Ship refuses to leave Italy port until all migrants are off
CATANIA, Sicily (AP) — The captain of a charity-run migrant rescue ship refused Italian orders to leave a Sicilian port Sunday after authorities refused to let 35 of the migrants on his ship disembark — part of directives by Italy's new far-right-led government targeting foreign-flagged rescue ships. On Sunday, Italy ordered the Humanity 1 to vacate the port of Catania after disembarking 144 rescued migrants, including with children, more than 100 unaccompanied minors and people with medical emergencies. Later Sunday, a second charity ship arrived in Catania, and the vetting process was being repeated with the 572 migrants aboard the Geo Barents ship operated by Doctors Without Borders. “Free all the people, free them,'' Italian lawmaker Aboubakar Soumahoro said in an emotional appeal directed at Meloni from the Humanity 1 rescue ship. Aboard the Humanity 1, doctors in Italy identified people needing urgent medical care after the ship's doctor refused to make a selection, said SOS Humanity spokesman Wasil Schauseil.
Source:Libya Today
November 06, 2022 16:49 UTC
The State Department Is Open to the Greece-Libya Energy Interconnection
PoliticsWASHINGTON – The State Department is open to the possibility of an energy interconnection between Greece and Libya. The US State Department spokesperson said that the US continues to support projects that promote the energy interconnection of the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa with Europe. The US ministry clarified that it places special emphasis on electricity connections, as it believes that they help the energy transition process and enhance energy security. The chairman of Libya’s National Oil Corporation, Farhat Bengdara, said that the country is considering the creation of two natural gas pipelines to Greece and the Egyptian city of Damietta. Asked by the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) about the possibility of creating a pipeline that would connect Greece to Libya, a State Department spokesperson replied that it is their long-standing belief that the development of resources in the Eastern Mediterranean should promote cooperation and provide the foundation for sustainable energy security and economic prosperity across the region, adding that the US continue to support energy projects that will connect vital energy markets, such as the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, with Europe, and in particular electricity interconnections that help prepare for the clean energy transition that enhances energy security and sustainability.
Source:Libya Today
November 06, 2022 15:28 UTC
Libyan Minister of Social Affairs calls for international women conference in Tripoli
Tripoli-based Minister of Social Affairs, Wafaa Al-Kilani, has suggested holding an international women’s conference in Tripoli to discuss their role in advancing peace in communities and disclosed an initiative to develop a feminist road map aimed at uprooting conflicts in the world. Al-Kilani made her remarks during a speech before the 5th International Summit for Women and Justice hosted in Istanbul, on Friday, with the participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. She stressed the need to implement a feminist road map in Libya as it could accelerate solutions to the bottlenecks that impede the path of state building in Libya, as she put it. The minister also noted the tendency of the women ministers of the Government of National Unity to draw up an action plan for the effective contribution of all Libyan women in the political process. Libyan women can contribute to national reconciliation efforts leading to stability, justice, and equality, the minister says, underscoring that they are ready to draw up promising and innovative policies for the interest of their nation and all humankind.
Source:Libya Today
November 06, 2022 09:23 UTC
HoR forms committee to develop a mechanism for distributing oil wealth
Parliament Speaker Aqila Saleh has instructed the formation of a committee to set up a mechanism for distributing wealth according to geographical distribution, population, and oil and gas production and export areas. The first article of the resolution outlines the aim of forming the committee, stating that this would secure an equitable distribution of the country's resources and revenues so oil regions will have more opportunities. Article 5 of the resolution stipulates that the committee must submit a report on its work to the presidency of the House of Representatives no later than the end of November. The committee includes 11 members, described as "experts" without mentioning their competencies. The members will choose a chairperson from among them at their first meeting.
Source:Libya Observer
November 05, 2022 21:28 UTC
Large quantities of smuggled drugs seized in Misrata port
The Public Prosecutor's Office has announced the seizure of 14,910 pieces of hashish and 829,830 narcotic tablets, hidden in a container designated for transporting durable goods coming from Turkey, in the sea port of Misrata. The office directed the initiation of procedures to prosecute the perpetrators of the illegal trade in narcotics and psychotropic substances, confirming the arrest of one accused person.
Source:Libya Observer
November 05, 2022 21:28 UTC
Bathily calls for a national Libyan dialogue
The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, called on all Libyans to prepare to participate in a national dialogue “to get out of the crisis with a consensus and one position that achieves the interests of the people.”In a press statement on Saturday, Bathily said “all Libyan parties in all regions should discuss the political, military and economic tracks.”
Source:Libya Today
November 05, 2022 20:50 UTC
Rewind: Free Twitter!
Elon Musk’s $44-billion takeover of the social media platform Twitter buzzed the global mindspace with notes of excitement and agony. Thus, the social media platform takeover promises the same enriching experience where people can exercise creative independence and free speech. A 16-year JourneyTwitter, maybe unbeknownst to many, is the most powerful social media platform. In October 2020, researchers tracked 9,000 politically active Twitter users, half of whom were Democrats and half of whom were Republicans. …and TakeoverThis is where the story of the Twitter takeover sets in.
Source:Libya Today
November 05, 2022 19:11 UTC
President: Enemies sought to replicate Syria-Libya scenario in Iran, but failed
TEHRAN — Iran’s President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi said late on Friday that the enemies sought to turn Iran into Syria and Libya, but they failed. In a 4-hour meeting with the students participating in the first course of the "Paths of Progress Camps", Raisi stated, “Riots and attempts to disrupt the country are different from protests, and riots and those who create insecurity must be confronted.”Stating that Iran and its various cities are safe today, the president said, “Americans and our enemies sought to make the country insecure by implementing their patterns in Libya and Syria, but they failed.”Elsewhere in his remarks, the president noted that the Islamic Republic has had many advances that the people and even many elites don’t know about them in details. He then expressed hope that the holding of the camps of the Paths of Progress, like the camps of the Paths of Light, will bring many blessings to the country. The president considered students' familiarity with the country's progress and achievements as a factor to strengthen their motivation and determination, noting, “Students will see the progress made and will know that wherever we had more restrictions and sanctions, we made more progress with the will and determination of researchers, and this progress has made the enemy scrambling to devise new conspiracies.”Raisi considered the students and especially the members of the Olympiad teams to be the symbol and manifestation of the country's progress and stressed on identifying these talents and providing the necessary conditions for their continued growth and excellence. “The talented should know the system of the country's issues and use their abilities in the path of fixing these issues,” he underlined.
Source:Libya Today
November 05, 2022 18:48 UTC
Haftar meets African delegation headed by Congolese Foreign Minister
The General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, held a meeting Saturday in Benghazi with a delegation from the African Union, headed by Congolese Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Gakosso. Gakosso met Friday with the Libyan Prime Minister designated by the Parliament, Fathi Bashagha, where they discussed his government’s efforts to achieve national reconciliation. The meeting dealt with ways to prepare the general atmosphere for holding simultaneous presidential and legislative elections, as well as the efforts made by the African Union to reach a comprehensive Libyan solution, according to Bashagha. Gakosso met Thursday with the Speaker of the Parliament, Aguila Saleh, and said that “the time has come for Libya to take decisive steps towards resolving its crisis,” calling on the African Union to take a stand against foreign interference in Libya.
Source:Libya Today
November 05, 2022 18:20 UTC
German rescue ship enters Sicilian port, disembarks minors
Italy allowed a humanitarian rescue ship carrying 179 migrants to enter a Sicilian port and begin disembarking minors early Sunday, while refusing to respond to requests for a safe harbor from three other ships carrying another 900 people in nearby waters
Source:Libya Today
November 05, 2022 17:52 UTC
Bashagha holds talks with Congolese FM, AU delegation
Fathi Bashagha, the Libya prime minister designated by the House of Representatives, held talks on Friday with Jean-Claude Gakosso, the foreign minister of Congo-Brazzaville, and a diplomatic delegation representing the African Union. This was announced by Bashagha himself via brief statement on Twitter. Bashagha did not explicitly disclose the subject of the talks. 1/2 التقيت مع السيد جان كلود جاكوسو وزير خارجية الكونغو برزافيل، وممثلاً عن رئيس اللجنة رفيعة المستوى للاتحاد الإفريقي من أجل ليبيا، ووفد الاتحاد الإفريقي المرافق له . pic.twitter.com/Cd2Sx6xf8N — فتحي باشاغا Fathi Bashagha (@fathi_bashagha) November 4, 2022The African Union had previously announced plan to organize a “reconciliation conference” for Libya.
Source:Libya Today
November 05, 2022 12:14 UTC
French embassy in Tripoli to organize “Libya-France Health Day” this month
France’s Embassy in Libya plans to dedicate this month a special day for health in coordination with the Tripoli-based Health Ministry, announced French Ambassador Mostafa Mihraje on Friday. This came following the first meeting between Mihraje and Health Minister Ramadan Abu Janah, who serves in the cabinet of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. Mihraje made the announcement via Twitter, but he did not disclose the specific date for what he called the “Libya-France Health Day” nor did he reveal the types of events that the French embassy intends to organize to mark this day. Meanwhile, the Tripoli-based Health Ministry said in a statement via its official Facebook page that Abu Janah and Mihraje also discussed “the medical forum that will be held in Libya during the next few period.”
Source:Libya Today
November 05, 2022 11:57 UTC
Enemy sought to destabilize Iran just like Libya, Syria
Ebrahim Raeisi made the remarks among the pupils participating in the first round of the Path of Progress camps on Saturday. Today Iran and its different cities are secure, he said, adding that the Americans and the country's enemies sought to carry out in Iran the same action they had done in Libya and Syria, but they failed to reach their goals. The Iranian President underlined that riots and attempts to disrupt the country differ from protests, so standing against those who create insecurity and unrest is a must. Elite students, who are members of Olympiad teams, are symbols of progress in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Raeisi noted. MNA/5624776
Source:Libya Today
November 05, 2022 10:55 UTC
Greek foreign minister “happy” that several countries denounce Libya-Turkey deal
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Friday reiterated criticism of last month’s deal between Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli government on energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. The deal is based on a maritime demarcation accord signed between the two countries in 2019 which has been condemned by Greece and Cyprus and criticized by Egypt and Israel. The Greek foreign minister also hailed a US-brokered maritime demarcation deal signed between Lebanese and Israeli leaders in late October, which was welcomed for bringing a measure of accommodation between the rival states as they eye offshore energy exploration. “We salute the courage and the vision of Israel and Lebanon and we hope that other countries in the region will seize the opportunity and follow their example,” Dendias said. Unfortunately, this is not the path followed by all,” he said, in a thinly-disguised reference to Turkey.
Source:Libya Today
November 05, 2022 09:03 UTC
Libya derails Egypt-Turkey rapprochement
Last year, Egypt and Turkey held two rounds of exploratory talks in an effort to repair their fractured relations. A main point of friction between the two regional rivals is the presence of Turkish forces in Libya. Egypt criticized the oil deal, saying the Tripoli-based government does not have any mandate to sign agreements that could affect Libya’s future. Jalel Harchaoui, Libya expert with the Royal United Services Institute, a defense and security think tank, said Ankara has made no tangible efforts to make real rapprochement with Cairo. Orabi, however, rules out that the situation will escalate between Egypt and Turkey over the situation in Libya as happened in 2020.
Source:Libya Today
November 05, 2022 07:50 UTC