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Libya

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

Capital

Tripoli

Head of State

Chairman of the Presidential Council Mohamed al-Menfi

Head of Government

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh

A container ship docked at the port of Jebel Ali, operated by the Dubai-based ports operator DP World. Photo: AFP

UAE

‘Surpassing Hong Kong’: UAE challenges Singapore for the global trade crown

With non-oil trade nearly doubling, analysts say the UAE has secured a first-mover advantage that leaves regional rivals trailing behind.

14 Feb 2026 - 2:00PM

China-Africa relations

China sends envoy to Libya after embassy shuttered for more than a decade

11 Feb 2026 - 4:00PM

United States

US arrests suspect in 2012 Benghazi consulate attack, Bondi says

7 Feb 2026 - 3:40AM

War and conflict

Son of Libya’s late ruler Gaddafi killed by gunmen who stormed home

Four masked men ‘executed’ Saif al-Islam Gaddafi at his residence in the western Libyan city of Zitan.

4 Feb 2026 - 1:53PM

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi in 2021, registering to run in presidential elections. Photo: EPA

United Nations

Hundreds feared missing or dead in Mediterranean shipwrecks, UN says

IOM investigates reports of vessels being impacted by bad weather after departing from Tunisia and Libya for Europe.

27 Jan 2026 - 3:01PM

Pakistan

Pakistan’s arms deals cleared for take-off as orders soar for JF-17 jets

The jets, co-produced with China, proved their worth during the India-Pakistan tensions, when they destroyed an S-400 air defence system.

16 Jan 2026 - 11:12AMvideocam

North Korea nuclear crisis

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

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

9 Jan 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

Saudi Arabia

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

A ‘new order’ is emerging as Abu Dhabi-backed separatist allies clash with pro-Riyadh governments in the region.

8 Jan 2026 - 5:21PM

China's military weapons

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

The agreement will supply the Libyan National Army with 16 fourth-generation JF-17 fighters.

27 Dec 2025 - 10:00PMvideocam

Aviation accidents

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

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

24 Dec 2025 - 11:10AM

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

War and conflict

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

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

12 Dec 2025 - 8:30PM

US President Donald Trump speaks alongside his defence secretary Pete Hegseth in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 2. Photo: AFP

United States

US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

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

3 Dec 2025 - 10:16AM

France

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

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

27 Nov 2025 - 2:15AM

Middle East

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

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

11 Nov 2025 - 1:50PM

Hannibal Gaddafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, in 2010. File photo: Reuters

France

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

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

21 Oct 2025 - 4:59PM

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy kisses his wife Carla Bruni before leaving in a car to prison. Photo: Reuters

France

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

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

14 Oct 2025 - 2:15PM

France

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

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

13 Oct 2025 - 10:55AM

France

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

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

25 Sep 2025 - 8:14PM

Muammar Gaddafi (right) and Nicolas Sarkozy arrive at Bab Azizia Palace in Tripoli in July 2007. Photo: EPA-EFE

My Take

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

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

7 Sep 2025 - 9:00PM

United States

Trump announces new tariffs on Brazil, 6 smaller economies

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

11 Jul 2025 - 1:55AMvideocam

China-Africa relations

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

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

23 Jun 2025 - 10:00AMvideocam

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

Israel-Iran conflict

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

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

19 Jun 2025 - 10:41PMvideocam

A protester in Baghdad, Iraq holds a portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a Wednesday protest against Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran. Photo: AP

North Korea

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

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

19 Jun 2025 - 9:27AMvideocam

Israel-Iran conflict

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

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

19 Jun 2025 - 11:48AMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

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

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

10 Jun 2025 - 10:47AM

People cheer as a convoy of buses made up of activists, lawyers and medical professionals from North Africa depart from Tunisia to Gaza. Photo: AP

United States

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

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

9 Jun 2025 - 2:17PMvideocam

Africa

Africa warns Trump travel ban could dampen relations

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

6 Jun 2025 - 5:47PM

Donald Trump

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

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

5 Jun 2025 - 5:23PM

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Libya

‘Surpassing Hong Kong’: UAE challenges Singapore for the global trade crown

With non-oil trade nearly doubling, analysts say the UAE has secured a first-mover advantage that leaves regional rivals trailing behind.

China sends envoy to Libya after embassy shuttered for more than a decade

US arrests suspect in 2012 Benghazi consulate attack, Bondi says

Son of Libya’s late ruler Gaddafi killed by gunmen who stormed home

Four masked men ‘executed’ Saif al-Islam Gaddafi at his residence in the western Libyan city of Zitan.

Hundreds feared missing or dead in Mediterranean shipwrecks, UN says

IOM investigates reports of vessels being impacted by bad weather after departing from Tunisia and Libya for Europe.

Pakistan’s arms deals cleared for take-off as orders soar for JF-17 jets

The jets, co-produced with China, proved their worth during the India-Pakistan tensions, when they destroyed an S-400 air defence system.

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

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

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

A ‘new order’ is emerging as Abu Dhabi-backed separatist allies clash with pro-Riyadh governments in the region.

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

The agreement will supply the Libyan National Army with 16 fourth-generation JF-17 fighters.

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

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

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

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

US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trump announces new tariffs on Brazil, 6 smaller economies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Africa warns Trump travel ban could dampen relations

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

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

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

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