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Caracas (AFP) – Relatives gather in front of the Helicoide prison to protest and pray for the prompt release of prisoners in Venezuela. The Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners called for a vigil outside this prison, considered a symbol of the government’s “torture.” Venezuela announced on January 8 the release of “a significant number” of detained opposition members. Nearly 30 hours after the announcement, NGOs report between eight and 11 releases, including two opposition figures and five Spaniards. IMAGES

Caracas (AFP) – Hundreds of pro-government demonstrators take to the streets of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in support of the deposed president Nicolas Maduro, as the one-week mark approaches since the United States’ military operation to detain the Venezuelan leader and his wife Cilia Flores. IMAGES

Caracas (AFP) – Multiple vehicles are seen leaving the US embassy in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas as both countries have entered “exploratory” talks on restoring diplomatic ties, broken off in 2019 under ousted leader Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela has also confirmed that US diplomats have traveled to Caracas for talks on reopening the embassy. IMAGES

At sea (AFP) – Footage shared on social media by the United States Southern Command shows what officials say is the latest seizure of a tanker seeking to break the American naval blockade of sanctioned oil leaving Venezuela. According to Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem, the Olina was “another ‘ghost fleet’ tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil.” The vessel is the fifth seized by US forces in recent weeks.

Minneapolis (AFP) – “This can’t continue to happen,” says Shanda Copeland, one of a group of protesters gathered outside a federal government building in Minneapolis. On 7 January, the city saw a local woman shot and killed by an immigration officer. Videos shared on social media show Renee Nicole Good apparently trying to drive away from ICE agents as they approach her vehicle. One agent then fires three times into the vehicle. Senior Trump administration officials, including the president, have been quick to claim the agent acted in self-defense and that Good had “weaponized” her car. “Anyone who’s seen the video knows that she was not doing anything wrong,” says Jesse, another protester, adding that “she was brutally murdered.”

Wroclaw (Poland) (AFP) – A case of David vs Goliath at Wroclaw Zoo, as a tiny 13kg deer takes on a nearly two-tonne rhinoceros and appears to come out of the clash on top.

Tokyo (AFP) – At 58 years young, Japanese striker Kazuyoshi Miura — or “King Kazu” — is about to start his 41st season of professional football. The veteran made his debut in 1986 for the Brazilian side Santos, and has since played for clubs in Italy, Croatia, Australia and Portugal. Turning 59 in February, Miura has signed a six-month loan deal with third-division Japanese side Fukushima United. “I just want to be out on the pitch,” he says, “even just for one minute or one second longer.”

Tehran (AFP) – Footage posted on social media and verified by AFP shows demonstrations in the Iranian cities of Tehran and Gorgan, as the country faces protests initially linked to the rising cost of living. People can be heard chanting slogans including “death to the dictator,” referencing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ruled Iran since 1989. Authorities imposed an internet blackout late on 8 January in an effort to suppress the protest movement.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Kyiv residents have been left once again assessing their damaged homes after the latest overnight Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital. The country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has reported that at least 20 residential buildings and the Qatari embassy were damaged in the barrage, which killed at least four people in Kyiv. Around half the city’s apartment blocks were left without power by the strike, with temperatures set to drop below -8C.

Caracas (AFP) – Venezuela has started releasing political prisoners, including several foreigners, in an apparent concession to the US after its ouster of President Nicolas Maduro. Among those freed was former opposition candidate Enrique Marquez — who opposed Maduro in the contested 2024 presidential election.

Caracas (AFP) – Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez leads a ceremony in honor of the January 3 US attack victims, alongside their relatives and members of the military leadership, at the Military Academy in Caracas. During the ceremony, Rodriguez and other Venezuelan officials awarded decorations and posthumous promotions to the fallen soldiers. IMAGES

Guatire (Venezuela) (AFP) – Relatives of prisoners gather in front of Rodeo I prision to wait for information on the release of their loved ones after president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, announced the release of a “large number” of detainees, some of them foreigners, in an apparent concession to the United States after its ouster of ruler Nicolas Maduro. IMAGES