Libya’s coast guard
intercepts 108 Europe-bound migrants
AP, Cairo
Libya’s coast guard says it has intercepted 108 Europe-bound migrants off the country’s Mediterranean coast. Spokesman Ayoub Gassim says the rubber boat with the African and Middle Eastern migrants, including 13 women and seven children, was stopped on Monday off the western city of Sabratha.
Sabratha is one of the biggest launching points for the mainly African migrants making the dangerous voyage across the Mediterranean Sea.
Eight schoolchildren killed in China
AFP, Beijing
Eight schoolchildren have died and two others were injured in a “school-related criminal case” in central China, with a 40-year-old suspect arrested, local authorities said Tuesday, the latest attack targeting an educational institution in the country.
The man was detained by police on the spot following Monday’s incident in Chaoyangpo Village in Hubei province, according to a statement on the website of the government of Enshi city.
Texas shooter sacked from job before killing 7
AFP, Washington
A man who killed seven people in the US state of Texas was fired from his job prior to carrying out the shooting, law enforcement officials said on Monday.
“Our suspect went to work at Journey Oilfield Services. He was there for a short time and was terminated by his employer,” Michael Gerke, the Odessa police chief, told a news conference. Following the dismissal, both the suspect and his former employer called police to complain “because they had a disagreement over the firing,” he said.
German FM Maas arrives in Sudan
AFP, Khartoum
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrived Tuesday in Sudan which is ushering in a long-awaited transition from decades of autocratic rule under ousted leader Omar al-Bashir.
The visit by Maas comes after Sudan swore in a new prime minister and a civilian-majority ruling body to steer the country through a three-year transitional period. The steps toward transition are part a power-sharing deal signed on August 17 by an umbrella group that led months of protests against veteran leader Bashir, and the generals who seized power after ousting him.
Over 15,000 evacuated in Germany after WWII bomb found
AFP, Berlin
More than 15,000 people were evacuated late Monday from the northern German city of Hanover following the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb, city officials said.
Residents of the capital of the state of Lower Saxony were told to leave their homes in the early evening as a precaution on the discovery of the 250 kilogram (550 pound) device, city authorities said on their website. They were expected to be able to return by nightfall.
