Western spies privately blame Russia's FSB for Alexei Navalny poisoning
Exclusive: stark conclusion shared between London, Berlin and Paris in effect points finger at Kremlin
Western security agencies have privately concluded that the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by the country’s FSB domestic spy agency, in effect pointing the finger at the Kremlin for ordering the attack.
The stark conclusion has been shared between London, Berlin and Paris, among others, and underpins the decision this week by the UK and the EU to target the FSB chief, Alexander Bortnikov, with sanctions.
European leaders have been quick to accuse the Russian state of being responsible for Navalny’s poisoning in August, but remain reluctant to explicitly blame the agency they believe is responsible or President Vladimir Putin himself.
‘The pain hasn’t gone away’: Women of Xinjiang reveal horror of China’s brutal campaign of forced abortions and imprisonment
Get an abortion - or your family will suffer. Denounce your religion - or a prison guard will beat you. Undeterred by constant threats of violence, women stand up to Beijing and expose the dystopian nightmare inside Xinjiang. By Simina Mistreanu and Roxi Pop
round midnight on 25 December 2017, police came to the house of Gulziya Mogdin in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang. They drove her to the hospital. Mogdin knew a medical checkup was the first step in a process through which ethnic minorities such as herself, a Kazakh, were being placed in political indoctrination camps by the Chinese government. Mogdin, 39, had moved to Kazakhstan to live with her husband, a Kazakh citizen. But earlier in the year, Chinese police had demanded that she cross the border back into China together with her two children from a previous marriage.
Five days before the police visit, Mogdin had found out she was pregnant. Her pregnancy also showed up during the medical examination. The next day, she says, authorities started pressuring her to get an abortion. She resisted, saying she couldn’t end the pregnancy without her husband’s consent. The following month, Mogdin was summoned to the local administration office. An official told her that if she refused an abortion, her brother would be held accountable. Fearing her brother could be locked up because of her, she relented. She had the abortion on January 5th.
US election: What happens if there is no winner on election night?
With increased mail-in voting and deep political division, the US election results could take longer than usual to confirm. DW explains the scenarios that could follow election day.
US election results usually trickle in on election night, followed by a concession speech from the losing candidate in the early hours of the morning.
But this year, with record numbers of Americans voting by mail due to concerns over COVID-19, ballots will take longer to tally, dragging election night into a days- or even weekslong process after November 3. Add to this doubts some Republicans have cast on the credibility of voting by mail and President Donald Trump's repeated refusals to commit to accepting the results of the election — including during the most recent presidential debate — and the aftermath of the election could be chaotic.
Nagorno-Karabakh: Sirens, shelling and shelters in Stepanakert
The main city in the disputed mountain region resembles a ghost town, where people share stories of grief underground.
An elderly couple walks slowly to one of the city’s few remaining open shops. A car filled with men in fatigues, waving as they pass by, heads towards the eastern edge of the city and the front line. Journalists in front of the Hotel Europe, wearing helmets and ballistic jackets, plan their day.
The wail of air sirens is a regular feature, forcing anyone outside to hurry for cover.
This is a scene in Stepanakert, the main city in Nagorno-Karabakh, or the capital of the unrecognised Republic of Artsakh, as Armenians know it.
Two Thai protesters could face life imprisonment for violence against the Queen
Updated 1027 GMT (1827 HKT) October 16, 2020
Two activists in Thailand have been arrested on charges of attempting violence against the Queen, which could result in a possible life sentence.
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