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Libya

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Libya. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Tripoli

Head of State

Chairman of the Presidential Council Mohamed al-Menfi

Head of Government

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh

North Korea nuclear crisis

Opinion | Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

It confirms Pyongyang’s belief that leaders seen as thorns in the US side who lack nuclear weapons ultimately fall victim to US intervention.

9 Jan 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

Saudi Arabia

US allies Saudi Arabia, UAE risk a split in Middle East over competing visions

8 Jan 2026 - 5:21PM

China's military weapons

China-Pakistan jet deal with Libyan group ‘may help expand Beijing’s influence’

27 Dec 2025 - 10:00PMvideocam

Aviation accidents

Libya military chief and 7 others killed in jet crash in Turkey

Investigators are looking into a technical failure that brought down the delegation’s Falcon 50 jet shortly after take-off from Ankara.

24 Dec 2025 - 11:10AM

Turkish soldiers stand guard near the wreckage a Libya-bound business jet near Ankara. Photo: AFP

War and conflict

As I see it | Would the world be safer if the military were in charge of the US?

Capricious political leaders like Donald Trump and his defence chief may be more dangerous than responsible and battle-tested generals.

12 Dec 2025 - 8:30PM

United States

US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

The pause applies to people from nations that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June.

3 Dec 2025 - 10:16AM

France

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

France

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

France

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

France

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

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy after a Paris court sentenced him to fives years. Photo: AP

France

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

United States

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

Miners at work at a coltan mining site in the town of Rubaya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Chinese firms are increasingly admitting they face high risks operating in conflict-ridden African nations which could impact on their survival.
Photo: Xinhua

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

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

United States

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

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

The White House unveiled the new ban with virtually no warning, minutes after Donald Trump spoke at a ‘summer soiree’. Photo: AP

Africa

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

United States

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

Africa

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

Around 180 Nigerian migrants stand in line before being deported from Tripoli, Libya, on March 18. Photo: AP

Africa

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

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Libya

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

It confirms Pyongyang’s belief that leaders seen as thorns in the US side who lack nuclear weapons ultimately fall victim to US intervention.

US allies Saudi Arabia, UAE risk a split in Middle East over competing visions

China-Pakistan jet deal with Libyan group ‘may help expand Beijing’s influence’

Libya military chief and 7 others killed in jet crash in Turkey

Investigators are looking into a technical failure that brought down the delegation’s Falcon 50 jet shortly after take-off from Ankara.

As I see it | Would the world be safer if the military were in charge of the US?

Capricious political leaders like Donald Trump and his defence chief may be more dangerous than responsible and battle-tested generals.

US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

The pause applies to people from nations that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

‘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.

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.

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.

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.

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’.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Opinion | Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve