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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko freed 123 prisoners Saturday, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava (also spelt Kolesnikova) after two days of talks with an envoy for President Donald Trump.In return, the United States agreed to lift sanctions on Belarusian potash.Potash is a key component in fertilisers, and the former Soviet state is a leading global producer.The prisoner release was by far the biggest by Lukashenko since Trump's administration opened talks this year with the veteran authoritarian leader, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.Western governments had previously shunned him because of his crushing of dissent and backing for Russia's war in Ukraine.Nine of the released prisoners left Belarus for Lithuania and 114 were taken to Ukraine, officials said.Bialiatski, co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, is a human rights campaigner who fought for years on behalf of political prisoners before becoming one himself.He had been in jail since July 2021.Visibly aged since he was last seen in public, he smiled broadly as he embraced exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on arrival at the US embassy in Lithuania.The Norwegian Nobel Committee expressed "profound relief and heartfelt joy" at his release.Kalesnikava, a leader of mass protests against Lukashenko in 2020, was among the large group taken by bus to Ukraine."Of course, it's a feeling of incredible happiness first of all: to see with your eyes the people who are dear to you, to hug them, and understand that now we are all free people. It's a great joy to see my first free sunset," she said in video published by the Ukrainian Telegram channel Khochu Zhit.It showed her embracing Viktar Babaryka, an opposition politician arrested in 2020 while preparing to run against Lukashenko in an election.Babaryka said his son Eduard was still in prison in Belarus.Kalesnikava called for the release of all political prisoners."I'm thinking of those who are not yet free, and I'm very much looking forward to the moment when we can all embrace, when we can all see one another, and when we will all be free," she said in the video interview.Tatsiana Khomich, Kalesnikava's sister, told Reuters that she had been worried she might refuse to leave Belarus and had been prepared to try to persuade her."I very much look forward to hugging Maria... the last five years was very hard for us, but now I talked to her (by phone) and I feel as if the five years did not happen," she said.US officials have told Reuters that engaging with Lukashenko is part of an effort to peel him away from Putin's influence, at least to a degree – an effort that the Belarus opposition, until now, has viewed with extreme scepticism.Trump's envoy, John Coale, had earlier told reporters in Minsk: "Per the instructions of President Trump, we, the United States, will be lifting sanctions on potash."The US and the European Union imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Belarus after Minsk launched a violent crackdown on protesters following a disputed election in 2020, jailing nearly all opponents of Lukashenko who did not flee abroad.Sanctions were tightened after Lukashenko allowed Belarus to serve as a staging ground for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.The exiled Belarusian opposition expressed gratitude to Trump and said the fact that Lukashenko had agreed to release prisoners in return for the concessions on potash was proof of the effectiveness of sanctions.The opposition has consistently said it sees Trump's outreach to Lukashenko as a humanitarian effort, but that EU sanctions should stay in place."US sanctions are about people. EU sanctions are about systemic change – stopping the war, enabling democratic transition, and ensuring accountability. These approaches do not contradict each other; they complement each other," exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said.Lukashenko has previously denied there are political prisoners in Belarus and described the people in question as "bandits".As recently as August, he asked why he should free people he sees as opponents of the state who might "again wage war against us".Trump has referred to Lukashenko as "the highly respected president of Belarus", a description that jars with the opposition who see him as a dictator.He has urged him to free up to 1,300 or 1,400 prisoners whom Trump has described as "hostages"."The United States stands ready for additional engagement with Belarus that advances US interests and will continue to pursue diplomatic efforts to free remaining political prisoners in Belarus," the US embassy in Lithuania said.Belarusian human rights group Viasna – which is designated by Minsk as an extremist organisation – put the number of political prisoners at 1,227 on the eve of Saturday's releases. 

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said she planned to take her award back to Venezuela, but declined to say Thursday when she would return after leaving in great secrecy to receive the honour.Venezuelan opposition leader Machado arrived in Oslo in the early hours of Thursday, failing to reach the Norwegian capital in time for the prize ceremony held hours earlier.The 58-year-old engineer had secretly left Venezuela for Oslo in defiance of a decade-long travel ban imposed by authorities and after spending more than a year in hiding."I came to receive the prize on behalf of the Venezuelan people and I will take it back to Venezuela at the correct moment," she told reporters at Norway's parliament, dressed in white, declining to say when this would be.When Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in October, she dedicated it in part to US President Donald Trump, who has said he himself deserved the honour.She has aligned herself with hawks close to Trump who argue that Maduro has links to criminal gangs that pose a direct threat to US national security, despite doubts raised by the US intelligence community.Speaking at a press conference, Machado was asked if she would support a US invasion of her home country, and said her country had already been invaded by actors such as agents and drug cartels."This has turned Venezuela into the criminal hub of the Americas. And what sustained the regime is a very powerful and strongly funded repression system," she said alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere."Where do those funds come from? Well, from drug trafficking, from the black market of oil, from arms trafficking, and from human trafficking. We need to cut those flows."Venezuela's Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Machado's remarks.Maduro and his government have always denied any involvement in crime and have accused the US of seeking regime change out of a desire to control Venezuela's natural resources, especially its vast oil reserves.She said Maduro's rule would come to an end and there was a need to prepare a transition in her country."I'm going back to Venezuela regardless of when Maduro goes out. He's going out, but the moment will be determined by when I'm finished doing the things that I came out to do," she added, without going into further detail.Following her pre-dawn arrival, Machado greeted dozens of people from the balcony of Oslo's Grand Hotel, where Nobel laureates traditionally stay, waving and singing the Venezuelan national anthem along with the crowd.Later, Machado came down to the street and climbed over crowd barriers to hug and shake hands with people who had gathered in the cold for the chance to see her.Machado was barred from running in the presidential election last year, despite having won the opposition's primary by a landslide. She went into hiding in August that year after authorities expanded arrests of opposition figures following the disputed vote.Machado thanked the men and women who had risked their lives to help her leave Venezuela but would not be drawn on details of her departure other than to say US authorities had also provided support."One day I will be able to tell you because certainly I don't want to put them in risk right now," she said. "It was quite an experience."Late on Wednesday, Venezuelan Minister of the Interior Diosdado Cabello said on a weekly broadcast that Machado left the country "without drama" but provided no details. 

For 124 years, the Nobel Prize has stood as one of the world’s most respected distinctions, recognising discoveries and ideas that advance humanity. The prize was founded by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist, engineer and industrialist whose inventions in explosives, including dynamite and safer detonation systems , built a vast international fortune. In his will, Nobel directed that this wealth should be used to honour individuals who had “conferred the greatest benefit to humankind”, turning personal success into a global legacy of progress. On 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, the world honours the 2025 Nobel Laureates. Nobel Day has become a defining moment in international recognition, celebrating achievements in science, literature, economic thought and peacebuilding. The 2025 awards speak directly to the challenges shaping the modern era: the defence of democracy, advances in medical research, breakthroughs in quantum physics, climate-relevant materials, deeper insights into innovation and a literary voice that captures the anxieties of contemporary life. From María Corina Machado’s struggle for democratic freedoms to discoveries in immunology, chemistry, physics and economics, and the visionary writing of László Krasznahorkai, the 2025 Nobel Prizes illustrate what becomes possible when knowledge, creativity and courage converge. The 2025 laureates, announced in October, are celebrated at a moment of political strain, rapid scientific progress and global transformation. Nobel assigned the Peace Prize to Norway’s Parliament because, at the time he wrote his will, Sweden and Norway shared a union but had separate governments. Norway’s reputation for diplomacy made it, in his view, the most credible guardian of a prize dedicated to peace. That tradition continues today: the Peace Prize is presented in Oslo, while all other Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm in the presence of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.The 2025 Nobel laureates and their motivations**media[391542]**Nobel Peace Prize:Democracy defended in VenezuelaMaría Corina Machado receives the Peace Prize for her determined efforts to restore democratic freedoms in Venezuela. Despite intimidation, political exclusion and exile, she has become a leading figure in peaceful resistance to authoritarian rule. Her recognition underscores global concerns about the fragility of democratic institutions.Nobel Prize in Literature:The visionary voice of László KrasznahorkaiHungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai is honoured for his compelling and visionary body of work. His long, flowing prose and themes of collapse, transformation and spiritual unrest have shaped contemporary literature across Europe, Asia and the Americas.Nobel Prize in Medicine:Understanding the immune system’s self-controlMary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi receive the Medicine Prize for pioneering discoveries on regulatory T cells, the immune system’s mechanism for preventing attacks on the body’s own tissues. Their work has reshaped modern immunology and opened new avenues for treating autoimmune disease, cancer and transplant rejection.Nobel Prize in Physics:Quantum mechanics at human xcaleJohn Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis are recognised for demonstrating quantum tunnelling and energy quantisation in macroscopic electrical circuits. Their findings proved that quantum effects extend far beyond the microscopic realm and laid the foundation for superconducting qubits, accelerating efforts to develop practical quantum computers.Nobel Prize in Chemistry:Materials for a climate-challenged centurySusumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi are awarded the Chemistry Prize for developing metal–organic frameworks, or MOFs, a class of materials with immense internal surface area and critical environmental applications. MOFs have become central to carbon capture, hydrogen storage and water harvesting, making this research vital in a climate-constrained world.Prize in Economic Sciences:Innovation as the engine of prosperityJoel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt receive the Prize in Economic Sciences for theories explaining how technological innovation drives long-term economic growth. Their work clarifies why societies prosper when they embrace new ideas, offering insights that resonate strongly in an age defined by artificial intelligence, automation and global economic change. From democracy and literature to immunology, quantum physics, climate-focused chemistry and the economics of innovation, the 2025 Nobel Prizes reflect the most pressing questions of our time. They also reaffirm Alfred Nobel’s vision: that human progress depends on curiosity, creativity and the courage to challenge accepted limits. Awarded for more than a century, the Nobel Prizes continue to define what the world values most. In 2025, they once again highlight the individuals whose ideas and achievements are helping shape the future.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has vowed to go to Norway to pick up her Nobel Peace Prize, defying a warning from Caracas that she would be a fugitive if she did so.The head of the Nobel Institute, Kristian Berg Harpviken, told AFP Saturday that Machado — who lives in hiding in her country — promised him she would make the ceremony, which is to take place in Oslo on Wednesday."I was in contact with Machado last night (Friday) and she confirms that she will be in Oslo for the ceremony," Kristian Berg Harpviken said."Given the security situation, we cannot say more about the date or how she will arrive," he said.He added, on NRK radio, that "nothing is ever 100-percent sure, but this is as certain as it can possibly be".Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, told AFP last month that Machado, 58, would be considered a "fugitive" if she travelled to Norway to accept the peace prize, which she was awarded on October 10.The December 10 date of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony coincides with the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite who left most of his fortune to be used for prizes for people who have brought "the greatest benefit" to humanity.Opposition activism in Venezuela has been muted since the arrest of some 2,400 people during protests that followed the most recent reelection of President Nicolas Maduro in July 2024.Machado has accused Maduro of stealing the election which she was banned from standing in, a claim backed by much of the international community.Machado, in hiding since August 2024, is a supporter of US President Donald Trump who himself has long coveted the prestigious Nobel peace award.Trump and so far been unsuccessful, despite intense lobbying on his behalf.Since returning to the White House for his second term in January, Trump has insisted that he deserved the Nobel for his role in resolving numerous conflicts.The White House even lashed out at the Norwegian Nobel Committee after it gave the award to Machado, claiming it had placed "politics over peace".However, Machado swiftly dedicated her award not only to the "suffering people of Venezuela", but also to the US president who, she said, had lent "decisive support of our cause"."More than ever we count on President Trump," she wrote on X.Trump has since became the recipient of a different peace prize: one created by the world football association FIFA and handed to him at the 2026 World Cup draw Friday.A smiling Trump called the award "truly one of the great honours of my life", and claimed again that "we saved millions and millions of lives".Machado agrees with Washington's assessment that Maduro heads a drug cartel, and has welcomed a beefed-up US military presence in the region, which has seen strikes on alleged drug boats.Trump's administration insists it is effectively at war with alleged "narco-terrorists". But Maduro has accused Washington of using drug trafficking as a pretext for "imposing regime change" in Caracas.Maduro has rejected a "slave's peace" for the region, amid mounting fears of US military action against his country.The months-long US military campaign has so far killed at least 87 people dead in more than 20 strikes, including a "double-tap" strike in which two men clinging to the wreckage of their vessel were killed. 

Machado is Venezuela's opposition leaderWas blocked from running for president in 2024Laureate lives in hiding'Oh my God ... I have no words' says laureateVenezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who lives in hiding, won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for fighting dictatorship in the country, receiving the award despite US President Donald Trump's repeated insistence he deserved it.Machado, a 58-year-old industrial engineer, was blocked in 2024 by Venezuela's courts from running for president and thus challenging President Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013."Oh my God ... I have no words," Machado told the secretary of the award body, Kristian Berg Harpviken, in a phone call which the Nobel Committee posted on social media."I thank you so much, but I hope you understand this is a movement, this is an achievement of a whole society. I am just one person. I certainly do not deserve it," she added.The White House criticised the decision, just days after Trump announced a breakthrough in talks to halt the fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas."President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives... The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace," White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a post on X.Maduro, whose 12 years in office have been marked by deep economic and social crisis, was sworn in for a third term in January this year, despite a six-month-long election dispute, international calls for him to stand aside and an increase in the US reward offered for his capture."When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist," the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in its citation.It was not immediately clear whether she would be able to attend the award ceremony in Oslo on December 10.Should she not attend, she would join the list of Peace Prize laureates prevented from doing so in the award's 124-year-history, including Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov in 1975, Poland's Lech Walesa in 1983 and Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi in 1991.Machado is the first Venezuelan to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the sixth from Latin America.The United Nations human rights office welcomed the award to Machado as a recognition of "the clear aspirations of the people of Venezuela for free and fair elections".The head of the award committee, Joergen Watne Frydnes, said he hoped the award would spur the Venezuelan opposition's work."We hope that the entire opposition will have renewed energy to continue the work for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy," Frydnes told Reuters after the announcement.It could also strengthen international pressure against the Maduro administration, said Human Rights Watch's Americas director, Juanita Goebertus Estrada.The lead-up to this year's award was dominated by Trump's repeated public statements that he deserved to win the award. Trump is also a fierce critic of Maduro."I think the main takeaway is that the committee is again demonstrating its independence, that they wouldn't be swayed by popular opinions or political leaders to award the prize," Halvard Leira, research director at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, told Reuters."The democratic opposition of Venezuela is something that the US has been eager to support. So, in that sense, it would be hard for anyone to constitute this as an insult to Trump."The United States has struck several vessels allegedly carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks.Trump has also said the US would look into attacking drug cartels "coming by land" in Venezuela.Trump has determined that the US is engaged in "a non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels, according to a document notifying Congress of its legal justification for deadly US strikes on boats off Venezuela.Frydnes, the Nobel committee leader, declined to say what it would take for Trump or others to win the prize in the future, or if efforts to end the fighting in Gaza could lead to an award in 2026."If it is nominated, then it will be considered, but time will show," Frydnes said."It's not our task to tell other people or other countries what to do, our task is to give out the peace prize.... So we'll have to see next year."The committee took its final decision before a ceasefire and hostage deal under the first phase of Trump's initiative to end the war in Gaza was announced on Wednesday.Ahead of the Nobel announcement, experts on the award had also said Trump was very unlikely to win as his policies were seen as dismantling the international world order the Nobel committee cherishes.The peace prize is the fifth Nobel awarded this week, after literature, chemistry, physics and medicine. Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, won in 2024.The Nobel Peace Prize, worth 11 million Swedish crowns, or about $1.2 million, will be presented in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will.