INTERNACIONAL
Trump says US helped secure release of 5 prisoners in Belarus deal, thanks Lukashenko
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President Donald Trump announced Sunday that five prisoners from Poland and Moldova were released from detention in Belarus and Russia following diplomatic efforts involving the U.S., marking a rare breakthrough in negotiations with the two countries.
The release includes Polish journalist and activist Andrzej Poczobut, whose case has drawn international attention and concern from European leaders, and signals a potential opening for limited cooperation between Washington and Minsk, even as tensions with Russia remain high and broader disputes persist.
«We just secured the release of three Polish and two Moldovan prisoners from Belarusian and Russian detention,» Trump said on Truth Social. «Thanks to my Special Presidential Envoy, John Coale, we were able to push hard to make this release happen.
«My friend, President Karol Nawrocki of Poland, met with me last September and asked me to help secure Andrzej Poczobut from Belarusian prison,» he continued. «Today, Poczobut is free due to our efforts. The United States delivers for our Allies and Friends.
SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO HAILS RELEASE OF US PRISONER IN BELARUS AS CONTROVERSY HANGS OVER NATION’S ELECTION
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet during a past engagement, while President Donald Trump is shown separately, as recent prisoner negotiations signal shifting dynamics between Washington, Minsk and Moscow. (Vladimir Smirnov/AFP; Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
«Thank you to President Aleksandr Lukashenko for his cooperation and friendship. So nice!» Trump added.
Poczobut, a correspondent for the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza and a prominent member of Belarus’ Polish minority, had been serving an eight-year sentence in a case widely criticized as politically motivated.
He was arrested in 2021 after reporting on pro-democracy protests in Belarus, drawing international condemnation. Poczobut was later awarded the Sakharov Prize, the European Union’s top human rights honor.
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Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski addresses a joint press conference in Warsaw on Sept. 29, 2025, following a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Weimar Triangle and Ukraine. (Wojtek Radwanski/AFP)
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski described Poczobut as both a symbol of the fight for freedom in Belarus and an example of Poland’s commitment to securing the return of its citizens.
The exchange was part of a broader series of prisoner releases negotiated with U.S. involvement, reflecting a recent thaw in relations between Washington and Minsk under Trump.
A spokesperson for Poland’s Foreign Ministry said the deal involved a multi-country arrangement, with three individuals transferred from Belarus to Poland in exchange for three sent in the opposite direction, alongside others released through separate agreements.
AMERICAN AMONG 3 DETAINEES RELEASED FROM BELARUS
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko listens during a meeting with foreign correspondents in Minsk, Belarus, on July 6, 2023. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)
Those freed included Grzegorz Gawel, a Roman Catholic friar from the Carmelite order in Krakow, as well as a Belarusian national who had worked with Polish intelligence services, according to Polish officials, who did not publicly identify the individual.
Earlier this year, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko authorized the release of 250 political prisoners under an agreement with Washington that led to a partial easing of U.S. sanctions.
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Belarus, a longtime ally of Russia, has remained largely isolated from the West for years. Lukashenko, who has been in power for more than three decades, has faced repeated sanctions over human rights abuses and for allowing Russian forces to use Belarusian territory during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
human rights, donald trump, belarus, vladimir putin, sanctions
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A Democratic House hopeful vying for one of the nation’s most competitive districts is staying silent after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., voiced support for her campaign.
Ocasio-Cortez, a leftist firebrand with growing influence in the Democratic Party, congratulated former Biden administration official Cait Conley on her primary victory in a social media post Wednesday.
«I look forward to working together as a delegation as we fight for working families across New York,» Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
The post also celebrated a Democrat vying to succeed retiring Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., alongside three socialist candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
RISING SOCIALIST STARS ON TRACK TO CONGRESS: WHO ARE DARIALIZA AVILA CHEVALIER, BRAD LANDER AND CLAIRE VALDEZ?
Brad Lander, former New York City comptroller and U.S. House candidate, stands with NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at a «Get Out The Vote» rally at Kings Theater in Brooklyn on June 18, 2026. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Conley has yet to comment on Ocasio-Cortez’s support or address the trio of far-left candidates — longtime New York official Brad Lander, state Assembly member Claire Valdez, D-N.Y., and activist Darializa Avila-Chevalier — who have called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are outspoken critics of Israel and have vowed to advance the Palestinian cause in Congress.
Conley’s general election opponent, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., insists she should have to answer for it.
«Which is it, Cait: do you reject AOC and the candidates who want to abolish ICE, defund the police, and tear down our borders, or do you embrace them?» Lawler’s campaign manager Ciro Riccardi said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
«The Hudson Valley deserves an answer, and so far all we’ve heard is your damning silence,» he continued.
Lander and Avila-Chevalier previously called for defunding the police, while the latter has continued to advocate for abolishing prisons and stopping all deportations. Avila-Chevalier also reposted a tweet denying Israel’s right to exist and helped form a pro-Palestinian group at Columbia University that called for «the total eradication of Western civilization.»
The three Mamdani-backed candidates are expected to double the ranks of the left-wing group known as the «Squad,» an informal bloc closely aligned with Ocasio-Cortez, who also supports abolishing ICE.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Conley campaign for comment.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a leader of the Democratic Party’s leftist flank, voiced support for Democratic House candidate Cait Conley after she won a contested primary Tuesday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
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The scrutiny comes after Conley avoided criticizing the socialist candidates during an interview with MS NOW on Thursday.
Asked about socialist candidates who support prison abolition and have suggested the United States deserved 9/11, Conley talked about her own background rather than directly addressing the question.
«I joined the Army and went to West Point because of 9/11 because I watched the suffering and pain that we as a nation, we as a state, we as the Hudson Valley, experienced that day,» Conley said. «And so when you talk about the American government’s responsibility to the people, it is to keep it safe.»
«While, you know, folks were elected down in New York City, in New York-17, Democratic voters chose a West Point grad and 16-year Army combat veteran to be their representative in this fight this fall,» Conley added, referring to herself.
Aber Kawas, a socialist and pro-Palestinian activist who won a Democratic primary for a New York State Senate seat Tuesday, appeared to justify 9/11 in a resurfaced 2017 video.
Conley has previously faced scrutiny over her role on former President Joe Biden’s national security team. Lawler has argued that she downplayed her alleged involvement in the former president’s botched 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, which coincided with her time on the National Security Council.
The battleground race is expected to be one of the most hotly-contested races in the country, with national Republicans expected to aggressively defend Lawler’s bid for a third House term.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., leaves the U.S. Capitol after the last vote of the week on Jan. 9, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
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The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest as a «toss-up» after shifting the race in favor of Democrats earlier this year.
In 2024, former Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly won the purple district, where Democrats hold a sizable voter registration advantage.
politics, alexandria ocasio cortez, jerrold nadler, the squad, kamala harris, elections, midterm elections
INTERNACIONAL
Los Estados Unidos denuncian en la OEA que Nicaragua se convirtió en un “Estado policial dinástico”
Estados Unidos denunció ante la OEA que Nicaragua fue convertida por Rosario Murillo y Daniel Ortega en un “Estado policial dinástico”, una acusación que vinculó con violaciones sistemáticas de derechos humanos, persecución política, represión contra la sociedad civil y un pedido de mayor presión diplomática internacional.
En la misma intervención, Washington responsabilizó directamente al régimen por la muerte bajo custodia del líder indígena miskitu Brooklyn Rivera y reclamó la liberación de todos los presos políticos que considera detenidos de manera injusta.
Según la denuncia presentada en la Asamblea General de la Organización de los Estados Americanos, celebrada en Panamá, el gobierno nicaragüense también profundizó las restricciones a la libertad religiosa: más de 300 clérigos y monjas fueron forzados al exilio, expulsados o se les negó el reingreso al país; la mitad de los obispos reside fuera de Nicaragua y al menos 51 sacerdotes enfrentan la posibilidad de apatridia.
El encargado de exponer la posición estadounidense fue el embajador de Estados Unidos ante el organismo, Leandro Rizzuto Jr., quien sostuvo que la salida de Nicaragua de la OEA no le permitió escapar al escrutinio internacional.
Rizzuto afirmó que desde la crisis iniciada en 2018 el régimen consolidó un sistema autoritario que, según Estados Unidos, representa una amenaza para la estabilidad democrática regional.
También señaló que desde 2025 los cambios constitucionales impulsados por la Asamblea Nacional reforzaron aún más el poder político de Murillo.
Al describir el funcionamiento de ese sistema, el embajador dijo: “Los dictadores han silenciado, exiliado y encarcelado en condiciones horribles a miles de opositores reales y percibidos, incluidos ciudadanos estadounidenses. Los arrestos injustos continúan sin cesar y las autoridades someten a presos políticos liberados a vigilancia policial constante, acoso y limitaciones de movimiento”.
Ese señalamiento incluyó una acusación específica sobre la situación de los opositores, periodistas y exiliados. Según Rizzuto, el régimen incrementó el acoso y la violencia contra comunicadores nicaragüenses que permanecen fuera del país y ejerce una represión transnacional que preocupa al resto de la región.
Durante su exposición, el representante estadounidense añadió: “Persisten las violaciones de las libertades religiosas. La dictadura ha exiliado por la fuerza, expulsado y negado el reingreso a Nicaragua a más de 300 clérigos y monjas, la mitad de los obispos reside fuera de Nicaragua y al menos 51 sacerdotes enfrentan la posibilidad de apatridia”.
La acusación se conoció en un contexto de denuncias reiteradas de organismos internacionales sobre las restricciones impuestas a organizaciones religiosas y el exilio forzado de numerosos miembros de la Iglesia católica.
Rizzuto también se refirió a la muerte de Rivera bajo custodia. “Fue horrible, todavía debería estar vivo”, afirmó.
Luego atribuyó esa muerte de manera directa al régimen. “Estados Unidos considera a la dictadura Murillo-Ortega singularmente responsable de su muerte, condenamos el arresto y encarcelamiento de los miembros de la familia Rivera y pedimos la liberación de todos los presos políticos injustamente detenidos”.
El embajador agregó que el clima político de Nicaragua afecta además cualquier expectativa económica. Sostuvo que ningún país puede esperar oportunidades de inversión en un Estado donde continúan las confiscaciones de bienes y persiste la ausencia de seguridad jurídica.
Domestic,Politics,South America / Central America,Government / Politics
INTERNACIONAL
Woman stalked by charging bear on morning dog walk captures terrifying encounter on camera
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A woman walking her dog in a wooded area in Canada recently found herself stalked by a large bear, according to a tense viral video she shot on her phone.
Despite the woman repeatedly shouting at the bear «No! Go away» and making loud noises to scare it away, it continued to follow her down the road.
After at first slowly moving toward her, the bear suddenly started charging, circling her as she kept backing away and screaming for it to leave them alone.
For nearly two agonizing minutes, the bear runs toward her then backs away, rearing up on its hind legs several times, revealing its massive size.
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A woman had a frightening encounter with a bear this week. (Wilderness Escape Adventures via Storyful)
She was finally able to distract the bear by throwing what appeared to be her water bottle behind a gate. The video ends as she races away after the bear went to investigate what she had thrown.
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The woman had just grabbed her morning coffee and was only planning to go for a short walk with her dog near where she was camping with others when the encounter happened, according to Wilderness Escape Adventures in Alberta, which said on TikTok they interviewed the woman.
The woman encountered the bear while heading back to her camp. (Escape Adventures via Storyful)
She had just picked up her dog’s leash and began to head back to camp when the bear appeared.
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The bear reared up several times. (Escape Adventures via Storyful)
The woman stayed calm during the encounter and didn’t run from the bear until it had moved away from her.
Experts say to never run from a bear because it can trigger their predatory instincts and bears can outrun humans at up to 35 mph.
wild nature, camping hiking, pets, camping, canada, world
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