Latest news with #Kikli
News18
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Rajkummar Rao, Wamiqa Gabbi Wrap Up Bhool Chuk Maaf Promotions With A Bang
Last Updated: The film directed by Karan Sharma was initially supposed to be released in theatres on May 9. Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi's film Bhool Chuk Maaf has finally been released in theatres after much delay. Days before the release, the actor had been on their last round of promotions. They had been interacting with fans as well as performing on stage. In the latest clip, both Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa were seen dancing to the track Sawariya Tera from the film's album. Rajkummar was seen decked in an all-black ensemble, including a fitted tee, jacket and trousers. Wamiqa, on the other hand, flaunted yet another classy look from her pastel wardrobe. She adorned a pretty green saree with small floral motifs on the drape. She paired it with a one-shoulder red blouse and some traditional bangles. Bhool Chuk Maaf, directed by Karan Sharma was initially supposed to be released in theatres on May 9. The film, produced by Maddock Films, Amazon MGM Studios and PVR Inox, was then slated for a direct-to-OTT distribution amid cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan recently. But, later, the makers decided to delay the release post the ceasefire, and the new premiere date, May 23, was finalised. The film is set in Varanasi and follows Rajkummar's character, Ranjan, as he strives to gain the approval of Titli (Wamiqa Gabbi) and her entire family for marriage by taking a government job. Even though the wedding date has been arranged and he wishes to start work as soon as possible, something is awry. On the day of their wedding, Ranjan realises that he is trapped in an infinite time loop. He recognises it, but everyone else, including Titli, is unaware. The plot concentrates upon Ranjan's attempts to break out of this routine. The film also includes Sanjay Mishra, Seema Bhargava Pahwa, Raghubir Yadav, Ishtiyak Khan, Anubha Fateh Puria, Jay Thakkar and Pragati Mishra in key roles. Wamiqa has an interesting array of projects in the works. She is set to appear in Vinay Kumar Sirigineedi's upcoming spy thriller G2. In addition to G2, Wamiqa has appeared in several films, including Kikli, Iravaakaalam, Genie, Tiki Taka, Dil Ka Darwaaza Khol Na Darling, and Bhooth Bangla. As for Rajkummar Rao, he has a film titled Maalik in his pipeline, scheduled for a theatrical release later in the year. First Published:
Kuwait Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
UN ‘alarmed' by violence in Libyan capital
UN 'alarmed' by violence in Libyan capital TRIPOLI: The United Nations expressed deep concern Thursday over rising violence in Libya's capital, warning the clashes risk mass displacement and put civilians in grave danger. The fighting broke out late Monday, with heavy gunfire and explosions rocking several districts and killing at least six people, according to authorities. They declared it over within hours, but clashes flared again on Wednesday in key areas including Tripoli's only port, in what a security source described as 'urban warfare'. The guns fell silent on Thursday, but fears of renewed violence linger. The International Organization for Migration called for an immediate halt to hostilities to protect civilians in line with international law. The UN body said it was 'alarmed by the recent escalation of violence', highlighting the 'severe risk of mass displacement and danger to civilians'. Turkey, a proponent of the Tripoli-based government, said it was evacuating its nationals from the North African country. Libya has remained deeply divided since the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled and killed longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. The country is split between a UN-recognized government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east controlled by the Haftar family. Tripoli was calm again on Thursday after the clashes between a powerful armed group aligned with the Tripoli-based government and rival factions it is trying to dismantle. Schools, the University of Tripoli and the city's only airport remained closed, AFP reporters said. Most shops also stayed shut, except for a few in outlying areas that said they were encountering shortages. The violence was sparked by the killing of Abdelghani al-Kikli, head of the Support and Stability Apparatus (SSA), by the 444 Brigade, a force aligned with Dbeibah. Kikli's group controlled the southern district of Abu Salim. The second wave of clashes pitted the 444 Brigade against the Radaa force, which controls parts of eastern Tripoli and several key state institutions. No official casualty figures were released, but the Libyan Red Crescent said it had recovered a body from a main street in Tripoli. 'Undermine or consolidate' While the fighting subsided overnight, SSA loyalists said Kikli's death 'only strengthens our resolve to relentlessly pursue those involved wherever they are'. His relatives said he was killed in an 'ambush' during a mediation meeting at a 444 Brigade facility. Dbeibah on Tuesday vowed to 'do away with irregular groups' in Tripoli and 'establish the principle that there is no place in Libya except for state institutions'. Libya expert Jalel Harchaoui said the clashes amounted to a 'territorial reshuffle', though fighting the more popular and entrenched Radaa force proved difficult. More than 500 people rallied on Wednesday night in the Souq el-Joumaa neighborhood, a Radaa stronghold, chanting against the Dbeibah government before shots were fired to disperse them. The demonstration followed a string of executive orders to dismantle Radaa and dissolve other Tripoli-based armed groups, excluding the 444 Brigade. Radaa enjoys a degree of public legitimacy despite running prisons deemed illegal. The SSA, by contrast, faces mounting accusations of abuse, including torture and forced labor of sub-Saharan African migrants. 'Whether these clashes serve to undermine or consolidate Dbeibah's authority remains an open question,' wrote the International Crisis Group's Claudia Gazzini. 'Either way, residents of Tripoli are yet again victims of violence wrought by forces beyond their control.' The embassies of Germany, France the United States, Britain and Italy on Wednesday evening expressed 'their deep concern about the recent violence in Tripoli', urging the 'authorities to take all measures to protect civilians' in a statement. - AFP
New Straits Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
UN voices deep concern as Tripoli fighting endangers civilians
TRIPOLI: The United Nations expressed deep concern Thursday over rising violence in Libya's capital, warning the clashes risk mass displacement and put civilians in grave danger. The fighting broke out late Monday, with heavy gunfire and explosions rocking several districts and killing at least six people, according to authorities. They declared it over within hours, but clashes flared again on Wednesday in key areas including Tripoli's only port, in what a security source described as "urban warfare." The guns fell silent on Thursday, but fears of renewed violence linger. The International Organisation for Migration called for an immediate halt to hostilities to protect civilians in line with international law. The UN body said it was "alarmed by the recent escalation of violence", highlighting the "severe risk of mass displacement and danger to civilians." Turkiye, a proponent of the Tripoli-based government, said it was evacuating its nationals from the North African country. Libya has remained deeply divided since the 2011 Nato-backed revolt that toppled and killed longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. The country is split between a UN-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east controlled by the Haftar family. Tripoli was calm again on Thursday after the clashes between a powerful armed group aligned with the Tripoli-based government and rival factions it is trying to dismantle. Schools, the University of Tripoli and the city's only airport remained closed, AFP reporters said. Most shops also stayed shut, except for a few in outlying areas that said they were encountering shortages. The violence was sparked by the killing of Abdelghani al-Kikli, head of the Support and Stability Apparatus (SSA), by the 444 Brigade, a force aligned with Dbeibah. Kikli's group controlled the southern district of Abu Salim. The second wave of clashes pitted the 444 Brigade against the Radaa force, which controls parts of eastern Tripoli and several key state institutions. No official casualty figures were released, but the Libyan Red Crescent said it had recovered a body from a main street in Tripoli. While the fighting subsided overnight, SSA loyalists said Kikli's death "only strengthens our resolve to relentlessly pursue those involved wherever they are." His relatives said he was killed in an "ambush" during a mediation meeting at a 444 Brigade facility. Dbeibah on Tuesday vowed to "do away with irregular groups" in Tripoli and "establish the principle that there is no place in Libya except for state institutions." Libya expert Jalel Harchaoui said the clashes amounted to a "territorial reshuffle", though fighting the more popular and entrenched Radaa force proved difficult. More than 500 people rallied on Wednesday night in the Souq el-Joumaa neighbourhood, a Radaa stronghold, chanting against the Dbeibah government before shots were fired to disperse them. The demonstration followed a string of executive orders to dismantle Radaa and dissolve other Tripoli-based armed groups, excluding the 444 Brigade. Radaa enjoys a degree of public legitimacy despite running prisons deemed illegal. The SSA, by contrast, faces mounting accusations of abuse, including torture and forced labour of sub-Saharan African migrants. "Whether these clashes serve to undermine or consolidate Dbeibah's authority remains an open question," wrote the International Crisis Group's Claudia Gazzini. "Either way, residents of Tripoli are yet again victims of violence wrought by forces beyond their control." The embassies of Germany, France the United States, Britain and Italy on Wednesday evening expressed "their deep concern about the recent violence in Tripoli", urging the "authorities to take all measures to protect civilians" in a statement.--AFP
Kuwait Times
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Libya armed group leader among dead in Tripoli clashes
TRIPOLI: Overnight clashes in Libya's capital killed at least six people, an emergency medical service said Tuesday, with local media reporting that an armed group leader was among the dead. Heavy arms fire and explosions were heard in several areas of Tripoli from 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Monday as violent clashes between rival armed groups rocked the capital. "Six bodies have been retrieved from the sites of clashes around Abu Salim" in Tripoli, the Emergency Medicine and Support Centre said. Reports said Abdelghani Al-Kikli, leader of the Support and Stability Apparatus (SSA) which controls the southern district of Abu Salim, was killed, with unverified images of his body circulating on social media. The reports said he was shot at a base of the rival 444 Brigade while attending a meeting for mediation. Libya expert Jalel Harchaoui said on social media that Kikli was likely ambushed at the base, citing a relative of the SSA leader. Harchaoui described Kikli as one of Tripoli's "most successful armed group leaders", with an "ability to outmanoeuvre Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah". The 444 Brigade, which controls other parts of southern Tripoli, is aligned with Dbeibah. Harchaoui said this would mean a "territorial reshuffle" in the capital, with the 444 Brigade seizing areas formerly controlled by the SSA. Libya is struggling to recover from years of unrest following the NATO-backed 2011 uprising that led to the overthrow and killing of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. The North African country is currently divided between a UN-recognized government in Tripoli led by Dbeibah and a rival administration in the east, controlled by the Haftar family. TRIPOLI: Libyan security forces stand guard outside a police building that they recaptured following overnight clashes in the southern district of Abu Salim in the capital Tripoli on May 13, 2025. — AFP photos 'Security and stability' Authorities had urged residents to stay indoors before saying several hours later that the fighting had been brought under control. The Tripoli-based government on Tuesday said a "military operation" to restore "security and stability" in the capital had been successful. An AFP photographer saw men in fatigues and armored vehicles deployed in the city's main roads. Dbeibah, in a post on X, thanked government forces "for restoring security and asserting the state's authority in the capital". He later announced that several bodies previously run by the SSA would be dissolved or seized. He also said Lotfi Al-Harari, long seen as Kikli's right-hand man, would be replaced by Mostafa Al-Waheshi as head of the Internal Security Agency. "What was accomplished today shows that official institutions are capable of protecting the homeland and preserving the dignity of its citizens," Dbeibah said on X. Despite relative calm in Libya in recent years, clashes periodically break out between armed groups vying for territory. In August 2023, fighting between two powerful armed groups in Tripoli left 55 dead. Authorities in several parts of the capital said schools would be closed on Tuesday until further notice. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya called for calm and urged "all parties to immediately cease fighting", warning that "attacks on civilians and civilian objects may amount to war crimes". "UNSMIL fully supports the efforts of elders and community leaders to de-escalate the situation," it said on X. — AFP
The Herald
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
Libya clashes point to growing power of Turkey-allied PM Dbeibah
Consolidation of power in Tripoli would strengthen Turkish ally Dbeibah and the GNU after repeated attempts to replace him by force over recent years while bolstering his position in an overarching rivalry with eastern Libya factions. Late on Monday, after rising tension between armed factions, pictures circulated online showing Kikli's blood-smeared body with a handgun lying by his hand. Reuters could not verify the circumstances of Kikli's death or confirm the veracity of the pictures showing his body, but his face was widely recognised and fighting erupted across Tripoli soon after they circulated. Factions under Dbeibah's GNU rapidly seized territory and bases long held by Kikli's Security Stabilisation Apparatus (SSA) group, including the Abu Salim district, its old powerbase. With Kikli's downfall, factions that come under the Defence Ministry and are aligned with Dbeibah, principally the 444 Brigade under Mahmoud Hamza, the 111 Brigade and the Joint Force from Misrata, may gain a bigger role. Consolidation by Dbeibah allies could result in Western Libya starting to more closely resemble the east, where commander Khalifa Haftar seized control a decade ago after eliminating rivals and forcing other groups under his sway. "This paves the way for unprecedented levels of territorial consolidation in Tripoli and an increasingly smaller number of groups," said Emad Badi, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council. Fragmentation Libya's energy facilities are mostly located in areas controlled by Haftar and Monday night's clashes seem unlikely to impact output. Tripoli was calm on Tuesday, witnesses said, while fighters from the 444 and 111 Brigades were visible on Tuesday morning around the city centre and at the SSA's former Abu Salim headquarters, where its insignia had been erased. Fighters from a group allied to the SSA had meanwhile disappeared from the area around the Central Bank of Libya, which they had controlled security access to since last year.
