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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

Cargo ships in the Persian Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, UAE, on March 11. Photo: Reuters

China-Africa relations

Why China is urgently looking to North Africa as the energy crisis rolls on

From Algerian oilfields to Moroccan battery factories and Egypt’s industrial base, Beijing may now fast-track projects across the region.

18 Apr 2026 - 9:00AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump has a ceasefire with Iran. But a confrontation with Congress looms

9 Apr 2026 - 7:03AMvideocam

France

France’s Sarkozy challenges conviction over alleged Libya funding

7 Apr 2026 - 9:37PM

US, Israel war on Iran

African producers may have energy edge in Iran war, if they can overcome hurdles

Analysts say oil from Africa may be lower-risk alternative, coinciding with a fresh push for infrastructure to supply Europe.

25 Mar 2026 - 7:00PMvideocam

Oil exploration investments across Africa declined after many Western oil majors retreated from long-term fossil investments, according to the African Petroleum Producers Organization. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war delivers new stress to African economies emerging from older shocks

Afreximbank is implementing measures to give financial help to African countries dependent on fuel imports, bank president says.

23 Mar 2026 - 5:17PMvideocam

European Union

Hundreds die crossing Mediterranean as 2026 already smashes records

At least 655 migrants died or went missing in January and February taking one of the deadliest migration routes in the world.

19 Mar 2026 - 3:07PM

War and conflict

Opinion | US-Israeli war on Iran makes a mockery of global governance rules

Inevitably, the world will be split between those committed to peace and harmony, and those who want to fight to secure dominance.

13 Mar 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump gestures during a visit to Verst Logistics in Hebron, Kentucky, US, on March 11. Photo: Reuters

European Union

Opinion | Europe’s selective defence of the global order will sway no one

If Europe genuinely seeks to restore credibility to international law, it must first confront its own record of selective adherence.

18 Feb 2026 - 9:42PMvideocam

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

Ma Xueliang has been appointed as the new ambassador in Tripoli as Beijing seeks to ‘keep a foot in the door’ despite the volatility.

11 Feb 2026 - 4:00PM

China’s new ambassador to Libya Ma Xueliang (left) meets Libyan charge d’affaires Khaled al-Sayeh in Beijing on January 27. Photo: Libyan News Agency

United States

US arrests suspect in 2012 Benghazi consulate attack, Bondi says

Zubayar al-Bakoush has been ⁠extradited to the US to face murder, arson and terrorism-related charges for the 2012 incident.

7 Feb 2026 - 3:40AM

Libyan military guards check one of the US government’s burnt-out buildings in September 2012 in Benghazi, Libya. Photo: AP

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

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

A visitor takes a look at a JF-17 jet fighter during an air show in Dubai in 2017. Photo: Reuters

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

United States

US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

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

3 Dec 2025 - 10:16AM

France

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

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

27 Nov 2025 - 2:15AM

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy leaves his residence to report to La Sante Prison for incarceration in Paris on October 21. Photo: AFP

Middle East

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

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

11 Nov 2025 - 1:50PM

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

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

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

France

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

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

25 Sep 2025 - 8:14PM

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

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Libya

Why China is urgently looking to North Africa as the energy crisis rolls on

From Algerian oilfields to Moroccan battery factories and Egypt’s industrial base, Beijing may now fast-track projects across the region.

Trump has a ceasefire with Iran. But a confrontation with Congress looms

France’s Sarkozy challenges conviction over alleged Libya funding

African producers may have energy edge in Iran war, if they can overcome hurdles

Analysts say oil from Africa may be lower-risk alternative, coinciding with a fresh push for infrastructure to supply Europe.

Iran war delivers new stress to African economies emerging from older shocks

Afreximbank is implementing measures to give financial help to African countries dependent on fuel imports, bank president says.

Hundreds die crossing Mediterranean as 2026 already smashes records

At least 655 migrants died or went missing in January and February taking one of the deadliest migration routes in the world.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | US-Israeli war on Iran makes a mockery of global governance rules

Inevitably, the world will be split between those committed to peace and harmony, and those who want to fight to secure dominance.

Opinion | Europe’s selective defence of the global order will sway no one

If Europe genuinely seeks to restore credibility to international law, it must first confront its own record of selective adherence.

‘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

Ma Xueliang has been appointed as the new ambassador in Tripoli as Beijing seeks to ‘keep a foot in the door’ despite the volatility.

US arrests suspect in 2012 Benghazi consulate attack, Bondi says

Zubayar al-Bakoush has been ⁠extradited to the US to face murder, arson and terrorism-related charges for the 2012 incident.

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.

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.

Opinion | US-Israeli war on Iran makes a mockery of global governance rules