Carrie Kahn

Relatives and friends of political prisoners continue waiting in front of the infamous prison known as El Acorde, waiting the promised releases.

The mountainous, multi-level building was designed to be a shopping center, but is known as the most feared detention facility in the country.

In announcing the release on Thursday, Venezuela's congressional leader, Jorge Rodriguez, the brother of the interim president, said the move should be considered a gesture seeking peace.

Those released so far include members of the political party led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado and five Spanish citizens.

Human rights groups decry the paltry number of releases and say more than 800 political opponents remain imprisoned.

Carrie Khan, NPR News, Bogota, Colombia.

59-year-old José Antonio Kast's ultra-conservative stances, especially on women's issues and his support of the Pinochet dictatorship,

were too hardline in his two previous presidential bids.

This time, he focused more on concerns over crime and rising migration, especially from Venezuela.

In a meandering hour-long acceptance speech, he told a huge crowd in Santiago that change was coming, but said it would take time.

Like other recently elected conservatives in Latin America, Cass pledged a crackdown on crime with more police and prisons.

He says the more than 300,000 migrants estimated to live in Chile without legal status have until his inauguration in March to self-deport, or he'll send police to find them.

Carrie Khan, NPR News.

The hearing took place in a packed courtroom. Federal attorneys argued against keeping the block in place. They said the issue Harvard is suing over is moot because the Department of Homeland Security has now given the school 30 days to contest the revocation. Judge Alison Burroughs disagreed.

The hearing took place in a packed courtroom. Federal attorneys argued against keeping the block in place. They said the issue Harvard is suing over is moot because the Department of Homeland Security has now given the school 30 days to contest the revocation. Judge Alison Burroughs disagreed.

She said she would feel more comfortable if an order was in place because it would give Harvard's international students a greater sense of certainty over their status. At issue in the case, the administration is trying to pull Harvard out of a federal program that allows colleges to sponsor student visas. For NPR News, I'm Carrie Young in Boston.

She said she would feel more comfortable if an order was in place because it would give Harvard's international students a greater sense of certainty over their status. At issue in the case, the administration is trying to pull Harvard out of a federal program that allows colleges to sponsor student visas. For NPR News, I'm Carrie Young in Boston.

Iranian officials are calling the blast an accident, but have not specified what caused the explosion early Saturday. The explosion occurred just as Iranian and U.S. mediators were in talks in Oman. A senior U.S. official characterized the talks as positive and productive and stated there is still much to do and that both sides agreed to meet again soon in Europe.

Iranian officials are calling the blast an accident, but have not specified what caused the explosion early Saturday. The explosion occurred just as Iranian and U.S. mediators were in talks in Oman. A senior U.S. official characterized the talks as positive and productive and stated there is still much to do and that both sides agreed to meet again soon in Europe.

Israel has pushed for military action to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. President Trump says he favors talks. Carrie Khan, NPR News, Tel Aviv. This is NPR News.