Latest news with #Belarusian
The Sun
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Belarusians in Warsaw celebrate prisoner release, hope for more
WARSAW: Belarusian exile Asya watched from the sidelines in central Warsaw as a crowd greeted and applauded Sergei Tikhanovsky, the Belarus opposition figure who was unexpectedly released, barely recognisable after five years in prison. A popular blogger, Tikhanovsky, 46, was jailed in 2020, weeks before he was due to stand in presidential elections against Belarus's long-time leader, Alexander Lukashenko. His arrest was the opening salvo in a sweeping crackdown that escalated after Lukashenko claimed victory over Svetlana Tikhanovskaya -- Tikhanovsky's wife, who ran in his place -- in a ballot widely decried by critics and rights groups as rigged. Asya was among several hundred fellow Belarusians, living in exile in neighbouring Poland, celebrating his surprise release under pressure from the United States. But her mind was with others still incarcerated. 'I am happy for those who are freed, but with each release I always look for the names of my friends,' she said. There are 1,169 political prisoners in Belarus, according to the Viasna rights group. The sight of Tikhanovsky -- who lost almost half his weight and appeared to have drastically aged behind bars -- has given even more urgency to securing their release, Asya said. 'Honestly, regime change is needed. But for me, the priority is for people to be freed and for them to be safe,' she said. - 'Recognised by his voice' - Having been held incommunicado since March 2023, many had long feared for how Tikhanovsky was being treated. His emaciated appearance was still a shock. 'I cried all day when I saw him,' said Alexandra Khanevich, a 71-year-old activist who fled Belarus in the wake of the protests. 'My mother went through concentration camps... This is what I thought of.' Tikhanovskaya said the couple's young daughter did not recognise him. The bones on his face and fingers are visible, and the 46-year-old looks far older. 'Only when we heard his voice, we knew it was really him,' said Yulia Vlasenko, who had protested in 2020 against Lukashenko in the eastern city of Vitebsk. Others said they knew him by his distinctive ears. Tikhanovsky has broken down in tears several times when talking about his ordeal in prison, describing alleged torture and being held in solitary confinement. Prison officials had attempted to 'fatten him up' in the months before his release by giving him 'meat, fats, butter,' he told a rally in Warsaw. - 'Hope' - He believes there will be more releases. Officers from the KGB state security service -- which has retained the feared Soviet-era name -- were touring prisons pressuring people to sign statements asking for pardons from Lukashenko, he said. Many were hopeful his release could give a new energy to the mostly exiled Belarusian opposition movement. Tikhanovsky, who has pledged not to get in the way of his wife, said he has 'even more energy' than before he was jailed. The couple are radically different in style. Svetlana has spent five years touring Western capitals, meeting leaders in polished suits. Sergei is known for his tongue-in-cheek colloquialisms, having famously called Lukashenko a 'cockroach' in one YouTube broadcast. 'Svetlana is more of a diplomat... Sergei is like from the street,' said protestor Alexandra Dobrovaya, giggling. Vitaly Moisa, a 42-year-old in construction, said he hoped the pair would be a 'double hit' for the regime, with the opposition boosted by Tikhanovsky's 'charisma'. He drove more than six hours from southern Poland to see 'hero' Tikhanovsky. 'It's hard to imagine he was not broken by such conditions,' he said. Many came to the rally with masks on, fearing retribution for their families back home if they were recognised attending the rally. Ukrainian Oleg Abrashim -- who has never been to Belarus -- had come with a mission: to give Tikhanovsky a hand-written letter from his Belarusian girlfriend. 'She did not want to come as it will be full of the KGB and she has not got her parents out yet,' he told AFP. Listening to Tikhanovsky, he was reminded of the style of someone back home he had voted for in 2019: Volodymyr Zelensky. 'I understand why they followed him,' Abrashim said. From Ukraine's Kharkiv, which has been pounded relentlessly by Belarus's ally Russia since it invaded, he was inspired by the messages of hope. 'Belarus and Ukraine should be free,' he said, clutching the letter.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka make amends after heated French Open row, prepare for Wimbledon with a dance-off
While the barbed messages swapped between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka in the wake of the American's victory over the world number one in the French Open final might have seen battle lines drawn and the start of a testy rivalry, the two WTA superstars didn't take long to bury the hatchet ahead of their respective Wimbledon campaigns this summer. Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka took some time to shoot a video with each other during their pre-Wimbledon preparations.(AP) The tour number one and number two settled things down in an extremely modern way, making use of their shared training session at the Wimbledon grounds to create a pair of TikToks together, which were later posted to their accounts. This included a dance they performed together, as well a lip-synced video which Gauff captioned: 'The olive branch was extended and accepted!' Further, Gauff asked her fans to cool off on the war of words that had begun between the fans of both players, writing 'We're good so you guys should be too.' Gauff, Sabalenka put post-match comments in the past Gauff had beaten Sabalenka in a memorable come-from-behind victory in Paris, outlasting the Belarusian 6-7 6-2 6-4 in a quality final. However, a frustrated Sabalenka was unhappy following her performance in the final, which saw her blast an unprecedented 70 unforced errors. In her press conference following the final, Sabalenka had said ' [She] won the match not because she played incredible; just because I made all of those mistakes from ... easy balls.' Additionally, she took away from Gauff's win by saying Iga Swiatek, who the Belarusian beat in the semifinal, would have beaten the American: 'I think if Iga would have beaten me, she would go out today and she would get the win.' Gauff made her displeasure at Sabalenka's comments clear afterwards, stating: 'The way Aryna was playing the last few weeks, she was the favourite to win. So I think she was the best person that I could have played in the final. I think I got the hardest matchup just if you go off stats alone.' Sabalenka did have the grace to apologise for her comments made in the heat of the moment, which might have helped rebuild that bridge quickly after the brief conflict. She clarified that she had personally reached out to Gauff to clear the air: 'That was just completely unprofessional of me. I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then,' said Sabalenka in a statement. 'We all make mistakes. I'm just a human being who's still learning in life. I think we all have those days when we lose control. The difference with me is the world is watching.' As the top two seeds, Sabalenka and Gauff are projected to once again only meet in the finals of Wimbledon, should they reach that stage. Gauff's tough draw sees her run into an improving Swiatek in the quarterfinal, while Sabalenka will have a wary eye on a potential rematch against Australian Open 2025 champion Madison Keys in her own quarter.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Face Consequences…': Putin Aide's BIG Warning To US, Israel; Declares 'Iran Is Not Alone'
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko strongly criticised the U.S. and Israel over their recent strikes on Iran, claiming the attacks violate international law and pose a serious threat to global security. Speaking at a regional summit, he warned that such military actions could have disastrous consequences and questioned why Washington and Tel Aviv believe they are immune to the fallout. Expressing solidarity with Tehran, Lukashenko declared that Iran is not alone in its resistance to mounting Western pressure. Read More
Yomiuri Shimbun
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Belarus Qualifying for European Soccer Event Forces UEFA to Find Third Co-Host Nation
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA changed the hosting plan for its 2026 European Championship for indoor soccer on Friday because Russia's military ally Belarus has qualified for the finals tournament. Co-hosts Latvia and Lithuania 'prohibit the organization of matches involving Belarusian teams on their domestic territories,' said UEFA, which added Slovenia as a third host for the 16-team futsal event. Slovenia, the home nation of UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, will now organize more than half of the four-yearly tournament that opens on Jan. 20 and includes Ukraine. UEFA said Belarus will be drawn to play in one of the two groups moved to Slovenia's capital Ljubljana, which also will stage two quarterfinals, both semifinals and the final. One group will be played in each of Riga, Latvia's capital, and Kaunas in Lithuania. 'Each city will also host one quarterfinal, reaffirming their central roles in the tournament,' UEFA said, giving no details of how Ukraine will be separated from Belarus in the draw. Russian teams have been banned from international competitions by UEFA and FIFA since the full military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. UEFA's move in 2023 to reintegrate Russian under-17s teams was stopped by a backlash from Ukraine and other member federations. National and club teams from Belarus have continued to play, though must host 'home' games in neutral countries with no fans in the stadium. Belarus will start qualifying for the men's 2026 World Cup in September in a group with Denmark, Scotland and Greece. Belarus is playing home games in Hungary. The previous futsal Euros played in the Netherlands saw one of the last soccer matches between teams from Russia and Ukraine, in the quarterfinals on Feb. 4, 2022. Russia won 3-2.
The Star
20 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
EAEU signs trade agreements with UAE, Mongolia
MINSK, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Mongolia signed trade agreements with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) on Friday in Minsk. The leaders of the EAEU countries signed an agreement on economic partnership with the United Arab Emirates, and an interim trade agreement with Mongolia at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko welcomed the signing of the agreements at the summit in the Belarusian capital. The Belarusian leader said the most important tool for promoting the common interests of the EAEU member countries in the international arena is the creation of free trade zones of the union with third countries. Lukashenko said the expansion of the pool of countries that have concluded such agreements with the EAEU confirms the correctness of the international vector of the union's activities. The meeting was held coinciding with the Eurasian Economic Forum in Minsk on June 26-27. Minsk is chairing the EAEU bodies in 2025.
