Libya

Fighting in western Libya town leaves several dead

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Fighting in a Libyan hill town has killed eight people since Sunday, a member of the municipal council and another resident said, adding that forces aligned with…

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In Libya’s devastated Derna, families still search for the missing

By Ayman Al-Warfali Flood swept away swathes of the city in September More than 4,000 bodies recovered so far Thousands still missing but identification is hard Reconstruction may become new…

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Libya parliament speaker issues election law -spokesperson

TRIPOLI, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Libya's parliament speaker Aguila Saleh has issued laws for national presidential and parliamentary elections, the chamber's spokesperson said on Wednesday, but continued disputes over the…

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Libya envoy urges unified Derna flood response

The United Nations' Libya envoy Abdoulaye Bathily said on Monday he was concerned about "unilateral and competing initiatives" by Libyan institutions to rebuild Derna, where a destructive flood killed thousands…

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For Libya’s Haftar, flood aftermath tests strongman image

(Reuters) - After Derna's catastrophic floods, eastern Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar flew in by helicopter and received salutes from his troops as he toured the city where thousands of…

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Climate Change made Libya’s deadly rainfall up to 50 times more likely – study

By Riham Alkousaa BERLIN, (Reuters) - Climate Change made the heavy rainfall that led to deadly floods in Libya up to 50 times more likely, scientists said. The powerful Sept.…

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‘They knew’ – fury of Libyans that warnings went unheeded before flood

(Reuters) - "They knew." When hydrologist Abdul Wanis Ashour began researching the system of dams protecting the eastern Libya port town of Derna 17 years ago, the peril facing residents…

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UN agency warns two other dams in Eastern Libya could collapse

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has expressed concern regarding two more dams in east Libya which were said to be dealing with massive amounts…

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Libya flood: after a week, families haunted by fate of the missing

DERNA, Libya, Sept 18 (Reuters) - "I lost my daughter. Her mother is convinced that she is still alive. I am convinced that she is dead," says Ahmed Ashour, 62.…

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Libya says four members of Greek rescue team killed in road accident

CAIRO (Reuters) - Four members of a Greek rescue team en route to the flood-ravaged city of Derna and three members of a Libyan family were killed in a road…

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UPDATED: Death toll from floods reaches 11,300 in Libya’s coastal city of Derna

By Ayman Al-Warfali and Ahmed Elumami Bodies still being washed up by the sea Many victims buried in mass graves Italian naval ship arrives with aid supplies At least 11,300…

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Aid agencies call for end to mass graves after Libya floods

By Emma Farge GENEVA, Sept 15 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) and other aid groups on Friday called on authorities in Libya to stop burying flood victims in…

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Libyans come together for flood aid effort despite conflict

By Ahmed Elumami and Ayman Al-Warfali Aid flowing to Derna from across Libya Country splintered by rival factions after 2011 uprising Different administrations operate in east and west Suspicions remain…

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What caused the floods in Libya and why are they so bad?

Sept 14 (Reuters) - A catastrophic flood has killed thousands of people in the eastern Libyan city of Derna, sweeping away entire neighbourhoods with their residents and washing many bodies…

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Casualties in Libya floods could have been avoided with warning system: WMO chief

GENEVA, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday that casualties could have been avoided in the floods that hit Libya if the…

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Number of deaths in Libyan city of Derna could reach 20,000 -mayor

Thousands killed by flood, thousands more missing One man says has lost his wife and five children Beach littered with toys washed from homes Officials worry about disease with many…

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Libyan oil ports reopen after storm forced closure

LONDON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Four major oil ports in Libya have reopened after shutting down on Saturday because of the powerful storm that swept the country, killing thousands of…

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UPDATED: Libya storm death toll expected to swell as sea washes bodies ashore

By Ayman al-Warfali and Ahmed Elumami NEAR DERNA, Libya, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Bodies were washing ashore in eastern Libya on Wednesday, swelling the death toll from a storm that…

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WATCH: More than 1,000 bodies recovered in Libyan city after floods – minister

Over 1,000 bodies have been recovered in the eastern Libyan city of Derna after it was hit by floods, a minister in the eastern administration said on Tuesday, adding hit…

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Netanyahu rues his foreign minister’s disclosure of meeting with Libyan counterpart

JERUSALEM, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday appeared to shift blame to his top diplomat for the disclosure of a secret meeting with the Libyan…

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Libya launches investigation into secret meeting with Israel

Libya has officially launched an investigation into the secret meeting in Rome between former foreign minister Najla Mangoush and Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen last month, the North African nation's attorney-general's…

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Ex Italian PM Amato says Ustica tragedy was French attempt to assassinate Gaddafi

Ex-premier Giuliano Amato has said that a French missile was behind the mysterious 1980 Ustica plane crash that left 81 people dead. Amato said the Dc9 Bologna-Palermo flight operated by…

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Libya suspends foreign minister after meeting with Israeli foreign minister

JERUSALEM/TRIPOLI, (Reuters) - Libya's prime minister suspended Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush and referred her for investigation after Israel said its Foreign Minister Eli Cohen had met her last week despite…

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Libya’s LNA launches operation near southern border after Chad clashes

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Over the weekend, Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) said it launched air strikes against "foreign armed groups" near the border with Chad, after fighting near the…

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UN Libya envoy urges ‘unified government’ for election in apparent shift

United Nations Libya envoy Abdoulaye Bathily said that "a unified government, agreed upon by the major players, is an imperative for leading the country to elections", an apparent shift from an earlier…

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Libya’s central bank reunifies after almost a decade

The Central Bank of Libya has been reinstated as a unified sovereign institution, its governor said on Sunday, almost a decade after it was split in two due to civil…

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Tripoli clashes widen overnight in worst fighting this year

The Libyan capital's most powerful armed factions battled in several districts overnight and into Tuesday morning in the city's worst violence this year, raising fears of a wider escalation. Dark smoke…

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Libya’s High State Council votes to replace leader

TRIPOLI, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Libya's High State Council consultative body voted on Sunday to replace Khaled al-Meshri as leader with Mohammed Takala, adding new questions over the country's political…

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U.N. Libya mission warns of violence after push for new interim government

TRIPOLI, (Reuters) - The United Nations Libya mission warned against "unilateral initiatives" to address the country's political stalemate after two legislative bodies proposed creating a new interim government as a…

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Italian fishing boat returns to port after Libyan coast guard attack

ROME, (Reuters) - An Italian fishing boat was attacked in international waters by machine gun fire from the Libyan coastguard, the head of an Italian ship-owners group said on Tuesday,…

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Libyan border guards rescue migrants left in desert near Tunisia

Libyan border guards have rescued dozens of migrants they said had been left in the desert by Tunisian authorities without water, food or shelter. Hundreds of people from sub-Saharan African…

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Libya court convicts two oil officials for importing sub-standard gasoline

TRIPOLI, July 16 (Reuters) - A court in Libya on Sunday convicted two oil sector officials of importing sub-standard gasoline fuel last year and sentenced them to 30 months imprisonment, adding they…

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Libya’s Sharara and El Feel oilfields has resumed on Saturday evening

BENGHAZI, July 15 (Reuters) - Production at Libya's Sharara and El Feel oilfields, which were shut on Thursday following the abduction of a former finance minister, has resumed on Saturday evening, four…

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Libyan wealth fund sues Belgian prince for fraud over reforestation project

By Marine Strauss BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Libya's sovereign wealth fund has filed a criminal complaint against Prince Laurent of Belgium, accusing him of fraud and extortion linked to his bid…

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Three Libyan oilfields shut down in protest

July 15 (Reuters) - The closure of three Libyan oilfields could lead to the declaration of force majeure, the oil ministry said late on Friday, a day after the…

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Migrants in Libya: MEPs concerned about the systematic violations of human rights

MEPs have urged the Commission to review urgently the EU’s approach towards Libya and the rights of migrants. In a joint meeting of the Committee on civil liberties, Justice and…

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Hannibal Gaddafi moved to hospital in ‘critical condition’ in Lebanon

CAIRO, July 2 (Reuters) - Hannibal Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been moved from a Lebanese prison to hospital in "critical condition", Dubai-based Al-Hadath TV…

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Eastern Libya administration threatens oil blockade

BENGHAZI, Libya, June 24 (Reuters) - Authorities based in eastern Libya on Saturday threatened to blockade oil exports over the Tripoli government's use of energy revenue, accusing it of wasting billions of dollars without…

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Abortion for health to be only allowed if woman’s life at risk / Malta News Dispatch – Friday 23 June 2023

Updated 1130 Abortion for health to be only allowed if woman's life at risk Government has announced major revisions to an abortion bill that had sparked controversy among anti-abortion campaigners,…

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Son of Libya’s Gaddafi in Lebanon hospital after going on hunger strike

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been treated in hospital in Lebanon after going on hunger strike two weeks ago in protest at his…

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UN envoy says proposed Libya laws not enough to enable election

The United Nations envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily said on Monday that proposed electoral laws had not resolved contentious issues and were not enough to allow elections.Diplomacy has for years…

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Libya’s Haftar backs creation of new government in challenge to Tripoli

BENGHAZI, Libya, June 17 (Reuters) - Libya's eastern forces under commander Khalifa Haftar support a proposal to set up a new interim government, they said late on Friday, setting up…

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Libya’s Tripoli government targets more western towns with drone strikes

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU) stepped up drone strikes over the weekend against what it said were smuggling gangs in western regions, attacking targets in Zawia,…

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Eastern Libya forces stage mass deportation of Egyptian migrants

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Eastern Libyan forces have expelled thousands of Egyptians who were in Libya illegally in recent days, deporting them to Egypt on foot across the land border,…

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Libya court sentences 23 to death for Islamic State campaign

MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) - A Libyan court sentenced 23 people to death and another 14 to life in prison this week for their role in a deadly Islamic State militant…

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Libyan government reveals it conducted air strikes in western areas

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU) said it had conducted air strikes against smuggling networks on Thursday, with blasts hitting a western city that is home to…

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Libyan parliament replaces its appointed PM

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libya's eastern-based parliament voted on Tuesday to replace Fathi Bashagha as prime minister, its spokesperson said, after he failed to take office in Tripoli where the…

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France’s Sarkozy should stand trial for alleged Libyan campaign financing -prosecutor

PARIS (Reuters) - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy should stand trial on charges of corruption and illegal financing of an election campaign related to alleged Libyan funding of his successful…

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ICC prosecutor issues secret arrest warrants for Libya crimes

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court told the United Nations Security Council that the court has issued four new secret arrest warrants for crimes allegedly…

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UPDATED: Italian Prime Minister Meloni in talks with Libyan warlord Haftar

Premier Giorgia Meloni and eastern Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar discussed the recent unprecedented upsurge in migrant flows to Italy in their two-hour talks in Rome Thursday, sources said as…

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Dozens of bodies float ashore in Libya after migrant boats sink

At least 57 bodies have been washed ashore after two migrant boats sank in the Mediterranean off different towns in western Libya, a coast guard officer and an aid worker…

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Libya’s bitter divisions split Eid holiday

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libyans are celebrating Islam's Eid al-Fitr holiday - and ending their month-long Ramadan fast - on different days this year because of bitter political splits that…

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Turkey, Egypt agree to cooperate more closely on Libya

Ankara and Cairo will cooperate more closely regarding Libya, where they back opposing sides, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, marking another step in the rapprochement between the two…

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MSF rescues 440 migrants from fishing boat off Malta in stormy seas

ROME, April 5 (Reuters) - A total of 440 migrants have been rescued from an overcrowded fishing boat in international waters off Malta, after a complex 11-hour operation in stormy…

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Libyan migrants are victims of crimes against humanity – UN mission

A U.N. fact-finding mission on Libya said on Monday that it had reasonable grounds to believe war crimes and crimes against humanity had been committed, including against migrants, and that…

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USGS discovers two large oil and gas basins between Libya and Tunisia

The Libya Observer reports that the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has announced the discovery of two large oil and gas basins spanning vast areas stretching between Libya and Tunisia.…

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U.N. Libya envoy points to ‘alternatives’ if political bodies duck electoral pact

TUNIS (Reuters) - If Libya's legislative bodies are unable to agree on electoral laws in a timely manner "we will look at what alternative we will find", the U.N. Libya…

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