International
Russia says US mission in Afghanistan has failed

AFP
Russia on Friday said that the United States had failed in its mission in Afghanistan and blamed the withdrawal of foreign forces for the war-torn country’s rapidly deteriorating stability.
Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan have capitalised on the last stages of the withdrawal of foreign troops to launch offensives, capturing a swath of districts and border crossings, and encircling provincial capitals.
The White House had tried to paint the drawdown of foreign troops in “the most positive colours”, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.
“But everyone understands that the mission failed,” he told reporters at a conference in Uzbekistan attended by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
Lavrov earlier blamed the “hasty withdrawal” of US and NATO troops worsening security in Afghanistan and warned of instability spreading to neighbouring countries.
“In recent days we have unfortunately seen a rapid deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan,” he said in comments carried by Russian news agencies.
“In light of the hasty withdrawal of the US and NATO troops, there is huge uncertainty around the future of the political and military situation in this country,” he told reporters.
Russia hosted Taliban representatives in Moscow last week, where the insurgent group claimed to have control over about 85 percent of Afghanistan.
Moscow is closely watching the Taliban’s advance and concerned about the potential for instability reaching neighbouring ex-Soviet Central Asian countries where Russia maintains military bases.
Lavrov said the crisis had increased the threat of terrorism and worsened problems surrounding drug trafficking, which he said had reached “an unprecedented level”.
“It’s clear that, in this situation, there is a real risk of instability spreading to neighbouring countries,” he said in Tashkent, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Earlier this week, ex-Soviet Tajikistan said nearly 350 Afghan refugees had crossed its border fleeing Taliban advances.
Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rakhmon conducted inspections at border guard posts on Friday, having earlier called up 20,000 reservists to bolster defences along the country’s shared border with Afghanistan.
Russia’s defence ministry said this week it was staging military drills in Tajikistan where it has a base aimed at buttressing border security with Afghanistan.
International
Trump urges Putin to reach peace deal

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his desire for Russian President Vladimir Putin to “reach a deal” to end the war in Ukraine, while also reaffirming his willingness to impose sanctions on Russia.
“I want to see him reach an agreement to prevent Russian, Ukrainian, and other people from dying,” Trump stated during a press conference in the Oval Office at the White House.
“I think he will. I don’t want to have to impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil,” the Republican leader added, recalling that he had already taken similar measures against Venezuela by sanctioning buyers of the South American country’s crude oil.
Trump also reiterated his frustration over Ukraine’s resistance to an agreement that would allow the United States to exploit natural resources in the country—a condition he set in negotiations to end the war.
International
Deportation flight lands in Venezuela; government denies criminal gang links

A flight carrying 175 Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States arrived in Caracas on Sunday. This marks the third group to return since repatriation flights resumed a week ago, and among them is an alleged member of a criminal organization, according to Venezuelan authorities.
Unlike previous flights operated by the Venezuelan state airline Conviasa, this time, an aircraft from the U.S. airline Eastern landed at Maiquetía Airport, on the outskirts of Caracas, shortly after 2:00 p.m. with the deportees.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who welcomed the returnees at the airport, stated that the 175 repatriated individuals were coming back “after being subjected, like all Venezuelans, to persecution” and dismissed claims that they belonged to the criminal organization El Tren de Aragua.
However, Cabello confirmed that “for the first time in these flights we have been carrying out, someone of significance wanted by Venezuelan justice has arrived, and he is not from El Tren de Aragua.” Instead, he belongs to a gang operating in the state of Trujillo. The minister did not disclose the individual’s identity or provide details on where he would be taken.
International
Son of journalist José Rubén Zamora condemns father’s return to prison as “illegal”

The son of renowned journalist José Rubén Zamora Marroquín, José Carlos Zamora, has denounced as “illegal” the court order that sent his father back to a Guatemalan prison on March 3, after already spending 819 days behind barsover a highly irregular money laundering case.
“My father’s return to prison was based on an arbitrary and illegal ruling. It is also alarming that the judge who had granted him house arrest received threats,” José Carlos Zamora told EFE in an interview on Saturday.
The 67-year-old journalist was sent back to prison inside the Mariscal Zavala military barracks on March 3, when Judge Erick García upheld a Court of Appeals ruling that overturned the house arrest granted to him in October. Zamora had already spent 819 days in prison over an alleged money laundering case.
His son condemned the situation as “unacceptable”, stating that the judge handling the case “cannot do his job in accordance with the law due to threats against his life.”
-
Central America5 days ago
Nicaragua denounces Costa Rica’s position in SICA as aligned with foreign interests
-
Central America5 days ago
Nicaragua’s new judicial law consolidates power in Ortega and Murillo’s hands
-
Central America5 days ago
Panama’s president declares Darién gap ‘closed’ amid sharp drop in migrant flow
-
International3 days ago
Son of journalist José Rubén Zamora condemns father’s return to prison as “illegal”
-
International5 days ago
Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana
-
International3 days ago
Miyazaki’s style goes viral with AI but at what cost?
-
Central America2 days ago
Panama police clarifies that Interpol alert for Martinelli is still pending
-
International2 days ago
Deportation flight lands in Venezuela; government denies criminal gang links
-
Central America14 hours ago
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary urges Mexico to strengthen Guatemala border
-
International14 hours ago
Trump urges Putin to reach peace deal
-
Central America14 hours ago
Panama grants Martinelli 72-hour extension to travel to Nicaragua
-
Central America4 days ago
Nicaragua revokes legal status of 10 more NGOs, bringing total to over 5,600