Latest Belarus News
In Belarus, the native language is vanishing as Russian takes prominence
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — When school started this year for Mikalay in Belarus, the 15-year-old discovered that his teachers and administrators no longer called him by that name. Instead, they referred to him as Nikolai, its Russian equivalent. What's more, classes at his school —...
Serbian appeals court overturns ruling to extradite to Belarus a critic of its authoritarian regime
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — An appeals court in Serbia on Wednesday overturned an earlier court ruling that a prominent critic of the authoritarian government in Belarus should be extradited to that country, and said that the case must be retried. Serbian authorities arrested...
Belarusians fleeing repression at home say they face new threats and intimidation abroad
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — More than a half-million Belarusians have fled their country in the past four years as the authoritarian government launched a harsh crackdown on its political opponents. Some of them, however, are discovering that they can't escape intimidation and threats in their new...
Aryna Sabalenka beats Jessica Pegula to win the US Open for her third Grand Slam title
NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka left the U.S. Open in tears 12 months ago as the runner-up. She exited in the semifinals each of the two years before that, other losses that were difficult to digest. On Saturday, Sabalenka was in a joking mood after winning her first championship at Flushing...
Jessica Pegula will meet Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open women's final Saturday
NEW YORK (AP) — Back in January, when Aryna Sabalenka was winning a second consecutive Australian Open title, Jessica Pegula was bowing out in the second round with a straight-set loss against someone ranked 51st. It wasn't the first setback for Pegula, of course. There have been...
Poland charges 3 Belarusian officials with diverting a plane to Minsk in 2021 to arrest a dissident
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish prosecutors on Friday charged three Belarusian officials with using a ruse to divert a Poland-registered plane while in flight three years ago and violating the freedom of 132 people on board as they sought to arrest a dissident. The three officials...
Japanese man arrested in Belarus on charges of acting as special services agent
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Japanese man has been arrested in Belarus and is facing charges of working for Japan's special services by photographing military and civilian infrastructure near the border with Ukraine. A report on Belarusian state TV on Thursday said suspect Masatoshi...
US Open: Jessica Pegula reaches her first Grand Slam final at age 30 and will play Aryna Sabalenka
NEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Pegula could do no right at the outset of her first Grand Slam semifinal. Her opponent at the U.S. Open on Thursday night, Karolina Muchova, could do no wrong. “I came out flat, but she was playing unbelievable. She made me look like a beginner,” Pegula...
The EU wants answers from Hungary about work visas for Russia and Belarus
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s top migration official expressed concern on Wednesday about a Hungarian work visa program open to citizens from Russia and Belarus, just as sabotage attacks and spying allegations raise alarm across Europe. Hungary extended its National Card...
Belarus' president pardons 30 political prisoners
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 30 people Wednesday who were serving prison sentences for "protest-related crimes,” his press service said. It's the third time in three months that the authoritarian leader has pardoned prisoners. The...
