Libyan militia 'executed 67 detainees'
Human Rights Watch alleges pro-Gaddafi fighters, including dictator's son Mutassim, were abused and murdered in Sirte
Militia forces from the Libyan city of Misrata executed dozens of detainees following the capture and death of Muammar Gaddafi a year ago this week, according to a new report from the group Human RightsWatch.
Almost 70 members of the former Libyan dictator's convoy were abused and executed after Gaddafi's own capture and death in the city of Sirtelast October, the human rights group alleges.
The report – Death of a Dictator: Bloody Vengeance in Sirte – details Gaddafi's final hours and includes evidence that appears to prove captured pro-Gaddafi fighters caught attempting to leave the city, including Gaddafi's son Mutassim, were murdered.
In Swat, a girls' school gripped by fear
MINGORA, Pakistan — Under a portrait of Sir Isaac Newton, the ninth-grade girls clasped their chemistry texts, smoothed their white head scarves and movingly voiced support for the cause of their classmate, Malala Yousafzai, shot in the head by the Taliban last week because she advocated a girl's right to attend school.
"In our hearts is the thirst for education," one 14-year-old told reporters brought to her classroom by the Pakistani military's public relations wing on Monday. "We want to show the world that we are not worried."
It was a brave but ultimately false front. "We are worried for our lives," the same girl confided later, out of earshot of the army minder. She pleaded that her name and photograph not be used because she feared retribution by the Taliban.
EU criticizes Roma asylum applications
Applications for asylum filed by Roma people from Serbia and Macedonia have increased dramatically in Germany and the European Union. The EU says there are no grounds for granting asylum in these cases.
German agencies have observed an increase in the amount of asylum seekers from Macedonia and Serbia over the last few months. The interior ministry says the number increased to 2,450 in September - double the previous month's figure - and that it would continue to rise in October.
Most of the asylum seekers, according to the government report, are Roma people. German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich has referred to them as "unwanted guests," who are "breaching Germany's asylum policies." Friedrich has announced intentions to add police officers to the federal agency for migration and to fast-track the asylum applications that have been filed. Most, Friedrich said, don't demonstrate the need for political asylum, and represent cases in which people are fleeing poverty and economic ruin in their home countries.
Middle East
October peace surprise in Syria
By Kaveh L Afrasiabi
As improbable as it seems right now, we may be on the verge of witnessing a much-welcome October surprise in Syria in the form of a three-day cease fire. After months of relentless bloodshed, the warring parties might be persuaded to pause during the upcoming Id al-Adha, starting October 25.
A temporary respite is desperately needed for the civilian population throughout the country, many of whom have become refugees or are bunkered inside their homes, as well as by the plethora of stakeholders in the Syrian theater, whose diverse interests may be converging toward a ceasefire.
That this is happening can be garnered from the Tehran visit of UN's (and Arab League's) special envoy on Syria, Lakhdar
A temporary respite is desperately needed for the civilian population throughout the country, many of whom have become refugees or are bunkered inside their homes, as well as by the plethora of stakeholders in the Syrian theater, whose diverse interests may be converging toward a ceasefire.
That this is happening can be garnered from the Tehran visit of UN's (and Arab League's) special envoy on Syria, Lakhdar
Brahimki, who has appealed to Iran's leadership to use their influence with Syria to bring about a pause in fighting, hoping to build on such a momentum for a more long-lasting peace.
Cuban Missile Crisis: 5 ways leftist ideology lives on in Latin America
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the USand the Soviet Union were on the brink of nuclear war over the installation of Soviet missiles inCuba. It is what many consider the most dangerous conflict in modern history.
Cuba is the only Communist country in Latin America, and its move to a one-party system after the Cuban Revolution in 1959 set the stage for hostile US relations that endure today. While the Communist Party of Cuba had been active in the island nation since the 1920s, the current party makeup was organized by Fidel Castro in 1965. The system has persisted despite 50 years of embargo put in place by the US. Cuba was buoyed by the Soviet Union until its demise in 1991, underwent severe economic hardship through the '90s, and today receives support from Venezuela. While other political parties exist in Cuba, it remains a one-party system with elections that are considered a rubber stamp.
17 October 2012 Last updated at 00:41 GMT
Rwanda defence chief leads DR Congo rebels, UN report says
Rwanda's defence minister is effectively commanding a rebellion in the Democratic Republic of Congo, UN experts say.
The confidential report, leaked to Reuters agency, says Uganda is also backing the M23 rebels, who have been fighting the DRC's army since April.
The document builds on a UN report published in June which accused Rwanda of supporting the insurgents.
Rwanda and Uganda strenuously deny supporting the rebellion.
The BBC's Barbara Plett, at the UN, says that during the past two decades Rwanda has backed armed groups in the east of DR Congo as a way to fight Hutu rebels who fled there after the genocide of the 1990s.
Some accuse Rwanda of using militias as proxies in an on-going battle for the region, which is rich in minerals, our correspondent adds.
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