Six Palestinians escape Israeli jail, including top ex-militant

Six Palestinians broke out of an Israeli prison yesterday through a tunnel dug beneath a sink, triggering a massive manhunt for the group that includes a prominent ex-militant. The Israel Prison Service said an alert was sounded around 3:00 am by locals who spotted "suspicious figures" outside the Gilboa prison in the country's north. The group includes Zakaria Zubeidi, a former militant leader from the flashpoint city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the IPS confirmed in a statement. In footage that recalled the iconic 1994 prison escape film "The Shawshank Redemption," the service released a video which showed agents inspecting a hole just outside the prison walls.

Libyan dictator's son Saadi Gaddafi freed from jail

Saadi Gaddafi, a son of Libya's late dictator Moamer Gaddafi who was overthrown and killed in a 2011 uprising, has been freed from jail, according to the interim government. Saadi -- the strongman's third son, now aged 47 -- was known for his playboy lifestyle and briefly played as a professional footballer in Italy. "Saadi Moamer Gaddafi has been freed from prison," following a court ruling several years ago, a justice ministry source said late Sunday -- without saying whether he was still in the country. "Saadi (Gaddafi) was handed over to his family in accordance with legal procedures," the Government of National Unity confirmed. Several media reports suggested Saadi had already taken a flight to Turkey.

Mexican police break up US-bound migrant caravan

Mexican police dispersed on Sunday a caravan of about 400 mainly Central American migrants who had been hoping to walk to the US border. Ending the fourth such procession in a week, police intercepted the group as it prepared to leave the town of Huixtla in southern Chiapas state, AFP observed. It was made up mainly of people from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Haiti and Venezuela. Police blocked streets that the travelers would need to use to get out of the town onto a northbound highway, making some arrests while others from the procession fled further into Huixtla. The police also took up positions on the highway itself to keep the caravan from reforming.

Russian trolls targeting Western media: UK research

Western media news websites are being hijacked by pro-Russian trolls to spread propaganda and disinformation supporting the Kremlin, according to research published by a British university yesterday. The Crime and Research Security Institute at Cardiff University said it had unearthed evidence from 32 major news outlets in 16 countries that have been targeted via manipulation of their readers' comments sections.