Chapter 1: What recent developments occurred in Belarus regarding political prisoners?
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. Belarus has released more than 120 prisoners, a U.S. statement says they include the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Alice Belyatsky. The release, in exchange for sanctions relief, follows negotiations with an envoy for President Trump.
Meanwhile, international human rights groups are condemning the reported arrest of another Peace Prize laureate, Narges Mohammadi, in Iran. Here's NPR's Jackie Northam.
53-year-old Najez Mohammadi is widely known for her fight for women's rights and democracy in Iran. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 while she was incarcerated at Iran's notorious Evin prison. A year ago, the Iranian authorities granted Mohammadi temporary leave from her 13-year sentence for health reasons.
Her supporters say Mohammadi was at a memorial for a human rights lawyer when police rearrested her. It's unclear whether she will be returned to prison.
The Nobel Committee is calling on Iranian authorities to clarify Mahavati's whereabouts. Iran has not confirmed the arrest. U.S. military will host an international conference in Qatar next week. Its aim is to plan the force that will be deployed in Gaza. In the next stage of the Hamas, Israel cease fire. Jerome Sokoloski reports from Tel Aviv.
A U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly says the conference will meet on Tuesday in the Qatari capital Doha and more than 25 countries will be there. It's being convened by the U.S. Central Command, which coordinates military activities with allies in the Middle East. The official says countries won't be expected to commit troops at this conference to the international force.
That force will monitor compliance with a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, which has seen numerous flare-ups in fighting since it was agreed to in October. The U.S. official says the conference will discuss the command structure and other matters related to the security force. Jerome Sokolovsky, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
The week on Wall Street dominated by the Federal Reserve and worries about the tech bubble. As NPR's Maria Aspin reports, all three major U.S. stock markets were down on Friday.
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Chapter 2: How is Narges Mohammadi's arrest impacting human rights discussions?
And from Washington, this is NPR News. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson says his state is fortunate there have been no fatalities reported as first responders deal with a flood emergency.
Our prayers have been answered that this time no loss of life has occurred. The situation is truly historic. Rivers like the Skagit River and Cedar Rivers literally facing historic, experiencing historic levels of flooding. And so this is something that the people of the state of Washington have not faced before.
Photos and videos show widespread damage with entire communities and neighborhoods flooded around western and central Washington state following a string of atmospheric river storms. Officials are warning that water levels will remain high for days and there is more rain in the forecast tomorrow.
One of the strongest meteor showers of the year will peak this weekend in PR's Nell Greenfield voice reports.
The annual Geminid meteor shower happens when the Earth passes through a field of tiny particles left behind by an asteroid. That debris hits our atmosphere and produces bright streaks of light. Like the summertime Perseids, this meteor shower produces a good number of shooting stars. It just happens when it's a lot colder outside.
Still, if you can brave the cold, find a dark spot and give your eyes plenty of time to adjust. Then watch the sky and wait. Some of the best viewing will be late at night before the crescent moon rises. Or once the moon is up, you can keep your back to it so that its light won't swap out your view. Nell Greenfield-Boyce, NPR News.
And I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington.
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