The UN human rights office says the US military intervention that ousted Venezuela’s leader violates international law and the UN Charter, warning it undermines global security and risks worsening human rights. It says Venezuela’s future must be decided by its people.
Published On 6 Jan 20266 Jan 2026
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The investigation into a deadly New Year’s blaze that tore through a Swiss bar packed with young people celebrating took a twist Tuesday after the local mayor admitted safety code failings. File photo by Jean-Christophe Bott/EPA
Jan. 6 (UPI) — The bar where 40 people were killed and 116 injured in a blaze in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana on New Year’s Day had not undergone an annual safety inspection since 2019, the town’s mayor admitted Tuesday.
Mayor Nicolas Feraud offered his apologies at a news conference, saying the municipal council was “profoundly sorry” but said he had no explanation as to why no checks on The Constellation bar had been carried out for so long.
“I have no answer for you today. We regret that — we owe it to the families and we will accept the responsibility. We’re profoundly sorry about that and I know how hard that will be for the families,” said Feraud.
He said the town had a five-strong team of people responsible for inspecting more than 10,000 buildings but did not give that as the reason for the failure and insisted he and other councilmen and women would not be resigning.
He said now was not the time to “jump ship” after being elected by Crans-Montana residents.
An outside contractor will now be brought in to carry out a safety audit and inspection of 128 public establishments in the town, but the failure has raised questions over Switzerland’s system of local politics run by non-career officials, many of them part-timers who often have day jobs.
However, Feraud did announce a local ban on use of sparklers — believed to have set the ceiling of the bar ablaze when pyrotechnic champagne bottles were carried too high aloft — inside all commercial premises.
Soundproofing foam on the ceiling that has been blamed for the rapid spread of the fire was within code when The Constellation was last inspected but Feraud said the use of sparklers in spaces fitted with the foam was irresponsible.
Feraud also pointed to crowding in excess of the legally permitted capacity of the premises, which he said was the responsibility of the management of the bar, but said it would for judges to decide whether local officials should fall under the criminal investigation being pursued by prosecutors.
He said the French owners of the bar, Jacques Moretti and Jessica Moretti, were under investigation, but had not been arrested. A second venue they owned had been shut, he added.
The prosecutors’ office for the Valais region said the couple were being investigated on suspicion of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.
Feraud said the council had provided prosecutors with all relevant documents and would join the case as a civil party.
The developments came as authorities completed identification of all the victims and began the process of returning them to families in Switzerland, Italy, France and countries around the world.
The majority of those caught up in the tragedy were young with an average age of 19.
Swiss authorities say fire safety inspections had not been carried out at the bar in Crans-Montana since 2019.
Published On 6 Jan 20266 Jan 2026
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No safety inspections had been carried out for more than five years at a Swiss bar where 40 people were killed during New Year’s celebrations, local authorities have revealed.
Crans-Montana Mayor Nicolas Feraud said at a news conference on Tuesday that no fire checks had taken place at the Le Constellation ski bar since 2019.
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“Periodic inspections were not conducted between 2020 and 2025. We bitterly regret this,” Feraud told reporters in the Alpine ski resort.
The fire tore through the popular ski bar early on New Year’s Day. Most of the victims were teenagers. The youngest who was killed was a 14-year-old Swiss girl, followed by two 15-year-old Swiss girls. The oldest was a French national, aged 39.
Police said on Monday that 83 people are still being treated in hospital. In total, 116 people were injured in the blaze.
Authorities believe the fire started when revellers raised champagne bottles with lit sparklers attached, setting light to sound-insulating foam on the ceiling of the bar’s basement.
Feraud said the foam was considered acceptable at the time of the last fire safety check at the bar in 2019.
The mayor announced that all sparkler candles have now been banned inside bars and clubs in Crans-Montana. A statement from the local council said an external agency has been commissioned to further inspect all public establishments.
Authorities are investigating the two people who ran the bar on suspicion of crimes, including homicide by negligence. On Sunday, police said circumstances did not currently merit them being put under arrest and they did not see any flight risk.
PART of a popular beach in the UK has been forced to close due to safety fears.
An ‘active and ongoing landslip’ has resulted in huge boulders falling from the cliffs on Monmouth Beach.
The beach – part of the 95-mile Jurassic Coast in Dorset – has since closed off sections to the public.
Anyone in the area has been warned to avoid the area, with it currently cordoned off.
The Lyme Regis Coastguard said: “Large boulders have been falling from the top of the cliff and have been rolling down onto the beach and into the water.
“Consequently, the beach area immediately near the base of the slip has been closed to the public.”
“We strongly advise all members of the public to stay well clear of this area.
“Do not attempt to climb the slip or walk near the base of the affected cliffs.
Fossil-hunters have also been told that the boulders are unlikely to contain any new fossils.
This is because the area is known for its historic dinosaur remains, dating back thousands of years.
And dog walkers have been urged to keep them on leads and to keep them away from the base of the cliffs.
The coastguard added: “The cliffs along the Jurassic Coast are naturally unstable and can crumble without warning.”
“Please respect the closures and signage in place for your own and others safety.
“In an emergency at the coast, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.”
Back in 2021, the cliffs saw its biggest landslide in decades after 4,000 tonnes of rock fell onto the beach.
Landslides can be triggered by a number of factors including intense rainfall in a short period of time.
Despite this, most of the Jurassic Coast is seen as still safe to visit.
One of the most famous sections is Durdle Door, home to the famous rock arch.
Often compared to both Portugal and California, it was even named one of the world’s must-see beaches by National Geographic last year.
Here’s where to find the UK’s longest seaside town, also on the Jurassic Coast.
OMAHA — The Federal Railroad Administration has sent letters to two railroad operators demanding they make sure that Mexican crews can speak English and don’t operate a train more than 10 miles inside the United States.
A number of Mexican train crews who recently hauled trains over the border to rail yards in Texas had trouble understanding important safety information in English during inspections the Trump administration ordered, U.S. officials said.
Railroads Union Pacific and CPKC routinely rely on foreign crews at times to bring trains over the border to their rail yards in the U.S. before switching to American engineers and conductors. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union said handoffs used to happen at the border. The engineers union has been worried about using foreign crews for some time because of safety, security and job concerns.
Union Pacific and CPKC said the railroads are committed to ensuring safety and security and will work to ensure they are complying with the rules.
The Trump administration has also been cracking down on truck drivers who don’t speak English, saying it seeks to make sure crews can communicate in an emergency and understand crucial instructions.
“Whether you’re operating an 80-ton big rig or a massive freight train, you need to be proficient in our national language — English,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. “If you aren’t, you create an unacceptable safety risk.”
The Transportation Department has withheld $40 million from California, which it accused of not enforcing the English proficiency requirement. Duffy has also threatened to sanction several other states that he says have improperly issued commercial driver’s licenses to unauthorized immigrants.
That became a key concern after several deadly crashes involving semitrucks driven by immigrants in the country illegally.
Federal Railroad Administration Administrator David Fink told both railroads they could face enforcement action if inspectors find additional occurrences of train crews operating in the U.S. without being proficient in English.
Inspectors found problems in Union Pacific’s Eagle Pass rail yard and CPKC’s facility in Laredo, Fink said.
Union Pacific had a interpreter on hand to help its Mexican crews, but Fink said the railroad might try to remove that person in the future, and inspectors said they worried about how well the crews understood operating rules and required brake tests.
At CPKC’s rail yard, Fink said, inspectors found numerous instances of train crews having a hard time understanding operating bulletins and U.S. regulations that require information about hazardous materials and emergency responses to be maintained in English.
The engineers union and the SMART-TD union that represents conductors welcomed the Trump administration’s move because they say Mexican crews aren’t as well-trained and need to understand crucial safety information.
Earlier this year, the engineers union also highlighted two arrests of members of Mexican crews on suspicion of smuggling — one accused of helping migrants cross the border illegally and the other for allegedly trying to bring drugs into the U.S.
“The administration should be commended for standing up for border security, public safety and American jobs by creating stronger safety standards for crews that bring trains from Mexico to the United States,” Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen National President Mark Wallace said. “It’s critical that locomotive engineers are able to speak to dispatchers and first responders in English when trains are moving on U.S. soil.”
“We have the same goals — a safe, secure border that keeps the supply chain fluid,” Union Pacific spokesperson Kristen South said. “Part of ensuring safe operations is good communication.”
CPKC spokesperson Patrick Waldron said the railroad — which operates one continuous network across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico — makes sure international crews at both borders do not travel more than 10 miles into the U.S.
“Safety is foundational to everything we do,” he said.
Union Pacific picks up and hands off trains to its partner, FerroMex railroad, at the border. It said changing out crews at its rail yard seven miles over the border in Eagle Pass helps keep freight moving, because previously the switch was done at a single-track bridge, forcing rail traffic to come to a halt. The railroad said it worked with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to make the change.
Funk writes for the Associated Press.
A Canadian lawmaker who was denied entry to the occupied West Bank, alongside fellow politicians and civil society leaders, has dismissed Israel’s claims that the delegation posed a threat to public safety.
Jenny Kwan, a Canadian MP with the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP), questioned whether Canada’s recognition of an independent Palestinian state earlier this year contributed to Israel’s decision to block the group.
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“How is it that members of parliament are a public safety concern?” she said in an interview with Al Jazeera. “How is it that civil society organisations who are doing humanitarian work… [are] a security concern?”
Kwan and five other MPs were among 30 Canadian delegates denied entry to the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday after Israel deemed them a risk to public safety.
The delegation, organised by nonprofit group The Canadian-Muslim Vote, was turned back to Jordan at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge crossing, which connects Jordan with the West Bank and is controlled by Israel on the Palestinian side, after an hours-long security check.
Kwan said another female MP in the group was “manhandled” by Israeli border agents while attempting to keep an eye on a delegate who was being taken for additional interrogation.
“She was shoved – not once, not twice, but multiple times – by border agents there,” Kwan said. “A member of parliament was handled in that way – If you were just an everyday person, what else could have happened?”
The delegates had been expected to meet with Palestinian community members to discuss daily realities in the West Bank, where residents have faced a surge in Israeli military and settler violence.
They were also planning to meet with Jewish families affected by the conflict, said Kwan, who described the three-day trip as a fact-finding mission.
“I reject the notion that that is a public safety concern,” she said of the delegation’s mission.
Global Affairs Canada, the country’s Foreign Ministry, did not respond to Al Jazeera’s questions about the incident.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said on Tuesday afternoon that the ministry was in contact with the delegation and had “expressed Canada’s objections regarding the mistreatment of these Canadians while attempting to cross”.
The Israeli military did not respond to Al Jazeera’s repeated requests for comment.
In a statement to Canada’s public broadcaster CBC News, the Israeli military agency that oversees affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory, COGAT, said the Canadian delegates were turned back because they arrived “without prior coordination”.
COGAT also said the group’s members were “denied for security reasons”.
But the delegates said they had applied for, and received, Israel Electronic Travel Authorization permits before they reached the crossing. Kwan also said the Canadian government informed Israel ahead of time of the delegation’s plans.
“I’m not quite sure exactly what kind of coordination is required,” Kwan told Al Jazeera.
“We followed every step that we’re supposed to follow, so I’m not quite sure exactly what they mean or what they’re referring to.”
Canada, a longstanding supporter of Israel, faced the ire of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after it joined several European allies in recognising an independent Palestinian state in September.
“Israel will not allow you to shove a terror state down our throats,” Netanyahu said in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
The recognition came after months of mass protests in Canada and other Western countries demanding an end to Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, which has killed more than 70,000 people since October 2023.
Rights advocates also called for action to stem a surge in deadly Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Against that backdrop, members of the Canadian delegation questioned whether their entry refusal was part of an Israeli effort to prevent people from witnessing what is happening on the ground in the Palestinian territory.
“‘What are they trying to hide?’ is the question that comes to mind,” Fawad Kalsi, the CEO of the relief group Penny Appeal Canada and one of the delegates, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.
Kwan, the Canadian MP, raised a similar question, saying, “If people cannot witness” what is happening on the ground in the West Bank, “then misinformation and disinformation will continue”.
She added that she also saw foreign doctors being turned back to Jordan at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge crossing as they tried to bring medicine and baby formula into the West Bank.
“If we as members of parliament could face denial of entry,” she said, “imagine what is going on on the ground with other people, and the difficulties that they face, that we do not know about.”
