ISIS extremists have taken advantage of the battle for Tripoli to attack a remote city in Libya's central desert, killing the local council president and kidnapping the head of the municipal guards.
Three men were killed and several buildings set ablaze in the attack on the town of Fuhaqa, 600 kilometres south-east of Tripoli.
It is the first major attack by ISIS in Libya since the same town was attacked, with five killed, in October last year.
Diplomats fear the chaos caused by the battle for Tripoli has drawn security forces away from other parts of the country.
Fuhaqa is controlled by groups aligned to Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army, which is allied to an alternative government in the eastern city of Tobruk.
Field Marshal Haftar’s offensive to capture the capital appears to have stalled after five days of fighting, with battles continuing on the southern outskirts.
Forces aligned to Tripoli’s UN-backed Government of National Accord claimed to have recaptured the city’s former international airport, seized by Field Marshal Haftar’s troops two days before.
Almost a week after the assault began, a spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres confirmed on Tuesday that a national conference on Libya, planned for April 14 to 16, in Ghadames would not happen “while the bullets are whizzing”.
But UN special envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame, said he was determined the conference would happen “at the earliest possible opportunity”.
"We cannot allow the historic opportunity it presents to be lost," Mr Salame said. "We also cannot ask Libyans to attend a conference to the backdrop of artillery shelling and air raids."
Tripoli’s central Mitiga Airport remains out of action after it was bombed on Monday by LNA jets, with sources saying those strikes were a reprisal for government jets bombing LNA units at the weekend.
Residents reported the streets in much of the city were calmer than in recent days.
“You can hear the fighting still but it is on the outskirts," a resident said. "Here in the city centre there is nothing."
Tripoli’s health ministry reported that 47 died and 181 were wounded since the start of the offensive.
The International Office of Migration said 2,800 people have been displaced from their homes in Tripoli.
Mr Guterres repeated calls for a ceasefire and political dialogue.
“The secretary general urges the immediate halt of all military operations to de-escalate the situation and prevent all-out conflict,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
“The secretary general's special representative in Libya stands ready to facilitate that dialogue.”
Mr Salame remains in Tripoli, holding discussions with GNA leaders.
The Ghadames conference had taken many months to arrange and was intended to bring agreement by Libya’s many political groups on the need to hold elections this year.
Meanwhile, there are reports of splits among outside powers, with France, which has in the past supported Field Marshal Haftar, unwilling to condemn his offensive without calling on all sides to halt combat operations.
After a Monday night meeting of EU foreign ministers, policy director Frederica Mogherini said: “I make a very strong appeal to the Libyan leaders, and in particular to Haftar, to stop military activities at this moment and to return to the negotiating table.”
The GNA carried out an air strike on an LNA position in the suburb of Souq Al Khamis on Tuesday but no details of casualties were released.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees moved more than 150 refugees from a detention centre at Ain Zara in southern Tripoli to areas away from the battlefront.
The fighting has also had an effect on markets, with oil moving to a five-month high of $71 a barrel on fears that the battle may cut Libya’s output.
The ISIS attack appears to be confirmation that the group remains strong in Libya despite operations to eradicate it.
It took control of the coastal town of Sirte in 2015, but the following year it was defeated by Libyan forces backed by US air strikes.
It has since staged periodic attacks in the central desert and in Tripoli.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
