(EPA Images pic)PARIS : Governments and airlines scrambled Tuesday to repatriate tens of thousands of travellers stranded in the Middle East following the eruption of a regional conflict sparked by Israel-US strikes on Iran. Some Emirates flights took off Tuesday morning, according to the Flightradar24 flight tracking website, flying south out of the Gulf region. Flights continued to come in and out of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Oman, though no civilian flights passed through airspace over Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Libya or Qatar. Britain said a charter flight would bring home nationals from Oman in the coming days, with Ireland and Spain making similar announcements. Airlines including Air France, British Airways, LOT, Norwegian and SAS have all suspended flights to the Middle East for the coming days.

India Confident To Evade Fuel Crisis Amid War As Russia Offers Energy Support Despite Trump ThreatsA Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, the Arctic Metagaz, has sunk in the central Mediterranean between Libya and Malta after a "sudden explosion" triggered a massive blaze on board, Libya’s ports and maritime transport authority said on Wednesday.They added that all 30 crew members were rescued in nearby Libyan waters.Libya’s ports and maritime transport authority said Arctic Metagaz tanker "had experienced sudden explosions followed by a massive fire, which ultimately led to its complete sinking," ultimately led to the tanker’s complete sinking north of the Libyan coast.There have been no immediate reports of casualties among the crew.According to local reports, Russia’s transport ministry later accused Ukraine of launching a naval‑drone attack against the tanker from the Libyan coast, claiming that the Arctic Metagaz was struck by uncrewed surface vessels, but Kyiv has not publicly commented on the allegation.Maltese armed forces, whose Rescue Coordination Centre helped coordinate the response, said survivors from the Arctic Metagaz were found in a lifeboat inside Libya’s search‑and‑rescue area and were all reported safe.Tracking data showed the ship had earlier loaded LNG at a Russian floating storage unit before sailing around Western Europe into the Mediterranean, where its Automatic Identification System signal disappeared roughly 30 nautical miles off Malta’s northeastern coast prior to the fire.The Armed Forces of Malta said they were alerted to a distress situation involving the Arctic Metagaz outside Malta’s search‑and‑rescue region and initiated verification procedures, locating the vessel and working with international partners before survivors were later found in a lifeboat in Libyan waters.According to Maltese and Libyan authorities, the crew abandoned ship as the fire spread, and were subsequently transferred to another vessel after rescue coordination messages were broadcast to nearby shipping.

A Russian LNG tanker caught fire off the coast of Libya, with all 30 crew members on board the vessel unharmed and rescued, Moscow said. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENTThe Libyan port authority said the carrier sunk after "sudden explosions" north of the port of Sirte. The Arctic Metagaz tanker "had experienced sudden explosions followed by a massive fire, which ultimately led to its complete sinking" on Tuesday night, the authority said. Meanwhile, Russia has accused Ukraine of attacking the tanker from the Libyan coast by naval drones, according to a statement by Russia’s transport ministry. The vessel was loaded and en route from the northern Russian port of Murmansk, according to Moscow.

A video clip of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi resurfaced online of her defending former President Obama’s decision to strike Libya without congressional approval. Pelosi recently said that President Donald Trump should have gotten approval from Congress before striking Iran. "You’re saying that the president did not need authorization initially and still does not need any authorization from Congress on Libya?" a reporter from the video is heard asking Pelosi in 2011. Trump has not weighed out boots on the ground in Iran, according to an exclusive interview with the New York Post.

The vessel, identified as the Arctic Metagaz, was reportedly destroyed around 4 a.m. local time between Malta and Libya. Shipping and maritime security sources told Reuters the tanker was ablaze, though no official distress signal had been recorded. If confirmed, the destruction of the Arctic Metagaz could mark the first known instance of an LNG carrier being blown up in a conflict-related attack. Authorities said environmental damage was unlikely, as the vessel was believed to be carrying LNG rather than crude oil. The incident marks a sharp escalation in maritime risk across the Mediterranean, a region increasingly touched by the widening conflict.

He recognises that Iran is a complex and diverse reality, without discounting that a sizeable minority of Iranian society still supports the murderous regime. In his role as Vice President of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iran, Attard has championed human rights in Iran, pushed resolutions condemning repression, advocated targeted sanctions, and crucially called for the IRGC’s designation as a terrorist group. He has also engaged Iranian diaspora communities, urging the EU to link diplomacy to accountability and rights. “In the absence of military intervention, it was hard to imagine change in Iran. “Iran before 1979, despite being itself repressive, was a sort of cultural beacon for the rest of the region,” Attard says.

Their total volume was 2,235,176,369 dinars during the same period. The total volume for these was 11,735,207,353 dinars. The total operations executed via electronic applications reached 43,304,277. Their total transactions reached 44,638,566,521 dinars. Their acceptance points reached 6,096.

They therefore urged all Libyan stakeholders to engage fully, seriously and without delay with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya's political road map. The members of the Security Council noted the importance of progress towards the unification of all institutions, including military and security institutions, and underscored the importance of safeguarding the unity and independence of the judicial system. The members of the Security Council called for the implementation of the Unified Development Programme and stressed the importance of establishing a unified budget to prevent further economic deterioration. The members of the Council reaffirmed their respect for the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya, and the need to refrain from external interference. They called upon the international community to support the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in the implementation of their mandate.

Authorities have reintroduced a barcode-based vehicle registration system for fuel distribution in southern Libya starting in March. The step is aimed at limiting fuel smuggling to Sudan and ensuring that subsidized fuel reaches eligible citizens. Each registered vehicle will be assigned a fixed weekly fuel quota. This measure is designed to prevent repeated refueling, which had previously been exploited to stockpile fuel for resale or smuggling. Southern regions have been facing a severe fuel shortage due to the diversion of subsidized fuel supplies to the black market.

In a video statement published late last night / early this morning from its Benghazi headquarters, around 50 Members of Libya’s Parliament (House of Representatives – HoR) called for the amendment of the HoR’s internal regulations, in a partially veiled effort to control the unilateral decision-making powers of HoR Speaker Ageela Saleh. Specifically, the members stated:– Amending the internal regulations of the HoR is no longer a postponed option, but an urgent necessity dictated by the current political situation. – The HoR must begin reviewing and updating its internal regulations to ensure clarity of powers, regulate the mechanisms for holding sessions, and enhance transparency and discipline. Hence, the gathered HoR members seek to put an end to Saleh’s abuse of his powers as HoR Speaker, by on several occasions completely bypassing HoR members and acting as a de facto dictator. It will also be recalled that the 50-odd HoR members were forced to hold an unofficial meeting as Saleh and his two deputies had refused their demand to hold an official HoR session.

The head of the Presidential Council Mohamed Menfi has addressed the constitutional framework governing cabinet amendments, following recent ministerial changes announced by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh. Menfi underscored that any changes to the government’s composition must be carried out in accordance with Libya’s constitutional framework. In a formal letter, the PC head noted that amendments to the cabinet should follow the provisions of the Libyan Political Agreement and the Constitutional Declaration and their related procedures. He added that governments may shift to caretaker status if confidence is withdrawn under constitutional conditions or if a substantial vacancy occurs within the cabinet, depending on the thresholds set out in governing agreements. Menfi said his remarks were made in the context of safeguarding institutional legitimacy and protecting the state’s higher interests.

Tripoli Criminal Court has sentenced eight people to life imprisonment after convicting them of smuggling narcotics and psychotropic substances hidden inside imported vehicles, authorities said. According to the Office of the Attorney General, the drugs were concealed in vehicles shipped aboard the vessels Grand California and Grand España, which arrived from the Port of Antwerp in Belgium. The court also sentenced a ninth defendant to three years in prison. All nine were fined 20,000 Libyan dinars ($), permanently stripped of their civil rights, and the court ordered the confiscation of the seized drugs and the vehicles used in the operation. Prosecutors said arrest warrants had been renewed for suspects who failed to appear in court and are believed to be in Malta, as part of efforts to resubmit extradition requests.

In 2003, the George W. Bush administration launched “Shock and Awe” in Iraq with the explicit aim of regime change. The political objective was never achieved at all. In 2011, the Obama administration led a NATO air campaign in Libya that quickly expanded from civilian protection into regime change. But Iran’s political system is institutional — the Guardian Council, the Assembly of Experts and the Revolutionary Guard have survived for four decades. There is no American theory of political endgame in Iran — only a theory of destruction.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Libyan Army, Salah Al-Din Al-Namroush, met with Director of Training, Mustafa Rashid, to assess the outcomes of external training programs implemented during 2025. The meeting featured a detailed presentation on the courses and programs conducted abroad and their impact on improving the efficiency and readiness of military personnel. Participants also discussed key observations and challenges that accompanied the implementation of these programs, along with measures to address them in order to enhance the training system in line with the highest professional standards.

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced on Saturday that its campaign, which aims to plant one million trees, is ongoing as part of its strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The NOC stated that it has completed planting in the geographical area surrounding the Abu Tifl oil field, one of the locations targeted under the initiative. According to the Sustainable Development Department, project completion has surpassed 50% of the total target, covering several Libyan areas near production sites. The campaign will continue in the coming days to reach the planned number of trees.