More Russian servicemen released as part of prisoner exchange with Ukraine

Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday that it had received another group of released Russian servicemen as part of a prisoner swap agreed with Ukraine during peace talks in Istanbul.

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Germany to hire 11,000 more military personnel this year, Bild reports

FRANKFURT (Reuters) -The German government will provide funds for an extra 11,000 military personnel by the end of the year, an increase of around 4%, tabloid Bild reported on Saturday, citing government sources. The money will be provided for 10,000 soldiers and 1,000 civilian employees for the military by end-2025, the newspaper said, adding the move was part of this year's budget planning to be approved by the cabinet next week. The new jobs will cover armed, air, naval and cyber forces, the report said. Germany's Defence Ministry declined to comment. Germany needs up to 60,000 additional troops under new NATO targets for weapons and personnel, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said earlier this month, as the alliance beefs up its forces to respond to what it sees as an increased threat from Russia.

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7 minutes ago

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Netanyahu biggest obstacle to regional peace, says Erdogan at OIC meeting

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the 'biggest obstacle to regional peace' and that Israeli attacks on Iran right before a new round of nuclear talks with the United States aimed to sabotage the negotiations. Addressing Arab League diplomats during a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on Saturday, Erdogan urged countries with influence over Israel not to listen to its 'poison' and to seek a solution to the fighting via dialogue without allowing a wider conflict. Israeli attacks on Iran show that Netanyahu 'and his government … do not want any issues or any matters to be solved diplomatically,' said Erdogan. 'Netanyahu's Zionist ambitions have no other purpose than to drag our region and … the whole world into a big disaster,' he added. Erdogan accused the Western leaders of providing 'unconditional support' to Israel. He said Turkiye would not allow borders in the Middle East to be redrawn 'in blood'. 'It is vital for us to show more solidarity to end Israel's banditry – not only in Palestine but also in Syria, in Lebanon and in Iran,' he told the OIC gathering. The 57-member OIC, founded in 1969, says its mission is to 'safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony'.Speaking before Erdogan, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of leading the Middle East towards 'total disaster' by attacking Iran. 'Israel is now leading the region to the brink of total disaster by attacking Iran, our neighbour,' he said. 'There is no Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Yemeni or Iranian problem but there is clearly an Israeli problem.' Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said Turkiye as the current OIC chair sees itself well-placed in helping to find a resolution to the Israel-Iran conflict. 'It is a NATO member country placed between the Western and Muslim worlds, and has strong bilateral relations with Iran, the Western world and the United States. And until a few years ago, it had strong relations with Israel,' she said. On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was only prepared to engage with the US if Israel stops its attacks on Iran. 'Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again and once the aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed,' said Araghchi. 'We support the continuation of discussion with [Britain, France, Germany and the EU] and express our readiness to meet again in the near future.'

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31 minutes ago

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Belarus frees jailed opposition leader after appeal from US

Belarus freed top opposition figure Sergei Tikhanovsky and over a dozen other political prisoners Saturday following an appeal from the White House, Minsk said, a sign of warming ties between Washington and Belarus-ally Moscow. The release came just hours after US special envoy Keith Kellogg met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, the highest-profile visit of a US official to the authoritarian state in years. Tikhanovsky's wife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who took the mantle of the opposition movement after her husband's jailing, thanked US President Donald Trump directly for brokering the deal. European politicians and members of Belarus's exiled opposition also welcomed the news. The European Union hailed Tikhanovsky's release as a "symbol of hope" and a leading activist calling it an "important moment". Tikhanovsky, 46, had been imprisoned for more than five years. The popular Youtuber had planned to run against Lukashenko in the August 2020 presidential election, but was arrested and detained weeks before the vote. He was sentenced in 2021 to 18 years in prison for "organising riots" and "inciting hatred", then to another 18 months for "insubordination". Svetlana -- a political novice at the time of his arrest -- ran against Lukashenko in her husband's place but lost after what the opposition described as widespread falsification. She later fled Belarus. "It's hard to describe the joy in my heart," she said in a post on X following her husband's release. - Transferred to Lithuania - Among the 13 others freed were Radio Liberty journalist Igor Karnei, arrested in 2023 and jailed for participating in an "extremist" organisation. They have now been transferred from Belarus to Lithuania, where they were receiving "proper care", Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said. Swedish-Belarusian citizen Galina Krasnyanskaya, arrested in 2023 for allegedly supporting Ukraine, was also freed, said Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Belarus, ruled by Lukashenko since 1994, has outlawed all genuine opposition parties. It is the only European country to retain the death penalty as a punishment. The eastern European country still holds more than 1,000 political prisoners in its jails, according to local human rights group Viasna. - 'Sincerest joy' - Lukashenko's spokeswoman said the Belarusian leader ordered the release of the prisoners on Trump's "request", Russian state media reported. There was no immediate comment from the White House. Since taking office, Trump has engaged in direct talks with Vladimir Putin, ending his predecessor's policy of isolating the Russian president. The two nuclear powers have since worked to normalise diplomatic ties, which have for years lingered at their lowest point since the Cold War. Tikhanovsky was for years held incommunicado, and in 2023 his wife was told that he had "died". In a video published by Viasna on Saturday, he appeared almost unrecognisable, his head shaven and face emaciated. A charismatic activist, Tikhanovsky drew the ire of authorities for describing Lukashenko as a "cockroach" and his campaign slogan was "Stop the cockroach." Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in the 2020 election, a result that sparked massive opposition protests which authorities violently suppressed. The Belarusian autocrat claimed a record seventh term in elections earlier this year that observers dismissed as a farce. Fellow Belarusian political activists and foreign politicians welcomed the release of the 14 on Saturday. Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski expressed his "sincerest joy", while Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics called Tikhanovsky's freedom a "much awaited and long overdue moment". Pavel Latushko, a former culture minister in Belarus who supported the 2020 protests against Lukashenko, said all those released had been jailed illegally. He hailed Tikhanovsky's release as an "important moment". European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen also welcomed Tikhanovsky's release. "This is fantastic news and a powerful symbol of hope for all the political prisoners suffering under the brutal Lukashenka regime," she said on X. Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Tikhanovsky's release was "fantastically good news", in a post to X. "At the same time, we must not forget the many other prisoners in Belarus. Lukashenko must finally release them," he added. bur-cad/jj