LONDON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - David Cameron, 57, served as British prime minister from 2010 to 2016, resigning after the outcome of the Brexit vote, when Britain voted to leave the European Union. * In 2013, his government legalised same-sex marriage, which Cameron backed strongly, saying at the time: "I don't support gay marriage in spite of being a Conservative. Britain's former Prime Minister and newly appointed Foreign Secretary David Cameron reacts outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain November 13, 2023. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett Acquire Licensing Rights* As prime minister, Cameron ordered military intervention in Libya, when Britain and its allies led international efforts to help oust then-leader Muammar Gaddafi in early 2011. However, Britain voted for Brexit and he announced he would quit as prime minister the following day.

A new UN political initiative was the focus of a telephone conversation yesterday between Chairman of the High Council of State, Mohamed Takala, and UN Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, revealed the council today. In a brief statement, the council also said that the two discuss political situation in Libya. It did not disclose any information about the initiative.

The Tripoli based Libyan Ministry of the Interior announced Sunday the reactivation of the toll-free number “192” in the Ministry’s Duty and Coordination Office. The number will be able to receive all reports and complaints from citizens 24 hours a day to contribute to speedy communication to combat crime or anything that puts public safety at risk, the Interior Ministry claimed. The Qaddafi era service had been out of service for decades.

The Franco-Libyan Transport Forum will be held from 11 to 12 December at MEDEF’s Paris headquarters. MEDEF, the Mouvement des entreprises de France, or the Movement of the Enterprises of France, is the largest employer federation in France, established in 1998. Explaining the rationale behind the event, MEDEF says connecting territories together, organizing themselves into “platforms” located on strategic nodes of dense networks, increasingly segmented and complex, logistics and transport infrastructures are at the heart of the challenges of development and diversification of the Libyan economy. It says the forum is an opportunity to “take stock of Libyan needs in the transport sector in the broad sense and take note of current and future projects.” MEDEF said the forum will also enable a better understanding of “the expectations of the Libyan authorities vis-à-vis French companies in the transport sector/transport infrastructure.”The forum will also “promote the expertise and comparative advantages of the French offer.” Furthermore, it will help participants understand “the business environment and the operating methods of French companies in Libya.”The event is co-organised by MEDEF International in France and the General Union of Chamber of Commerce of Libya. MEDEF invited interested parties to register online before December 6.

In the Roundtable, “Supporting the Private Sector in Fragile Contexts,” at the Paris Peace Forum 2023, Libyan Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade, Sohel Busheha, confirmed that the Libyan private sector has been strongly growing thanks to the support of Expertise France and the actions implemented together in order to accelerate the transition towards economic diversification, competitiveness of the private sector, and digitalization of the economy and the society. Expertise France’s CEO, Jeremie Pellet, underscored the vital role of private sector recovery and growth in addressing the underlying causes of fragility and conflict, thereby complementing state-building and peace-building efforts. He confirmed his unwavering commitment to providing a sustainable response to the most pressing imbalances impeding peace and development by facilitating the mobilization of various actors and especially the private sector. Expertise France continues to support the Libyan private sectorExpertise France said it continues to support the private sector in Libya, working diligently to enhance the business environment, facilitate economic reforms, and enforce digitalization and e-governance through the EU-funded project E-nable. The Paris event was co-organised by Expertise France and Proparco.

The Global Entrepreneurship Network Libya (GEN) launched its 2023 week of entrepreneurship events programme at an inauguration event in Tripoli yesterday. Various universities and educational and training institutes will be organising various events across the country. This includes the launch of the global entrepreneurship world cup and the scientific conference on entrepreneurship and innovation. Benghazi to hold conference and exhibition for Global Entrepreneurship Week from 25 to 26 November (libyaherald.com)

Malta supports a plan put forward by Cyrus to supply Gaza with humanitarian aid by sea but has made no commitment yet to participate actively. Several EU countries have backed the Cypriot plan, which also enjoys the support of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel. The maritime operation will allow larger volumes of aid to reach Gaza, which is currently besieged by Israeli forces. The Cypriot plan will require the green light from Israel that will want to check cargos for arms or other illegal goods. However, the plan has other obstacles, not least the lack of a large, safe port in Gaza.

The Franco-Libyan Transport Forum will be held from 11 to 12 December at MEDEF’s Paris headquarters. MEDEF, the Mouvement des entreprises de France, or the Movement of the Enterprises of France, is the largest employer federation in France, established in 1998. It says the forum is an opportunity to:Take stock of Libyan needs in the transport sector in the broad sense and take note of current and future projects. Better understand the expectations of the Libyan authorities vis-à-vis French companies in the transport sector/transport infrastructure. Better understand the business environment and the operating methods of French companies in Libya.

The Attorney General’s Office announced yesterday that its Public Prosecutor has banned 15 petrol stations in northwestern Libya for fuel smuggling abroad. The banned petrol stations, the Attorney General’s Office said, had deliberately disposed of quantities fuel for the benefit of groups that make a living by smuggling fuel out of the country. The ban comes as part of continued measures aimed at curbing the illicit trade in fuel in the area extending from the city of Zawia to the Ras Jdair Libyan-Tunisian border crossing, the Attorney General’s Office explained. 32 petrol stations banned in OctoberIt will be recalled that at the end of this October, 32 petrol stations in the western region of Zawia had been banned by the Attorney General from receiving state subsidised fuel from the state Brega Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the NOC. They were accused of fuel smuggling.

ALBAWABA - The Marseille-based SOS Mediterranee announced Saturday that 128 migrants were rescued by the Ocean Viking rescue vessel off the coast of Libya, AFP reported. The SOS Mediterranee said that the rescue of the 128 migrants was carried out in three operations. First, it added that on Friday, the Ocean Viking conducted two successful rescues following alerts. Interior Ministry: 147 migrants rescued and returned to TripoliInterior Ministry of the Tripoli-based Government announced Friday that it rescued 147 migrants of various Arab and African...Read more:https://t.co/brrQGhtLiHThe #Libya Update pic.twitter.com/1d8gVmaB6G November 11, 2023Furthermore, after a few hours, an additional 34 migrants were saved in similar circumstances, AFP added. On the other hand, the Libyan Interior Ministry announced in a Facebook post on Friday that it rescued 147 migrants of various Arab and African nationalities off the coast of Zuwara in western Libya.

Libya’s city of Derna was already host to migrants – its floods have now created a new generation of climate refugees. Khadija, her relatives, the 20 or so other families at the school they’re sheltering in, and the hundreds sheltering elsewhere are now “climate refugees”, the informal term used for those displaced by environmental disasters. International law doesn’t recognise climate refugeesDiscerning just how many of Derna’s 8,000 refugees were climate refugees, and how many Libyans have now become climate refugees due to the floods, is a challenge – largely because that term doesn’t exist under international law. Among the 40,000 people displaced in Libya’s floods, many moved to towns and villages further east and several hundred moved west, said Pugliese. Back in Derna, Khadijah is resolute that she and her family cannot stay at the school much longer.

Political instability in Libya is one of the major drivers of weapons trafficking in northern Nigeria, reports the United States Africa Command. In its quarterly magazine called the Africa Defense Forum, AFRICOM published last Tuesday an article examining the sources of arms proliferation in the Sahel region. Instability in Libya was cited as one of the main reasons behind arms proliferation in northern Nigeria, according to Idris Mohammed, chief executive officer of the Sulhu Development Initiative, a nongovernmental humanitarian organization. Mohammed, who is from northwest Nigeria, noted that several studies have shown that many of the weapons circulating today can be traced back to former Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi’s vast stockpile. Under the ECOWAS Convention, member states agree to control, regulate and prohibit the transfer, manufacture, and possession of small arms and light weapons.

Four major Arab states reportedly prevented the adoption of proposals that carried concrete measures against Israel, while they proposed more vague and non-committal clauses. Arab League countries were divided over "important clauses" that could not be adopted in its joint response to Israel's onslaught on Gaza, according to a report by The New Arab's Arabic language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. “In response to the exceptional circumstances witnessed in Gaza, and after consultation with the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, it has been decided to hold an extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh today,” the statement from the Saudi foreign ministry said. Libya also proposed that the final statement of the conference should include a joint statement in support of the right of the Palestinian people to resist the Israeli occupation. These measures were proposed and endorsed by 11 Arab countries of the 22-member body, including Palestine, Syria, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Libya and Yemen.

With the wide participation of local, international and governmental building and construction companies, the Sixth Libya Construction Exhibition, LCEXPO 2023, opens its doors on Monday, November 27th, at the Tripoli International Fairgrounds, and continues for four days. Organisers ADD Events report that international participation at the show comes from Italy, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Iran, and Turkey. In an exclusive interview with Libya Herald, the General Manager of the AD Company for Organizing Exhibitions and Conferences, Ghaleb Al-Giblawi, said that the Libya Construction Exhibition comes this year with important participation from the executive agencies in the country. There is also growing activity from the private sector in real estate investment, urban development and construction. He said the event offers the opportunity to open horizons for networking and establishing partnerships between those who wish to invest, exhibitors, and real estate developers.

Where years ago Israeli forces faced stones and molotov cocktails thrown by Palestinians, they now confront weapons such as laser-guided missiles and antitank munitions in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, is now inside Gaza City, fighting Hamas above and below ground — among civilians, around hospitals, schools and mosques — in areas the IDF says are honeycombed with tunnels. AdvertisementBut in the close-quarter fighting in Gaza, Hamas operatives have displayed some of their upgraded arsenal: a large number of shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenade launchers and antitank missiles, military experts say. Every few days, the IDF media office releases information about its troops targeting and killing Hamas antitank commanders. AdvertisementKalisky, the Israeli analyst, said that in the 1967 Israel-Arab war, Israel in Sinai needed three divisions to defeat the Egyptian army in six days.