Eastern Libya authorities stop plane from rival territory

Eastern Libyan authorities forced a civilian flight to land for security checks soon after it had taken off from a city controlled by their rivals in the Tripoli govt Thursday, authorities said. The 90-minute stoppage of the Libyan Airlines flight underlined the warring sides' competition for control of Libya's institutions and infrastructure - part of a rift that has frustrated UN-led peace efforts. The flight took off from the western city of Misrata and was ordered to land at Benina airport in the eastern city of Benghazi. It was then allowed to fly on to Jordan, he added. The General Secretary of Transportation in Eastern Libya had ordered stoppages and checks on all flights traveling over eastern territory from either Misrata or Tripoli's Mitiga airport to Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Sudan, the airport official added. <br/>