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A former member of Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko’s special security forces is to face trial in Switzerland next month for the forced disappearances of political opponents in the late 1990s GENEVA -- A former member of Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko’s special security forces is to face trial in Switzerland next month for the forced disappearances of political opponents in the late 1990s, rights groups said Wednesday. Activists called it a “watershed moment" in international justice that could trigger prosecutions abroad of other Belarus officials — including Lukashenko, whose regime has come under renewed criticism over a crackdown against opposition leaders that began in August 2020 and support for Russia's military invasion of Ukraine last year, among other things. The case against Yuri Harauski, a former member of a Military unit known as SOBR, is due on Sept. 19-20 in the northern Swiss regional court of St. Gallen and focuses on the en forced disappear...

Iranian authorities detained the father of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who died in police custody last year, as he left his home to visit his daughter's grave. Iranian authorities detained the father of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who died in police custody last year, as he left his home to visit his daughter's grave on the first anniversary of her death , human rights observers said. A few hours later, Amjad Amini was taken home by security guards and has been under house arrest, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said Saturday. Mahsa Amini died in a hospital on Sept. 16, 2022, due to injuries sustained during her custody. She had been arrested by the Islamic Republic's hijab police, known as the morality police, in Tehran allegedly for not fully complying with the compulsory hijab rules of the country. Though the government claimed Amini died from a previous medical condition while in police custody, her family and critics of the regime believe th...

Fashion remains the main tool that Iranian women have utilized to defy the Islamic Republic's oppression. LONDON -- One year ago, 22-year-old Masha Amini died in custody of Iran’s hijab police. The agents, known as the morality police, arrested her for allegedly having some strands of hair showing off her black chiffon headscarf. The episode ignited months of bloody nationwide protests known as “Woman, Life, Freedom”, in which the regime killed hundreds of protestors and imprisoned tens of thousands. The uprising was mostly led by women who disposed of one particular weapon against their oppressor: fashion. Upon the anniversary of Amini's tragic death, fashion remains the main tool that Iranian women have utilized to defy the Islamic Republic's oppression. Now more than ever, what they decide to wear to live the normal life they seek is a political statement . The Sharia-based laws that have been in place since the revolution 40 years ago force women to wear a hijab to ...

The proposed ban comes following a fatal attack on Thursday. LONDON -- American XL Bully dogs could be banned in the U.K. by the end of the year, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Friday. There have been a string of attacks involving the canine breed, including a fatal one in Staffordshire, England. In a statement, West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said a male victim had "sustained multiple life-threatening injuries" and was in "critical condition" after an attack by a suspected XL Bully dog. "The American XL Bully dog is a danger to our communities, particularly our children. I share the nation’s horror at recent videos we’ve all seen. Yesterday, we saw another suspected XL Bully dog attack , which has tragically led to a fatality," Sunak said in a video statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Although recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club, the American Bulldog is not officially recognized as a breed by the U.K.'s Roy...

The Dominican Republic’s president has announced he will close all borders with neighboring Haiti starting Friday in a dispute over a canal on the Haitian side that would divert water from a border river DAJABON, Dominican Republic -- The Dominican Republic's president announced Thursday he would close all borders with neighboring Haiti starting Friday in a dispute over a canal on the Haitian side that would use water from a river along their frontier. President Luis Abinader said air, sea and land borders would close at 6 a.m. local time Friday and would remain shuttered “until necessary," signaling that last-minute talks between the countries had failed to head off the closure. It is a rare move for the Dominican Republic, and could hit economies in both countries, though it will be most acutely felt in Haiti. The closure is a response to the excavation of a canal by a farming group on the Haitian side that targets waters from the Massacre River, which runs along the border ...

A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people has been pulled free days after it got stuck off the coast of Greenland, authorities said. LONDON -- A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people has been pulled free days after it got stuck off the coast of Greenland, authorities said. The Joint Arctic Command, which is part of Denmark’s defense forces, announced in a social media post on Thursday that the ship, named the Ocean Explorer, was finally pulled free at high tide in Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. The 343-foot long and 60-foot wide vessel, which is operated by Australia-based cruise company Aurora Expeditions, was Travel ing toward a remote corner of Greenland on Monday when it ran aground above the Arctic Circle near Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park, the northernmost national park in the world. View of the Ocean Explorer, a luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people that ran aground, in Alpefjord, Greenland, Sept. 13, 2023. Danish Air Force...

Rescue teams in Europe are frustrated that Morocco did not throw open its doors to more outside assistance after last week's deadly earthquake PARIS -- The text-message alert came in the middle of the night: A massive earth quake had hit Morocco. French volunteers scrambled to pull together a nine-person search-and-rescue team, listening devices and other gear to look for people buried under rubble. The only thing the French aid workers didn't have was a green light from Morocco to hop on a flight, which could have landed them in the North African country's disaster zone little more than 24 hours after the Sept. 8 quake that killed more than 2,900 people and injured at least 5,530 others in flattened villages and townhouses. “The green light never came,” said Arnaud Fraisse, the team's coordinator and founder of aid group Rescuers Without Borders. “All of our team members who train regularly year-round for this type of thing are miserable that they couldn't lea...

North Korea launched a possible ballistic missile on Wednesday, Japan's Ministry of Defense said in a tweet. North Korea launched a possible ballistic missile on Wednesday, Japan's Ministry of Defense said in a tweet. The missile launch comes as North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un arrives in Russia where he is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A short while after the initial news broke, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed they had detected two short-range ballistic missile s fired from the Sunan area into the East Sea. "Our Military has strengthened its surveillance and vigilance in preparation for additional launch es, while maintaining a full preparedness while working closely with the U.S.,” read a statement the JCS released Wednesday morning local time. Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prior to their talks at the Far Eastern Federal University campus on Russky island in the far-eastern Russ...

Taiwan says it spotted 22 Chinese military aircraft and 20 warships near the island on Tuesday TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan said Tuesday it spotted 22 Chinese military aircraft and 20 vessels near the island over the previous 24 hours, as Beijing steps up its military activities in the area. Over the weekend, the United States and Canada sailed warships through the Taiwan Strait in a challenge to China’s sweeping territorial claims. On Monday, China sailed a naval formation led by its aircraft carrier Shandong, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) to Taiwan’s southeast. The vessel was expected to conduct drills simulating aircraft, submarine, warship and land attacks, according to Chinese state media. Thirteen of the Chinese military aircraft reported on Tuesday had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial demarcation zone between China and Taiwan, according to Taiwan's defense ministry. China claims Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy, as part of its territory to be reunited ...

A train "likely" to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un departed Pyongyang on Monday, a South Korean official told ABC News. SEOUL and LONDON -- A train presumed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un departed Pyongyang on Monday, beginning its journey to Russia for a planned meeting with President Vladimir Putin, a South Korean official told ABC News. The leader of the secretive country will pay an official state visit to Russia in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Monday. Korea's state-run media confirmed the visit . "Our Dearest Comrade Kim Jong Un will be visit ing Russia upon invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the visit he will meet Putin and hold a summit," the Korean Central News Agency reported Monday. In this file photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves from a train before leaving Pyongyang Station, North Korea, for Vietnam, on Feb. 23, 2019. Korean Central News Age...

Sudanese activists and a medical group say at least 43 people have been killed in a drone attack on an open market south of the capital, Khartoum CAIRO -- A drone attack Sunday on an open market south of Sudan's capital , Khartoum, killed at least 43 people, activists and a medical group said, as the Military and a powerful rival para Military group battle for control of the country. More than 55 others were wounded in the attack in Khartoum’s May neighborhood, where paramilitary forces battling the military were heavily deployed, the Sudan Doctors' Union said in a statement. The causalities were taken to the Bashair University Hospital for treatment. The Resistance Committees, an activist group that helps organize humanitarian assistance, posted footage on social media showing bodies wrapped in white sheets in an open yard at the hospital. Sudan has been rocked by violence since mid-April, when tensions between the country’s military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, ...

The decision by Mexico’s Supreme Court ending federal criminal penalties for abortion was a boost to activists who waged decades-long campaigns for safe access MEXICO CITY -- The decision by Mexico's Supreme Court ending federal criminal penalties for abortion was a boost to activists who waged decades-long campaigns for safe abortion access nationwide. The mostly Catholic country still has significant barriers to overcome before Mexican women gain universal access . Twenty of Mexico ’s 32 states have laws classifying abortion as a crime that allow exceptions only in cases of rape. Some also include exceptions if the mother’s life is in danger, or if there are severe fetal anomalies. Mexican Supreme Court decisions are not automatically the law of the entire nation: They often have reach that's somewhat limited. Wednesday's decision applied to federal anti-abortion penalties, meaning that the instant impact will be felt in the massive federal health system. While million...

President Joe Biden and his allies plan to roll out plans on Saturday for a shipping corridor that would connect India with the Middle East and ultimately Europe NEW DELHI -- NEW DELHI (AP) — President Joe Biden and his allies plan to roll out plans on Saturday for a shipping corridor that would connect India with the Middle East and ultimately Europe — a possible Game changer for global trade to be announce d at the Group of 20 summit. The proposed memorandum of understanding for a shipping and rail transportation corridor would include the United States, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the European Union and other countries in the G20, said Jon Finer, the president's deputy national security adviser. Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plan to announce the project as part of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment. The rail and shipping corridor would enable greater trade among the countries, including energy products. It could also be o...

Severe rainstorms eased but floodwaters were still rising in parts of central Greece Friday, while fire department and military helicopters were plucking people from villages inundated by tons of water and mud that have left at least six dead, six miss... ATHENS, Greece -- Severe rainstorms eased but floodwaters were still rising in parts of central Greece Friday, while fire department and military helicopters were plucking people from villages inundated by tons of water and mud that have left at least six dead, six missing and many people clinging to the roofs of their homes. Flooding triggered by rainstorms also hit neighboring Bulgaria and Turkey, killing a total of 18 people in all three countries since the rains began Tuesday. In Greece, severe rainstorms that lashed the country turned streams into raging torrents that burst dams, washed away roads and bridges and hurled cars into the sea. Authorities said some areas received twice the average annual rainfall for Athens in the s...