Libya executes people based on secret trials
Cairo, Oct 14: Libya has executed at least 31 people since late August following military trials, marking the country’s first known executions since 2010, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday. The rights group said it had documented the executions carried out by the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) as of September 10. It warned that at least 50 other people held at Gernada military prison were at imminent risk of execution. The LNA, also known as the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, is an east-based military force commanded by General Khalifa Hifter that controls eastern and southern Libya. “The Libyan Arab Armed Forces are putting people to death after secret trials built on confessions allegedly extracted through torture, in courts that Libya’s own Supreme Court has said should not be trying civilians,” Bassam Khawaja said in a report. (AP)
Gunman kills 4 in Africa shooting
Johannesburg, Oct 14: A gunman fired on a group of mourners leaving a memorial service for a local politician in South Africa, killing at least four people and injuring three others, police said Wednesday. At least one of those wounded in the shooting late Tuesday in Katlehong township was a child, according to police, who said the suspect was in custody after turning himself in.Police initially said two men died at the scene southeast of Johannesburg, but authorities raised the death toll to four after two more people died in a hospital on Wednesday. The shooting is being investigated by a political killings task team, the South African Police Service said in a statement. Some of the victims were members of the youth league of the African National Congress party. (AP)
Germany shuts airport due to hijacking fears
Berlin, Oct 14: Authorities in Germany briefly shut an airport and scrambled fighter jets to escort a passenger plane after an emergency call raised fears of a possible hijacking but turned out to be over a radio problem, officials said. The carrier, Corendon Airlines, said the Boeing 737-800 flying from Corfu, Greece, to Nuremberg, Germany, sent out an emergency code late in the morning over Croatia “due to a brief malfunction in the radio communication system”. In a statement sent to The Associated Press, the airline said “no emergency situation occurred” and the 178 passengers, flight crew or aircraft were not at any point in any danger. (AP)
Colombia gives police more power to stop street protests
Bogota, Oct 14: Colombia’s government on Tuesday modified a set of guidelines that dictate how police should react to street protests, giving officers greater leeway to break up demonstrations in which protesters are vandalizing public property or disrupting access to essential services through actions like roadblocks. The modifications made by the government of conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella have been criticized by activists and opposition politicians, who are concerned that the new guidelines can be broadly interpreted by officers and could lead to more cases of police violence. (AP)