03 World

Venezuela slow-walks prisoner releases with 11 freed while over 800 remain locked up– fortune.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

 

As Venezuelan detainee Diógenes Angulo left a prison in San Francisco de Yare after a year and five months behind bars, his family appeared to be in shock.

He was detained two days before the 2024 presidential election after he posted a video of an opposition demonstration in Barinas, the home state of the late President Hugo Chávez.

As he emerged from the jail in San Francisco de Yare, approximately an hour’s drive south of the capital Caracas, he learned that former President Nicolás Maduro had been captured by U.S. forces Jan. 3 in a nighttime raid in the capital.

Angulo told The Associated Press that his faith gave him the strength to keep going during his detention.

Urgent ‘do not travel’ warning issued & Americans told to leave Venezuela immediately as gangs ‘hunting for Trump fans’– www.thesun.co.uk

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

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AMERICANS in Venezuela should “leave the country immediately” as armed militias hunt for Trump fans, authorities have urged.

Although international flights have resumed, US officials have advised citizens to “depart immediately” after the streets of Caracas have been taken over by Maduro supporters in solidarity of their toppled tyrant.

Americans have been brutally urged to leave VenezuelaCredit: Reuters
The streets of Caracas have been taken over by Maduro supporters in solidarity of their toppled tyrantCredit: Reuters

Motorbike gangs and armed security forces have wreaked havoc across the city in the aftermath of the brazen capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces.

Fatal ICE shooting of Minneapolis activist sets stage for national protests– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

Portland ‌Mayor Keith Wilson, echoing Frey, said he could not be sure the government’s account was grounded in fact without an independent investigation.

The deployment of agents to Minneapolis follows Trump’s recent denunciations of Walz and his state’s large population of Somali immigrants over allegations of fraud dating back to 2020 by some nonprofit groups administering childcare and other social service programmes.

Good was shot dead just a few blocks from where George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer crushing his neck into the pavement with his knee during a videotaped arrest in May 2020. Floyd’s death sparked months of nationwide racial-justice protests during Trump’s first term in office.

Bystander video of the Minneapolis incident showed masked officers approaching Good’s Honda SUV while it was stopped at a perpendicular angle to the street, partially blocking traffic.

Iran’s Hospitals Under Pressure Amid Protests– www.ndtv.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

 

Hospitals across Iran are struggling to cope with a surge of patients as large-scale anti-government protests continue to spread nationwide, medical workers said. Emergency wards of multiple hospitals, including in Tehran, are reporting “bodies piled on top of one another” following a violent crackdown by security forces.

At Poursina Hospital in Rasht in northern Iran, 70 bodies were brought in on Friday night alone. A hospital source said the morgue reached full capacity, forcing staff to remove bodies to make space. “The bodies were placed on top of one another,” she said, adding that after the morgue filled up, bodies were stacked in the hospital’s prayer room.

A medic at a Tehran hospital told the BBC that many young protesters arrived with fatal gunshot wounds. “Around 38 people died, many as soon as they reached the emergency beds,” she told the BBC, adding they couldn’t even perform CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on them. “There were direct shots to the heads of the young people, to their hearts as well. Many of them didn’t even make it to the hospital.”

Operation Absolute Resolve Created Momentum; Policy Must Follow– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

On January 3, 2026, U.S. armed forces and law enforcement extracted Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela. I join President Trump in praising the men and women who led “Operation Absolute Resolve” and brought Maduro back to the United States to stand trial—all without the loss of American life.

Maduro is an indicted narco-terrorist who poisoned over 100,000 Americans. His “rap” sheet also includes involvement with transnational criminal organizations and befriending our foreign enemies like China, Iran, and Russia.

President Trump wants to fight this corruption, as do I. Operation Absolute Resolve made real progress on that front. Now people are asking, “How do we move forward?” My bill, the Americas Act, gives us that path forward.

The U.S. needs a clear plan for the Western Hemisphere that supports U.S. manufacturing, ends corruption, and counters foreign powers trying to muscle their way into our neighborhood. Look at Venezuela. Under Maduro, China was moving in fast, locking in influence while the country fell apart. If we don’t get a unified strategy together, we risk letting the Chinese Communist Party shape the future of our hemisphere instead of us.

Zohran Mamdani Calls Hamas A “Terrorist Organisation” Amid New York Protests– www.ndtv.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

 

New York City (NYC) Mayor Zohran Mamdani has condemned pro-Hamas chants during a heated protest outside a synagogue in Queens on Thursday night. The protest was led by the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation (PAL-Awda). A report by The New York Times (NYT) said that during the protest, pro-Palestinian demonstrators chanted in support of Hamas while pro-Israel demonstrators shouted racial and homophobic slurs. The protest included chants of “Say it loud, say it clear, we support Hamas here.”

On being asked about the protest and the slogans chanted, Mamdani told The NYT in a statement the rhetoric and displays that were seen at the protest were wrong and have no place in New York City.

Iran warns US troops and Israel will be targets if America strikes over protests as death toll rises – NPR– news.google.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

  1. Iran warns US troops and Israel will be targets if America strikes over protests as death toll rises  NPR
  2. Trump Is Briefed on Options for Striking Iran as Protests Continue  The New York Times
  3. Iran says dozens of officers killed as protesters defy government crackdown  Al Jazeera
  4. Is the Iranian Regime About to Collapse?  The Atlantic
  5. Iran Toughens Crackdown, as U.S. Sketches Out Military Options  The Wall Street Journal

from news.google.com

U.S. Launches Fresh Round Of Airstrikes Within Syria– trendingpoliticsnews.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

The U.S. Military on Saturday launched a series of large-scale airstrikes targeting Islamic State (ISIS) positions across Syria.

These operations, conducted under the broader Operation Hawkeye Strike, involved more than 20 aircraft, including F-15E Strike Eagles, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, AC-130J Ghostrider gunships, MQ-9 Reaper drones from the U.S. Air Force, and F-16 fighter jets from the Jordanian Air Force. Over 90 precision-guided munitions were deployed against at least 35 targets, which included weapons caches, supply routes, and other infrastructure supporting ISIS activities.

The strikes commenced around 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time and were coordinated with partner forces on the ground. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported no immediate civilian casualties or collateral damage assessments, emphasizing the actions as part of an ongoing effort to degrade ISIS capabilities and prevent attacks on U.S. and allied personnel.

Israel on high alert for possibility of US intervention in Iran, sources say– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

Israel is on high alert for the possibility of any United States intervention in Iran as authorities there confront the biggest anti-government protests in years, according to three Israeli sources ‌with knowledge of the matter.

President ‌Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in recent days and warned Iran’s rulers against using force against demonstrators. On Saturday (Jan 10), Trump said the US stands “ready to ‍help”.

Trump’s actions in Venezuela suggest Canada is ‘on the menu’: ex-UN envoy – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent actions in Venezuela and his overall strategy for the Western Hemisphere should serve as a warning to all Canadians and require a more fulsome response from its political leaders, Canada’s former ambassador to the United Nations says.

Bob Rae, who finished his five-year ambassadorship last November, told Global News in an interview that the U.S. under Trump is rejecting multilateralism in favour of asserting its dominance over the hemisphere, without “any notion of legality.”

Iran authorities signal intensified crackdown as unrest grows– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

The exiled son of Iran’s last shah, who has emerged as a prominent voice in the fragmented opposition, made his strongest call yet for the protests to broaden into a revolt to topple the clerical rulers.

State media said a municipal building was set on fire in Karaj, west of Tehran, and blamed “rioters”. State TV broadcast footage of funerals of members of the security forces it said were killed in protests in the cities of Shiraz, Qom and Hamedan.

Footage posted on Friday on social media showed large crowds gathered in Tehran and fires lit in the street. In one video verified by Reuters showing a nighttime protest in Tehran’s Saadatabad district, a man is heard saying the crowd had taken over the area.

“The crowd is coming. ‘Death to the dictator’, ‘Death to Khamenei’,” he said, referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Protests have spread across Iran since Dec 28, beginning in response to soaring inflation, and quickly turning political with protesters demanding an end to clerical rule. Authorities accuse the US and Israel of fomenting unrest.

Putin loses NINETEEN top generals since start of Ukraine invasion– www.thesun.co.uk

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

VLADIMIR Putin has lost at least 19 generals since launching Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This staggering toll has ripped through the upper ranks of his military and laid bare the brutal cost of war at the very top.

Putin has lost huge number of his senior military officials in the war with UkraineCredit: AFP
Andrey Averyanov is heavily linked to the Salisbury – he is rumoured to be deadCredit: East2West
The death of Oleg Tsokov highlighted Ukraine’s improving long-range strike capabilityCredit: East2West

The unprecedented losses have hollowed out Russia’s senior command, exposing a leadership crisis rarely seen in any modern conflict.

Evening Brief: U.S. Strikes ISIS in Syria as Iran Unrest Grows, Mexico Recalculates, and Domestic Tensions Rise– sofrep.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

U.S. forces conducted strikes against ISIS targets in Syria on January 10 in what appears to be payback for the January 6 attack that killed two Iowa National Guard soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter, according to reporting by Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson.

Tomlinson reported the strikes live, describing them as a measured U.S. response following the deadly Palmyra-area incident that targeted U.S. personnel. As of this writing, U.S. Central Command has not issued a formal statement confirming the operation, a common delay while assessments are ongoing.

The reported strikes follow a familiar pattern. After the January 6 attack, the U.S. launched Operation Hawkeye Strike on December 19, hitting more than 70 ISIS targets across central Syria with over 100 precision munitions, according to CENTCOM. Today’s reported action appears more limited, suggesting a focused effort against high-value ISIS targets rather than a broad campaign.

While details remain unconfirmed, defense analysts expect the operation involved precision airstrikes designed to limit collateral damage while reinforcing deterrence. Platforms commonly used in similar operations include F-15E strike aircraft, A-10s, or remotely piloted aircraft operating from U.S. positions in the region.

Newspaper headlines: 'PM is turning UK into military pygmy' and 'Love Island wildfire crisis' – BBC– news.google.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

  1. Newspaper headlines: ‘PM is turning UK into military pygmy’ and ‘Love Island wildfire crisis’  BBC
  2. Senior military chiefs warn Keir Starmer of £28bn defence shortfall  The Times
  3. No 10 defends military funding amid warnings of £28bn black hole  Peeblesshire News
  4. Demands on defence are rising following reports of £28bn shortfall, MOD warns  Forces News
  5. Labour’s refusal to prioritise defence over welfare leaves Britain exposed  The Telegraph

from news.google.com