The number of prisoners freed in Venezuela has increased to 18, human rights organisations reported on Saturday, up from nine on Friday afternoon.
The release of political detainees in the South American nation has long been demanded by rights groups, international bodies and opposition figures, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, who has several close allies still behind bars.
Both U.S. President Donald Trump and Venezuela’s leading lawmaker Jorge Rodríguez, brother of acting president Delcy Rodríguez, have described the releases as a gesture of peace; Trump added in a post on Truth Social that he had called off a second wave of attacks on Venezuela after securing cooperation from Caracas.
The announcements cap a week of intense political upheaval in Caracas, marked by the U.S. strike on Venezuela, the dramatic capture and arraignment of President Nicolás Maduro on narcoterrorism charges in New York, Rodríguez’s swearing‑in as acting president, and the U.S. plan to refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude.
Opposition and human rights groups have long accused the Venezuelan government of using detentions to suppress dissent — allegations authorities deny. There is no official list of those to be released, nor confirmation of how many will ultimately be freed.
Local rights group Foro Penal estimates around 811 political prisoners remain in the country, including more than 80 foreigners, among them two U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident.
Five Spanish nationals, including Venezuelan‑Spanish rights activist Rocío San Miguel, were the first confirmed freed on Thursday and arrived in Madrid the next day. Former opposition presidential candidate Enrique Marquez is also among those who have been released.
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The 4th International Dog Sled Racing Competition brought speed, skill and festive energy to Ladova Park in Stratena, Slovakia, on Saturday, as mushers and their dogs competed across snow-covered terrain.
Pakistan says at least 92 militants were killed in coordinated attacks across Balochistan on Saturday, a sweeping assault that stretched from Quetta to the port city of Gwadar and left civilians and security forces among the dead.
Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Milan on Saturday to protest plans for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to support security operations at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics, drawing criticism from citizens and local leaders alike.
Iran’s top security official says a structured framework for negotiations with the United States is beginning to emerge, as regional diplomacy intensifies amid heightened military and political tensions.
Catherine O’Hara, the celebrated Canadian actress and comedy legend, has died at the age of 71, her publicist confirmed on Friday. She passed away at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday made public more than three million pages of documents on Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender, including investigative records referencing U.S. President Donald Trump, tech mogul Elon Musk and Britain’s former Duke of York.
The United Nations faces the risk of “imminent financial collapse” because of unpaid contributions, including substantial arrears from the United States, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned.
Vladimir Putin said Russia earned more than $15 billion from defence exports in 2025 and fulfilled all military-technical contracts despite what he described as growing pressure from Western countries.
Explosions shook parts of southern Lebanon on Friday night as Israeli strikes rippled across the Zahrani district, with the blasts travelling toward the coastal city of Sidon.
Parts of Ukraine and Moldova, including Kyiv and Chisinau, were plunged into blackouts on Saturday after a malfunction on high-voltage power lines, with electricity restored later in the day.
More than 200 people were killed in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo this week, according to rebel-appointed provincial authorities who said the final toll is still being verified.
The 4th International Dog Sled Racing Competition brought speed, skill and festive energy to Ladova Park in Stratena, Slovakia, on Saturday, as mushers and their dogs competed across snow-covered terrain.
Pakistan says at least 92 militants were killed in coordinated attacks across Balochistan on Saturday, a sweeping assault that stretched from Quetta to the port city of Gwadar and left civilians and security forces among the dead.
Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Milan on Saturday to protest plans for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to support security operations at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics, drawing criticism from citizens and local leaders alike.
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