'Pay or He Dies': More Egyptians Risk Mediterranean Crossing

UN Report Warns of Escalating Human Rights Abuses Against Migrants and Refugees in Libya

Taher M. El-Sonni, Permanent Representative of the State of Libya to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in Libya. Credit: UN Photo/Manuel ElíasBy Oritro KarimUNITED NATIONS, Feb 20 2026 (IPS) A new UN report warns of the “brutal and normalized reality” for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya as they face exploitation and human rights violations. On February 18, the Office of the United Nations …

‘People are in awe’: exhibition unveils ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead

A rare gilded and complete Book of the Dead, used by ancient Egyptians to help them to the afterlife, is now on display in BrooklynIn the ancient world, travel to eternal bliss was not easy. For the Greeks, you’d have to hitch a ride with Charon across the River Styx and hope you were one of the few fortunate souls to make it to Elysium. If you were lived among the ancient Aztecs, your journey to Mictlan involved numerous struggles, including cl…

'Pay or he dies': More Egyptians risk Mediterranean crossing

Weeks after Hamdy Ibrahim left his village in Egypt’s Nile Delta hoping to reach Europe, his brother’s phone rang with a chilling message from Libya: pay now...

'Pay or he dies': the deadly price of hope for Egypt's migrants

The call came from Libya: pay $4,000 immediately, or the boy dies at sea. For Youssef Ibrahim, whose 18-year-old brother Hamdy had vanished after contacting smugglers online, there was no choice. "Returning meant death. There was no way back," another relative told AFP.

Libya: Migrants, Refugees in Libya Subjected to 'Systematic' Abuse

It also described it as a "brutal and normalised reality" that has become business as usual in Libya.