Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to teach Libyan militia leader Khalifa Haftar a "lesson" if he does not cease his attacks on forces loyal to the UN-backed government in Tripoli.

Erdogan said in a speech that the "putschist Haftar ran away" from negotiations being held in Moscow, and that Ankara would not hesitate to teach him "a lesson" if he continues military action against the Government of National Accord (GNA).

The Turkish leader claimed that Haftar had first agreed to sign the ceasefire before abruptly leaving Moscow. Despite the setback, Erdogan stated that he was still planning to take part in further talks on Libya.

The Moscow talks on Libya's ceasefire haven't failed despite the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA) not signing an agreement. Khalifa Haftar just wanted to discuss it with tribal leaders, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier said that Haftar left for Benghazi without signing the agreement and wanted two days to discuss it. The Government of National Accord (GNA) delegation, headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, signed the agreement before leaving Moscow for Istanbul.

The Russian MoD said Haftar's assessment of the final statement after negotiations with the rival GNA was "positive."

But before signing, he took two days to discuss the paper with the leader of the tribes that support the LNA.

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Lahore High Court (LHC) has annulled the death sentence handed to former president Pervez Musharraf, ruling that a special court which found him guilty of high treason was unconstitutional, according to a government law officer.

Following the LHC ruling, the ex-president is now a "free man," Ishtiaq A. Khan, Additional Attorney General of Pakistan, who represented the government in the case, told AFP. The whole process against Musharraf - including the creation of a special court - was deemed to be void.

LHC "has declared everything from the initiation of the complaint and its conclusion unconstitutional," Khan said, as cited by Reuters.

Earlier in the day, Musharraf's lawyer Azhar Siddique told the media outside the court that the judges have "nullified everything" against his client.
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A provision to hang Musharraf's body in front of parliament for three days, should he perish before the death sentence could be carried out, was included in the verdict by one of the judges and sparked a backlash. It was branded "unprecedented and despicable" by Law Minister Farogh Naseem, who called for the "mentally unfit" judge to be ousted.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the initiative of Russia and Turkey and praised the temporary truce as an important step but said that said that Libya needs a complex process of "consolidation," which, according to her, should be supervised by the UN.

"A ceasefire, yes it is a first step in the right direction, but what you need is a process for consolidation, for reconstruction and a government of unity. There is a long way to go. This has to be a UN-led process," she told reporters after a meeting with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.

Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also called the ceasefire "a positive signal," adding that his nation also plans to contribute to the political process in Libya by hosting a Libya summit later in January. "We currently have a good chance of making progress here," he said.

African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Smail Chergui, emphasized Putin's role in encouraging both warring parties to come to the negotiating table.

"I welcome this step as well as the efforts taken by President Putin," he said, adding that "signing a ceasefire agreement should be the first step to complying with the UN Security Council's arms embargo and putting an end to any outside interference into Libya."

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The diplomat was among a group of people detained while seeking to "to organize, instigate and direct some radical and destructive actions," according to the Tehran-based news agency. He was released several hours later, but will reportedly be summoned on Sunday for further questioning.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the incident with the British diplomat a "flagrant violation of international law," insisting that Macaire was detained without any "grounds or explanation" for simply taking photos of a peaceful rally. Tehran has yet to issue official comments.

Hundreds of people flocked to universities in Iran earlier on Saturday for vigils and protests after Tehran admitted to accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian plane with 176 on board, many of whom were Iranian students.

While many brought flowers and candles, some groups blocked roads and carried banners, chanting anti-government slogans that "apologies and resignations" were not enough, demanding "prosecutions and constitutional changes."

In the evening, security forces deployed tear gas and water cannon to disperse an agitated crowd that was still chanting slogans outside Amirkabir University of Technology, videos shared online show. An unspecified number of activists were detained, the British envoy allegedly among them.

The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces admitted that Flight 752 was shot down on Wednesday due to human error, on the day that Tehran was responding to the US assassination of General Qassem Soleimani.

Offering his condolences to the victims' families, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani apologized for the "disastrous mistake" on behalf of Iran, fully acknowledging that the tragedy was caused by the erroneous actions of his country's military.

'Your courage is inspiring!' Trump tweets in FARSI, backing Iranian protesters against Tehran govt

US President Donald Trump has appealed directly to the protesters in the streets of Iran, wading into the grief and fueling anti-government discontent, after Tehran admitted to accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian jet.

"To the brave, long-suffering people of Iran: I've stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you. We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage," Trump wrote both in English and Farsi, addressing the protesters in Iran.

"The world is watching," Trump said in a separate tweet, warning the government of Iran against "another massacre of peaceful protesters" and demanding it "allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's meddling in Iran's domestic affairs was even more blatant, stopping just short of an open call for a regime change. "The voice of the Iranian people is clear," Pompeo stated, tweeting out footage of the protest in Iran.

The UK envoy's detention during an anti-government rally in Tehran has sparked a diplomatic scandal. The envoy, summoned on Sunday by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, says he was at a "vigil" for victims of the Ukrainian plane crash.

"Today, Rob Macaire was summoned because of his unconventional behavior of attending an illegal rally on Saturday," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It also demanded that the British government provide clarification on the matter.

The diplomat was briefly detained late on Saturday outside of Amirkabir University in Tehran, as part of a group of people attending a chaotic vigil - held for the victims of the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crash - which turned into an anti-government rally. According to Iranian state media, the official was seeking "to organize, instigate and direct some radical and destructive actions."

The ambassador, however, maintains that he was only seeking to attend the vigil. The Ukrainian plane was accidentally downed by Iranian air defenses on Wednesday after the passenger jet was mistaken for an incoming cruise missile.

"Thanks for the many goodwill messages. Can confirm I wasn't taking part in any demonstrations! Went to an event advertised as a vigil for victims of #PS752 tragedy," the diplomat tweeted earlier on Sunday, insisting that he was detained half an hour after he left the event.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the incident a "flagrant violation of international law," insisting that Macaire was detained without any "grounds or explanation." Commenting on the issue, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called for "de-escalation and space for diplomacy".

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the British ambassador was arrested "because of his participation in an illegal gathering," but he was released "due to his diplomatic immunity and after confirming his identity". The country´s Deputy FM Seyed Abbas Araghchi explained in a tweet that he was deeply surprised the arrested man turned to be the UK ambassador.

Meanwhile, Macaire's participation in the rally - whatever his true motive - prompted an angry reaction from the Basij militia. The militia - which is subordinate to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - staged a rally outside the UK embassy and, according to local media, demanded its closure.

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The Foreign Office has summoned the Iranian ambassador to express its "strong objections" over the brief detention of his UK counterpart in Tehran who was nabbed by law enforcement when he took part in an "illegal rally."

In the ongoing diplomatic spat, London summoned Ambassador Hamid Baeidinejad in an apparent tit-for-tat move. UK envoy Rob Macaire was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday over his "unconventional behavior."

"This was an unacceptable breach of the Vienna Convention and it needs to be investigated," the Foreign Office said on Monday. "We are seeking full assurances from the Iranian government that this will never happen again."

The scandal broke out after the brief detention of Macaire on Saturday during a vigil for victims of the Ukrainian plane downing, which turned into a large protest. Iran's deputy FM, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said the detention came as a "big surprise" for him and that the envoy was released immediately after his identity was confirmed. The UK envoy, however, received objections from the Iranian authorities over his participation in the rally, while local media reports indicate he was believed to have actually been directing the protesters.