Latest news with #Gaddafi
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Health
- LeMonde
In Côte d'Ivoire, the dangerous rise of the alcoholic beverage Vody
Letter from Abidjan Caffeine, taurine, lots of sugar, and 18% to 22% vodka. While people in France have only recently discovered Vody – a budget version of the vodka Red Bull cocktail – popular among young people, especially those of Caribbean descent and the West African diaspora, the drink has long been a staple in Côte d'Ivoire. The government even banned its importation into Côte d'Ivoire in October 2023 after the so-called "Gaddafi" trend, in which young internet users filmed themselves swallowing Tramadol, a powerful painkiller, washing it down with large amounts of Vody. The combination led to incidents among some of Abidjan's most underserved youth. Despite news reports and articles, the drink's popularity has shown no signs of waning. This has raised concerns for French Health Minister Yannick Neuder, who addressed the issue on May 21, speaking in the Assemblée Nationale after a question from Guadeloupe MP Olivier Serva. Calling Vody a "real scourge," Neuder condemned "extremely aggressive marketing targeting our youth, with impacts on their health, including cardiovascular and neurological effects," and said he was considering banning the product, or even pushing for European-level regulation.
Daily Record
18-05-2025
- Daily Record
Who was responsible for The Bombing of Pan Am 103 and the Lockerbie bombing?
The BBC's Lockerbie drama series is a compelling watch WARNING: This article contains potential spoilers from The Bombing of Pan Am 103 The Bombing of Pan Am 103 starts on BBC One this evening (Sunday, April 18) at 9pm, with the six part series airing over the course of three weeks. The episodes will be dropping airing on BBC One and streaming on the BBC iPlayer on Sundays and Mondays. This is the second of two TV dramas about the Lockerbie bombing with Sky's Lockerbie: A Search for Truth fronted by Colin Firth, which came out earlier this year. Lockerbie: A Search for Truth featured material from Dr Jim Swire's book of the same name. The series followed his attempts to find out the truth behind the terror attack, which claimed the lives of his daughter Flora Swire, along with the other 259 passengers and 11 Lockerbie residents from the bomb explosion and the subsequence aeroplane debris. Now, Netflix and BBC series The Bombing of Pam Am 103, will show the concerted efforts by teams on both sides of the Atlantic working together in a bid to find out what happened and bring to justice those involved. Here's a look at those found responsible for the 1988 terrorist attack and the reasons behind the bombing. Who was responsible for The Bombing of Pan Am 103 in Lockerbie? The Libyan government and multiple individuals were involved in the Lockerbie bombing, according to Scotland's Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is the only person convicted over the bombing of Pan Am flight 103. He was found guilty in 2001 during a trial under Scots Law in the Netherlands at Camp Zeist, considered to be neutral ground for the proceedings. Al-Megrahi was jailed for life with a minimum of 27 years, initially serving time at Barlinnie Prison in Scotland, before being moved to HM Prison Greenock. His first appeal in 2001 failed and he ended his second appeal in 2009 because it would affect a Prisoner Transfer Scheme that would allow him to return to Libya. In 2009, Megrahi was released from prison on compassionate grounds after suffering from terminal prostate cancer. He died at his home in Tripoli, Libya aged 60 in 2012. A third posthumous appeal came about in 2020 but was rejected by judges in 2021. According to Libya's former justice minister Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, the nation's former leader Colonel Gaddafi ordered the Lockerbie bombing. The politician told Swedish newspaper Expressen in 2011: "To hide it, he [Gaddafi] did everything in his power to get al-Megrahi back from Scotland." In 2003, leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi accepted Libya was responsible for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families. However, he never personally admitted to giving the order for the attack. There's now been a new development. Libyan national Abu Agila Mas'ud is alleged to have helped make the bomb that was detonated on the Pan Am 103 flight. He was originally due to go on trial in Washington on May 12 this year, but the legal process has now been delayed due to submissions from both the prosecution and defence. What was the reason for the Lockerbie bombing? The terrorist attack was aimed at the USA. Of the passengers on the Pan Am flight, 190 were American and the rest were from 20 countries including 43 British people. There's been speculation that the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 was a retaliatory attack against the USA for bombing Libya's capital Tripoli in 1986. The bombardment resulted in the death of Gaddafi's infant daughter, who was around five or six months at the time, according to Britannica. The 1986 US bombings themselves had been in retaliation for Libya's perceived terrorist activities after a bomb exploded in West Berlin at the nightclub frequented by American soldiers. Relations between the USA and Libya were strained as far back as 1969 after Gaddafi's coup, when the military leader removed American oil companies and nationalised them. Things deteriorated further in the 1970s when a mob attacked and set fire to the US Embassy in Tripoli in 1979, leading America to designate Libya a a "state sponsor of terrorism" the same year. During the 1980s, this relationship got worse with the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing and the subsequent US airstrikes and then the Lockerbie bombing. In 2003, hostile relations between the two nations began to settle and normalise with the lifting of a 23-year travel ban to Libya. Sadly, things again became strained in 2011 with the Libyan Civil War when the Gaddafi regime was overthrown. Since 2011, there has been instability in the country following the collapse of Gaddafi's regime with political divisions and violent clashes.
Russia Today
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
US planning to move Palestinians to Libya
The administration of US President Donald Trump is working on a plan to permanently relocate up to 1 million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya, NBC has reported, citing informed sources. The White House has denied the claim. Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly said that the US is prepared to take control of Gaza and transform it into a resort on the Mediterranean Sea. The idea has faced strong opposition from other nations in the region, who argue that such plans violate international law, threaten regional stability, and undermine the rights of Palestinians to remain on their ancestral lands. The plan to relocate around a half of Gaza's population to Libya is under 'serious' consideration in the White House, the broadcaster claimed in an article on Friday. According to the sources, in exchange for Libya accepting the Palestinians, the Trump administration could be ready to unfreeze some $30 billion in funds belonging to the North African state that were blocked a decade ago. The NBC report said that Washington had already discussed the idea with the Libyan leadership, although it did not specify which of the country's rivaling governments it was. Libya remains in turmoil since a NATO-backed uprising ousted its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) and the UN-recognized government's Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) in the city of Tobruk are currently vying for power in the country. The head of the head of SSA government, Abdulghani al-Kikli, also known as Ghaniwa, was assassinated this past Monday, which led to clashes in Tripoli. The US State Department advises American citizens against traveling to Libya 'due to crime, terrorism, unexploded landmines, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict.' Israel is being informed about the discussion between the US and Libya, the sources said. No final agreement on moving Palestinians has been reached, according to NBC, which added that details about when or how the plan could be implemented remain 'murky.' A Trump administration spokesman has said that the report by NBC was 'untrue.' The spokesman stressed that the 'situation on the ground [in Libya] is untenable for such a plan. Such a plan was not discussed and makes no sense.'
Reuters
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Libya's crisis: A timeline of events since the 2011 uprising
May 14 (Reuters) - Here is a timeline chronicling Libya's years of chaos and division: 2011 - Revolt and civil war An uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's four-decade rule rapidly spreads, becoming an armed revolt aided by NATO airstrikes. Gaddafi is ousted in August and killed in October by rebels. 2012 - Missed opportunities A rebel council holds elections for an interim General National Congress which creates a transitional government. True power lies with local armed groups. Islamist militants gain ground and attack the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, killing the ambassador. 2013 - Growing divisions Armed groups are ever more powerful, besieging government buildings. The Congress is increasingly divided and trust ebbs as it seeks to extend its term and delay elections. 2014 - East-West schism The Congress rejects the results of an election to a new parliament - the House of Representatives (HoR) - and sets up a government backed by armed groups in the west. The newly elected parliament moves from Tripoli to the east in support of a rival government backed by Khalifa Haftar, a former general who has brought together several armed factions as the Libyan National Army. Libya is now split between warring administrations in east and west. 2015 - Islamists on the march Islamist groups take advantage of the chaos and Islamic State seizes Sirte, Gaddafi's home city in central Libya, in February. In December, the rival parliamentary bodies sign the Libyan Political Agreement to set up a new transition. The agreement confirms the HoR as Libya's parliament but gives members of the General National Congress a new role as an advisory second chamber - the High State Council (HSC). 2016 - Islamic State driven back The HoR rejects the new government as it takes office in Tripoli, entrenching Libya's east-west divide. Western armed factions eventually take Sirte from Islamic State as Haftar fights militants in Derna and Benghazi and seizes the oil crescent region of central Libya. 2019 - Haftar attacks Tripoli After two more years of on-off fighting across Libya, Haftar drives his LNA through the south, bringing most remaining oil fields under his control. In April, Haftar launches a surprise offensive against Tripoli, taking Sirte en route. He is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia. Western Libyan armed groups come together to support the Tripoli government with help from Turkey, their alliance bolstered by a deal on maritime borders that angers Egypt and Greece. 2020 - Ceasefire Turkey openly offers military support to Tripoli and Haftar's offensive collapses. As his forces pull back, evidence of atrocities is found in the town of Tarhuna. The sides agree a ceasefire and the U.N. launches a new peacemaking effort aimed at holding national elections the following year. 2021 - A failed election Eastern and western factions accept a new Government of National Unity (GNU) and Presidency Council, meant to oversee elections in December. But the HoR in the east and the HSC in the west cannot agree on a new constitution or rules for the vote and the election falls apart at the last minute. 2022 - Standoff Both parliamentary bodies now say the unity government has lost its legitimacy but the prime minister, Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, refuses to quit. The HoR in eastern Libya again appoints a rival administration, but it fails to enter Tripoli. The Nawasi, a major Tripoli militia, is driven from the capital. 2023 - Paralysis As efforts to end the impasse stall, the major players work to consolidate their positions. The catastrophic flood that hits Derna in the east after two poorly maintained dams collapse underscores the havoc caused by 12 years of chaos and division. 2024 - Central Bank crisis The Presidency Council in Tripoli sacks the veteran Central Bank of Libya (CBL) head Sadiq al-Kabir, a year after Dbeibah replaced the longstanding National Oil Corporation chief. The two bodies had managed to remain relatively independent and the changes prompt a political crisis. 2025 - Tripoli factions battle for supremacy Major militia leader Abdulghani Kikli, known as Ghaniwa, is killed and factions aligned with Dbeibah rapidly seize his group's territory. With Dbeibah appearing close to consolidating control over Tripoli after years of fragmentation, intense clashes break out.
CNN
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
UN mission in Libya calls for de-escalation after fighting erupts in capital
The United Nations mission in Libya called for de-escalation Monday after fighting erupted in the North African nation's capital. The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) is 'alarmed by the unfolding security situation in Tripoli with intense fighting with heavy weaponry in densely populated civilian areas,' it said in a post on X late Monday. 'The Mission calls on all parties to immediately cease fighting and restore calm, and reminds all parties of their obligations to protect civilians at all times,' UNSMIL added. 'Attacks on civilians and civilian objects may amount to war crimes.' Gunfire was heard in Tripoli as reports emerged that a prominent commander, Abdulghani Kikli of the Support Force Apparatus SSA, one of the capital's most powerful armed groups, was killed, Reuters reported. The Support Force Apparatus SSA is a state-backed security institution affiliated with the Presidential Council, according to its website. Libya has been embroiled in a political conflict since long-time dictator Moammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, leading to the emergence of several armed groups. While a 2020 ceasefire brought some peace, the country remains fragile and divided, with the internationally recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) ruling in Tripoli and the northwest and the Government of National Stability ruling in Benghazi in the east. Armed clashes have occasionally been reported, with major factions vying for control over Libya's substantial oil and gas reserves. Amid reports of violence, the GNU's health ministry told local hospitals and medical centers in Tripoli to prepare for emergencies, according to a post on its Facebook account. The GNU's interior ministry called on citizens in a short statement to stay at home 'for their own safety,' according to Reuters. The University of Tripoli Presidency also announced on Facebook the suspension of all studies, exams, and administrative work until further notice. The latest instability comes as the Trump administration mulls plans to deport migrants to Libya from the United States. CNN first reported the administration was communicating with Libya to have the country take migrants from the US. The administration appeared to be moving forward with those plans as recently as Wednesday, when migrants believed to be bound for Libya sat for hours on a bus before abruptly being returned to a detention facility. The White House declined to comment on those flight plans. CNN's Irene Nasser and Alex Stambaugh contributed reporting.
