By KWIYEON HA and MARI YAMAGUCHIFormer leaders from Australia, Britain and Belgium called Friday for a tougher international approach to China to reduce the possibility of war over Taiwan and respond to human rights violations. Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison linked human rights violations in China with security in the Indo-Pacific as he spoke at an Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China conference in Tokyo. “My reason for highlighting these broader initiatives is to highlight that any attempts to address human rights violations in China will never be achieved in a region where China enjoys strategic hegemony,” Morrison said. Our governments must signal to (China) that military aggression towards Taiwan would be a strategic mistake," Truss said. China claims Taiwan as its territory and has threatened to retake it by force if necessary.

CAIRO – 17 February 2023: Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zaid announced that the six Egyptian citizens, who were held in Libya, have been released according to the information received from the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli. On his Twitter account, the spokesman said the Foreign Ministry is following the safe return of the six Egyptians to homeland. Earlier on Friday, Foreign Ministry said it is following closely all updates regarding, the status of six Egyptians who have been detained at an illegal migration center in western Libya that is not under the control of the Libyan authorities. The Ministry said the Egyptian Embassy in Tripoli has contacted the authorities concerned in Libya to intervene to release the six Egyptians. The statement noted that the six travelled to Libya with visas allowing them only to stay in east of the country.

Egypt’s government said Friday it was “working around the clock” to secure the release of six Egyptian Coptic Christians who were kidnapped in conflict-ravaged Libya. “The six Egyptians are detained in an illegal immigration centre in western Libya,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. They had travelled to Libya across the border from Egypt “with work permits stipulating their presence only in the east of Libya”, it added. Media outlets close to the Coptic Orthodox Church said the men had been abducted while travelling between Benghazi and Tripoli. Egypt’s foreign ministry said it had met with the families of the abducted more than once as part of its efforts to gain their release.

Cairo, Feb 17 (AP) Egypt's foreign ministry said Friday that six Christian Egyptians who were kidnapped and then illegally detained earlier this month in western Libya have been released. In western Libya, militia groups have amassed great wealth and power from kidnappings and their involvement in the country's lucrative human trafficking trade. In a statement issued earlier Friday, the Egyptian foreign ministry called on the Libyan authorities to help release the six Christian Egyptians. Migrants have reported being tortured, forcefully detained, and held for ransom by militia groups running similar facilities in western Libya. In a tweet posted Thursday, lawmaker Mostafa Bakry suggested Egypt's foreign ministry should be doing more to secure the release of the men.

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(AP Photo) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s foreign ministry said Friday that six Christian Egyptians who were kidnapped and then illegally detained earlier this month in western Libya have been released. In western Libya, militia groups have amassed great wealth and power from kidnappings and their involvement in the country’s lucrative human trafficking trade. In a statement issued earlier Friday, the Egyptian foreign ministry called on the Libyan authorities to help release the six Christian Egyptians. Migrants have reported being tortured, forcefully detained, and held for ransom by militia groups running similar facilities in western Libya. In a tweet posted Thursday, lawmaker Mostafa Bakry suggested Egypt's foreign ministry should be doing more to secure the release of the men.

14.5 crore for road development in the area. An 11 km long road from Nala to Baroni-Sivad road via Siras Mehtabpura (Tonk) will receive Rs. 6 crore for the 25 km long road from Bagdi to Dusri, Bagadwa to Gudharamdas, Pyawadi to Kunwarpura Bairwa ki Dhani, Diggi Road to Mohammad Nagar Bairwa ki Dhani. A sub-tehsil office will be opened in Siras, and the Niwai bus stand will be modernized. Additionally, the development of the forest area around Kachcha Bandha Tonk will be supported with crores of rupees.

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Italy is confirmed and consolidated, in the first 11 months of 2022, as Libya ‘s first commercial partner, according to the latest data from the Italian Trade Agency (ICE). As per ICE data, in the first eleven months of 2022, the Italy-Libya trade reached 11.09 billion euros with a +67.38 percent compared to the same period of 2021 and a market share of 23.19 percent ahead of China (9.22 percent market share with 4.41 billion euros), Greece (8 .31 percent with 3.97 billion euros), Spain (8.06 percent with 3.85 billion euros), Germany (7.62 percent with 3.64 billion euros), Turkey (6.58 per cent with €3.15 billion), the Netherlands (4.55 per cent with €2.17 billion). Italy’s exports to Libya grew, in the first eleven months of 2022, by 73.69 percent compared to the same period of 2021, with 1.94 billion euros and a market share of 13.11 percent. Italy is Libya’s third supplier country after Turkey, which totaled 2.46 billion euros and +16.44 percent, with a market share of 16.64 percent and China with 1.97 billion euros and +22.49 percent and a market share of 13.32 percent compared to the first 11 months of 2021. Greece and Belgium remain in fourth and fifth place, respectively with 11.78 percent and 8.17 percent market share.

Dozens of migrants are believed to have died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya, with only seven survivors found so far, the United Nations said Wednesday. “At least 73 migrants are reported missing and presumed dead following a tragic shipwreck off the Libyan coast yesterday (Tuesday),” the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration said. Shoes of immigrants are pictured on the beach, who died after their boat capsized, in Qassr Alkhyar, Libya February 14, 2023. In 2021, rescue groups said more than 100 Europe-bound migrants were feared dead in a single shipwreck off the Libyan Mediterranean coast. According to the U.N.’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,450 migrant deaths were recorded on that route in 2022.

Dozens of migrants are believed to have died in a shipwreck off Libya, with only seven survivors found so far, the United Nations said Wednesday. “At least 73 migrants are reported missing and presumed dead following a tragic shipwreck off the Libyan coast yesterday (Tuesday),” the UN’s International Organization for Migration said. And the UN migration agency said that “seven survivors who made it back to Libyan shores in extremely dire conditions are currently in the hospital”. The latest tragedy brings the numbers of deaths there since the beginning of this year alone to 130, IOM said. According to the agency’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 1,450 migrant deaths were recorded on that route in 2022.

Rentier state dynamicAll this is aided by the fact that Libya is a rentier state. Its ruling elite can buy the acquiescence of the population – with a little militia coercion. Elections change the dynamicThis dynamic works as long as there are no bothersome elections. Elections change the relationship and force Libya’s ruling elite to take notice of their electorate. This current situation has led to a political deadlock at the expense of Libya’s oil revenues and its people.

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Appeal for release of Egyptian Christians abducted in LibyaChristian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is calling for the release of six Egyptian Christians abducted in Libya last week. All six of the men are from the village of Alharja South in Suhag, Egypt, and were in Libya to work. It is reported by Copts United that the kidnappers are demanding 15,000 Libyan dinars (around £2,600) per captive for their release. CSW's Founder President Mervyn Thomas said that the kidnappings were the "latest brutality" to be committed against Egyptian Christians in Libya. "We urge the Libyan and Egyptian authorities to intervene swiftly to secure the release of these six men and all those held with them.