuing divisive policies that hinder them”.

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