Latin American countries were excluded from the European Commission’s newly released list of “high-risk” nations whose exports of commodities such as cocoa, coffee, palm oil, or timber may be linked to deforestation.

Instead, the Commission placed Russia, Belarus, North Korea, and Myanmar in the high-risk category.

“The countries identified in the high-risk category in this initial reference list are subject to UN Security Council or EU Council sanctions concerning the import or export of relevant raw materials and products,” the Commission stated in an official release.

The classification is a key element of the EU’s Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products—an ambitious environmental measure introduced as part of the European Green Deal. Recently revised amid political shifts in Brussels, the regulation now grants importers an additional year to comply.

Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday that reopening commercial flights with Venezuela—suspended since July 2024—would be beneficial for his country. He revealed that he had received a letter from Venezuelan authorities proposing to resume the air connection.

“I have on my phone a letter they sent regarding what you mentioned, about restarting flights. I haven’t opened it yet, so I don’t know the details. I will review it very carefully, because unless it includes unrelated matters, reopening commercial flights to Venezuela is in Panama’s best interest,” Mulino stated during his weekly press conference.

On July 29, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced the temporary suspension of commercial flights to and from Panama and the Dominican Republic. These two countries are commonly used by Venezuelan travelers and others to connect internationally, given the limited availability of direct flights from Venezuela.

Maduro’s announcement came just hours after Mulino put diplomatic relations with Venezuela on hold, following Maduro’s re-election in a contested election. The vote took place a day earlier without the National Electoral Council (CNE) releasing the official vote tallies to support the results.

Dozens of relatives of migrants who went missing on their journey to the United States protested on Tuesday outside the Honduran Congress, demanding a law to support them in their search.

In pursuit of better opportunities, around 13,000 Hondurans, Salvadorans, and Guatemalans have gone missing since the 1990s, according to Jessica Soto, a leader of the Committee of Relatives of Missing Migrants.

“Why do we search for them? Because we love them,” chanted the protesters outside the legislative building in Tegucigalpa, where they placed photos of about 200 missing persons and signs on the ground.

Eva Ramírez, a leader of the Committee who is searching for two missing nephews—one who disappeared 17 years ago and another eight months ago—said they plan to organize a new caravan to Mexico in hopes of finding traces of their loved ones.

“We’ve organized 16 caravans, but it’s been two years since the last one,” Ramírez told AFP.

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Through the protest and other public actions, the Committee is pressing for the approval of a Law for the Search and Legal Protection of Missing Persons and Their Families.

They are also calling for “the allocation of public funds” to ensure the law’s effective implementation.