Libya

Schools to move online until end of week / Malta News Briefing – Friday 31 December 2021

Updated 1550 - Schools to move online until end of week Students will physically return to schools on 10th January, the Education Ministry said, with any lessons due to be…

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Libyan parliament debates next move amid election chaos

Libya's eastern-based parliament met on Monday to discuss what to do about a presidential election that was postponed last week putting the fate of the interim government and a wider…

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Bodies of 27 migrants wash ashore in Libya

The bodies of 27 Europe-bound migrants, including a baby and two women, have washed ashore in western Libya, the country’s Red Crescent said. The bodies were found late Saturday in…

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Western powers say Libya’s interim government still valid

BENGHAZI, Libya, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Western powers said on Friday they would continue to recognise Libya's interim government after its presidential election was delayed, but called for a new…

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EXPLAINER-Why Libya’s election has collapsed and what comes next

TUNIS, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Libya said on Wednesday its planned election would not take place but it has not set a new date or worked out how to move…

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Libyan election collapses with no plan out of crisis

TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI, Libya, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Libya's parliament said Friday's planned presidential election would not go ahead, leaving the internationally-backed peace process in chaos and the fate of the interim government in…

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33 years since Pan Am Boeing 747 explosion over Lockerbie

About 7:00 PM on December 21 in 1988, Pan Am flight 103, a Boeing 747 en route to New York City from London, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. The plane had…

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Libya election commission member says vote can’t happen on time

TUNIS, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Abu Bakr Marada, a member of Libya's electoral commission, told Al-Jazeera television on Thursday it had become impossible to hold elections on Dec. 24. Eight…

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Possible Libya election postponement looms

Libya's election commission said it would not publish a list of presidential candidates until after it settles some legal issues, leaving almost no time to hold the vote as planned…

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Libyan political body calls for election delay as disputes grow

A Libyan political body called for a Dec. 24 presidential election to be delayed to February amid growing jostling over the rules and legal basis of a vote aimed at…

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U.N. chief names U.S. diplomat to run Libya mediation

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday appointed U.S. diplomat Stephanie Williams to lead mediation efforts in Libya after his special envoy quit just weeks ahead of planned elections in the war-torn country. U.N. special…

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Libya court reinstates Gaddafi presidential bid amid election chaos

A Libyan court ruled on Thursday that the son of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi could run for president, his lawyer said, as arguments intensified over the conduct of an…

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Libya’s National Oil Corp net revenues at $1.9 bln in October – statement

Libya's National Oil Corporation's (NOC) total oil revenues reached around $1.9 billion in October, up from $1.6 billion in September, the company said in a statement. Gas and condensate revenues…

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Shell eyes return to Libya with oil, gas, solar investments

Royal Dutch Shell is considering a return to Libya with a plan to develop new oil and gas fields and infrastructure, as well as a solar project, two sources said,…

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Libya fighters disrupt Gaddafi son’s election appeal

A lawyer for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya's late dictator, said armed men had prevented him lodging an appeal on Thursday against his client's disqualification from next month's presidential…

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U.N. Libya mediator quits weeks before planned election

The United Nations Libya mediator Jan Kubis is stepping down, a U.N. spokesman said, less than a year after he took up the role and a month before planned elections…

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Turkey repatriates seven citizens held in eastern Libya

ISTANBUL, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Seven Turkish citizens who were being held in eastern Libya have been brought back safely to Turkey, the country's foreign ministry revealed. The seven people…

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Libyan interim PM registers bid for presidency

TRIPOLI (Reuters) -Libya’s interim prime minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah registered as a candidate for the presidency despite having vowed not to do so as a condition of taking his current post…

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Libya parliament speaker submits papers to stand in presidential vote

CAIRO Nov 20 (Reuters) - The speaker of the eastern-based Libyan parliament, Aguila Saleh, submitted papers on Saturday to stand in presidential elections. The elections, scheduled for Dec. 24, remain…

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Libya’s former interior minister registers for presidential bid

Libya's former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha registered as a presidential candidate for a planned December election that remains in doubt amid disputes over the rules. Bashagha was the influential interior…

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Libyan parliament speaker declares presidential bid

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) -The speaker of Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives said on Wednesday he would run for president in a Dec. 24 election that is part of a United…

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Libya’s eastern commander Haftar announces election bid

Eastern commander Khalifa Haftar will run in Libya's presidential elections due next month, he announced in a televised speech on Tuesday. "Elections are the only way out of the severe crisis that…

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Libya’s Prime Minister says election law flawed

Libya's Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah said on Monday the parliament's election law was flawed and written to serve specific candidates as he said he would announce whether he will run for president…

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Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi registers as presidential candidate in December’s election

TRIPOLI, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The son of Libya's late dictator Muammar Gaddafi registered on Sunday as presidential candidate in December's planned election as disputes rage over the rules of…

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TIMELINE-Libya’s shaky path towards elections

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Libya's peace plan, aimed at national elections in December, offers a fragile chance of stability after a decade of chaos and division between warring factions. However,…

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UPDATED: World powers to push Libya election in Paris meeting

World powers will push for sanctions against anyone who disrupts Libya's electoral process and political transition, according to draft conclusions of a conference they are holding later on Friday in…

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Libya’s eastern forces say 300 foreign mercenaries to leave

Libya's eastern-based forces have agreed to repatriate 300 foreign mercenaries from their area of control after a request from France, a military official said as Paris hosts an international conference…

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Egypt’s Sisi to attend Libya conference in Paris

CAIRO, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will travel to Paris to attend a conference on Libya on Friday and to hold talks with French President Emmanuel…

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Algeria president will not attend Libya’s conference in France

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will not attend a conference on Libya in France on Friday but will delegate a representative, Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said. Relations between France and Algeria…

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Libya and Malta concur on a process to unfreeze Libyans’ funds

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Murad Hemima, on Friday, announced that an agreement with the Maltese government has been reached on a process to lift the freezing…

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Libyan premier to run for president as election turmoil grows

TRIPOLI, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The head of Libya's national unity government plans to run for president next month, according to a senior official, an apparent breach of a pledge…

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Libya’s Presidency Council suspends foreign minister, gov’t rejects the decision

TRIPOLI, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Libya's Presidency Council has suspended Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush for "administrative violations" and barred her from traveling, its spokesperson said on Saturday. The spokesperson, Najwa…

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Libya settled Lockerbie case with UK, US years ago

Libya Observer quotes the ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs in Libya, Mohammed Sayala, saying that the Lockerbie bombing case was settled by Libya with be US and UK years ago with…

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Harris to show U.S. support for Libya elections at Paris summit -officials

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris plans to support Libya taking steps toward elections at a conference in Paris next week, according to senior administration officials. “We want to show our…

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Medavia resumes Malta-Libya flights

Medavia airlines has announced the resumption of flights between Malta International Airport and Mitiga International Airport, as of this week, The Libya Herald reported. A vaccination certificate recognized by the…

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U.N. Libya mission urges parliamentary vote on Dec. 24

The United Nations Libya mission said that the country's parliament should amend its election law to hold both presidential and parliamentary elections on Dec. 24 as originally envisioned in a…

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Libya’s NOC says pipeline leak will need days of maintenance

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A major leak in the pipeline running to Libya’s Es Sider terminal has led to the pipeline being shut down and it will require seven-10 days of…

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Libya’s Zawiya oil refinery severely damaged after skirmishes

Libya's state oil company said that the 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) Zawiya oil refinery complex in a western city of capital Tripoli was severely damaged as a result of…

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Don’t send migrants back to unsafe countries, pope says, citing Libya

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday urged countries not to send migrants back to insecure countries such as Libya, where he said many suffer violent and inhumane conditions…

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Libya’s elections commission to open registration for candidates in Nov, commission head says

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Registration for candidates in Libya's presidential and parliamentary elections should open as of the first half of November, Emad al-Sayah, the head of the High National Elections…

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Libyan PM, foreign powers backs Dec. 24 national election

Libya’s prime minister and several foreign powers on Thursday endorsed the holding of a national election on Dec. 24 as envisaged in a U.N.-backed peace plan aimed at resolving years…

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Libyan oil minister says he has suspended NOC head again, as dispute resurfaces

Libya's oil minister has again suspended the head of state-run National Oil Corporation (NOC), Mustafa Sanalla, over alleged administrative offences, the ministry said, in a dispute that may undermine efforts…

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Dutch put Eritrean trafficker on most wanted list

Dutch prosecutors have put Eritrean trafficker Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam on their most wanted list and want try him for crimes related to his alleged people-smuggling ring. Kidane was sentenced to…

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Cyprus says U.S. agents check light aircraft cited in Libya war report for Project Opus

U.S. federal agents are in Cyprus inspecting a light aircraft, Cypriot police said, suggesting continuing international interest in a plane believed by U.N. experts to have been obtained two years…

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UN demands Libya inquiry into shooting of escaping migrants

Libyan security forces used “unnecessary and disproportionate” force to detain African migrants, shooting dead some of those trying to escape, the U.N. human rights office said as it demanded an…

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Migrants in Libya fearful and angry after crackdown and killings

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Hundreds of migrants and refugees waited outside a United Nations centre in Tripoli on Sunday to seek help in escaping Libya after what aid groups called a…

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Shooting in Libya detention centre after migrant raids

At least six migrants were shot dead at a Tripoli detention centre on Friday, the head of the U.N. migration agency's Libya mission said, as many reportedly escaped from the…

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Libya’s warring sides, including Russian mercenaries, may be guilty of crimes – UN

Russian mercenaries in Libya killed detainees, among the possible war crimes committed by multiple sides in the conflict, U.N. human rights investigators said on Monday, adding that they had drawn…

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Libyan unity govt, NOC say they will build new refinery at Sebha

Libya's unity government and the National Oil Corp (NOC) said they would build a new refinery in the south that was originally planned in 1980. The refinery at Sebha would…

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Libya confirms departure of some foreign fighters

Libya's foreign minister said that some foreign fighters have left the country as the unity government seeks to marshal international help to withdraw the many who remain. "The reports are…

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4,000 arrests in crackdown against illegal migration in Libya

Security services in Tripoli over the weekend raided several locations in Gargaresh Municipality west of Tripoli as part of a security campaign against illegal migration and drug and liquor trafficking.…

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Germany will stay committed to Libya after I’m gone, says Merkel

Germany will remain committed to supporting Libya even after the government changes in Berlin, outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday at a joint news briefing with the head…

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Operation Irini gets new commander to monitor Libya’s arms embargo

Libya Observer - The Council of the European Union (EU) has appointed Rear Admiral Stefano Turchetto as commander of Operation Irini, in succession to Admiral Fabio Agostini. The new commander…

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Libya PM draws crowd for mass wedding and protest against parliament

Several thousand Libyans packed a Tripoli square late on Friday for a state-funded mass wedding celebration that also drew supporters of transitional Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah and protesters against the…

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Libya’s eastern parliament pulls confidence from unity government

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's eastern-based parliament said on Tuesday it had withdrawn confidence from the unity government, though it would continue to operate as a caretaker administration. The vote in…

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East Libyan forces say two helicopters crash in military operation

East Libyan forces said they lost two helicopters in a crash during a military operation on Sunday, after days of fighting with a formerly allied rebel group from Chad. The…

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UN concerned about detained migrants vanishing in Libya

U.N. migration agency official expressed concerns Friday over the disappearance of thousands of Europe-bound migrants who were intercepted and returned to Libya as more and more desperate people risk their…

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