Militia groups gun down protesters in Libya
TRIPOLI, Libya – Libyan militiamen attacked white-flag-carrying protesters demanding the disbanding of the country’s rampant armed groups Friday, killing at least 22 people as they opened fire on the march with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan blamed the protesters and the militia alike for the violence, though witnesses said they saw no protesters carrying weapons ahead of the shooting Friday afternoon. By Friday night, however, some protesters joined by other militias had armed themselves and heavy gunfire rang out in the Tripoli neighborhood where the attack happened.
The march in the capital Tripoli by thousands of protesters was the biggest show of public anger at militias in months. Since the 2011 fall of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, hundreds of militias – many of them on government payroll – have run out of control in Libya, carving out zones of power, defying state authority and launching violent attacks.
When they neared the building, militiamen in civilian clothes and military uniforms came out of the headquarters, opening fire at the protesters with automatic weapons, RPGs and anti-aircraft guns. Protesters ran from gunfire while carrying others covered in blood.
Toronto council takes action against mayor
TORONTO – Toronto’s City Council voted overwhelmingly Friday to strip Mayor Rob Ford of some of his powers in the latest attempt to box in the brash leader who has rebuffed huge pressure to resign over his drinking and drug habits and erratic behavior.
The motion, approved in a 39-3 vote, suspends Ford’s authority to appoint and dismiss the deputy mayor and his executive committee, which runs the budget process. Most city councilors are frustrated by Ford’s refusal to step aside since he admitted last week to smoking crack, but they lack the authority to force him out of office unless he is convicted of a crime.
An unusually subdued Ford vowed to fight the motion in court. He and his brother Doug Ford were two of the dissenting votes against the measure.
“I can’t support this, and obviously, I have no other options but to challenge this in court,” the mayor said.
Israeli leader blasts Iran talks on Twitter
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to Twitter on Friday to keep up pressure on Western powers over negotiations with Iran on its contested nuclear program and to warn against rushing into a “bad deal.”
In his latest salvo against making concessions to Iran, Netanyahu’s Twitter account featured a cartoon-like ad that detailed what he said the pending agreement included.
“The proposal enables Iran to develop atomic bombs and build long-range missiles to reach the U.S. and Europe,” it read. “Iran is getting everything and giving nothing.”
Netanyahu has been increasingly vocal in recent days about his opposition to a potential deal between six Western powers and Iran that would lift some sanctions while still leaving Iran with uranium-enrichment capabilities.
Associated press
