Libya:
News and Views [ November 2005 ]

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Wednesday, 30 November, 2005: Avocat Farouk Yala, correspondent for Lyamec & Associates in Parisa, ddressed foreign firms on properly succeeding in seeking opportunities in Libya while addressing those criticizing Libya's reform and investment laws. During his presentation to over 120 attendants, he clearly outlined the failure of the foreign investment firms whom sought and failed in engaging the opportunities offered in Libya, "because of their lack of understanding of local legislation, rules and regulations revolving the criteria for foreign investment projects." Clarity was formed among the attendants regarding international agreements signed onto by Libya regarding money laundering and anti-terrorism investment programs are issues that must be addressed and adhered to by foreign investors. [Send2Press]

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Wednesday, 30 November, 2005: Human rights organisations have long considered Libyan prisons as a source of numerous violations but now the government has moved to counter such criticism. With help from the judicial police and the UK-based International Centre for Prison Studies (ICPS), Libyan prison staff have been trained in international human rights standards over the past 18 months. And the justice ministry has launched the booklet Human Rights in Prison Management so both staff and inmates are aware of the law. Justice Minister Omar al-Hesnawi pointed to an amnesty as another sign of recent improvements in handling prisoners. Initial findings by ICPS included poor sanitation and health care services and overcrowding. ICPS project manager Andy Barclay described some conditions as "totally unacceptable." Some of the worst prison conditions were mostly evident in old buildings. Mr Barclay says that some of the newly built establishments could meet international standards. [BBC]

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Tuesday, 29 November, 2005: Extradition proceedings against a Libyan national with alleged terrorist links were struck from the Pretoria magistrate's court roll on Monday, 21 months after his arrest. Prosecutor Elbie Leonard withdrew the matter saying the state had not yet received presidential consent to process Libya's request for the extradition of Ibrahim Abubaker Tantoush (photo). Such consent was required as South Africa has no extradition treaty with Libya. The state could decide to re-open the extradition inquiry at a later stage. Tantoush was arrested in Pretoria in February last year for allegedly being in possession of a fake South African passport. [IOL]

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Tuesday, 29 November, 2005: The death sentences that were imposed on five Bulgarian nurses in Libya may be dropped if enough international aid can be provided to fund hospitals and treatment of HIV infected children. Libyan Foreign Minister Abdelrahman Shalgam said on Monday. He was speaking at the Euro-Meditarreanean summit in Barcelona, Spain. Shalgam said that the issue should be considered a humanitarian one. He met his Bulgarian counterpart, Ivaylo Kalfin, on Monday. Shalgam was quoted by Bulgarian National radio as saying that Libyans "have nothing against the Bulgarians that are in jail." Speaking to Bulgarian journalists after his meeting, he even highlighted the fact that his own personal doctor is a Bulgarian. [AKI]

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Tuesday, 29 November, 2005: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE) has sought information from the Government of Pakistan about a former station manager of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in an investigation into money laundering and terrorism financing. Raja Tanveer Ahmed, PIA's former station manager at Tripoli, Libya, is also facing a departmental inquiry for illegally sending more than 200 Pakistanis from Libya to the United Kingdom. According to a report by Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau (IB), between 1999 and 2003, Raja Tanveer transported more than 200 Pakistanis from Tripoli, Libya, to London, UK, without any travel documents and charged each person between $25,000 to $30,000. [Daily Times]

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Tuesday, 29 November, 2005: Nation of Islam (USA) leader Louis Farrakhan said in his address at the inaugural session of the 4th general conference of World Islamic People's Leadership in Tripoli, Libya, "I came carrying the message of your Muslim brothers and sisters in the USA". He then reviewed the attempts to tarnish the image of Islam in today's world calling for the continuation on the sound path advocated by Islam, consolidate the values of noble and correct Islam by calling for peace and love, fraternity and equality. JANA reported. [Arabic News]

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Monday, 28 November, 2005: The Bulgarian Ambassador to Libya Zdravko Velev visited the five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in the Judeida prison in Tripoli, BNR announced, citing the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Velev informed the nurses on the actions, taken by the Bulgarian institutions in relation to the case. [FIA]

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Monday, 28 November, 2005: French interior minister expressed his thanks for and appreciation of the efforts made by Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi. During a meeting held by Libyan Secretary of Justice with French interior minister in Paris, the two sides discussed cooperation between the two countries in the field of illegal immigration and human trafficking. They also discussed Security Council resolution No. 1373 regarding illegal immigration. [LJBC]

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Monday, 28 November, 2005: Two rival leaders of a rebel movement from the Sudanese region of Darfur pledged to work together on the seventh round of peace talks with Khartoum in Nigeria, a mediator said on Sunday. The new round of talks have been delayed for a week. The two rebel leaders took part in talks in the Chadian capital N'Djamena from Thursday to Saturday, with mediators from Chad, Libya, Eritrea and the African Union working to fashion a compromise allowing the broader negotiations to move forward. [The Daily Star]

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Monday, 28 November, 2005: H.E. Abdullah Sulaiman al-Hamadi, UAE Ambassador in Libya, today (Sunday) attended the official opening of the ‘UAE in Libya’ exhibition aimed at increasing bilateral trade relations between Libya and the UAE. Al-Hamadi was accompanied by Libyan officials and foreign diplomats as he toured the exhibition halls and met with many of the 90 UAE-based businesses represented at the government-led event taking place in Tripoli until 30th November. [Al-Bawaba]

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Monday, 28 November, 2005: The works of the 4th general conference of World Islamic Peoples Leadership stated in Libya, with the participation of a throng of scholars, intellectuals, scholars, and representatives of Islamic organizations from various parts of the world. [LJBC]

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Sunday, 27 November, 2005: Dozens of Martin Health Science Magnet students [Texas, USA] went home with new tattoos Thursday. Parents need not be worried - the students were learning about henna art from longtime math teacher Kamel Shrek (photo). Henna, a dye made from dried leaves, is common in northern Africa and western and southern Asia but is only now making its way into the U.S. It is used to make temporary skin decorations for weddings and other ceremonies. Shrek, who has lived in Laredo since 1981 but is originally from Libya, let students into his classroom at lunchtime and spent the hour writing students names on them in Arabic, so they could trace it over in henna. "It's nice to have a teacher that talks to you about their culture," said Auxi Rincon, a senior who was in his class last year. [Laredo Morning Times]

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Sunday, 27 November, 2005: World Cup finalists Tunisia will play friendlies at home against Libya and Ghana in January in preparation for the defence of their African Cup of Nations crown. The Carthage Eagles face neighbours Libya on 12 January and four-time African champions Ghana three days later at venues to be announced. Tunisia are drawn to play in the Egyptian city of Alexandria during the Nations Cup finals which start on 20 January. [BBC]

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Sunday, 27 November, 2005: The maiden Sabratha Festival had been held in the archeological site of Sabratha, with the aim to introduce the city’s tourist features. The festival, dubbed "Origin and Connection" was sponsored by the Committee of Tourism in Sabratha. Many tourists were present at the two day festival where they enjoyed viewing traditional fairs and folklore dancing. Sabratha is one of Libya's archeological sites along with Cyrene and Leptis Magna. Sabratha is located on the Mediterranean coast, to the west of the Libyan capital Tripoli. [LJBC]

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Sunday, 27 November, 2005: Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi called for expanding the number of assemblies to allow every citizen to take part in the decision policy of the country. The official Libyan news agency JANA yesterday quoted Qadhafi as saying that "the 2935 assemblies in which the 468 basic peoples congresses meet are not enough to accommodate all Libyan adults male and female who should exercise authority through the congresses." [Arabic News]

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Saturday, 26 November, 2005: The number of HIV-infected children, who died at a Benghazi hospital, has reached fifty-one, the online edition of "Libya Today" reported. A sixteen-year -old boy died Thursday evening after fighting the decease for eight years, his relatives say. In May 2004 Libya found five Bulgarian health workers and a Palestinian doctor guilty of having caused the death of 40 children and of infecting almost 400 others with HIV at the Benghazi hospital. On November 15, Libya's Supreme Court postponed once again the hearing of the appeal of the death sentences. The new hearing will take place January 31, 2006. [SNA]

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Saturday, 26 November, 2005: Libayna, a Libyan state-run mobile phone operator, has signed a $40 million mobile phone network contract with China's telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd , Libyana's chief executive said on Friday. "This deal will enable Libyana to expand its network by an additional 1 million subscribers in the near future," Mohamed Ben Ayad told Reuters. Libyana is Libya's second-largest mobile phone operator with 186,000 subscribers when it started in September last year. It aims to have 2.5 million subscribers by 2008 from about a half million currently, company officials have said. [Reuters]

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Saturday, 26 November, 2005: Many Americans are now getting their goat at the table. Goat has, in fact, become the "other" red meat of choice. Markets catering to Muslims and Latinos do brisk business selling fresh goat meat. Many consumers get their fresh goat from places such as Islamic Meat and Poultry Co. in Stockton, California. Jalal Sbeta, the shop's owner, slaughters about 300 goats a week, shipping the meat to markets patronized by Muslims in Northern California. Sbeta, a native of Libya, gets help from Poncho the Goat, a loyal ram who several times a day leads a small group of kid goats through a narrow alley to the slaughterhouse door. Each animal is slaughtered according to Islamic "halal" rules. [Los Angeles Times]

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Saturday, 26 November, 2005: From Jan to Sept 2005, Libya stopped over 40,000 illegal immigrants heading for Europe, Libyan Public Security Minister Naser al-Mabruk, who met Italian Interior Minister Pisanu this morning in Rome, said. He also added that 40 gangs organising raids to Europe via the Mediterranean were dismantled, 5,297 people arrested and sentenced in 120 trials, and 9,800 blocked on the Libyan southern border. "In Libya, about 20 percentt of the population are illegal immigrants". Al-Mabruk also asked for holding an int'l conference on illegal immigration in Tripoli, inviting Italy, France and the UK. [AGI]

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Saturday, 26 November, 2005: Many European countries have started investigations into allegations that CIA aeroplanes, with terrorist detainees as passengers, have been landing at European airports. The story began with disclosures by the Washington Post and by Human Rights Watch (HRW) about secret CIA-run detention camps in many countries including Poland and Romania. The EU has asked Washington for a clarification ... Vanessa Saenen of HRW in Brussels explains: “We have information based on interviews from people who have been in Guantanamo Bay that there are secret detention centres. Even the US government doesn’t bother to hide this, and we have information from released prisoners on Jordan, on Morocco, on Egypt and Libya, but not on Romania and Poland.” [Radio Netherland]

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Saturday, 26 November, 2005: Sarin, the deadly nerve agent that killed 12 people and injured 5000 others when the Aum Supreme Truth cult released it on the Tokyo subway in March 1995, was first produced by Nazi scientists in the 1930s. It is considered 500 times more powerful than cyanide, used to kill millions in the gas chambers of Nazi death camps in the closing stages of World War 2. First developed as an organophosphate pesticide, Sarin works by being inhaled or absorbed through the skin and kills by crippling the nervous system. Only Russia and the United States have officially declared that they have Sarin stockpiles, but other countries - including Egypt, Iran, Libya, and North Korea - may also possess supplies, experts say. [AFP]

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Saturday, 26 November, 2005: Israel's Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is scheduled to represent Israel at a two-day conference in Barcelona Sunday marking the 10th anniversary of the Barcelona Conference. The conference is to be attended by a number of European and Arab leaders including British Prime Minister Blair, new German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Egyptian President Mubarak. Syria's Bashar Assad, Jordan's King Abdullah II, Morocco's King Mohammed VI, and Libya's Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi have all said they would not be attending this event. Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara, however, is expected to attend. [Jerusalem Post]

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Saturday, 26 November, 2005: In the playground of the disused school building Ibrahim Ali now calls home, surrounded by wire netting, he is talking about the four-month journey that brought him to Malta in search of a livelihood ... "There were 28 of us on the small boat that we hired in Libya. I had to pay more than Euro 1,000. We spent six days in rough seas with no food. Three people died." His voice trails off. "Can you help me?" The people who can help 25-year old Ibrahim Ali, and the 400 other illegal economic migrants from Africa in the camp, will be meeting in Malta for three days from today. The closed-door meeting of Commonwealth leaders from 53 countries should provide a unique forum for the rich countries to hold a meaningful dialogue with the poorer countries which are losing their most talented human resources. [The Independent]

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Saturday, 26 November, 2005: Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co., said yesterday that Renault's Korean arm Renault Samsung Motors Co. will begin exporting its SM3 subcompacts under the Nissan badge in 2006. "The main export destinations are Russia, Ukraine, the Middle East and Central and South America," he said in a news conference. Renault Samsung exported 2,179 SM3 models in the first 10 months of this year to countries including Chile and Libya, compared with 1,331 units a year earlier. [The Korea Herald]

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Saturday, 26 November, 2005: A German businessman was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison on Thursday for illegally supplying Pakistan with equipment to build nuclear weapons. Rainer V, 61, was found guilty by a Munich court on a range of charges, including providing false information to the German authorities in order to obtain the necessary authorisation to supply “dual use” equipment to Pakistani companies. Reports in the German press say that the equipment was sent to the Khan Research Laboratories in Kahuta. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the disgraced father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, has admitted involvement in transferring nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea. [AFP]

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Saturday, 26 November, 2005: Alleged "dirty bomber" Jose Padilla, a former Broward County [USA] resident who had spent more than three years behind bars without being charged with a crime, was indicted on terrorism charges in Miami federal court, U.S. officials said Tuesday ... The other defendants [in the case] are Mohamed Hesham Youssef, Kifah Wael Jayyousi and Kasseem Daher ... recently added to the indictment along with Padilla. According to the indictment, Hassoun, Jayyousi and Daher recruited and raised tens of thousands of dollars to send Youssef, Padilla and others to Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia, Chechnya, Kosovo, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya and Somalia for terrorist training to spread extreme Islamic law. [The Miami Herald]

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Friday, 25 November, 2005: Two weeks after burying his infant son, a refugee claimant who has lived seven years in Canada says he faces a "death sentence" if he is deported to Libya next month. Fuad al-Mansuri, 46, of Windsor, has been ordered to report to the Canadian Immigration Centre at Pearson Airport in Toronto Dec. 12 and to hand in his social insurance identification, his OHIP card and his driver's licence before boarding a flight for Tripoli. Al-Mansuri said the deportation order came days after he buried one-year-old Hisham, who died Nov. 11 from an immunodeficiency disorder. Al-Mansuri, a former Libyan soldier who works as a welder, is the sole support for his family. His wife, Nuria Ben Amer (photo), was unable to work while she cared for her sick child. She also faces deportation ... Al-Mansuri's refugee application was rejected in August after it was determined he would not be in danger of torture, death or "cruel and unusual treatment" if he were deported to Libya. But Gloria Nafziger, refugee co-ordinator for Amnesty International in Toronto, said the human rights organization has concerns about the fate of failed refugee applicants. Nafziger said that as recently as 2002, asylum seekers tracked by the rights group have "disappeared" after they were returned to Libya. [Trail Daily Times]

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Friday, 25 November, 2005: Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi (photo) confirmed the possibility of exchanging the 5 Bulgarian medics condemned to death for the Libyan intelligence agent imprisoned in Scotland for the Lockerbie assault, the private bTV channel reported citing CNN. Wednesday night CNN broadcast a new unabridged version of the interview with Qadhafi first broadcast on Nov. 12. In it Qadhafi said that it is not excluded to make an exchange between the medics sentenced to death on accusations of deliberately causing an AIDS outbreak and the Libyan intelligence agent Abdelbaset al-Megrahi convicted of the Lockerbie bombing. [BNN]

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Friday, 25 November, 2005: Libyan Foreign Minister Abdelrahman Shalgam (photo) confirmed that Libya is considering a partial abolition of the death sentence. In an interview for Al-Jazeera TV channel Shalgam was asked to comment on reports that his country is considering the abolition of the death sentence and for the Bulgarian nurses case. He confirmed that Libya is considering a partial abolition of the death sentence, but underlined that there could be no full abolition since in a Muslim country such as Libya the legislation is based on the Islamic law of Sheriat and "the murderer should be killed." The five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor were sentenced to death a year ago on charges of intentionally causing an AIDS outbreak at a Benghazi children's hospital, sparkling cries of foul from Bulgaria and its allies the United States and the European Union. [SNA]

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Friday, 25 November, 2005: Turkish Petroleum Corporation may jointly bid with ONGC Videsh Ltd for oil assets in Libya in 2006. Another Turkish company, Calik Energy, will enter into an agreement with Indian Oil Corporation for collaboration in refining and downstream sector. OVL and Turkish Petroleum are already jointly exploring two onshore blocks in Libya (118 and 119), where they have 50 per cent stake each, Osman Saim Dinc, president of Turkish Petroleum said on Thursday. “There will be another round of bidding in Libya in 2006 and hopefully, we will bid together,” Dinc said on sidelines of a bilateral meeting between Turkish Energy Minister Mehmet Hilmi Guller and Indian Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar. [Business Standard]

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Friday, 25 November, 2005: Libya's largest private carrier Buraq Air will start operating regular flights to Dubai in mid-2006, said a senior company official. "We have already set up offices in Dubai and Sharjah and will commence flights sometimes during the middle of next year," Captain Hassan A. Sherif, Buraq Air's vice chairman told Gulf News yesterday. The airline placed orders for three Boeing B737s, the delivery of which will start in September 2006. "We have already started operating international flights to Istanbul and Aleppo, Syria. "In our next phase of expansion, we will start flying to Dubai and southern Europe," he said. [AfriCast]

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Friday, 25 November, 2005: A British expert has urged Middle East nations to follow examples such as Malaysia, Turkey and Bangladesh in shaping their political landscape - as opposed to Western countries like the US. UK-based Arab and Islamic Studies scholar, Professor Tim Niblock, warned countries in the region against relying too much on the West - saying they could find themselves abandoned by Western suitors in the future. "It is useful in some cases to look for external help, but the danger is that it may not be help forever," he warned. "Those within Arab society who are interested in political reform, if they rely on external forces to carry the dynamic forward, may find in the future that there is none - as people in Libya did. Mr Niblock, founder of the Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies at Exeter University, was speaking at a seminar organised by the Shura Council at the National Assembly building in Manama. [Gulf Daily News]

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Thursday, 24 November, 2005: Libyan prime minister Shoukri Ghanem (photo) said that he was against the intervention of any country in the proceedings of the Libyan court, concerning the trial of the five Bulgarian nurses. Last week the Bulgarians' appeal against their death sentences was postponed until Jan. 31 2006. Both the US and EU countries have already stated that diplomatic relations with Libya depend entirely on the outcome of the trial. Foreign intervention might affect the objectivity of the trial, Ghanem said. His statement came in response to Bulgarian ambassador to the US Elena Poptodorova who said that Bulgaria might provide humanitarian aid to Libya but that this would not be an acknowledgement that the nurses were guilty. [Sofia Echo]

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Thursday, 24 November, 2005: At least 3,000 Indonesians are ready to launch terrorist and suicide attacks in different parts of the archipelago, according to public security forces in Jakarta. The same sources said the 3,000 Jihad warriors were all volunteer veterans who fought in the past in Libya, Afghanistan and the Philippines (Mindanao). The Indonesian forces of order have been on a state of alert since the discovery of a plan of terrorist attacks against churches and other public buildings in the Christmas period. [Asia News]

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Thursday, 24 November, 2005: Up to 20 foreigners are in custody in Britain awaiting deportation to countries that have a record of torturing or abusing detainees, Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday, but he defended his efforts to counter Islamic extremism. Civil rights activists have condemned Blair's efforts to deport people to several countries with questionable human rights records. The government is trying to sign agreements with several nations guaranteeing that foreign nationals returned there will not be mistreated. So-called memoranda of understanding have already been signed with Jordan and Libya and the government is seeking similar deals with eight other countries, including Algeria, Lebanon and Tunisia. [AP]

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Wednesday, 23 November, 2005: Libya plans to restructure its energy sector to boost efficiency and it expects crude oil exports to rise to 2.0 million barrel per day (bpd) next year from 1.7 million currently, its oil minister said. The country's oil and gas industry has benefited from improved ties with the West since the government announced in Dec. 2003 that it would stop pursuing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Oil Minister Fathi bin Shatwan said soaring world oil prices had also encouraged more foreign oil companies to invest in Libya. [Trade Arabia]

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Tuesday, 22 November, 2005: India's Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) commissioned its first 150-mega watt gas turbine in Libya last week. The turbine was commissioned at General Electricity Company’s upcoming 600-Mw (4x150 Mw) gas turbine-based Western Mountain Power Project. The BHEL is setting up the power station on a turnkey basis. The Rs 1,100 crore-plus order for the station was placed with the BHEL in March 2003 to make use of the region’s gas reserves. The BHEL is in the process of installing three more units of similar rating at the Western Mountain Power Project. The plant is expected to become fully operational by June 2006. The project will be the largest power plant set up by the BHEL overseas. [Business Standard]

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Tuesday, 22 November, 2005: Writers from Tanzania, Syria, Vietnam, Libya and Sri Lanka read selections from their works at Washington’s Hirshhorn Museum on November 18. The five are participants in the International Writing Program (IWP), at the University of Iowa and their readings were supported by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Programs (ECA) ... Laila Neihoum is the first Libyan author to participate in the IWP. She edits and contributes to a number of Libyan journals and newspapers and has published a short-story collection and compiled a collection of poems by young Libyans. [USInfo]

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Monday, 21 November, 2005: Shell, together with its partner the National Oil Corporation of Libya (NOC) started seismic operations in the onshore Sirte Basin this week. The work follows a successful tender process and will result in one of the largest seismic programmes for the Shell Group in 2006. Seismic acquisition will be supplemented with a large aeromagnetic campaign, also planned to start in this month. By the time the work is complete in mid 2007, Shell will have acquired nearly 8000 km of 2D and 3300 square km of 3D seismic, as well as 68,000 km of aeromagnetic data. Drilling is planned to start in the second half of 2007. [Al-Bawaba]

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Monday, 21 November, 2005: Dr Simon Busuttil, one of the five Maltese Members of the European Parliament, this week was assigned by the European Parliament to lead a delegation of MEPs on a special mission to Libya to investigate the situation of illegal immigration in the country. Libya is considered to be one of the main African countries from where thousands of illegal immigrants coming from all over sub-Saharan Africa embark on ramshackle boats in a desperate attempt to reach EU shores. The majority of illegal immigrants who ended up in Malta during the last years were coming from Libya. [Times Of Malta]

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Monday, 21 November, 2005: [Libya] was selected Saturday in Rome as a deputy-Chair of the 33rd session of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations which began its meetings Saturday morning. According to a statement issued Friday, this session will study several proposals related to reform of this organization. It will also review the latest reports on the food and agriculture situation in the world, as well as the ongoing preparations to hold an international conference on agricultural reclamation and rural development due to take place in Brazil in March of 2006, besides ratifying the organization's budget for 2006-2007 and other matters related to food and agricultural development and the spread of bird flu epidemic. [LJBC]

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Sunday, 20 November, 2005: There is a scenario with a positive outcome for the Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya, reads an article in the web site of Libya Today newspaper. Bulgaria's National Television reported that the newspaper is citing sources close to the Libyan government as saying that a session of the General People's Congress [parliament] is being prepared. At that session the Congress is said to make amendments to the punishing law and an amendment concerning the death sentence. According to the article the intention of the law reforms will be to allow either the General People's Congress or Libyan leader Qadhafi the right to abolish the death sentence without consultations with the Supreme Judicial Court. [SNA]

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Saturday, 19 November, 2005: Hundreds of family members and friends of Libyan children infected with the AIDS virus demonstrate outside the Supreme Court in Tripoli (photo) to demand that the death sentences be carried out against five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor who allegedly infected them. Libya again delayed making a ruling in the case. Libya's highest court on Tuesday delayed a ruling on the death sentences of Bulgarian and Palestinian medics accused of infecting children with HIV. Political analysts say Libya could face unrest if the medics are freed. [AFP/IOL]

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Saturday, 19 November, 2005: There is a wide range of democratisation across the Middle East, a survey by a leading research and advisory firm has found. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranked 20 countries on 15 indicators of political and civil liberty. The Index of Political Freedom lists Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Iraq and the Palestinian Territories as the most democratic parts of the region. Libya received the lowest rating. [BBC]

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Saturday, 19 November, 2005: A United Nations communications and technology summit in Tunis has turned the spotlight onto a dispute about censorship. The French press freedom group Reporters sans Frontiers (RSF) unfurled a banner at the summit condemning 15 countries labelled "enemies of the Internet." "We wanted to show the black holes of the Web," said RSF spokesman Jean-Francois Julliard, underlining the power that authorities have over Internet access providers. The group listed Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, Libya, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, N. Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. [Sify]

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Saturday, 19 November, 2005: Iranian President, Mahmud Nejad has expressed commitment and interest in strengthening bilateral relations with the Libya. Ahmadi Nejad expressed Iran's desire in a special message delivered to Libyan leader, Col. Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi on Wednesday, by Mohammed Soleimani, Iranian Communications and Information Technology minister. The message delivered by Soleimani, special envoy of President Najad, deals with the situation in the region and Iran's position on a wide range of international issues. [Angop]

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Saturday, 19 November, 2005: The West Yorkshire officer shot dead last night was the sixth woman to be killed by a criminal in mainland Britain out of 1,600 officers who have died in the line of duty. The first woman officer to die in mainland Britain at the hands of an offender was Mandy Rayner, 18, from Hertfordshire ... WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was shot outside the Libyan People’s Bureau in St James's Square in 1984 when a gunman inside opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators outside. The shooting led to a six-day siege but the Libyans inside were allowed to leave and the murderer was never caught. Attempts to investigate the case have continued for years and police have visited Libya in the hope of interviewing suspects. [Times On Line]

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Friday, 18 November, 2005: The CIA's deputy director, Vice Adm. Albert M. Calland III, visited Tripoli this month for secret meetings concerning ways to expand Libya's role in fighting terrorism. Calland was accompanied by a small delegation of CIA officials who met with Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi (photo) and intelligence aide Abdullah Sanusi, a convicted terrorist, three sources with knowledge of the trip confirmed. Sanusi, who is Qadafi's brother-in-law, is wanted in France for the bombing of a civilian jetliner over Africa in 1989 that killed 170 people. Sanusi was convicted in absentia and is barred from traveling to many European countries. He is also prohibited from entering the United States, a senior State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Times. Sources familiar with the talks between Libyan officials and Calland described them as positive and fruitful. [Los Angeles Times]

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Friday, 18 November, 2005: Five North African countries have announced the creation of a joint military force. The announcement was made in Libya Thursday following a two-day meeting by the army chiefs of staff of Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and the Western Sahara Republic. The chiefs of staff agreed on a memorandum of understanding for the creation of the joint force, which they said would be affiliated with the Council of Peace and Security of the African Union. Libyan military sources said the chiefs of staff agreed on each country's quota of troops, but there was no information on the size of the force or its weaponry. Libyan Chief of Staff Gen. Ahmed Aoun said the move was aimed at consolidating the principle of collective work in order to achieve common objectives, notably ensuring permanent regional security and stability. [UPI]

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Friday, 18 November, 2005: Libya enjoyed a two one victory over Democratic Republic of Congo, in a friendly match played Wednesday in France. The game is part of the two countries' build-up to next January's African Cup. Younis Ashibani and Salim Arrwani scored Libya’s goals. Libya plays in group A alongside host Egypt, Ivory Coast and Morocco. [LJBC]

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Thursday, 17 November, 2005: On the surface, emotions are high over the fate of five Bulgarian nurses facing a possible death sentence in Libya. But behind the scenes, the focus is on finding a way for Libyan leader Qadhafi to end the case and thus win the Western favour he badly wants, while still saving face at home. The postponement on Tuesday of Libyan Supreme Court decision on the fate of the five Bulgarian and one Palestinian medical workers apparently just provided breathing space for continued efforts to strike a deal. "This is a case where Qadhafi's regime has no choice," said Saad Djebbar, a Libya analyst with the London-based Chatham House think tank. "This is a problem that the government wants to get rid of." Djebbar said the court postponement "took into consideration that negotiations are going on with a view to solving this problem." [IOL]

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Thursday, 17 November, 2005: The Secretary of Culture has asked the French ambassador to Libya to give back some stolen archeological pieces. During their meeting in Tripoli, the Secretary handed to the ambassador a leaflet including pictures of the stolen pieces which are in France now. He pressed him to fully cooperate to return these archeological pieces to Libya. [LJBC]

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Thursday, 17 November, 2005: According to some sources, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to visit Tripoli later tonight, the special correspondent of BNR to Libya reported. It is possible that Rice skips her visit to Libya as part of her Middle East tour. [FIA]

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Wednesday, 16 November, 2005: Bulgaria has criticized Libya's Supreme Court for postponing a ruling on the appeal of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death on charges of deliberately infecting children with AIDS. Bulgarian Parvanov says the decision to delay the ruling until Jan. 31 prolongs the tragedy of the detainees. Relatives of some of the infected children (photo) fought with riot police when the postponement was announced. The defendants deny the charges, and human rights groups say Libyan police used torture to force them to confess. US State Department. spokesman Adam Ereli repeated U.S. calls for the defendants' release and said establishment of normalized relations with Libya depends on Libyan progress on human rights. [VOA]

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Wednesday, 16 November, 2005: Political analysts say Libya could face unrest if the Bulgarian and Palestinian medics are freed. "I swear before God that I will be a soldier for bin Laden and kidnap any Bulgarian who works here to avenge the infection of my boy," Ahmed Attarhouni, the father of one victim, yelled out to media covering the trial. [Libya's Supreme Court postponed a ruling on Tuesday in the final appeal of the medics]. "This case is rather like a poisoned chalice," said George Joffe, who lectures on North Africa and the Middle East at Cambridge University's Center for International Studies. "No one wants to sip from it. Whatever reason they've given, the real reason is that they are scared of making a decision." Libya has suggested the death sentences could be commuted if Bulgaria compensates the families. [Reuters]

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Wednesday, 16 November, 2005: The United States said on Tuesday that it is prepared to broaden and deepen relations with Libya although it still brands Libya as a state sponsor of terrorism. "We believe that broadening and deepening the relationship is important for the United States and for Libya. That is what our liaison office is working on. And as we make progress on issues of mutual concern, we will evaluate next steps," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said at a briefing. The liaison office, opened in Tripoli on June 28 last year, "permits us to work to broaden and deepen our relationship with Libya," Ereli said. However, Ereli expressed concern for Libya's alleged support for terrorism. [Xinhua]

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Wednesday, 16 November, 2005: With the delay of the appeals hearing of Bulgarian medics' death sentences to January 31, 2006, Libya has created a precedence in its jurisprudence, according to a Libyan defence lawyer. Osman Bizanti (photo) was as much surprised with Tuesday's decision of the Supreme Court in Tripoli as everybody else involved in the case, as the hearing was legally the last step for the court to either confirm or revoke the verdicts. Hari Haralampiev, another defence lawyer of the Bulgarians, also commented the court's move with surprise, especially the chance given to the defence to plead again at the 31 January hearing. According to Libyan lawyers, pleadings can be held and evidence submitted only during the first-instance proceedings. He was hopeful the court's unexpected move can be interpreted in a symptom of benevolence to the medics. [SNA]

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Wednesday, 16 November, 2005: The European Union (EU) welcomed on Tuesday the decision by Libya's highest court to delay a ruling on the death sentences of Bulgarian and Palestinian medics accused of infecting children with HIV. "The postponement of the (Libyan) Supreme Court's judgment is a useful step, and we are counting on the Libyan judicial system to ensure that justice is done," European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner told reporters. The Libyan court on Tuesday postponed to Jan. 31, 2006 its decision on the case of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who were sentenced to death in 2004 after being convicted of intentionally infecting more than 400 children at Benghazi hospital. [Xinhua]

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Tuesday, 15 November, 2005: Bulgaria hopes a Libyan court will order a retrial for five nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death for infecting hundreds of children with HIV, its justice minister said on Monday. Libya's Supreme Court is scheduled on Tuesday to hear the final appeal in the case. "There are two scenarios the court can take: they can confirm the verdict or return the case for reconsideration. I hope the court takes the second decision," Justice Minister Georgi Petkanov told Nova TV. About 50 of the 400 children infected have died, sparking a humanitarian crisis and prompting calls for vengeance from the victims' families. [Reuters]

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Tuesday, 15 November, 2005: Japan has imported thousands of tons of bluefin tuna caught by Turkey in the Eastern Atlantic in violation of international agreements, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWFN) . Libya, which has been criticized for not reporting its fish catch data to the The Int'l Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT,) exported more than 1,000 tons of bluefin tuna to Japan in both 2003 and 2004. The WWFN has asked Japan to instruct importers not to buy bluefin tuna from Turkey and Libya. [The Japan times]

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The Daily Star: Status Report On Libya's Paradigm Shift

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Monday, 14 November, 2005: A leading Welsh Muslim has warned that the detention of a Libyan man in Cardiff six weeks ago is damaging race relations in Wales. Mohammed Javed, chair of the Cardiff Police Advisory Committee, said the case had panicked the community. The man - one of five people detained during raids the same day in the UK - is awaiting an immigration tribunal. The Home Office and the Department of Constitutional Affairs have refused to comment on specific cases. Speaking on the Politics Show on BBC Wales on Sunday, Mr Javad - chair of the Cardiff Police Advisory Committee - said the seizure of the Libyan national in the wake of the July bombings had already made "quite a bit of difference" to race relations in Wales. [BBC]

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Monday, 14 November, 2005: Sofia's ambassador in Tripoli and envoys of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry have met on Sunday the country's five nurses jailed in Libya. The diplomats discussed with the prisoners possible scenarios for Tuesday's Supreme Court hearing of the case. It would be the last hearing of the Bulgarians appeal against their death sentences. Court could uphold the verdicts, call a retrial or postpone its final decision. Meanwhile, the husband of one of the nurses in Libya has said the family had no great hopes for favourable solution of the case. Our medics have become a pawn in the filed of international relations, and Libya can trade them for any price, Ivan Nenov has said as cited by the state news agency BTA. [SNA]

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Monday, 14 November, 2005: A representative of the Lawyers Without Borders (LWB) will arrive in Libya later on Sunday to attend the November 15 hearing of the appeal of the death sentence imposed on five Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor. LWB is the world's largest group of volunteer lawyers from around the globe who stand ready to offer pro bono service to worldwide projects and initiatives. The LWB was one of the organizations that held Saturday a march in Brussels to call for freedom for Bulgaria's nurses jailed in Libya. [Novinite]

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Monday, 14 November, 2005: The Philippines, where a total of 69 journalists have been killed since the restoration of democracy in 1986, has been ranked 139th among 167 nations surveyed for the World Press Freedom Index of the Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), or Reporters Without Borders. The 2005 index is based on events between Sept. 1, 2004 and Sept. 1, 2005. The indicator does not consider human rights violations in general, only press freedom infractions. The 10 countries with the poorest press freedom, ranked 158th to 167th, are Vietnam, China, Nepal, Cuba, Libya [162], Burma, Iran, Turkmenistan, Eritrea and N. Korea. [Sun Star]

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Sunday, 13 November, 2005: Secret talks between Israeli and Libyan diplomats in the course of the last two years did little to change Tripoli’s attitude towards the Jewish state as Col. Qadhafi seems to be holding on to his belief that Israel has no right to exist as a country for the Jews, Gadhafi’s son Saif al-Islam told a news conference in Berlin on Friday. "Only one state for two peoples, Israeli and Palestinian, is a solution --- like the South African model," Qadhafi said in the German capital where he took part in a security conference. The 34-year-old, who is the Libyan leader’s eldest son, has been groomed to replace his father. [Ynet]

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Libya's Mournings And Italy's Remorselessness...!    By :Ghoma

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Saturday, 12 November, 2005: Libya sees the case of Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death as a legal and human and not a political issue, Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem (photo) said on Friday. But Ghanem implied that the Supreme Court's ruling on the five nurses' appeal might not be the final act. "Our judiciary is independent and we're waiting for the court's decision. Then we will discuss the matter further," Ghanem told a news conference. A Libyan court last year sentenced five Bulgarian nurses to death, saying they had deliberately infected 426 children with HIV. The nurses have been in custody since 1999 and the Libyan Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the final appeal on November 15. "This is not a problem of nurses but a problem of infected children. I must also stress that this is a legal problem, not a political one," Ghanem said during a visit to Croatia. [Reuters]

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Saturday, 12 November, 2005: Moustapha Akkad, who died yesterday as a result of injuries sustained in one of the bomb blasts in Jordan aged 75, was the producer of Halloween (1978). Akkad also owned the franchise which spawned seven further variations on the theme, the most recent being Halloween: Resurrection in 2002. In 1976 Akkad produced and directed The Message. The picture, which starred Anthony Quinn and Irene Papas, was about the origins of Islam. His next big project, The Lion of the Desert (1980), in which Quinn and Irene Papas were joined by Oliver Reed, Rod Steiger and John Gielgud, was about the real-life Bedouin leader Omar Mukhtar (Quinn) who fought Mussolini's troops in the deserts of Libya. To finance this picture, Akkad had persuaded Libya's President Qadhafi to invest $35 million. [The Telegraph]

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Saturday, 12 November, 2005: The U.N. next week will hold the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunisia, at which national representatives will discuss strategies to bridge the "digital divide" and harness information and communication technologies. But many observers say the meeting is really about control of the Internet. The Internet is currently run by a non-governmental organization called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), established by the US in 1998. At the WSIS summit, countries such as Brazil, China, Cuba, and Iran are expected to call for the creation of an int'l body to govern the Internet. Libya and Rwanda are among others supporting more U.N. participation in ICANN. [Fox News]

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Friday, 11 November, 2005: Five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death for infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the HIV virus have gained an unusual supporter, the son of Libyan Leader Qadhafi. Asked if he thought the five were guilty, Saif al-Islam told Reuters: "Personally I don't think so, but nevertheless we have a tragedy. Whether it's a conspiracy as they said, which I don't believe in, or negligence or mismanagement, at the end we have a tragedy which is a matter of fact and we can't ignore." Speaking during a break at a security conference in Berlin, Qadhafi's son said Washington was "not part of the issue" but was welcome to help. [AHN]

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Friday, 11 November, 2005: US oil group Occidental Petroleum Corp plans to aggressively explore for oil in Libya over the next four years and will vie for more licences in future bidding rounds, the company said yesterday. "We have established a very large position and we now, in the coming two to four years, will be drilling 30 exploration wells so exposing ourselves, hopefully, to major discoveries," Occidental executive vice-president John Winterman told an oil conference in Cape Town. The No 4 US oil producer earlier this year became the first US company to resume oil production in Libya after snapping up licences for nine of 15 blocks on offer during Libya's first bidding round since the easing of US sanctions. [Gulf Daily News]

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Thursday, 10 November, 2005: Ahead of the November 15 session of the Libyan Supreme Court that has to decide on the appeal of the death sentences imposed on the five Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor, the French Le Figaro published an article named "Libya: five Bulgarian nurses hostages of Qadhafi." Pierre Prier writes that there are rumours for a compromise decision, although at present there is nothing happing and the regime of Col. Qadhafi is "hiding behind the independence of the Libyan judicial system." Prier also comments that Qadhafi's fears to face the faith of Saddam Hussein have forced him to make some compromises. "It looks as if Tripoli is in an iron clutch with the West and the poor medics are the scapegoat". [SNA]

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Wednesday, 9 November, 2005: A squad of Libya's anti-drug body has arrested a group of drug traffickers with 1.8 tons of hashish, official sources said Monday. According to the sources, drug traffickers are using Libya as both storage and market centre to distribute the merchandise. On Sept. 19 the drug squad also seized a ton of drugs and arrested a gang of drug smugglers. [Angop]

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Wednesday, 9 November, 2005: A ceremony to commemorate the victims of a fire at a detention center for illegal immigrants will be full of secrecy in the Netherlands, the Trouw newspaper said Tuesday. The official ceremony for the 11 people dead in the detention center near the Schiphol airport will be strictly anonymous for privacy reasons. The 11 victims came from eight countries: two from Ukraine, two from Turkey, two from Suriname. The rest were from Libya, Georgia, the Dominican Republic, Bulgaria and Romania. Police on Monday arrested a 25-year-old Libyan man because the fire started in his cell, De Volkskrant newspaper reported Tuesday. [Xinhuanet]

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Wednesday, 9 November, 2005: During the annual nonproliferation conference sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for Int'l Peace; US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, who recently visited Libya, was asked what factors helped convince the Libyans to give up their weapons programs. He said the Libyans clearly wanted an end to sanctions, and also came to the realization that the existence of WMD programs was costing Libya more than the benefits it accrued. Coalition military action against Iraq also had a role in Libya’s decision, as well as a PSI success, which involved the interception of the ship BBC China bearing centrifuge parts destined for Libya. Joseph also said the Libyan government was looking for ways to establish a definable legacy for Libyan leader Colonel Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi, and forswearing WMD provided that opportunity. In addition, Libya had signaled its desire to cooperate with the U.S. on counterterrorism efforts, he said. Since Libya gave up WMD, it has experienced a string of economic, political and diplomatic benefits, Joseph said. The Libyans "did win in this outcome," he added. [USInfo]

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Tuesday, 8 November, 2005: PennWell, in agreement with Lyamec, will produce a special publication on the development of the Libyan Oil fields; including the establishing of advanced wire line and oil tool manufacturing capabilities in the region. The publication will provide an in-depth look at the unique focus that Lyamec and its partners are developing to efficiently serve the oil industry and its requirements. The special publication by PennWell will run as a supplemental on the Oil and Gas Journal, Offshore and Oil, and Gas Financial Journal. [Send2Press]

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Tuesday, 8 November, 2005: The International Energy Agency (IEA) released Monday a report, warning the world will suffer if oil- rich Middle Eastern and North African countries fail to invest sufficiently in energy production by 2030. The report said some largest-energy producing states in the Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as North African producers such as Algeria, Egypt and Libya would be responsible for 44 percent of world oil production by 2030, against 35 percent at present. [Xinhua]

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HRW: A Letter From The Family Of Abdelrazeg Al-Mansuri

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Monday, 7 November, 2005: The United States is set to lift export controls to Libya for low-level technological goods within weeks. Assistant Secretary for Export Administration at the US Department of Commerce, Peter Lichtenbaum, said licences would be granted for items like telecoms and computer software with basic encryption features, helping US firms set up offices after the end of sanctions last year. He told Reuters at a conference on global trade controls in London that he expected the policy change "within weeks". Lichtenbaum said only US citizens, or firms with branch offices in Libya, would be granted export licences. [Reuters]

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Monday, 7 November, 2005: Repsol YPF SA is focusing on projects in Libya in the fourth quarter as a solution to its declining oil and gas reserves, Finance Director Luis Manas said. Speaking to analysts after the oil company's forecast-beating nine months earnings, Manas said that Libya is the 'key target for drilling this quarter.' Manas said that the company plans to start production at other sites, as well as continuing its drilling efforts at the NC 186 block. [AFX]

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Monday, 7 November, 2005: A joint venture partner of Aberdeen Asset Management is in dealings with the Qadhafi regime in Libya. Executives at the Global Group in Malta told Invest-ment & Pensions Europe some days ago that they are in regular contact with Qadhafi's son Seif al-Islam. Since its rapprochement with the int'l community, which included giving up its WMD programme and moving towards a free-market economy, Libya is no longer regarded as a pariah state and Seif al-Islam has been portrayed as more moderate than his father. But the country still has no formal relations with the EU and most independent bodies, such as Amnesty International and Transparency Inter-national, regard it as repressive and corrupt. It was recently classified as "not free" by US human rights group Freedom House. "Serious problems remain," says Human Rights Watch, "including the use of violence against detainees, restrictions on freedom of expression and association, and the incarceration of political prisoners". [Malta Independent]

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Monday, 7 November, 2005: The Bush administration used information about links between Iraq and al-Qaida months after a report suggested it had been fabricated by a prisoner. The New York Times Sunday said a recently declassified Defense Intelligence Agency document shows agents questioned the reliability of Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi (Libyan,) who was captured in late 2001. Al-Libi, now a prisoner at Guantanamo, Cuba, told interrogators Iraq had been training members of al-Qaida in the manufacture and use of bombs and poison gas. President Bush and high-ranking members of the administration used Libi's claim in speeches before the invasion of Iraq. [UPI]

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Sunday, 6 November, 2005: Libya has offered to spare the lives of five nurses and a doctor on death row if Britain hands over the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing. Tripoli has told British and American diplomats that it will free the medical staff from Bulgaria and Palestine if Abdelbaset al-Megrahi (photo) is allowed to serve the remainder of his life sentence in Libya. The offer was made during secret talks to free the five nurses and a doctor accused of deliberately infecting almost 400 children with HIV at a hospital in Benghazi, in northeast Libya, in the late 1990s. Further talks with the Libyan authorities are scheduled to take place later this month. The disclosure follows mounting speculation that there are plans to repatriate Megrahi to Tripoli to serve the rest of his 27-year sentence. The former Libyan intelligence officer is serving his sentence in Greenock prison after being convicted of the 1988 atrocity in which 270 people were killed. [The Sunday Times]

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Sunday, 6 November, 2005: Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi (photo) reportedly called French President Jacques Chirac to express his concern about rioting in Paris suburbs and other parts of France. The official Jana news agency said Chirac thanked Qadhafi and reassured him that the situation was under control. Qadhafi was reported saying Libya was "disposed to help France overcome these events," which he described as "regrettable." The report did not outline what kind of aid might have been forthcoming. French authorities Saturday stepped up police action against youths responsible for more than a week of urban riots, in which hundreds of vehicles were set alight, as suspicions grew that gangs were becoming increasingly organized. [AFP]

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Saturday, 5 November, 2005: The USA and the EU have reached a final phase of talks with Libya on a deal for the release of five Bulgarian nurses, who were sentenced to death over charges for deliberately infecting Libyan children with AIDS, US journalist Nicholas Kralev writes in The Washington Times. The agreement, which will put an end to Libya’s international isolation of several decades, will make Tripoli adopt bills on the abolishment of death penalty and will provide humanitarian aid to Libya. The article cites US Department of State’s spokesman Sean McCormack as saying that the USA can render diplomatic aid, whereas the EU is ready to render humanitarian aid in relation to the Bulgarian medics’ case. The Libyan Supreme Court is expected to pronounce its final ruling on November 15. [FIA]

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Friday, 4 November, 2005: The Mathaba Guerilla Training camp in Libya, North Africa remains active even today churning out classes of trained insurgents who have made a long term lucrative profession of fuelling Africa's civil wars. It is a sad commentary that conflict ridden Africa has these insurgents to thank for unleashing untold catastrophic humanitarian toll and wanton violations of international laws in the name of revolution. The Libyan government, by extension continues, to support and train these insurgents at Mathaba. This charge is evidenced and confirmed as part of the indictment of former Liberian President Charles Taylor by the UN backed Special Court for Sierra Leone." In the late 1980's Charles Taylor received military training in Libya from representatives of the Government of Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi. [FrontPageAfrica]

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Friday, 4 November, 2005: A Libyan court has sentenced an Internet journalist to one-and-a-half years in prison after he published articles critical of the government, Human Rights Watch said today. The sentence is an apparent attempt by the government to silence free speech and dissenting views. After more than four months of incommunicado detention, a court in Tripoli on October 19 convicted the journalist, 'Abd al-Raziq al-Mansuri (photo), on charges of illegally possessing a handgun. "The gun charges are a ruse," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The authorities went after al-Mansuri because they did not like what he wrote." On October 27, al-Mansuri's family in Libya wrote a letter to the Libyan government and local and international media and human rights organizations boldly denouncing the arrest and sentence. Such outspoken criticism is rare in Libya. [Reuters]

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Thursday, 3 November, 2005: Libya denied a report it would scrap capital punishment to pave the way for the release of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death for infecting children with HIV. "There is no legislation or draft legislation to scrap the death penalty and there is no plan to do that any time soon," a senior government official told Reuters on Wednesday. He was reacting to a report by the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat which quoted Arab diplomatic sources as saying Tripoli was likely to annul capital punishment soon as part of a deal to allow the nurses to be released. Asharq al-Awsat added that the nurses, and a Palestinian doctor also convicted in the case, would be asked to pay compensation to a special fund and a charitable organisation run by Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam. [Reuters]

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Thursday, 3 November, 2005: Libya plans to scrap the death penalty to clear the way for the settlement of a diplomatic row over five Bulgarian nurses on death row after hundreds of children were infected with the AIDS virus, an Arabic daily said Wednesday. Tripoli "is about to announce the abolishment of capital punishment to pave the way for commuting the sentences against the five Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor" convicted with them last year, the London-based paper Asharq Al-Awsat reported citing Arab diplomats close to the Libyan government. "The crisis of the Bulgarian nurses ... will soon be settled through a Libyan-Bulgarian deal, sponsored by the European Union and the United States," the Saudi-owned daily said. [MEOL]

( مبروك عيدك .. يا العزيز عليّه ) غناء : أحمد الشبلي

( يا لحباب .. ) غناء : أحمد الشبلي

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Othman al-Barrani's Moon Sighting Page
http://www.qgs.com/Moonsighting_1426H/

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Wednesday, 2 November, 2005: Jordan's King Abdallah II flew to Libya Tuesday for a visit where he met with Libyan President Qadhafi. The king discussed with Qadhafi the latest Mideast and int'l political developments and bilateral relations between Jordan and Libya. [KUNA]

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Wednesday, 2 November, 2005: The Federal Migration Office has launched an assistance programme to encourage failed North African asylum seekers to return home. The Swiss programme for North Africans will run until Oct. 31, 2007 and is aimed at around 2,400 nationals from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania who applied for asylum before Nov. 1, 2005. Each returning adult will receive SFr2,000 ($1,550) and each child SFr1,000. [SwissInfo]

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Wednesday, 2 November, 2005: A record eight bids to host the 2010 Africa Nations Cup have been received by the Confederation of African Football. Libya are bidding for the fourth successive time and were joined in the race by Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe before the deadline at midnight on Monday. There is also a joint bid from Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, the second time the two nations attempt to host tournament. [EuroSport]

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Tuesday, 1 November, 2005: Britain and Libya signed an agreement on Monday aimed at streamlining visa applications for travellers between the two countries, said the foreign office in London. The memorandum of understanding, signed in Tripoli, called for both nations to consider most visa applications within one week and to consider issuing multi-entry visas. Foreign office minister Kim Howells said: "It offers important assurances for the promotion of trade and investment between our two countries." On October 18, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding enabling Britain to deport Libyans suspected of promoting terrorism. [AFP]

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Tuesday, 1 November, 2005: Relatives of Lockerbie bombing victims have agreed to inform the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission of their concerns about the guilt of the man convicted of the crime. The decision was taken at a meeting in Edinburgh involving former Labour MP Tam Dalyell and other advisers and representatives of the UK Lockerbie relatives' group. Some relatives believe that Libyan national Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was wrongly convicted of the bombing. Megrahi was sentenced to 27 years following a trial presided over by three Scottish judges in the Netherlands. A statement issued after their meeting said: "The meeting was at the request of UK relatives who have been involved in bringing the two Libyan suspects to trial. "They are who are concerned that there may have been a miscarriage of justice." [The Scotsman]

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