Venezuela releases Spanish activists, local political prisoners still held
Venezuela has released prominent Venezuelan-Spanish rights activist Rocío San Miguel and four other Spanish citizens, Spanish authorities said on Thu...
A group of migrants deported from the U.S. to Panama were moved from a hotel in Panama City to the Darien jungle, a lawyer confirmed. The transfer is part of a U.S.-Panama deal to handle deportees whose home countries refuse to accept them.
🔹 170 out of 299 migrants were transferred to Meteti, a town in the Darien jungle, according to La Estrella de Panama.
🔹 The migrants had been staying at a hotel in Panama City under government protection, with financial support from the U.S. via the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration.
🔹 Panama’s government has not commented on the move.
According to Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, the group includes people from:
🔹 Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
🔹 These nationalities were deported to Panama instead of their home countries, as some governments refuse to accept U.S. deportation flights due to diplomatic tensions.
🔹 Human rights groups have criticized the process, warning that some migrants could face danger or persecution if sent back to their countries.
🔹 Lawyer Susana Sabalza, representing a Muslim migrant family, said they are at risk of execution if returned home.
🔹 Sabalza is seeking asylum for them in Panama or another country willing to accept them.
🔹 The Trump administration is ramping up deportations and using Panama as a transit country for migrants whose home nations refuse U.S. deportation flights.
🔹 Panama is responsible for repatriating the migrants to their countries of origin.
🔹 More than half of the deported migrants have voluntarily accepted repatriation, according to Panama’s security minister.
🔹 Migrants at the hotel in Panama City were not allowed to leave, according to media reports.
🔹 Some were seen waving to journalists from their windows.
🔹 A Chinese national, Zheng Lijuan, escaped from the hotel, according to Panama’s migration service, which accused outsiders of helping her flee.
🔹 Officials urged her to return but provided no further details.
The situation has drawn international scrutiny as Panama continues receiving U.S. deportees, while migrants face an uncertain future in the lawless Darien region.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) sources reported a significant movement of U.S. military aircraft towards the Middle East in recent hours. Dozens of U.S. Air Force aerial refuelling tankers and heavy transport aircraft were observed heading eastwards, presumably to staging points in the region.
Snow and ice stalled travellers in northwest Europe on Wednesday, forcing around a thousand to spend the night in Amsterdam's Schiphol airport but delighting others who set out to explore a snow-blanketed Paris on sledges and skis.
Diplomatic tensions between Tokyo and Beijing escalated as Japan slams China's export ban on dual-use goods. Markets have wobbled as fears grow over a potential rare earth embargo affecting global supply chains.
Two people have been killed after a private helicopter crashed at a recreation centre in Russia’s Perm region, Russian authorities and local media have said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that Iran could face a strong response from the United States if its authorities kill protesters amid ongoing unrest.
Venezuela has released prominent Venezuelan-Spanish rights activist Rocío San Miguel and four other Spanish citizens, Spanish authorities said on Thursday, 8 January. Local rights groups report that promised releases of Venezuelan political prisoners are yet to materialise.
Türkiye’s United Nations envoy called on the international community on Thursday to maintain strong support for the elimination of Syria’s remaining chemical weapons, stressing that the task is both a legal obligation and a critical priority for regional security and humanitarian protection.
Georgia has said it will clarify the circumstances surrounding the U.S. seizure of a Russian‑flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic and is seeking information on its Georgian crew members.
President Donald J. Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organisations, including both non-United Nations entities and several UN-related bodies.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said it may deploy additional federal agents to Minnesota following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.
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