Since the two decades he spent in the U.S. after leading a CIA-backed campaign against the regime of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi in the 1980s, militia leader Khalifa Haftar amassed millions of dollars in properties and other assets, including a luxury home in Virginia. Now, as Mr. Haftar commands troops in eastern Libya and faces … Read more
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Facebook chatter from the anti-vaccination movement now frames the issue as one of civil liberties, a new study finds. As a COVID-19 vaccine gets closer to becoming a reality, opposition from so-called anti-vaxxer groups could become a political movement, researchers warn. For the study, the investigators … Read more
Two British Islamic State fighters accused in the torture and killing of Western hostages were brought to the U.S. to face criminal charges in Virginia, U.S. authorities said Wednesday, after more than two years of legal limbo after their capture in Syria. The men, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey, who had allegedly supervised Islamic … Read more
LONDON—The U.K. and Canada imposed sanctions on Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and senior figures in his government, a sign of widening discontent in the West over ongoing repression of peaceful protests against his purported victory in a disputed election. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab accused Mr. Lukashenko and his allies of multiple human-rights violations in … Read more
When China curtailed political freedoms in Hong Kong this summer, two rival declarations circulated at the United Nations Human Rights Council. One, drafted by Cuba and commending Beijing’s move, won the backing of 53 nations. Another, issued by the U.K. and expressing concern, secured 27 supporters. China’s show of strength was just the latest diplomatic … Read more
Drones mounted with megaphones buzz above Rwanda’s streets and villages, reminding pedestrians to social distance. In one clinic, sleek white robots chastise people for not wearing masks. Health workers in protective clothing take test samples from drivers at traffic intersections. The tiny central African nation of Rwanda is implementing one of the continent’s most aggressive—and technologically sophisticated—strategies to contain … Read more
HONG KONG—At least five organizations say they won’t help companies audit their supply chains in China’s Xinjiang region, where human-rights activists say a police-state atmosphere and government controls make it too difficult to determine whether factories and farms are relying on forced labor. China’s increasingly repressive tactics in the northwestern region, where large numbers of … Read more
Dozens of Syrian nationals have been transferred to Turkey for trial since Ankara’s invasion of Syria last year, according to relatives of those deported and a United Nations report published Tuesday that details alleged abuses in areas under Turkish control. Most of those deported were rounded up last October by Syrian fighters who spearheaded Turkey’s … Read more
MOSCOW— Alexander Cherevach, a software engineer in Belarus, said he was returning from work when police stopped him on the street in Minsk and accused him of participating in mass demonstrations against the country’s authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko. Mr. Cherevach, 26, said that when he wouldn’t unlock his computer and phone, the officers shoved him into a … Read more
Women’s rights activists are facing a renewed threat in Egypt after security forces detained witnesses and people who campaigned for the prosecution of several accused rapists, according to several people close to the situation. Authorities detained six people in recent days, including some who offered evidence in a high-profile case involving a group of wealthy … Read more