A Russian state-owned company exported almost 212,000 tonnes of grain from the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast in 2023 alone, worth an estimated US$46 million. Ukrainian grain is being shipped to Türkiye, Libya, and Israel. European companies are also involved in the process.
A mass grave containing the bodies of at least 65 migrants has been found in Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said. The IOM said the circumstances of their deaths and their nationalities are still unknown but they believe they died being smuggled through the desert towards the Mediterranean....
#Israel / Global Index: Israel falls out of the liberal democracy category for the first
time in over 50 years; substantive decline also include freedom from #torture
With the question of whether a “Jewish State” can even be a real democracy put aside, Israel is no longer even that. Strangely, Israel seems to to have finally assimilated in the Middle East, but in the worst possible way.
[…] The Middle East and North Africa (#MENA) remains the most autocratic region in the world, with 98% of its population residing in autocracies. A large share (45%) lives in closed autocracies such as #Iran, #Libya, and Saudi Arabia, but 53% live in electoral autocracies, such as #Türkiye and Iraq. 2% of the region's population reside in #Tunisia, which is in the “grey zone” electoral autocracy category. The remaining 2% live in Israel. Notably, Israel lost its long-time status as liberal democracy in 2023. It is now classified as an electoral democracy – for the first time in over 50 years. This is primarily due to substantial declines in the indicators measuring the transparency and predictability of the law, and government attacks on the judiciary.
[…] Among other things, Israel’s Knesset passed a bill in 2023 stripping the Supreme Court of the power to declare government decisions unreasonable. Indicators that are in substantive decline also include freedom from torture.
Jalel Harchaoui: Abu Slim (Tripoli) “massacre” ystrday Saturday:
“11 people, including at least 3 brothers, were slain in what appeared to be a liquidation operation, at a time when the victims were in one of the headquarters of Abu Slim.”
While only 2 victims were clearly acknowledged as being amongst Ghnewa’s men, this big series of killings seems the result of #internecine antagonisms within the SSA. #Libya@libya
Jalel Harchaoui: The National Maritime Transport Company accuses armed groups of kidnapping its CEO, Khaled al-Tawati, in the Ghout al-Shaal area of Tripoli.
Given the geographic area, some observers suspect Usama Tleesh of being behind this arbitrary arrest.
Note that the same Tawati — whose Institution sees lots of crude exports & lots of fuel imports — had experienced a similar incident in the same district back in August. #Libya@libya
So let me see if I've got this right. There is an "International Rules-Based Order". The key institution which underpins this order is the #ICJ. The ICJ has ruled that #Israel must take action to prevent #Genocide in #Gaza. The main agency succouring those at risk of genocide in Gaza is #UNWRA. In an apparently-coordinated demonstration of contempt for the ICJ ruling, a number of key nations have withdrawn financial support for UNWRA, citing unproven allegations against some staff. >>>
Imo the so-called International Rules-based Order is a complete misnomer! It’s a lie! It’s a joke! It’s a euphemism for “Obey the Imperium or else we will destroy your country and murder millions of your people through sanctions and, if that doesn’t work well enough, we’ll find an excuse (by fair means or foul) to bomb the shit out of you”!
Libyan reggae? Yes, by Ibrahim Hesnawi in a new compilation! In many countries, reggae was a widespread fad before its popularity gradually subsided. In Libya, however, the genre remained popular since its initial introduction in the late 1970s. Reggae’s thematic throughlines like references to Pan-Africanism, liberation, and the end of oppression and exploitation resonated—and continue…
#ClimateDiary As 2023 is ending, I recall my hopeful optimism a year ago that 2023 might be a #TurningPoint for climate awareness, carbon emissions plateauing and #Transition / #Regeneration - it being the 50th anniversary of Schumacher’s #SmallIsBeautiful and all that (see 🧵 in link) .
I kept on sharing this great cover (“the new world is almost born” #Gramsci). But has 2923 been a turning point? 1/5
6/5 #ClimateDiary adding this piece, also reflecting on 2023 as a climate #TurningPoint: maybe it will turn out to have been one after all. Maybe 2023 and 2024 together. And maybe not at all. Anyway, good to have a reminder of everything that happened this year, including the fact that 11,300 died in one day in the floods in #Libya 😓
Russia exports stolen Ukrainian grain to Türkiye, Libya and Israel, investigation reveals (www.pravda.com.ua)
A Russian state-owned company exported almost 212,000 tonnes of grain from the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast in 2023 alone, worth an estimated US$46 million. Ukrainian grain is being shipped to Türkiye, Libya, and Israel. European companies are also involved in the process.
At least 65 migrant bodies found in Libya mass grave, says UN (www.bbc.com)
A mass grave containing the bodies of at least 65 migrants has been found in Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said. The IOM said the circumstances of their deaths and their nationalities are still unknown but they believe they died being smuggled through the desert towards the Mediterranean....
Libya's iconic 1977–2011 flag