AFP, Tripoli
Forces loyal to Libya’s UN-backed unity government overran the headquarters of a rival militia on Wednesday as artillery exchanges rocked the capital for a third day, a security source said. Libya has experienced years of violence and lawlessness since the NATO-backed ouster of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, with rival parliaments and governments trading barbs and militias fighting over territory and the country’s vast oil wealth.
Gunmen kill 28, kidnap 43
children in Ethiopia
Reuters, Addis Ababa
Gunmen from South Sudan have killed 28 people and kidnapped 43 children in neighbouring Ethiopia, a government official said on Wednesday, another demonstration of how Sudan’s civil war threatens the region. The raids on Sunday and Monday occurred in Gambella’s Gog and Jor areas, which border South Sudan’s Boma region, said Chol Chany, a regional government spokesman.
S Korea to hold election May 9
Reuters, Seoul
South Korea said on Wednesday it will hold an election on May 9 to choose a successor for former President Park Geun-hye, who was removed from office in a historic court ruling last week over a widening corruption scandal. Prosecutors said on Wednesday Park – the first democratically elected president to be removed from office in South Korea – would be summoned for questioning on Tuesday into the influence-peddling scandal.
Ukraine bans all trade with rebel-held territory
Reuters, Kiev
Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday halted all cargo traffic with rebel-held territory in the east of the country, formalizing an existing rail blockade by Ukrainian activists that has fueled the worst political crisis in nearly a year. In a standoff that is hurting the economies of both sides, separatists have seized control of strategic Ukraine-registered industries in their territory.
