Belarus’ leader claims he saved opposition challenger’s life

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian president, whose re-election has triggered two months of protests, is maintaining that he saved his main opponent’s life by getting her out of the country — a claim rejected by her spokeswoman. Alexander Lukashenko asserted Friday that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ran against him in the Aug. 9 election, left for Lithuania a day after the vote of her own free will. Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation with an iron fist