Libya

US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

3 Dec 2025 - 10:16AM

Ex-president Sarkozy’s conviction upheld by France’s top court

Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted for illegally overspending on his 2012 re-election bid; no further appeal possible.

27 Nov 2025 - 2:15AM

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy leaves his residence to report to La Sante Prison for incarceration in Paris on October 21. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Gaddafi’s son released on bail after 10 years in a Lebanon prison

Hannibal Gaddafi was released after a Libyan delegation paid a drastically reduced bail, ending his detention over a missing cleric.

11 Nov 2025 - 1:50PM

A kiss, then goodbye: France’s ex-president Sarkozy enters jail proclaiming innocence

Nicolas Sarkozy, 70, enters a Paris prison to serve a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy involving Libyan funding.

21 Oct 2025 - 4:59PM

Sarkozy set to become France’s first ever jailed ex-president

The French former leader will report to prison on October 21 to begin a five-year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy.

14 Oct 2025 - 2:15PM

Nicolas Sarkozy exits a vehicle as he returns to his home in Paris following his meeting with prosecutors to be informed of the start of his jail sentence. Photo: AFP

French ex-leader Sarkozy to serve jail time despite appeal in Libya funding case

A Paris court said Sarkozy must be jailed without delay because ‘of the seriousness of the disruption to public order caused by the offence’.

13 Oct 2025 - 10:55AM

French ex-president Sarkozy gets 5-year term for Gaddafi campaign funding case

A Paris court convicted the former French leader for involvement in a plot to secure funding from Libya, despite no proof that any money was used.

25 Sep 2025 - 8:14PM

My Take

My Take | Kim Jong-un in Beijing shows why it is good to have nuclear bombs

The essential difference between the North Korean leader and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is that between the haves and the have-nots of the ultimate weapon.

7 Sep 2025 - 9:00PM

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they attend a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing on September 4, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Trump announces new tariffs on Brazil, 6 smaller economies

‘Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from reciprocal,’ letters say, adding alleged deficits are threats to US national security.

11 Jul 2025 - 1:55AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump dispatched tariff letters to six more countries on Wednesday. Photo: AP

China-Africa relations

The growing risks for Chinese companies in conflict-ridden African nations

Chinese firms admit their very survival could be threatened by geopolitical risks, unrest and security threats in unstable African countries.

23 Jun 2025 - 10:00AMvideocam

Israel-Iran conflict

If Iran’s Khamenei falls, what would replace him?

Iranian opposition is divided and there is no guarantee new rulers would be any less hardline, analysts say.

19 Jun 2025 - 10:41PMvideocam

North Korea

‘Never give up nuclear weapons’: what Israel-Iran conflict tells North Korea

With lessons drawn from Ukraine and now Iran, Pyongyang’s commitment to its ‘irreversible’ nuclear status is firmer than ever, analysts say.

19 Jun 2025 - 9:27AMvideocam

North Korea test-fires a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in October last year. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP

Israel-Iran conflict

Another Iraq? Fears mount of US joining Israel-Iran war

As Israel’s attacks and incendiary rhetoric intensify, chilling parallels emerge to the discredited claims made before US invasion of Iraq.

19 Jun 2025 - 11:48AMvideocam

A fire blazes at an oil depot northwest of Iran’s capital Tehran on Sunday following an Israeli strike. Photo: AFP

Israel-Gaza war

Convoy sets off for Gaza from North Africa to protest Israel’s blockade

Tunisian-led aid convoy seeks ‘the immediate lifting of the unjust siege’ on Gaza.

10 Jun 2025 - 10:47AM

Trump’s new travel ban takes effect, citizens of 12 nations barred from US

Ban comes amid rising tensions over the US president’s escalating campaign of immigration enforcement.

9 Jun 2025 - 2:17PMvideocam

Africa warns Trump travel ban could dampen relations

Seven African nations are among 12 countries targeted by the US, with the African Union asking for ‘a more consultative approach’ and ‘constructive dialogue’.

6 Jun 2025 - 5:47PM

Children carry water on a donkey cart in Somalia, Africa, where many people have been forced to leave their homes because of climate change and insecurity. Photo: EPA/EFE

Donald Trump

Trump bans nationals from 12 countries entering US, citing security concerns

Afghanistan, Haiti, Myanmar among 12 nations facing outright entry ban; seven additional countries to face heightened scrutiny.

5 Jun 2025 - 5:23PM

Dozens of unidentified corpses found in Libya hospital: ministry

Discovery comes amid rising tensions in the capital following days of deadly clashes between armed groups.

20 May 2025 - 9:41AM

My Take

My Take | The world’s biggest rogue state looks to sanction little Hong Kong

As it targets the city’s judiciary, the US has paralysed the work of the ICC while planning for the ethnic cleansing and displacement of Gazans.

18 May 2025 - 9:00PM

The Hong Kong Judicial Sanctions Act, introduced to the US Senate this week, could lead to a mandatory review on whether to impose sanctions on 45 people under American law. Photo: AFP

US judge temporarily blocks deportation of Asian migrants to Libya

Sending deportees to Libya would mark a major escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to offload unwanted migrants.

8 May 2025 - 10:41AM

US Customs and Border Protection assisting with deportation of illegal aliens at Biggs Army Airfield, in Fort Bliss, Texas. File photo: US Army via AFP

Libya masks migrant crisis with crackdown on humanitarian groups

War-torn Libya is a key departure point on Africa’s Mediterranean coast for migrants risking sea voyages in the hope of reaching Europe.

5 Apr 2025 - 8:21PM

Libya finds 2 mass graves with nearly 50 bodies in southeast

Last year, Libyan authorities unearthed the bodies of at least 65 migrants in the Shuayrif region, 350km south of Tripoli.

9 Feb 2025 - 4:37PM

Italy

Italy’s Meloni under investigation over release of Libya war crimes suspect

Osama Elmasry Njeem was freed and sent home after being detained in Italy under an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.

29 Jan 2025 - 6:29AM

Italy

ICC seeks answers after Italy frees Libyan war crimes suspect

Italy detained a Libyan suspect on the back of an ICC arrest warrant, but he was swiftly released and flown home to Tripoli.

23 Jan 2025 - 3:05PM

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: Reuters

European Union

France’s ex-president Sarkozy on trial over alleged Gaddafi pact

Sarkozy’s trial sees him charged with accepting illegal campaign financing as part of an alleged pact with late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

5 Jan 2025 - 7:05PM