News in Brief -(11-07-2019)

Somalia executes three over deadly 2017 hotel attack

MOGADISHU, July 10: Somalia's military says it executed three men convicted of carrying out a deadly attack on a hotel in the capital in 2017. A statement issued by the military said the three were shot dead by a firing squad at a police academy in Mogadishu on Wednesday. The men were convicted of participating in an assault on Nasa-Hablod hotel which killed 18 people and wounded 47 others in October, 2017. The three were members of Somalia's al-Shabab Islamic extremist rebels and were arrested during the attack on the hotel. — AP

Merkel suffers third shaking spell

BERLIN, July 10: German Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a new trembling spell on Wednesday, the third time in less than a month, which has raised questions over her health. Merkel began shaking involuntarily as national anthems were being played at the reception of Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne, an AFP photographer witnessed. The shaking was visible although less severe than during the first episode in June. On that occasion she appeared unsteady and shook as she stood in the midday sun next to visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom she was welcoming with military honours. — AFP

Cambodian cops nab seven marking death of govt critic

PHNOM PENH, July 10: A Cambodian human rights group says police have detained seven people in connection with activities marking the third anniversary of the killing of a prominent government critic. Political analyst Kem Ley was shot dead at a store in Phnom Penh, the capital, on July 10, 2016. The killing took place shortly after he had spoken on radio about a report alleging that long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen's family had taken advantage of its connections for financial gain. — AP

Two US Marines held for migrant trafficking

LOS ANGELES, July 10: Two US Marines have been arrested for smuggling undocumented Mexican migrants into the United States in exchange for money, according to a court document. Byron Darnell Law II and David Javier Salazar-Quintero were arrested on July 3 along the Mexican border in Jacumba, California, the document said. They were charged with having transported three undocumented migrants about six miles (10 kilometres) over the border. — AFP