DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Biden impeachment saga creates a wild new political twist in an unprecedented election
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Now, his proxies in the House GOP are effectively weaponizing an impeachment inquiry of Biden to try to again destroy Trump’s potential opponent in the next presidential election. Then-Vice President Biden attended two dinners with his son and his business associates in Washington, DC, although one of Hunter’s associates testified that no business was discussed. Biden’s political liabilitiesIn some ways, the White House has a political advantage. CNN’s White House team reported Wednesday that the administration had put into action a counter-impeachment plan even before McCarthy’s announcement. Video Ad Feedback James Carville wants Biden impeachment inquiry.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Donald Trump, Biden, –, Biden corruptly, Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Hunter Biden, Obama, Joe Biden’s, Hunter’s, Hunter, White, haven’t, That’s, — McCarthy, Nancy Pelosi, CNN’s Manu Raju, Ken Buck, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, ” Buck, it’s, There’s, Jim Jordan, Hillary Clinton, Libya –, hasn’t, CNN’s, Biden’s, James Carville, Bill Clinton, feverishly, “, I’ve, ” Biden Organizations: CNN, GOP, Biden, Trump, Republicans, Air Force, Democratic, Colorado Republican, Republican, White, Capitol, House, Republican House, White House Locations: Washington, Ukraine, Russian, China, Washington , DC, America, Congress, New York, Benghazi, Libya

CNN —The United Nations has said most of the deaths in flash floods that tore through Libya could have been “avoided,” as relief workers struggle to deliver crucial aid in a humanitarian effort stifled by political divisions and debris from the disaster. More than 5,000 people have died and thousands more are feared missing after unprecedented rainfall flushed out entire cities in the North African nation last week. “Of course, we cannot fully avoid economic losses but we could’ve also minimized those losses by having proper services in place,” Talaas added. While the Eastern parliament-backed government reported at least 5,300 people dead, the internationally recognized government in Tripoli reports more than 6,000 people have died. CNN has not been able to independently verify the number of deaths or those missing.

Persons: Petteri, ” Talaas, Talaas, ”, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Khalifa Haftar Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Meteorological Organization, WMO, Libyan National Army Locations: Libya, North, Derna, Geneva, Tripoli, Benghazi

☆ ‘We knew ahead of time’: A decade of turmoil left Libya unprepared for natural disasters
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Split between two rival administrations since 2014 and having failed to hold presidential elections, Libya faces an uphill battle when it comes to severe natural disasters. Planet Labs PBC/AP Planet Labs PBC/AP Satellite images show Derna, Libya on September 2, before the flooding, left, and after the dams collapsed, right. Responding to criticism regarding lack of preparedness by the LNA, Al-Mismari said that in such situations, 50% of the responsibility falls on authorities (LNA) and 50% falls on citizens. Turkey, which backs the Tripoli government, also said it is mobilizing personnel and supplies to assist authorities in eastern Libya. Tamer Ramadan, head of international Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Libya, told CNN Tuesday that the issue of rival governments in Libya does not affect their operation.

Persons: Storm Daniel, Khalifa Haftar –, ”, Anas El Gomati, Moammar Gadhafi, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Haftar, Jalel Harchaoui, ‘, ’, Harchaoui, Gomati, Osama Hamad, Osama Aly, ” Aly, “, Al Hurra, Jamal Alkomaty, ” Harchaoui, Ahmed al, Mismari, Al, ” Gomati, there’s, Ramadan, ” Ramadan Organizations: CNN, Planet Labs PBC, AP Planet Labs PBC, AP, ISIS, Libya –, Sadeq Institute, NATO, Libyan National Army, Royal United Services Institute, Emergency, Ambulance Service, Twitter, Analysts, United Nations, United, United Arab Emirates, Civil Protection Department, Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies Locations: Libya, Split, Libyan, Derna, Greece, Morocco, “, Tripoli, Benghazi, “ Libya, London, Cyrenaica, tatters, Derna’s, Al, Italy, Egypt, Russia, United Arab, Algeria, Turkey

☆ Opinion | The Unimaginable Has Happened in Libya
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Ethan Chorin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This week, the worst storm in recent memory pounded the Green Mountains in eastern Libya with rain, pushing two poorly maintained, half-century-old dams to their limit. Many people in Libya are calling what happened a tsunami, not a flood, to attempt to capture the physics and power of the devastation. For Libya it will be impossible, given the disaster zone’s sudden isolation, lack of equipment and depth of the country’s political dysfunction. But it’s the United States’ unique and tragic history in Libya, its technical expertise and depth of resources in the region, that create a moral obligation for America to step into this breach. The United States left most of the rebuilding to its European allies.

Persons: Libya’s, Muammar Gaddafi, Gaddafi’s Organizations: United Locations: Libya, Derna, Derna’s, Italy, United States, Benghazi, NATO

☆ Morgues overwhelmed in Libya as rescuers search for thousands missing after flood
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A satellite photo shows flooding in Derna, Libya, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023 via Planet Labs PBC. Planet Labs PBC/APA satellite photo shows Derna on Sept. 2, 2023, before flooding, via Planet Labs PBC. A boy pulls a suitcase past debris in a flash-flood damaged area in Derna, eastern Libya, on September 11, 2023. A damaged vehicle is stuck debris after the floods caused by the Storm Daniel in Derna, Libya on September 12, 2023. Toys are seen in a flash flood damaged shop in Derna, eastern Libya, on September 11, 2023.

Persons: “, ”, Adel Juma, Storm Daniel, I’m, Muammar Gaddafi, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Khalifa Haftar, Osama Hamad, Daniel, Derna, Osama Aly, Abdullah Mohammed Bonja, Ciaran Donelly, IRC’s, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Richard Norland, Zayed Al Nahyan Organizations: CNN, Planet Labs PBC, AP, Getty, Libya, UN, of National Unity, GNU, Libyan National Army, Ambulance, Storm, Anadolu Agency, Rescue, Emergency Management Authority, Anadoulu Agency, Civil Protection Department, United Arab Emirates Locations: Libya, Derna, Palestinian, AFP, Tripoli, Benghazi, North Africa, Greece, Europe, Italy, United States

Relatives of those still missing told CNN they are terrified. Here’s what we know so far:Where did the flood hit? Morgues are stacked to capacity and dead bodies have been left on the sidewalks outside, Osama Aly, spokesperson for the Emergency and Ambulance Service in Libya, told CNN Tuesday. Analysts have said that climate forecasts gave warnings days before the storm hit Libya, but that authorities in the east did not act quickly enough. Tamer Ramadan, head of international Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Libya, told CNN Tuesday that the issue of rival governments in Libya doesn’t affect their operations.

Persons: “, Areej’s, Emad Milad, ” Milad, Osama Aly, Muammar Gaddafi, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Khalifa Haftar, Osama Hamad, Esam Omran, Reuters Derna, Ahmed Al, Mismari, ” Al, Al, Tamer Ramadan, ”, Jamal Alkomaty, Daniel, ” Karsten Haustein Organizations: CNN —, Authorities, United Nations ’ International Organization for Migration, CNN, Emergency, Ambulance Service, UN, of National Unity, GNU, Libyan National Army, Reuters, Arabiya, Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, Leipzig University, Science Media Center Locations: Derna, Libya, Tobruk, Benghazi, NATO, Tripoli, Egypt, UAE, Turkey, Italy, Algeria, Libya’s, Greece, Germany

☆ What We Know About the Deadly Floods in Libya
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Raja Abdulrahim | More About Raja Abdulrahim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Thousands more were missing in Derna and other flooded areas, and the death toll is likely to rise, local officials said. The devastating floods have blocked roads and effectively cut off access to Derna, city officials said. Complicating the rescue effort in Libya is its division between an internationally recognized government based in Tripoli and a separately administered region in the east. Here’s what we know about the flooding in Libya. A powerful storm moved through the Mediterranean Sea last week, swamping Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria before making its way to Libya, where it battered the coast over the weekend.

Persons: dousing Shahhat, Bayda, Marj Organizations: Facebook Locations: Libya, Derna, Tripoli, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Al, Benghazi

☆ Mapping Where Floods Have Devastated a Libyan Port City
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Lauren Leatherand Lazaro Gamio | Lazaro Gamio | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A view of Derna, a city on the coast of Libya that suffered catastrophic flooding. Esam Omran Al-Fetori/ReutersMapping Where Floods Have Devastated a Libyan Port CityThe layout of the city of Derna, on the northeastern coast of Libya, amplified the extreme damage wrought by flooding there over the weekend. The floods have killed at least 2,300 people, according to a Libyan ambulance and emergency services department, and 10,000 more are believed to be missing. As the port city was inundated by Storm Daniel, which made landfall in Libya on Sunday, riverbanks swelled, bridges were washed out and two dams farther up the wadi burst, adding their waters to the deluge. Al Sahaba Mosque Wadi Collapsed bridge To Mediterranean Wadi Collapsed bridge Al Sahaba Mosque To Mediterranean Wadi Collapsed bridge Al Sahaba Mosque To Mediterranean Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Persons: Omran, Storm Daniel Organizations: Port, Agence Locations: Libya, Port City, Derna, Libyan, Benghazi, Al Sahaba, Agence France

"We can confirm from our independent sources of information that the number of missing people is hitting 10,000 so far," he told reporters via video link. 'NEVER FELT AS FRIGHTENED'[1/6]People are stuck on a road as a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit Shahhat city, Libya, September 11. At Tripoli airport in northwest Libya, a woman started to wail loudly as she received a call saying most of her family were dead or missing. "If a huge flood happens the result will be catastrophic for the people of the wadi and the city," the paper said. Pope Francis was among world leaders who said they were deeply saddened by the deaths and destruction in Libya.

Persons: Daniel, Storm Daniel, Abu Chkiouat, Derna, Al Jazeera, Tamer Ramadan, Martin Griffiths, Ali Al, Saadi, Mostafa Salem, Salem, wail, Walid Abdulati, Karim al, Al, Khalifah, hydrologist, Omar Al, Mukhtar, Pope Francis, Tarek Amara, Ayman Werfali, Ahmed Elumami, Al Bayda, Laila Bassam, Friedrieke Heine, Angus McDowall, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Clauda Tanios, Jana Choukeir, Gavin Jones, Emma Farge, Tom Perry, Ingrid Melander, Alison Williams, Peter Graff, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: UN, Storm, Reuters, International Federation of, Red Crescent Societies, United, REUTERS, Libyan, Mukhtar University, Norway's Refugee, Thomson Locations: Libya's, Libya, Derna, Benghazi, United Nations, Turkey, Tripoli, Al Jazeera, NATO, Misrata, Norway's, Tunisia, Al

☆ Catastrophic Floods Devastate Libya
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The authorities in Libya estimated that at least 5,000 people have died, and thousands more are believed to be missing, after heavy rain submerged the coastal city of Derna, destroyed roads and swept entire neighborhoods into the sea. The storm caused two dams to burst, destroying much of Derna, on Libya’s northeast coast. Citizens who escaped the city left “as if they were born today, with nothing,” one army official said. One local official said today that a third dam, located between Derna and the larger city of Benghazi, was also on the brink of collapse. Libya, a North African nation splintered by a war, was ill-prepared for the storm which swept across the Mediterranean Sea.

Organizations: Citizens Locations: Libya, Derna, Libya’s, “, Benghazi, African

CNN —More than 2,000 people in Libya are feared dead in severe flooding, according to a Libyan leader, as Storm Daniel swept through the eastern part of the country. Hamad called on medical personnel and medical assistants to go to the badly affected city of Derna in eastern Libya to provide assistance immediately. The storm brought catastrophic flooding to Greece last week before moving into the Mediterranean and developed into a tropical-like cyclone known as a medicane. The remains of the storm are affecting northern Libya and will slowly head east toward northern Egypt. Rainfall for the next two days could reach 50mm – this region averages less than 10mm across the whole of September.

Persons: Storm Daniel, Osama Hamad, “ Osama Hamad, ” LANA, Hamad, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Libyan News Agency, Crescent, Reuters, Hospitals, Medical, Bayda, Facebook, United Nations, Mission Locations: Libya, Derna, Benghazi, Bayda, Europe, Greece, Pacific, Egypt

☆ Storm and floods kill at least 150 people in Libya-Red Crescent
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Ayman Werfali | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"People were asleep and woke up and found their homes surrounded by water," he told Reuters. Heavy floods washed away vehicles, footage broadcast by eastern Libya's Almostkbal TV showed. Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani instructed the government to send aid to the affected area in eastern Libya, Qatar's state news agency reported. His administration holds little sway in eastern Libya, but Dbeibah said on Sunday he had directed all state agencies to “immediately deal” with the damage and floods in eastern cities. Dbeibah's government is recognised by the Central Bank of Libya, which disburses funds to government departments across the country.

Persons: Storm Daniel, Al Bayda, Marj, Fhakeri, Saleh, Ahmed Mohamed, Ahmad Mismari, Khalifa, Witnesses, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Thani, Abdulhamid, Ras Lanuf, Dbeibah, Ayman Werfali, Ahmed Elumami, Moaz Abd, Tarek Amara, Tom Perry, Nick Macfie, Andrew Heavens, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Libyan National Army, UNESCO, Authorities, Central Bank of Libya, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BENGHAZI, Libyan, Derna, Benghazi, Sousse, Al, Qatar's, Libya, Tripoli, Zueitina, Brega, Es Sidra, “, Tala, Dubai, Cairo, Tunis, Beirut

☆ Storm and floods kill at least 150 people in Libya, says Red Crescent
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A powerful storm and heavy floods have killed 150 people in the eastern Libyan city of Derna over the last two days and the death toll is expected to rise to 250, the head of the Red Crescent in Benghazi said on Monday. Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani instructed the government to send aid to the affected area in eastern Libya, Qatar's state news agency reported. His administration holds little sway in eastern Libya, but Dbeibah said on Sunday he had directed all state agencies to "immediately deal" with the damage and floods in eastern cities. Dbeibah's government is recognized by the Central Bank of Libya, which disburses funds to government departments across the country. The United Nations in Libya said it was following the storm closely and would "provide urgent relief assistance in support of response efforts at local and national levels."

Persons: Storm Daniel, Al Bayda, Marj, Fhakeri, Saleh, Ahmed Mohamed, Ahmad Mismari, Khalifa, Witnesses, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Thani, Abdulhamid, Ras Lanuf, Dbeibah Organizations: Reuters, Libyan National Army, UNESCO, Authorities, Central Bank of Libya, United Nations Locations: Misrata, Libya, Libyan, Derna, Benghazi, Sousse, Al, Qatar's, Tripoli, Zueitina, Brega, Es Sidra

☆ Libyan PM sacks foreign minister as row over Israel meeting grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Libyan Foreign Minister Najla el-Mangoush attends a joint press conference at the conclusion of the Libya Stabilization Conference, in Tripoli, Libya, October 21, 2021. Mangoush had said her meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Rome was unplanned and informal, but an Israeli official told Reuters it had lasted two hours and was approved "at the highest levels in Libya". The meeting is contentious because Libya does not formally recognise Israel and there is widespread public support across the Libyan political spectrum for the Palestinian cause of creating an independent state in territory Israel occupies. The Libya prime minister sees Israel as a possible bridge to the West and the U.S. administration," the official said. Libya's parliament based in the east, which rejects the GNU, said on Sunday it would hold hearings into the meeting with the Israeli minister.

Persons: Najla, Mangoush, Hazem Ahmed, Najla Mangoush, Eli Cohen, Abdulhamid, Muammar Gaddafi, Cohen, Antonio Tajani, Dbeibah, Libya's, Abraham, Francesco Galietti, Giorgia Meloni, Dan Williams, Francesca Landini, Gavin Jones, Angus McDowall, James Mackenzie, Peter Graff, Mark Heinrich, Conor Humphries Organizations: Libyan Foreign, Libya Stabilization Conference, REUTERS, Rome Israeli, Israeli, Reuters, Protesters, Libya's Foreign, Palestinian, Libyan, U.S, United Arab, Abraham Accords, of National Unity, GNU, UAE, High State Council, Dbeibah, Italian, Thomson Locations: Libya, Tripoli, Rome, TRIPOLI, JERUSALEM, Israel, Benghazi, Italian, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, United States, Dbeibah's, Reuters Libya, Jerusalem

CNN —Yevgeny Prigozhin turned the Wagner Group from a shadowy band of mercenaries into a feared military powerhouse operating across multiple countries on three continents. The kind of clear chain of command that is common in traditional military does not exist in Wagner, which makes Prigozhin’s demise a potentially existential problem for the group. Members of Wagner group sit atop of a tank in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023. A Russian military delegation went to the Libyan city of Benghazi this week to meet with Haftar, who has been supported by Wagner for several years. He said the cracks in the foundations of West African and Central African countries that have leaned on the Wagner Group for support could begin to emerge now.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, ”, Natasha Lindstaedt, “ It’s, ” Lindstaedt, – Wagner, Dmitriy Utkin, Valeriy Chekalov –, “ Wagner, Russia ” Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, “, ” Wagner, Huseyn Aliyev, –, ” Aliyev, Aliyev, Lindstaedt, Putin, Stringer, Yevgeny Progozhin, Khalifa, Haftar, Yevkurov, ” Oluwole, there’s, ” Prigozhin, Christopher O, Ogunmodede, couldn’t, Sergey Lavrov Organizations: CNN, Wagner, University of Essex, Russia, University of Glasgow, Kremlin, Ministry of Defense, Prigozhin's Press Service, Russian Ministry of Defense, Kommersant, UK Ministry of Defense, Getty Images Security, Russian, Central African, Forces, Reuters, Libyan, Central Africa, Institute for Security Studies, Central, Wagner Group, Politics, Russia’s Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russia’s, Russian, United States, Ukraine, Africa, Middle, Bakhmut, Rostov, AFP, Syria, St . Petersburg, Mali, Crimea, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Libya, Libyan, Benghazi, West African, “, Mali …

☆ What happens to the Wagner Group after Yevgeny Prigozhin plane crash?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Courtesy PMC Wagner via Telegram via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 24 (Reuters) - A day before mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin's plane crash, a Russian official visited Libya to reassure allies that fighters from the Wagner Group would remain in the country -- but under Moscow's control. In Africa, Wagner may stay more or less intact under new management or be subsumed by another Russian mercenary group. 'REPLACE A DEAD LEADER'After the June mutiny, Prigozhin intensified his efforts to bolster Wagner's presence in Africa. In countries where Wagner operates through an official agreement with Moscow, analysts do not expect much to change - for now. But as Wagner was there through a state-level agreement with Russia, "nothing will affect the presence of these instructors" he said.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Khalifa Haftar, Jalel, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, John Lechner, Haftar's, Harchaoui, Faustin, Fidele Gouandjika, Gouandjika, Ousmane Pare, Evro, Filip Lebedev, Ed McAllister, Tiemoko Diallo, Suleiman al, Angus McDowall, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Wagner, Telegram, REUTERS, Libyan, Royal United Services Institute, Central African, Wagner PMC, Human Rights Watch, Russian, Russia's Defence, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Africa, Libya, Benghazi, Russian, Moscow, Russia, Europe, East, Ukraine, Syria, Central African Republic, Mali, Belarus, U.S, Tripoli, Burkina Faso, Evro Polis, Reuters Libya, Tblisi, Dakar, Judicael Yongo, Bangui, Thiam Ndiaga, Ouagadougou, Bamako, Khalidi, Amman

☆ Libya recovers colonial wolf statue sold as scrap and found on a farm
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Ayman Al-Warfali | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] The female wolf statue (Lupa Capitolina), which was found in the farm of a citizen, is pictured after disappearing for over thirty years in Benghazi, Libya, July 31, 2023. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-FetoriBENGHAZI, Libya, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Libyan authorities have recovered a large bronze wolf statue that once sat atop a pillar in central Benghazi before disappearing decades ago, found on a farm whose owner said he bought the sculpture as scrap. Italian colonial authorities erected the statue in the new Benghazi city centre they were building in the 1930s, promoting a connection between ancient Roman settlement of Libya and their modern colonial rule over the country. However, many priceless Libyan antiquities have disappeared: pillaged by Europeans in colonial times, appropriated after independence or looted in the chaos that has followed a 2011 NATO-backed uprising. Khaled al-Hadar, a Libyan researcher on stolen antiquities, said heritage monitoring remained weak in Libya and had not been started until 1974 - after the wolf had disappeared.

Persons: Omran, Saied Mohammed Bourabida, Bourabida, Khaled al, Muammar Gaddafi's, suckling, Romulus, Remus, Ayman al, Angus McDowall, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Fetori, Libya, Thomson Locations: Benghazi, Libya, Fetori BENGHAZI, Rome, Sabratha, NATO, Libyan, Warfali

☆ Do You Know a Politically Motived Prosecution When You See One? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Jesse Wegman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

If you’re feeling bewildered by all the claims and counterclaims of politicization, you’re not alone. The Justice Department will always be led by a political appointee, and most state and local prosecutors are elected. That means extremely clear rules for investigators and prosecutors and eternal vigilance for the rest of us. So how to distinguish an investigation or prosecution based solely on the facts from one motivated improperly by politics? More often, though, it takes some work to determine whether an investigation or prosecution is on the level.

Persons: you’re, Jim Jordan of, it’s, McCarthy, Hillary Clinton, James Comer of, Hunter Biden, Biden’s, Comer Organizations: Trump, Democratic, The, Fox News Locations: Russia, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Benghazi, James Comer of Kentucky

☆ Opinion: With their leader still missing, who will control Wagner forces in Africa?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Joyce M. Davis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Wagner forces appear to despise the Russian military, as Prigozhin’s reckless march from Ukraine toward Moscow made abundantly clear. That’s why when Wagner forces started withdrawing from Ukraine last month, many feared the same might happen in Africa. And who can guarantee Wagner forces won’t turn on African leaders who decide to side with Putin? “Don’t worry, we aren’t going anywhere.”It’s not as if Russia could repatriate and replace Wagner forces with verifiably loyal Russian troops — even if it wanted to. And quite frankly, Africa will only emerge better-off if democratic governments emerge after Wagner forces are shown the door.

Persons: Joyce M, Davis, CNN —, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladmir Putin, Dan Gleiter Prigozhin, Putin, Prigozihin, Putin wouldn’t, Khalifa Haftar, Faustin, Burkina Faso’s, Ibrahim Traore, Prigozhin, didn’t, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Assimi Goita, won’t, Haftar, ”, “, It’s, Sergey Kostelyanyets, ” Kostelyanyets, obeisance, Traore —, they’re, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, They’re, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Sudan’s, Wagner weren’t, Washington, Wagner “, there’s Organizations: Patriot -, World Affairs Council, CNN, Wagner Group, Wagner, Central African Republic, Burkina, Guardian, Libyan, Russian Academy of Sciences ’ Institute for African Studies, Newsweek, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Support Forces, Moscow, US Treasury Department, Twitter, Facebook, Central African Locations: Harrisburg , Pennsylvania, Africa, Crimea, Ukraine, Moscow, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Russia, Eastern Libya, Russian, Benghazi, Dubai, Touadéra, Prigozhin, Central African Republic, United States

☆ A series of leaked photos appearing to show Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in bizarre disguises could be a Kremlin attempt to ridicule him
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Leaked images appear to show Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in bizarre disguises. Prigozhin launched a short-lived mutiny against Russian leadership last month. The photos, shared by pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, could be an attempt to humiliate the Wagner chief. The mercenary Wagner Group, which Prigozhin founded, is known for being active in Middle Eastern countries and Africa. However, relations between their hot-headed leader and Russian military leadership soured as the former repeatedly accused the latter of not sending his fighters much-needed weapons and accused them of incompetence.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, URA, Muhammad, Sacha Baron Cohen's, Aladeen, Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Russian, pro, Kremlin, Service, Guardian, Ministry of Defense, Wagner Group, Reuters Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Sudan, Abu Dhabi, Benghazi, Tripoli, Syria, Africa, Moscow, Belarus, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Bakhmut

☆ Eastern Libya administration threatens oil blockade
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

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 providing real services. Libya has been locked in a political standoff since last year, when the parliament in eastern Libya rejected the interim Government of National Unity in Tripoli and designated a new administration that has been unable to take over in the capital. The last major blockade was resolved last year when the Tripoli government appointed a new head of National Oil Corporation (NOC) who was said to be close to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar. Haftar said on June 17 he backed a move by the eastern-based parliament and another legislative body to appoint a new interim administration in a clear challenge to the current government in Tripoli. On Thursday a court in eastern Libya ruled that the eastern administration had won a case against NOC allowing it to take control of the company's accounts.

Persons: majeure, Khalifa Haftar, Haftar, manouevring, Ayman al, Angus McDowall, Toby Chopra Organizations: Authorities, of National Unity, NATO, National Oil Corporation, OPEC, Central Bank of Libya, Thomson Locations: BENGHAZI, Libya, Tripoli, Libyan, Warfali, Benghazi

☆ Libya's Haftar backs creation of new government in challenge to Tripoli
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

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 a challenge to the existing administration in Tripoli. The committee's recommendations have been adopted by parts of Libya's divided political establishment and rejected by others. The eastern-based parliament, which has been allied to Haftar, rejected Dbeibah's mandate but the new prime minister it designated was unable to replace the Tripoli government, leading to a long political standoff. Diplomacy has focused on bringing the parliament and another legislative body, the High State Council, to agree clear rules for an election aimed at resolving Libya's political stalemate. Critics of Libya's political elite believe they have little intention of holding elections that could remove them from power and are more focused on control over government in Tripoli and its access to state resources.

Persons: Khalifa Haftar, Abdulhamid, Haftar, Ayman al, Angus McDowall Organizations: Tripoli . Haftar's Libyan National Army, NATO, of National Unity, High State Council, Dbeibah, Thomson Locations: BENGHAZI, Libya, Tripoli . Haftar's, Dbeibah, Tripoli, Dbeibah's, Warfali, Benghazi

☆ Libya court sentences 23 to death for Islamic State campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MISRATA, Libya, May 29 (Reuters) - A Libyan court sentenced 23 people to death and another 14 to life in prison on Monday for their role in a deadly Islamic State militant campaign that included beheading a group of Egyptian Christians and seizing the city of Sirte in 2015. [1/4] Suspects sit behind bars during a judgment sentence against 56 defendants accused of joining Islamic State group (ISIS) in the court in Misrata, Libya, May 29, 2023. "My son is missing and my relative, my brother-in-law, was murdered in Sirte Square," he said. Speaking in court on Monday, Fawzia Arhuma said she welcomed the death sentences after her son was killed by the group at a power station near Sirte. Reporting by Ayman al-Sahily, writing by Angus McDowall, editing by Andrew Heavens and Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Former F.B.I. Agent Charged in Jan. 6 Riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Adam Goldman | Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over the past two years, scores of rioters with military experience have been arrested in connection with the Capitol attack. Wise is the rare former federal agent to have been charged. Thomas E. Caldwell, a member of the Oath Keepers who was convicted in November of felony charges stemming from the Jan. 6 riot, had once worked with the F.B.I. And Mark S. Ibrahim, an active-duty agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration, was charged in July 2021 in connection with the riot. Wise worked on counterterrorism matters at the F.B.I.

☆ 'This is madness': Libya's bitter divisions split Eid holiday
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People attend an Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan at a public square, in Benghazi, Libya April 21, 2023. Religious authorities in east Libya, aligned with the parliament which is based there, said they had sighted the crescent moon on Thursday, making it the last day of fasting and setting Friday as Eid. "This is madness and I pray it ends here," said Ahmed Mesbah, 50, in Tripoli, who has chosen to celebrate Eid on Friday. The country split in 2014 between warring factions in east and west, a rift that remains despite comparative peace since 2020. "The split between east and west on such a happy occasion is hurtful and makes me sad.

Search resuls for: "BENGHAZI"

25 mentions found