(Video: Derna Zoom/Facebook) How government neglect, misguided policies doomed Libya to deadly floodsListen 13 min Share Comment on this story CommentThe rains lashing Derna gave residents a sense of comfort as night fell on Sept. 10. They were not shared publicly until water had engulfed the city — too late for Mustafa BinKhayal and so many others. In the mountains above the city, the Derna and Bou Mansour dams, built in the 1970s, had been damaged for decades. (Video: Derna Zoom and Derna Now/Facebook)In interviews after the storm, families described sheltering in place, steeling themselves for a long night. (Video: Derna Zoom, Facebook)Abdulrazzak Mustafa struggles even now to understand the strength he mustered in that moment, forcing their door shut against the wave as he held his screaming children above him.

October 05, 2023 08:33 UTC

Minister of State H E Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi meeting Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Libya H E Abdoulaye Bathily yesterday. QNADoha, Qatar: Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs H E Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi met Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Libya H E Abdoulaye Bathily yesterday. During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in Libya, the situation in the city of Derna after the disaster of floods and torrents, and the efforts of Qatar to help those affected through the airlift to Benina International Airport in Libya. The meeting also discussed Qatar’s support for the efforts of the United Nations Mission in Libya, which helps it carry out its tasks. The Minister of State reiterated, during the meeting, Qatar’s firm position towards supporting Libya’s unity and stability, achieving the aspirations of its people towards stability and development, its full support for the Libyan political track, the relevant Security Council resolutions, and all peaceful solutions that preserve Libya’s sovereignty.

October 05, 2023 05:49 UTC

Morocco in 2022 endured another catastrophe when record drought contracted agricultural output 15% for barely positive 1% gross domestic product (GDP) growth. These burdens were mitigated with notable strides this year during the first half in both countries, through signature moves such as an oversubscribed Eurobond issue for Morocco and central bank first phase reunification in Libya. As a “wealthy but fragile state”, diversification is in order with hydrocarbons forming 95% of exports, and 2,000 mainly loss-making state enterprises. The central bank must also divest from commercial banks providing three-quarters of system credit, align capital adequacy and loss provision measures, and better define the Islamic style approach, the Fund concluded. In the aftermath, this path invites a more visible appearance on foreign bank and fund manager radar than the sideline relegation to date complicated by delicate geopolitics.

October 05, 2023 05:29 UTC

State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, CanadaZip Code

October 05, 2023 02:42 UTC

Tripoli, Oct 5 (IANS) Libya's newly approved presidential and national Assembly election laws were referred to the High National Elections Commission, said the Speaker of Libyan Parliament.The laws were issued on Wednesday officially by Libyan Parliament, the House of Representatives, based on the 13th Constitutional Amendment and the outcomes of the 6+6 committee, said a statement on its official website. The Parliament unanimously approved the laws during a formal session on Monday. However, the Tripoli-based High Council of State rejected the new laws and decided to cancel its 6+6 representation on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported. The 6+6 committee is a joint legislative committee composed of six members from the High Council of State and six members from the Parliament, aiming at legislating for the upcoming elections. Libya failed to hold general elections in December 2021 as previously scheduled due to the disagreements over election laws among Libyan parties.

October 05, 2023 01:50 UTC





Necessary CookiesThis cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the web site, in order to make valid reports on the use of their web site. Performance/Analytical CookiesRegisters a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website.Used by Google Analytics to throttle request rate. Accept RejectAdvertising/Marketing CookiesThis cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics. (Alexa Analytics is an Amazon company.)

October 04, 2023 17:09 UTC

The President of the General Libyan Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Mohamed Al-Raied, participated in the Arab Food Security Conference in Marrakesh, Morocco on 3 October under the banner “The Role of Food Industries in Achieving Food Security”. In an exclusive interview with Libya Herald, the President of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Mohamed Al-Raied, said that there is a great desire among the chambers of commerce in Libya and the business owners affiliated with them, in parallel with the governmental, for Libya to have a prominent and pivotal role in Arab food security. Food security is importantAl-Raied pointed out the importance of local food industries, based partly or entirely on raw materials from inside and outside the country, in achieving food security within Libya and the Arab countries that have distinct, high-quality food industries that compete with food products in all countries of the world, considering joint Arab food security an issue of utmost importance. Arab food security to avoid food povertyThe head of the Libyan General Union of Chambers of Commerce welcomed all the successful attempts and experiences in the Arab world, which are in partnership between the private sector and with great government encouragement through the development of legislation. This legislation guarantees the protection of joint Arab investments in the field of food industries to ensure the achievement of Arab food sufficiency, which makes the Arab economies able to confront the risks of food poverty.

October 04, 2023 16:57 UTC

Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Aguila Saleh attends a High-level Meeting on Libya Constitutional Track at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, June 28, 2022. Libya's political divisions played into the recent disaster in Derna when dams broke under heavy rain, washing away much of the town in a flash flood that killed thousands of people. Saleh has previously issued laws whose validity some HoR members later disputed, accusing him of abusing parliamentary processes. Two HSC members on Wednesday provided Reuters with contradictory accounts of whether the council had approved the laws or not. Reporting by Reuters Libya newsroom; writing by Angus McDowall; editing by Alison Williams and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

October 04, 2023 16:23 UTC

The state Libyan Iron and Steel Company (LISCO) announced Sunday that it had achieved high production numbers in September of Hot Briquette Iron (HBI) and Direct Reduced Iron (DRI). LISCO stressed that through the sole use of local labour, the production of the reduction plants in its first, second and third units passed the planned monthly target for September 2023. The HBI September production target of 50.351 tons was easily surpassed by 119.11 percent with an actual production of 60.083 tons. September’s DRI production target of 79.498 tons was also surpassed by 108.87 percent with an actual production of 86.551 tons. Libyan Iron and Steel Company exports 12,000 tons of HBI to Egypt (libyaherald.com)LISCO exports 27,000 tons of HBI to Germany – another 10,000 tons to be shipped to Italy (libyaherald.com)LISCO exports 8,000 tons of hot ductile iron (HBI) to Turkey (libyaherald.com)Libyan Iron and Steel Company is preparing to export more than 100 thousand tons of iron (libyaherald.com)ibyan Iron and Steel (LISCO) exports to 38 countries – 136,000 tons to be exported in coming months (libyaherald.com)LISCO exports 5,800 tons of hot rolled coils to Egypt (libyaherald.com)Libyan Industrialists Conference 13 November, LISCO, Misrata (libyaherald.com)Ministry of Industry congratulates LISCO for its record-breaking production of 230 rolls of 8mm rebar (libyaherald.com)LISCO to increase production by 200,000 tons per annum (libyaherald.com)LISCO ships 650 tons of scrap (libyaherald.com)Zawia Technological Industrial Park seeks cooperation with LISCO – to open branches in Misrata and other cities (libyaherald.com)

October 04, 2023 16:13 UTC

Study finds more people are moving into high flood zones, increasing risk of water disastersA new study finds that far more people are in harm's way as they move into high flood zones around the world

October 04, 2023 15:30 UTC

| Yet Another Reminder Of Need To Be Sensitive To Local Ecologies While Executing Hydel Projects Ramesh On Sikkim Flash FloodYet another reminder of need to be sensitive to local ecologies while executing hydel projects: Ramesh on Sikkim flash floodAt least eight people died and 49 others, including 23 army personnel, went missing after a cloudburst over the Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim triggered a flash flood in the Teesta river basin, officials said. At least eight people died and 49 others, including 23 army personnel, went missing after a cloudburst over the Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim triggered a flash flood in the Teesta river basin, officials said. The flood in Sikkim that started around 1.30 am was made worse by the release of water from Chungking dam, the officials said. Ramesh, a former Union environment minister, said the flash flood was most anguishing. It is yet another reminder of how we must learn to be more sensitive to local ecologies while planning for and executing hydel projects especially in fragile areas,” he said in a post on X.

October 04, 2023 15:28 UTC

As a result, The Globe could not reach Mr. Baja for comment. Political activists Siraj Daghman and Tariq Al-Bashari were also detained with Mr. Baja, according to Libyan media reports. The Address newspaper said Mr. Baja was being accused of stealing state documents. Turkey had previously denied that Mr. Gadhafi has been residing in Istanbul since his release from a Libyan prison in 2021, the second source added. For their part, UN panel members also contacted Canadian officials to discuss sanctions enforcement and to find out whether Mr. Gadhafi owns other assets in Canada, the source said.

October 04, 2023 15:16 UTC

In 2011 Libyans took to the streets demanding justice, freedom and dignity, there was hope for a new Libya. The pursuit of justice still remains a key endeavour for Libyans and holding different factions accountable is essential for the country’s political future. We are joined by Elham Saudi, co-founder and director of Lawyers for Justice in Libya (LFJL). Elham is an international lawyer specialising in international human rights law and international humanitarian law. She is the co-founder and director of Lawyers for Justice in Libya, a non-governmental organisation working on promoting human rights and rule of law in Libya, including through advocacy, research and seeking accountability for human rights violations and international crimes.

October 04, 2023 15:08 UTC

Ubari Airport was reopened yesterday after receiving its first flight in four years. The flight from Tripoli carried on board the official party for the airport’s inauguration headed by the head of the Libyan Airports Authority, Mohamed Bait al-Mal, accompanied by a delegation consisting of the Airports Authority, the Ministry of Transportation, the Civil Aviation Authority, the National Meteorological Centre, the General Union of Air Transport and Afriqiyah Airlines Company. The airport was reopened after completion of maintenance and repaving projects for the entire runway, the aircraft parking apron, the delivery corridor, the construction of an administrative building and a fence around the airport borders. Security inspection devices, equipment to receive flights and some of the needs necessary to operate the airport were also provided. Completion of maintenance of Ubari Airport – to reopen in weeks (libyaherald.com)Ubari airport runway maintenance progressing (libyaherald.com)UNDP-supported Ubari airport expansion work starts – to enable arrival of larger aircraft (libyaherald.com)

October 04, 2023 12:28 UTC

The Prime Minister of the internationally unrecognised eastern-based Libyan government, Osama Hamad, conducted a tour of the Storm Daniel destroyed areas of Derna on Monday with the chairmen of two Turkish construction companies. The eastern based government said the two ‘‘major’’ companies, Beser Engineering and Consultancy and Silahtaroglu Engineering and Construction Company, specialise in the field of engineering and general contracting. It said the tour was in preparation for starting work and rebuilding the area according to the latest international specifications and standards. Specialised in construction in difficult and damaged areasThe eastern Libyan government said the two Turkish companies are considered specialised in the field of construction in difficult and damaged areas and have experience in disaster-stricken areas, especially the areas where the devastating earthquake occurred in Turkey recently. More humanitarian aid arrives in eastern Libya from Canada, Turkey, Qatar and Kuwait – to help in post Storm Daniel efforts (libyaherald.com)Eastern Libyan government meets Chinese solar company, discusses 1,500 MW solar energy project (libyaherald.com)Eastern Libyan government meets Chinese solar company, discusses 1,500 MW solar energy project (libyaherald.com)

October 04, 2023 11:04 UTC