The Security Council on Friday approved former Senegalese minister and U.N. diplomat Abdoulaye Bathily as the new U.N. envoy to Libya, ending a nine-month vacancy. The vote came a day after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had nominated Bathily. The 75-year-old succeeds Ján Kubiš of Slovakia, who previously served as special envoy and head of U.N. Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). In 2018, he was appointed as Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Madagascar and in 2019 as Independent Expert for the strategic review of the United Nations Office for West Africa. Mr. Bathily is fluent in English, French, Soninke and Wolof.

The last UN special representative, Jan Kubis, resigned November 23, 2021, after 10 months on the job, and a number of candidates proposed by Guterres were rejected by council members, Libya or neighbouring countries. In December, Guterres appointed veteran American diplomat Stephanie Williams, a former UN deputy special representative in Libya, as his special adviser — a job that did not require council approval. So, the mission has had no leader as Libyans grapple with a constitutional and political crisis. Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Guterres said Bathily brings 40 years of experience to the job of special representative and head of Libya's UN political mission.

The last U.N. special representative, Jan Kubis, resigned Nov. 23, 2021, after 10 months on the job, and a number of candidates proposed by Guterres were rejected by council members, Libya or neighboring countries. In December, Guterres appointed veteran American diplomat Stephanie Williams, a former U.N. deputy special representative in Libya, as his special adviser — a job that did not require council approval. So, the mission has had no leader as Libyans grapple with a constitutional and political crisis. Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. AdvertisementGuterres said Bathily brings 40 years of experience to the job of special representative and head of Libya’s U.N. political mission.

"For 47 days, no-one knew where I was," Mr Elhouderi says. After about two weeks, Mr Elhouderi was finally brought in for interrogation, and the beatings mostly stopped. Initially, Mr Elhouderi was accused of "breaching the ministry's secret information system". In many ways, Mr Elhouderi's interrogator - who was bluffing about Mr Mrabet - was right. Months after their release, neither Mr Elhouderi nor Mr Mrabet have been reinstated at the ministry, nor have they received any kind of compensation.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2022) Russia is actively considering reopening its embassy in Libya once all technical and security issues are resolved, Alexander Kinschak, the head of the Russian foreign ministry's middle East and North Africa department, said in an interview with Sputnik. All the necessary organizational and technical matters are being worked on, including security of our diplomatic mission. We pay special attention to this aspect, considering the existing tense military-political situation in Libya, including the metropolitan area," Kinschak said. According to the diplomat, Russia also plans to open the General Consulate in Benghazi after the embassy in Tripoli resumes its operations. Russia also had the General Consulate in Benghazi, which was closed in 1992.

The Benghazi Benina airport based privately owned Barniq Airways announced today that it is preparing to receive its third aircraft – Airbus A320 (5A-BRC) – within a few days. BackgroundIt will be recalled that Berniq Airways was established in Benghazi with a capital of LD 200 million by the Bank of Commerce and Development in 2018. The first of its Airbus-A320 (5A-BRA) aircraft arrived at its hub at Benina Benghazi airport in October 2020. Benina airport’s Berniq TerminalIn May 2022 Benghazi’s Benina airport opened its new Berniq terminal. Berniq Airlines’ first Airbus A320 arrives in Benghazi’s Benina airport (libyaherald.com)Benghazi’s Benina airport opens its new Berniq terminal – a BOT project financed by the private sector Bank of Commerce and Development (libyaherald.com)

Digital fashion house and Metaverse production studio, The Immersive Kind, is debuting “The Other World,” an event on 4 September in conjunction with the New York Digital Fashion Week 2022. Metaverse Fashion adventures in Central Park #NY continue for the summer! OST by @bamsound pic.twitter.com/YL3d1Wb9iD — The Immersive KIND (@ImmersiveKind) September 2, 2022The Immersive Kind is also hosting a London Metaverse Fashion Week Show inside its digital venue on Spatial, featuring international digital fashion artworks and collections from 3D fashion designers. Essential PlayersThe Immersive Kind and Studio Multi, an architectural firm, are collaborating on bespoke immersive environments for the event. A Ready Player Me Spokesperson added,“[Ready Player Me is] driven by the mission to increase accessibility in the metaverse.

XR Today spoke with Justin Parry, Immerse Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, to discuss the role of XR training in upskilling current and future workforces for their desired job roles. The company’s training platform includes partners across multiple devices, including Meta Quest, HTC VIVE, Pico Interactive, SAP, NIIT, and Amazon, among others. XR Today: Which functions do you consider essential when developing and deploying your VR training platform? XR Today: With its experience, does your company believe the XR industry can tackle the ongoing upskilling crisis? The Immerse Platform and other XR solutions also encourage upskilling and enable HR teams to engage their workforce in exciting new ways.

Libyan authorities have announced the recovery of 15 unidentified bodies from two mass graves in the city of Sirte, some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli.”Field team of the Remains Search Department recovered 15 bodies of unknown identities in the yard of Ibn Sina university hospital in Sirte,” Xinhua news agency quoted the General Authority for Research and Identification of Missing Persons as saying in a statement.One mass grave contained seven bodies while the other contained eight, it said, adding their DNA samples would be compared with those of the relatives of the registered missing.In April, the Authority announced recovering 11 unidentified bodies from a mass grave in Sirte, which used to be an Islamic State stronghold before the terror group were expelled from the city in 2016 by the former UN-backed Government of National Accord.As of August, teams from the Authority have extracted 286 bodies from about 100 secret grave sites.The teams have successfully identified 154 victims through DNA matching, and efforts are currently underway to identify more of the victims.Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.Two governments are currently vying for power in the North African country.

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, plans to appoint a former Senegalese Minister to lead UN efforts to broker peace in Libya, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. The 15-member UN Security Council needs to agree by consensus to the appointment of Abdoulaye Bathily as the UN Special Envoy for Libya. If there are no objections, then Bathily's appointment will be approved on Friday evening, Reuters reports. Guterres had informally proposed two other people to fill the role, but the Security Council could not agree. Libya's worst fighting for two years suddenly hit the capital, Tripoli, on Saturday.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has nominated Abdoulaye Bathily to be the new U.N. envoy to Libya. France’s U.N. ambassador said Thursday he thinks the Security Council will approve the former Senegalese minister and U.N. diplomat, which would end a contentious nine-month search. The last U.N. special representative, Jan Kubis, resigned last Nov. 23 after 10 months. France’s ambassador said at a news conference that he doesn’t think opposition to Bathily from Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who led Libya’s transitional government, will be a problem in trying to end Libya’s political crisis. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking hereIf you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

(MENAFN- IANS)United Nations, Sep 2 (IANS) The UN Security Council has called on all parties in Libya to preserve the prevailing calm on the ground, and to refrain from violence or other actions that could escalate tensions. In a press statement on Thursday, the council members condemned the violent clashes perpetrated by armed groups in Libya's Tripoli on August 27, which resulted in civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure. The council members 'called on all parties to preserve the prevailing calm on the ground,' said the statement. They called upon the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special representative immediately, Xinhua news agency reported. They urged Libyan parties to respect international law, particularly regarding the protection of civilians, and called on all parties to allow and facilitate full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access.

United Nations, Sep 2 : The UN Security Council has called everyone in Libya to maintain the calm that prevails in the country, and avoid Violence or other actions that could increase tensions. Council members condemned the brutal clashes carried out by militant groups in Libyas Tripoli on the 27th of August that caused in civilian casualties as well as destruction of infrastructure for civilians. The members of the Council "called for all sides to maintain the calm that is currently at the scene," said the statement.They also asked the parties to avoid Violence or other acts that may exacerbate tensions and compromise the political process or the ceasefire accord reached in October of 2020. They stated "should be implemented in totality, including the removal of foreign troops, foreign fighters and mercenaries out of the country immediately without additional delay".The members of the Council reiterated that there could be no military solution in Libya and they urged all Libyan parties, assisted by the UN to come to an approach to conduct elections for the presidency and parliamentary seats in the entire country as quickly as is possible through dialogue and compromise, as well as constructive engagement in an open and inclusive way.They urged the UN Secretary-General to nominate an immediate special representative, Xinhua news agency reported.In the press release the Council members highlighted "the significance of an inclusive national dialogue that is comprehensive and comprehensive as well as a reconciliation process that aims at, among other things the formation of a united Libyan government capable of governing across the entire country and represent the entire population of Libya". They demanded Libyan parties to adhere to international law, especially concerning the protection of civilians and urged all parties to permit and facilitate safe and unhindered access to humanitarian aid.int/khz/ .

Now, locked down at home in London, I could smell nothing of my domestic world, which made life feel alien and flat. After her COVID-19 diagnosis, the author discovered that the properties around humans’ sense of smell can tell us much about our physical and mental health. I was elated when, around the sixth month after infection, my sense of smell began to return, at times fleeting and often barely perceptible. AdvertisementThe realisation that my father’s olfactory loss had not been seen as a medical red flag at the time bothered me a little, too. Many multiple sclerosis patients suffer smell and taste loss, and it is an important early marker for patients suffering Alzheimer’s and dementia.

As an oil-exporting country whose revenues typically increase in tandem with a rise in oil prices, Libya should have ranked among countries benefiting from this year’s spike in oil prices. Furthermore, according to the Energy Research Unit, Libya ranks 10th in the world in terms of proven oil reserves, with total reserves of nearly 48.4 billion barrels. Alongside the high unemployment rates in Libya, inflation rates rose to unprecedented levels this year due to the convergence of several factors. The groups that typically are most affected by these repercussions are the most vulnerable social strata, women and children. At the same time, foreign interventions continue to fuel these divisions and drive the conflict in a country with significant oil reserves.