He said: "I've always had an incredible amount of sympathy for the family since it first happened. I would just shake them by the hand and say I am so sorry for all that happened to their family. Colin said there was first murmurs of a meeting being arranged a couple of months ago but it fell through. Looking back at that period of his life, Colin said it doesn't feel real. He added: "I've always been an outside person - and to stay locked away and separated from my only friend at the time - my dog - was tough.

October 07, 2023 09:11 UTC

At an expanded meeting on Tuesday at the Attorney General’s Office, headed by Attorney General, Sideeg Al-Sour, the mechanism, financial and organizational plan for the contentious issue of sending students abroad on a state-sponsored scholarship was approved. The meeting also approved the schedule for state overseas education scholarships, emphasizing that candidates must fulfil the conditions for sending candidates abroad are considered. The meeting discussed the outputs of the committee charged with developing a plan for organizing the movement of those sent abroad. There is no shame or attempt to hide this corrupt process by the political / military elite as the list is made public. The Attorney General is concerned about the legality and fairness of the process while the Central Bank wants to limit the annually awarded state-sponsored scholarships.

October 07, 2023 08:16 UTC

Sarkozy, due to go on trial in 2025 over the accusations he illegally accepted the Libyan funds, has always denied wrongdoing. His lawyers could not be immediately reached for comment. Ten years in prison if convictedSarkozy had been questioned by a judge since Tuesday in a probe launched in May 2021, after French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine gave media interviews retracting an earlier account that he had delivered Libyan funds to help Sarkozy. Sarkozy, who remains an important figure in French politics although he no longer holds any elected post, has always denied the accusations.

October 07, 2023 05:56 UTC

While they are geographically close, Morocco and Libya are very different countries. Dams along the eastern port city of Derna broke and 39 million cubic yards of water flooded the area. Unlike Libya, Morocco is a relatively stable monarchy, and though its government has been criticized for its response to the Marrakesh-Safi earthquake, it is at least a functioning state. The United States is not as divided as Libya, but political polarization has rapidly increased since the early 2000s. The U.S. must also learn another bitter lesson from the crisis in Libya.

October 07, 2023 05:34 UTC

Geneva, Oct 7: Among the 42,000 survivors of last month’s catastrophic flash flooding in northeast Libya are people needing healthcare and mental healthcare, UN humanitarians said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Thursday that survivors urgently need shelter, protection, water, sanitation and hygiene supplies, healthcare and mental healthcare. “Some 42,000 people are still displaced, according to the International Organisation for Migration.”The office said many people need cash to cover rent and to support shelter repairs. While water supplies are available, they are only sometimes safe or affordable. The office also added that while reliable funding for the humanitarian response is critical, the three-month Libya Flash Appeal, seeking more than $70 million to help flood survivors, is less than one-third funded.

October 07, 2023 05:21 UTC





Tripoli, Oct 7 (IANS) The UNHCR has said it has provided 35 tonne of humanitarian supplies for eastern Libya, which was hit by deadly floods last month.These supplies, shipped from UNHCR's stockpile in Dubai, the UAE, were unloaded at the Benina International Airport near the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, the UN agency said on Friday in a statement. It added that the shipment contains plastic sheets, blankets, solar lamps, kitchen sets, and other essentials, Xinhua news agency reported. On September 10, Mediterranean storm Daniel triggered Libya's worst floods in decades, resulting in the death of thousands of people and widespread damage to the region's infrastructure. --IANSint/khz

October 07, 2023 01:55 UTC

By Rim Taher:Nearly a month after floods hit Derna in eastern Libya, survivors are struggling to overcome the psychological toll, with many grieving the loss — or still without news — of loved ones. More than 4,000 people have been reported dead and thousands more remain missing in eastern Libya, according to authorities. “Some children refuse to drink water for fear of drowning,” he said, after meeting flood survivors in Derna. It says it is working with Libya’s health ministry to establish a mental health unit. International Medical Corps has announced agreements with Libyan authorities to provide medical follow-up and train medical personnel to provide psychological support to residents of Derna.

October 07, 2023 00:21 UTC

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was on Friday charged as part of an investigation into possible witness tampering, adding to his long list of legal woes, including over illegal campaign financing. Former President of France Nicolas Sarkozy was placed under formal investigation Friday over funding for his 2007 election campaign. But in 2020 Takieddine suddenly retracted his incriminating statement, raising suspicions that Sarkozy may have put pressure on the witness to change his mind. Sarkozy, who ran France from 2007 to 2012, has appealed against both judgements. Should the case go to trial, it will be the third looming court date for Sarkozy.

October 07, 2023 00:20 UTC

Tripoli, Oct 7 (IANS) The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has said that it has received an official memorandum of the recently approved presidential and national assembly election laws from the Libyan House of Representatives, or Parliament. The Parliament unanimously approved the laws during a formal session on Monday. However, the Tripoli-based High Council of State rejected the new laws and decided to cancel its 6+6 representation on Wednesday. The 6+6 committee, a joint legislative committee composed of six members from the High Council of State and six members from the parliament, is tasked with legislating for the upcoming elections. Libya failed to hold general elections in December 2021 as previously scheduled due to disagreements over election laws among Libyan parties.

October 06, 2023 23:48 UTC

State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, CanadaZip Code

October 06, 2023 23:28 UTC

A rescue ship operating off the coast of Libya saved 258 migrants in two separate operations in the early hours of Friday morning.

October 06, 2023 20:18 UTC

The United Nations Libya mission "will assess the implementability" of electoral laws issued by Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh, it said in a statement on Friday, adding it had received a copy of the laws on Thursday. The mission would work towards compromise "including on the formation of a unified government" and believes political solutions must be "consensual and implementable" to ensure a smooth electoral process, it said.

October 06, 2023 18:35 UTC

During the meeting, the two sides discussed the latest developments and updates related to Libya and the UN’s efforts to find a political solution to end the Libyan crisis. Dubai [UAE], October 6 (ANI/WAM): Dr. Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, today met with Abdoulaye Bathily, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya. The meeting also discussed the challenges faced by Libyans in Derna and the humanitarian and environmental fallout of the hurricane that hit the city. Bathily commended the humanitarian support provided by the UAE to address the disaster in Derna, which he witnessed during his visit to the city. Bathily reviewed the results of his regional visits and efforts in that regard.

October 06, 2023 16:04 UTC

In a newly released report covering April 2022-July 2023, the UN Experts Panel on Libya identified a total of 24 small tankers (500 to 20,000dwt) loading refined oil products from Benghazi’s old harbor. Both the National Oil Corporation (NOC) and the Brega Petroleum Marketing Company confirmed to the UN that they regarded those exports as illegal. Benghazi and its port are under the control of Libya’s ‘second’ government based in nearby Tobruk and the affiliated ‘Libyan National Army’ of Khalifa Haftar with smuggling from the port nothing new (MEES, 20 May 2022). The report also found an increase in overland fuel smuggling, mainly across Libya’s southern and western borders. (CONTINUED - 256 WORDS)

October 06, 2023 15:41 UTC

The United Nations Libya mission "will assess the implementability" of electoral laws issued by Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh, it said in a statement on Friday, adding it had received a copy of the laws on Thursday. The mission would work towards compromise "including on the formation of a unified government" and believes political solutions must be "consensual and implementable" to ensure a smooth electoral process, it said. (Reporting by Angus McDowall; Editing by Alex Richardson)

October 06, 2023 15:34 UTC