In rare cases turtle meat can be toxic due to a type of food poisoning known as chelonitoxism. Its exact cause is not known but it is thought to be linked to poisonous algae which the turtles eat, according to the Turtle Foundation charity.
At least five families on Pemba, which is part of the semi-autonomous Zanzibar islands, ate the turtle meat last Thursday, local police commander Juma.
The effects were first felt the next day and the three-year-old was the first to die. Two others died that night and then four more on Sunday.
A further 38 people were admitted to hospital, but most were discharged and the three who remain are said to be in a stable condition.
According to Reuters, board members will meet informally on Tuesday to discuss the proposal, hammered out in recent weeks with U.S. and U.N. officials, to redirect the funds from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), which has a total of $1.5 billion.
Afghanistan's 39 million people face a cratering economy, a winter of food shortages and growing poverty three months after the Taliban seized power as the last U.S. troops withdrew from 20 years of war.
Both sides sent senior officials to the Qatari capital Doha for the talks, which happened just ahead of two weeks of negotiations between the US and the Taliban due to start Monday, also in Doha.
The EU's European External Action Service (EEAS) said in its statement that "the dialogue does not imply recognition by the EU of the interim (Taliban) government but is part of EU's operational engagement, in the interest of the EU and the Afghan people".
The Taliban delegation was led by interim foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, accompanied by the interim ministers for education and health, the acting central bank governor, and officials from the foreign, finance and interior ministries and the intelligence directorate.
The EU side was headed by the EU special envoy for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson, with officials from the EEAS and the European Commission's service handling humanitarian aid, international partnerships, and migration.
The EU statement said the Taliban vowed to stick by its promise of "amnesty" for Afghans who had worked against it during the two decades of Western-oriented rule up to the hasty exit and evacuation by the US and its allies in August.
The Taliban side also re-committed to allowing Afghans and foreigners to leave if they wish so, but "requested assistance for maintaining operations of airports" so that could happen.
"The two sides expressed grave concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan as winter is arriving," the statement said, adding that the EU would continue supplying humanitarian aid.
The EU side pressed the Taliban to create an "inclusive government", foster democracy, ensure girls had equal access to schooling, and prevent Afghanistan from serving as a base for any group "that threatens the security of others".
It also suggested that, if the Taliban met EU conditions, that could unlock extra financing for Afghanistan's cash-strapped new rulers but only "for the direct benefit of the Afghan people".
The Taliban reiterated they would uphold human rights "in line with Islamic principles" and would welcome back diplomatic missions that had closed, according to the statement.
Dozens of nations from Europe to Asia have blacklisted South Africa and its neighbours since South African scientists flagged Omicron on November 25.
The flight bans have angered several African leaders.
"We call upon all those countries that have imposed travel bans on our country and our southern African sister countries to immediately and urgently reverse their decisions," Ramaphosa said in his first address to the nation following last week's detection of the new variant.
The World Health Organisation has labelled Omicron a variant of concern, while scientists are still assessing its virulence.
A "deeply disappointed" Ramaphosa argued that the ban was "not informed by science".
The countries that have already imposed travel restrictions on southern Africa include key travel hub Qatar, the United States, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Netherlands.
'Afrophobia'
Earlier Sunday, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera accused Western countries of "Afrophobia" for shutting their borders.
And in Botswana, the other southern African country to detect the strain — among a group of foreign diplomatic visitors in the first instance — two ministers cautioned against "geo-politicising this virus".
"We are concerned that there seem to have been attempts to stigmatise the country where it was detected," Health Minister Edwin Dikoloti, said on Sunday.
The head of the WHO in Africa was equally worried.
"With the Omicron variant now detected in several regions of the world, putting in place travel bans that target Africa attacks global solidarity," said WHO regional director general Matshidiso Moeti in a statement.
Ramaphosa warned that the travel ban would "further damage the economies (and) undermine their ability to respond to and recover from the pandemic".
South Africa, the continent's most industrialised country, is struggling with slow economic growth and a more than 34% unemployment rate.
The travel curbs are another major blow to its key tourism industry, which had set high hopes on the upcoming southern hemisphere summer.
Ramaphosa blasted the G20 countries for abandoning commitments made at a meeting in Rome last month to support the recovery of the tourism sector in developing countries.
On Sunday, he added: "Instead of prohibiting travel, the rich countries of the world need to support the efforts of developing economies to access and manufacture enough vaccine doses for their people without delay.
Ramaphosa called on rich countries to stop fuelling vaccine inequality, describing jabs as the "most powerful tool" to limit Omicron's transmission.
He once again appealed to South Africans to get their shots and said the government was considering making vaccines mandatory for certain activities and locations in a bid to increase uptake.
"Vaccines do work," he said. "Vaccines are saving lives."
Just over 35%of adults in South Africa have been fully inoculated after a slow start to the vaccine campaign, with vaccine hesitancy widespread.
The country is Africa's worst hit by COVID, with around 2.9 million cases and 89,797 deaths reported to date.
Omicron is believed to be fuelling a rise in infections, with 1,600 new cases recorded on average in the past seven days compared to 500 the previous week.
A statement issued by the official Twitter account for the publication of news related to the two holy mosques in Saudi Arabia said that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has updated its vaccination requirements for Umrah pilgrims "coming from abroad".
According to the new requirements, the pilgrims travelling to KSA on Umrah visa, who are inoculated with any vaccine approved by the kingdom will be allowed to perform Umrah immediately, without having to quarantine upon arrival.
Whereas pilgrims travelling on Umrah visas, who are inoculated with any of the vaccines approved by the World Health Organisation, will have to go into quarantine for three days upon the arrival.
Moreover, after the completion of quarantine, pilgrims would be required to submit a negative report of the PCR test taken 48 hours after their arrival.
The statement also provided the list of the vaccines approved by the KSA.
According to the list, pilgrims must have taken two jabs of Pfizer/BioNtech, Comirnaty, Oxford AstraZeneca, Covishield, SK Bioscience, Vaxzevria, Moderna or Spikevax or one dose of Johnson & Johnson.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has updated its Vaccination Requirements for Umrah Pilgrims coming from abroad pic.twitter.com/8cIqJJxwho
— Haramain Sharifain (@hsharifain) November 28, 2021
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said arrivals from all countries would have to self-isolate until receiving a negative result from a PCR test, that face masks must be worn in retail settings and it was time to step up booster jabs.
"We need to buy time for our scientists to understand exactly what we are dealing with," he told a news conference.
Johnson said those who had come into contact with people testing positive for a suspected case of Omicron would have to self-isolate for 10 days and that face masks must be worn in shops and on public transport but not restaurants and pubs in England.
England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty told the same news conference there was a reasonable chance that the newly identified variant could be less easy to tackle with vaccines.
"There is a reasonable chance that at least there will be some degree of vaccine escape with this variant," he said.
Health minister Sajid Javid confirmed earlier on Saturday the first two cases of the new variant in Britain, saying they were linked to each other and connected to travel to southern Africa.
The two individuals and all members of their households were being re-tested and told to self-isolate while further testing and contact tracing was done.
England will also add Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola to its travel "red list" from 0400 GMT on Sunday, meaning British and Irish residents who arrive in the country must quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days. Non-residents will be refused entry.
That list already contained Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Tensions between Beijing and Washington have soared over the fate of democratic self-ruled Taiwan, which China has vowed to one day retake, by force if necessary.
A group of American lawmakers arrived on the island Thursday offering support for the Taiwanese authorities, who Beijing accuses of seeking independence for the island.
In response, the Chinese army on Friday carried out “a naval and air force combat readiness patrol in the direction of the Taiwan Strait,” a spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command said in a statement.
“This is a necessary measure in response to the current situation in the Taiwan Strait,” they added, pledging the army would “protect sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation.”
“The army will continue to be on high alert and take all necessary measures to counter, at any time, any interference by external forces and any conspiracy by separatists aiming at the so-called ‘Taiwan independence’.” No other information about the drills was given.
Hassan's audio speech broadcast on state television -- his first address to the nation since the Taliban seized power in August -- came ahead of next week's meeting between the United States and the Taliban in Doha.
"We assure all the countries that we will not interfere in their internal affairs and we want to have good economic relations with them," said Hassan in a nearly 30-minute speech that came amid criticism on social media for remaining silent since the Islamists took power, even as the nation faced severe challenges.
"We are drowned in our problems and we are trying to get the strength to bring our people out of miseries and hardships with God's help."
The Taliban seized power on August 15 after ousting the previous US-backed government, as Washington hurriedly withdrew its troops from the country after a 20-year war.
The Taliban's previous regime was toppled in a US-led invasion after the 9/11 attacks in the United States that were carried out by Al-Qaeda, whose now-killed founder Osama bin Laden lived in Afghanistan at that time.
Hassan is a Taliban veteran who was a close associate and political advisor to Mullah Omar, the founder of the movement and its first supreme leader.
Said to be in his 60s, Hassan served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister in the movement's previous regime between 1996-2001.
He was placed on a UN Security Council sanctions list connected to the "acts and activities" of the Taliban.
- Plea for aid -
Hassan's government faces a series of challenges, in particular reviving the country's dilapidated economy that has been dried of international aid, which used to make up 75 percent of the national budget under the previous US-backed governments.
Inflation and unemployment have surged in Afghanistan, while the country's banking sector has collapsed since the Taliban takeover.
The financial crunch was aggravated when Washington froze about $10 billion of assets held in its reserve for Kabul, and deteriorated further after the World Bank and International Monetary Fund halted Afghanistan's access to funding.
The United Nations' aid agencies have warned that a major humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Afghanistan, with more than half of the country's 38 million population expected to face hunger this winter.
The rapidly worsening situation has forced Afghans to sell their household goods to raise money for food and other essentials.
"We ask all the international charity organisations to not withhold their aid and to help our exhausted nation... so that the problems of the people could be solved," Hassan said in his speech, insisting that the problems facing the country were the result of the previous governments.
As the Taliban struggles to emerge as a governing body, the group also faces a stiff challenge from the jihadist Islamic State group that has carried out several brutal attacks.
The US-Taliban talks are to address several issues such as fighting the threat of IS and Al-Qaeda, as well as humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
Talks will also focus on how to offer safe passage out of Afghanistan for US citizens and Afghans who worked for Washington during the 20-year war.
Washington has insisted that any financial and diplomatic support to the Taliban is based on certain conditions, such as installing an inclusive government and respecting the rights of minorities, women and girls including to education.
"Girls' education has resumed to a large extent and there is hope that the education will be further facilitated," Hassan said, indicating that it would be guided according to Islamic principles.
The WTO hoped the four-day gathering in Geneva would breathe new life into the crippled organisation, which has been stuck for years trying to make progress on resolving issues like fishery subsidies.
New director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was also hoping, against the odds, to make progress towards a deal on lifting Covid vaccine patents, proving the WTO had a relevant role to play in combating the pandemic.
But the conference was postponed four days before it was due to start, hours after Omicron was declared a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation.
Fears surrounding the spread of the variant saw countries banning flights from southern Africa, where the strain was first detected on November 9.
“This has not been an easy recommendation to make,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
“But as director-general, my priority is the health and safety of all MC12 participants – ministers, delegates and civil society. It is better to err on the side of caution.”
WTO General Council chair Dacio Castillo called an emergency meeting of all 164 member states to tell them about the Omicron situation, including travel restrictions and quarantine requirements.
The members unanimously supported the postponement call.
Okonjo-Iweala said the travel constraints would have prevented many ministers from reaching Geneva, rendering equal participation impossible.
The beleaguered WTO’s 12th ministerial conference (MC12) has already been postponed once before due to the pandemic. It was originally due to take place in Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan in June 2020.
The WTO intends to reconvene “as soon as possible when conditions allow”, said Castillo.
IP waiver must wait: The conference normally takes place every two years.
It was expected to draw more than 100 ministers to Geneva, where the organisation is based, including heads of state, plus 4,000 or so delegates.
The gathering was being seen as a test of Okonjo-Iweala’s ability to fulfil promises to turn around the crisis-hit institution.
The Nigerian former foreign minister, who in March became the first African and first woman to lead the WTO, has been widely hailed for her revitalisation efforts.
She has helped kick-start blocked trade negotiations, and made reaching a long-elusive deal to end harmful fishery subsidies a top priority for the conference.
She also stressed the urgency of agreeing on how to remove trade barriers blocking access to Covid-19 vaccines.
Afghanistan’s Hazaras have been persecuted by Islamists for a long time, but on Thursday community elders gathered in Kabul alongside Taliban leaders in a show of support.
Senior Hazara leader and former lawmaker Jafar Mahdawi, who organised the gathering, said the previous government of president Ashraf Ghani was the “darkest point” in the history of Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan had no independence and (foreign) embassies ruled every aspect of the government,” he said. “Thank God, we have now passed this dark period.”
A community leader says Afghanistan’s new rulers have put an end to war, stopped corruption and increased security
Since the Taliban seized power in August, the new rulers have put an end to the war, stopped corruption and increased security, Mahdawi said.
But he called for a more inclusive government from the Taliban and urged the new rulers to reopen schools for girls.
“In the coming weeks or months we hope to witness an inclusive government that has representatives of all people,” Mahdawi said.
The current government, which the Taliban say is an interim one, is made up almost entirely of the group’s Pashtun stalwarts and does not include any woman.
Taliban leader and spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the gathering that rebuilding the country was a priority.
“Our jihad against the foreign invaders has ended and now we will start jihad for building the country,” he said.
Senior Hazara cleric Ayatollah Waezzada Behsudi called for reconciliation between all the ethnic groups of the country.
“Let’s forgive each other... If the current government wants to be sustainable, it must have support from all the people,” he said.
The Hazaras, who make up 10 to 20 per cent of Afghanistan’s around 38 million population, have been persecuted for a long time in the Sunni majority country.
The Islamists have carried out several mass killings of Hazaras, including in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998, where Human Rights Watch says at least 2,000 mainly Hazara civilians were executed. Several bomb attacks in recent years have also killed and wounded scores of Hazaras in the country.
Some Hazaras who attended Thursday’s gathering expressed fears that members of the militant Daesh group would carry out attacks against them.
“In these three months we have witnessed several explosions and suicide attacks,” said Qari Mohammad Reza Haidari.
“People are worried about Daesh’s influence and that they may get control of some parts of the country or challenge the (Islamic) Emirate,” he said, referring to IS with its Arabic acronym.
“Violence against women is not inevitable,” the UN chief said in a message. “Change is possible, and now is the time to redouble our efforts so that together, we can eliminate violence against women and girls by 2030.”
For thirty years, the United Nations observes the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and this year it also kick-started 15 days of activism to highlight the issue across the globe.
In Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described gender-based violence as the ‘shadow pandemic’ and emphasised the need to combat it as an emergency.
“We recommit to preventing and responding to gender-based violence as a moral and strategic imperative, as a fairness and equity issue, and as a driver of our collective prosperity and security,” he said.
In New York, UN Women chief Sima Bahous said gender-based violence (GBV) was a global crisis. “In all of our own neighbourhoods, there are women and girls living in danger.
Around the world, conflict, climate-related natural disasters, food insecurity and human rights violations are exacerbating violence against women,” she said.
The United Nations also issued a report, pointing out that more than 70 percent women have experienced violence in some crisis settings.
The report shows that in both rich and poor countries alike, gender prejudice has fuelled acts of violence towards women and girls. And this violence “often goes unreported, silenced by stigma, shame, fear of the perpetrators and fear of a justice system that does not work for women,” Ms Bahous said.
According to this report: Nearly 1 in 3 women experience violence at some stage and during crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the violence increases.
Data from 13 countries since the pandemic, shows that 2 in 3 women reported living in fear of violence and food insecurity during the pandemic. Only 1 in 10 women said that victims would go to the police for help.
Stopping this violence starts with believing survivors, adopting comprehensive and inclusive approaches that tackle the root causes, transform harmful social norms, and empower women and girls. With survivor-centred essential services across policing, justice, health, and social sectors, and sufficient financing for the women’s rights agenda, “we can end gender-based violence,” the UN report adds.
The UN also suggests long-term strategies that tackle the root causes of violence, protecting the rights of women and girls, and promoting strong and autonomous women’s rights movements.
UN partner countries last year witnessed a 22 per cent increase in prosecution of perpetrators; 84 laws and policies were passed or strengthened; and more than 650,000 women and girls were able to access help – despite pandemic-related restrictions.
The regional Investigative Committee said three people, including the director of the Listvyazhnaya mine and his deputy, had been arrested on suspicion of violating industrial safety rules.
It said miners had suffocated when a ventilation shaft became filled with gas. State television said prosecutors believed there had been a methane explosion.
The dead comprised 11 miners already confirmed killed, 35 who had been reported missing, and the six rescue workers.
Dozens of people were treated in a hospital, at least some of them for smoke inhalation. Four were in critical condition.
The coal-producing region of Kemerovo, roughly 3,500 kilometres east of Moscow, has suffered fatal mining accidents for years.
The Listvyazhnaya mine is part of SDS-Holding, owned by the privately held Siberian Business Union. The owner had no immediate comment.
Some 285 people were inside the mine when smoke spread through the ventilation shaft, the Emergencies Ministry said. Authorities said 239 had made it to the surface.
President Vladimir Putin said he had spoken with the governor and emergency officials, and the Kremlin said he had ordered the emergencies minister to fly to the region to help.
Kemerovo declared three days of mourning.
In 2007, the region was the site of the worst mining accident since the collapse of the Soviet Union when an explosion at the Ulyanovskaya mine claimed the lives of more than 100 people. In 2010, explosions at the region's Raspadskaya mine killed more than 90 people.
Coal dust caught fire in a ventilation shaft in the Listvyazhnaya mine in the snowbound Kemerovo region early on Thursday, filling the mine with smoke, the TASS news agency cited local emergency services as saying.
"The chance of an explosion is very high. We've decided to suspend the search and rescue operation until the concentration of gas reduces," Regional Governor Sergei Tsivilev said. Methane and CO2 levels were dangerously high, he said.
Eleven people were dead and 35 others were still underground, he said. Dozens were being treated in hospital, at least some of them with smoke poisoning. Four were in critical condition.
The coal industry region of Kemerovo roughly 3,500 km (2,175 miles) east of Moscow has been hit by fatal accidents for years.
The mine is part of SDS-Holding, owned by the privately held Siberian Business Union. The union had no immediate comment.
Before the rescue operation was halted, the governor said there was still electricity and ventilation in the mine, but that they had lost contact with some people deep underground.
"For now there is no heavy smoke, so we hope that there is no fire," Tsivilev said on his Telegram channel. "We have no communication lines with these people, the underground communications system is not working."
Some 285 people were inside the mine when smoke spread through the ventilation shaft, the emergency ministry said. At least 239 made it above ground, authorities said. They did not say what had caused the smoke.
'Great misfortune'
On state television, President Vladimir Putin said he had spoken with the governor and emergency officials, describing the accident as a "great misfortune".
"Unfortunately the situation is not getting easier. And there's a danger to the lives of the rescuers... We'll hope they can save as many people as they can," he said.
The Kremlin said Putin had ordered the emergencies minister to fly to the region to help.
Kemerovo declared a three-day period of mourning.
In 2007, Kemerovo was the site of the worst mining accident since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union when an explosion at the Ulyanovskaya mine claimed the lives of more than 100 people.
In 2010, explosions at the region's Raspadskaya mine killed more than 90 people.
The Investigative Committee law enforcement agency's regional branch said it had opened a criminal case into negligence causing loss of life.
The decision follows generous funding by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the Lyon, France-based body and accusations that Abu Dhabi has abused Interpol's system of so-called “red notices” for wanted suspects to persecute political dissidents.
Emirati General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi was elected following three rounds of voting during which he received 68.9 per cent of votes cast by member countries, Interpol said in a statement.
Raisi, head of the UAE's security forces, will take on a largely ceremonial and voluntary role for a four-year term.
It is Interpol Secretary General Juergen Stock who handles day-to-day management of the organisation. Stock was given a second five-year term in 2019.
South Korean Kim Jong-yang was president since the 2018 arrest of his predecessor Meng Hongwei in China, where he had served as a vice minister of public security.
Complaints of “torture” were filed against the Emirati general in recent months in France and Turkey, which is hosting Interpol's general assembly in Istanbul this week.
Only the Czech Republic's Sarka Havrankova, a veteran officer overseeing the country's international cooperation in police matters, stood against the general for the post.
'Undermine Interpol'
Raisi joined the Emirati police force in 1980 and worked there for several decades.
Three European Parliament members wrote a letter dated November 11 to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to warn of the impact the general's appointment would have on Interpol.
“The election of General Al Raisi would undermine the mission and reputation of Interpol and severely affect the ability of the organisation to carry out its mission effectively,” they wrote.
And in October 2020, 19 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, expressed concern about the possible choice of Raisi, whom they described as being “part of a security apparatus that continues to systematically target peaceful critics”.
One of the complainants against Raisi, British national Matthew Hedges, said he was detained and tortured between May and November 2018 in the United Arab Emirates after he was arrested on false charges of espionage during a study trip.
In another complaint, lawyers for the Gulf Centre for Human Rights accuse the general of “acts of torture and barbarism” committed against government critic Ahmed Mansoor.
Mansoor has been detained since 2017 in a four-square-metre (43-square-foot) cell “without a mattress or protection against the cold” and “without access to a doctor, hygiene, water and sanitary facilities”, the lawyers said.
These complaints have not resulted in any formal proceedings against the general.
'Defamation campaign'
Anwar Gargash, a former UAE minister of state for foreign affairs who now advises the country's president, described the general's election as “a testament to our country's achievements and efficiency in the fields of law enforcement and security”.
Gargash dismissed the accusations against Raisi as an “organised and intense smear and defamation campaign” which the election had now “crushed on the rock of truth”.
The UAE donated $54 million (48 million euros) to Interpol in 2017 — almost equivalent to the required contributions of all the organisation's 195 member countries which amounted to $68 million in 2020.
The UAE gave or had pledged to Interpol around 10 million euros in 2019, approximately seven percent of its total annual budget.
Interpol Secretary General Stock welcomed the general's appointment, saying “I look forward to working closely with him in ensuring that Interpol continues to fulfil its mandate and support international police cooperation.
"France is a transit country," Macron tells reporters in Zagreb during his visit to Croatia.
Five people have been arrested in France accused of involvement in yesterday's tragedy.
Despite the drownings, there have been further attempts to make the crossing today.
"I will also say very clearly that our security forces are mobilised day and night," Macron adds.
The UK immigration minister, Kevin Foster, has said it is an issue for all of Europe to deal with, and that London is prepared to offer more resources and personnel to France.
According to a list of barred candidates issued by the country's High National Elections Committee, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi is ineligible because of previous convictions against him. He can appeal the committee's decision in court within the coming days.
Seif al-Islam was sentenced to death by a Tripoli court in 2015 for use of violence against protesters who were calling for his father to step down, but that ruling has since been called into question by Libya's rival authorities.
He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity related to the 2011 uprising against his father.
Libya is set to hold the first round of its presidential elections on Dec 24, after years of United Nations-led attempts to usher in a more democratic future and bring the country’s war to an end.
Adding to the complexity and concerns surrounding the election, the UN's top envoy for Libya recently decided to quit, though he said on Wednesday that he’s prepared to stay on if needed through the vote.
Following the overthrow and killing of Gaddafi, oil-rich Libya spent most of the last decade split between rival governments — one based in the capital, Tripoli, and the other in the eastern part of the country.
Each side in the civil war has also had the support of mercenaries and foreign forces from Turkey, Russia and Syria and other regional powers.
Also read: Son of former Libyan ruler Gaddafi runs for president
The son of Libya's former dictator submitted his candidacy papers in the southern town of Sabha, 650 kilometres (400 miles) south of the capital of Tripoli on Nov 14. It was the first time the 49-year old, who earned a PhD at the London School of Economics, had appeared in public in years.
He was captured by fighters in the town of Zintan late in 2011, the year when the popular uprising, backed by Nato, toppled his father after more than 40 years in power.
Muammar Gaddafi was killed that same year in October amid the ensuing fighting that would turn into a civil war. The dictator's son was released in June 2017.
The announcement of his possible candidacy has stirred controversy across the divided country, where a number of other high-profile candidates have also emerged in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, several controversial candidates came forward, including powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter, and the country's interim prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
The long-awaited vote still faces challenges, including unresolved issues over laws governing the elections, and occasional infighting among armed groups.
Other obstacles include the deep rift that remains between the country’s east and west, split for years by the war, and the presence of thousands of foreign fighters and troops.
Meanwhile, UN envoy Jan Kubis submitted his resignation last week, though it didn't become public until Tuesday.
The Geneva-based diplomat serves as both a special envoy for Libya and head of the UN political mission in the country.
He told the Security Council on Wednesday he's leaving to facilitate a change he considers vital: moving the mission chief's job to Tripoli to be on the ground at a high-stakes moment for Libya.
The idea divided the council during discussions in September. Western countries embraced it; Russia rejected it.
Kubis added that he was ready to continue as a special envoy through the December 24 election, though he said the UN had accepted his resignation with a 10 December effective date.
Asked about the discrepancy, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said the organisation would "continue to work with him while we’re seeking a successor.”
The job was open for nearly a year before being filled by Kubis, a former Slovak foreign minister and UN official in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Security Council emphasised the importance of the upcoming election in a statement on Wednesday, urging an “inclusive and consultative electoral process,” warning against violence and disinformation and calling for Libyans to accept the results of the vote.
Libyan Ambassador Taher El Sonni said his country appreciates “all international initiatives with genuine intentions,” but he said the council’s members need “to heed us, too” and let Libyans lead their own way out of crisis.
“You have a moral responsibility towards the developments in my country over the past 10 years,” he told the group. “Don’t belittle us.”
UAE officials have held a series of discussions with the group in recent weeks to discuss operating the airport that serves as landlocked Afghanistan's main air link to the world, the foreign diplomats based in the Gulf region told Reuters.
The talks demonstrate how countries are seeking to assert their influence in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan even as the ruling group largely remains an international pariah and its government is not formally recognised by any country.
The Emiratis are keen to counter diplomatic clout enjoyed there by Qatar, according to the sources who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The Qataris have been helping run the Hamid Karzai International Airport along with Turkey after playing a major role in evacuation efforts following the chaotic US withdrawal in August, and have said they are willing to take over the operations.
Yet the Taliban has not yet formalised an arrangement with Qatar, the four diplomats said.
A senior Emirati foreign ministry official said the UAE, which previously ran Kabul airport during the US-backed Afghan republic, "remains committed to continuing to assist in operating" it to ensure humanitarian access and safe passage.
Abu Dhabi also aided recent evacuation efforts.
The Taliban and Qatari authorities did not respond to requests for comment.
Two of the diplomats said the Taliban has also sought financial assistance from the UAE, though they added it was not clear if this was related to the airport discussions.
The Emirati foreign ministry official, Salem Al Zaabi, director of international security cooperation, did not respond to a question on whether the UAE was considering providing financial help to the Taliban.
Airport intelligence
One key issue that's still to be resolved between the Taliban and potential airport operators is who would provide security at the site, the four diplomats said. The Taliban say they do not want foreign forces in the country following their return to power after two decades of war.
Still, Qatari special forces are presently providing security within the airport's perimeter, the diplomats added, while Taliban special forces were patrolling areas outside.
So far countries have been reluctant to formally recognise the Taliban's government, accusing the group of backtracking on pledges to uphold the rights of women and minorities.
Yet Qatari officials have urged greater international engagement with the Taliban to prevent impoverished Afghanistan from falling into a humanitarian crisis. Gulf states have also voiced concern that the U.S. withdrawal would allow al Qaeda to regain a foothold in Afghanistan.
While there is a little commercial benefit for any operator, the airport would provide a much-needed source of intelligence on movements in and out of the country, according to the four diplomats, who said that since the withdrawal many countries have lacked real-time information.
Regional rivalries
Qatar and the UAE have had strained relations for years as they competed for regional influence.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia and their allies boycotted Qatar for over three years, cutting off political, trade and transport ties, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism - a charge that it denies. The dispute was resolved in January this year.
Qatar has long been the gateway to the Taliban, with Doha hosting the group's political office since 2013 and negotiations with the U.S. in early 2020 that led to the withdrawal.
Last week, Qatari officials strengthened their position by signing an accord to represent American diplomatic interests in Afghanistan.
The UAE has maintained ties with the Taliban too, according to two of the diplomats. They said the country had been home to some members of the group in recent years, including Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who they added lived in the Sharjah emirate with his family from at least 2013. Stanikzai is now deputy foreign minister in the Taliban administration.
Al Zaabi did not respond to questions on the UAE's relationship with Stanikzai. The Taliban did not immediately respond to queries on Stanikzai living in the UAE.
The Taliban said this month that the UAE had reopened its embassy in Kabul. The UAE has not commented.
Sheikh Mohammed's meeting with Erdogan, the first such visit in years, comes as the two countries work to mend frayed ties after a period of bitter regional rivalry, and amid a currency crisis in Turkey.
The memorandums of understanding were signed between the Abu Dhabi Development Holding (ADQ), Turkish Wealth Fund (TVF), and the Turkish Presidency Investment Office, as well as with some Turkish companies.
The agreements highlight the pivot towards economic partnership after a battle for regional influence since the Arab uprisings erupted a decade ago. The disputes have extended to the eastern Mediterranean and Gulf, before Ankara launched a charm offensive in the region last year.
Following the talks, Sheikh Mohammed said he had "fruitful" talks with Erdogan on strengthening ties between Turkey and the UAE.
"I look forward to exploring new cooperation opportunities to benefit our two nations and advance our mutual development goals," he said on Twitter.
ADQ signed an accord on investing in Turkish technology firms and on establishing a technology-oriented fund, while Abu Dhabi Ports also signed an agreement on port and logistics cooperation.
A deal between ADQ and Turkish company Kalyon on energy and infrastructure, another with CCN Group on health cooperation, and a third with Turkey's Presidency Investment Office on renewable energy were also among the agreements, a Turkish official said.
The UAE announced it was establishing a $10 billion fund to support mainly strategic investments in Turkey, including in the health and energy fields, its state news agency WAM said.
"Problems with the UAE are now behind us. We are entering a period based fully on cooperation and mutual benefit," said another official familiar with preparations for Wednesday's visit, and added the UAE investment would ultimately be in the billions of dollars.
The Turkish and Emirati central banks also signed a cooperation agreement on Wednesday. Earlier, two sources said they were holding talks about a potential swap agreement.
Turkey's central bank has previously sought swap deals with other countries as a source of hard currency to build reserves and support the lira, which has declined as much as 45% this year.
It has swap agreements worth $6 billion with China, $15 billion with Qatar and $2 billion with South Korea, for a total of $23 billion.
Turkey said in September it was in talks with the UAE over investments in energy such as power generation, while the UAE, whose sovereign wealth funds have made significant investments in Turkish online grocer Getir and e-commerce platform Trendyol, has said it seeks deeper trade and economic ties with Ankara.
State broadcaster TRT Haber said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusogu will visit Abu Dhabi in mid-December.
Ankara, at odds with several regional countries as well as its Western allies over various issues, has launched similar normalisation efforts with its rivals Egypt and Saudi Arabia, though those channels have yielded little public improvement.
Ukraine, which with its ally the United States has said it believes Russia may be preparing an invasion, staged exercises of its own near the border with Belarus.
The increase of military activity on both sides follows weeks of rising tension that have raised the risk of war between the two neighbours, even though Russia denies aggressive intent and Western intelligence sources have told Reuters they do not see any invasion as imminent.
The United States and NATO have signalled their backing for Ukraine in ways that Moscow considers provocative, including through warship manoeuvres this month in the Black Sea and a delivery of US patrol boats to the Ukrainian navy.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told Reuters on Wednesday it would be "a grave mistake from Russia" to attack Ukraine.
Russian fighter planes and ships practiced repelling air attacks on naval bases and responding with air strikes during military drills on Wednesday in the Black Sea, Interfax reported.
Separately, the news agency quoted Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying the need for Russia to further develop its armed forces was dictated by "the complicated military and political conditions in the world and the growing activity of NATO countries near Russia's borders".
He said raising the armed forces' capabilities, supporting the combat readiness of nuclear forces and strengthening the potential of non-nuclear deterrence were among the priorities.
Shoigu on Tuesday complained that US bombers had rehearsed a nuclear strike on Russia from two different directions earlier this month and complained that the planes had come too close the Russian border, drills the Pentagon said had adhered to international protocols.
Ukrainian 'special operation'
Ukraine on Wednesday held what it called a "special operation" at the border with Belarus, including drone exercises and military drills for anti-tank and airborne units.
It has deployed 8,500 extra troops to its border with Belarus, saying it fears being drawn into the migrant crisis, which has seen the European Union accuse Minsk of flying in people from the Middle East and pushing them to enter neighbouring Poland. Belarus denies fomenting the crisis.
Kyiv also worries that the border with Belarus, a close Russian ally, could be used by Russia to stage a military assault.
The head of Ukraine's military intelligence told the Military Times outlet this weekend that Russia had more than 92,000 troops massed around Ukraine's borders and was preparing for an attack by the end of January or the beginning of February.
Moscow has dismissed such suggestions as inflammatory, said it was not threatening anyone and defended its right to deploy its troops as it wished.
Intelligence sources, diplomats and analysts say Moscow may be using the escalation of tension with Ukraine as part of a wider strategy to exert pressure in Europe, including by backing Belarus in the migrant crisis and using its influence as the continent's top gas supplier to press for quick regulatory approval of its new Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany.
"It feels... more like another piece of coercive leverage that the Russians are heaping onto this strategic situation in Eastern Europe," said Samir Puri, senior fellow in hybrid warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
"It may well have value in that alone, rather than having to be followed through with a full-scale invasion which would be politically disastrous for Putin."
Washington said Tuesday it would continue to hold talks with the Taliban following a meeting between the two sides in the Qatari capital on October 9-10.
“A new phase of negotiations will begin next week between Afghanistan and America in Qatar,” the Taliban said on their official Arabic Twitter account.
“At this stage, talks will address opening a new chapter in political relations between the two countries, resolving economic issues, and the implementation of the terms in the previous Doha agreement.”
The US State Department said the proposed two weeks of negotiations will address several issues such as fighting the threat of the militant Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda groups, as well as humanitarian aid.
Talks will also focus on how to offer safe passage out of Afghanistan for US citizens and Afghans who worked for Washington during the 20-year war.
The American delegation will be led by the US special representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West.
Last week, West insisted that any financial and diplomatic support from Washington to the Taliban was based on certain conditions.
He said the Taliban have to install an inclusive government, respect the rights of minorities, women and girls, and provide equal access to education and employment.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, foreign minister of the Taliban government — which is not recognised by the international community — last week called for the release of Afghan assets frozen by the US in an open letter to the US Congress.
China, the United States' principal rival, is not invited, while Taiwan is — a move that risks angering Beijing.
Turkey, which like America is a member of Nato, is also missing from the list of participants.
Among the countries of the Middle East, only Israel and Iraq will take place in the online conference.
Traditional Arab allies of the US — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — are not invited.
Biden invited Brazil even though its far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro has been criticised as having an authoritarian bent and was a firm supporter of Donald Trump.
In Europe, Poland was invited to the summit despite persistent tension with the European Union over its human rights record. Hungary, led by hardline nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, was not invited.
In Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Nigeria and Niger are among the countries on the list.
The conference was a campaign pledge by the US president, who has placed the struggle between democracies and “autocratic governments” at the heart of his foreign policy.
The “Summit for Democracy” will take place online on December 9 and 10 ahead of an in-person meeting at its second edition next year.
In announcing the summit back in August, the White House said the meeting would “galvanise commitments and initiatives across three principal themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights”.
“For this kick-off summit [...] there's a case for getting a broad set of actors into the room: it provides for a better exchange of ideas than setting a perfect bar for qualification,” Laleh Ispahani of the Open Society Foundations told AFP.
Rather than using the summit as an anti-China meeting, Ispahani urged Biden to address “the serious decline of democracy around the world — including relatively robust models like the US”.
The bus slammed into a barrier and went up in flames while returning from Istanbul in Turkey to North Macedonia.
Twelve children were among the dead, including twin boys, aged four.
Only four men and three women survived the disaster, which happened on a motorway south-west of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, early on Tuesday.
The scale of the loss has caused shock and grief in Bulgaria and North Macedonia, where three days of national mourning have been declared.
Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev described the crash as "horrifying".
"I met the injured in a hospital in Bulgaria. My heart broke when I was hearing the cry of a father who lost [his] child," Mr Zaev told the BBC.
The PM said he had spoken to one of the survivors, who told him that passengers were asleep when the sound of an explosion woke them.
Mr Zaev told they succeeded in breaking one of the windows and saved a few people. Unfortunately, the rest did not succeed.
State news agency KUNA said Sheikh Sabah, prime minister since late 2019, was reappointed by an emiri order issued by Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah. The government had resigned on Nov. 8 in the standoff with the elected parliament.
Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Sabah last week temporarily handed over some of his main constitutional duties to the crown prince, his designated successor, including naming the prime minister and swearing in the cabinet.
Before doing so, the emir had accepted the government's resignation as part of measures to end a months-long deadlock between the government and opposition lawmakers. He also issued an amnesty pardoning political dissidents to defuse the row.
Several opposition MPs had wanted to question Sheikh Sabah on various issues, including the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and corruption, despite a motion in March that had granted him temporary immunity.
The row had paralysed legislative work, hindering fiscal reform efforts, including a debt law that would allow Kuwait to tap international markets.
State finances are set to improve this year thanks to higher oil prices, after the coronavirus downturn led to a budget deficit of 15.4% of GDP in the 2020/21 fiscal year.
Kuwait has given its legislature more influence than similar bodies in other Gulf monarchies, including the power to pass and block laws, question ministers and submit no-confidence votes against senior government officials.
Biden, 79, has suffered a dip in his job approval ratings in recent months, leading some Democrats to wonder whether he might not seek another four-year term.
"He is. That's his intention," Psaki said as Biden flew aboard Air Force One for a Thanksgiving event with US troops in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Democrats were rattled by Republican victories in Virginia's state elections earlier this month and a narrow Democratic victory in New Jersey.
Questions have arisen about the viability of Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 should Biden decide not to run again. A recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll found her with a 28 per cent job approval rating.
Biden underwent his first physical examination on Friday since taking office in January and doctors found he has a stiffened gait and attributed frequent bouts of coughing to acid reflux. Doctors said he was fit to serve.
Biden's political prospects appeared to have been buoyed last week by congressional passage of a $1 trillion infrastructure plan. Still being debated is another $2tln in spending on a social safety net package.
Seven people who leapt from the burning bus were rushed to hospital in Sofia and were in stable conditions, hospital staff said. Bulgaria's interior ministry said 45 people died, making it the most deadly bus accident in the Balkan country's history.
Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov said bodies were "clustered inside and are burnt to ash."
"The picture is terrifying, terrifying. I have never seen anything like that before," he told reporters at the site.
The cause of the accident was unclear but the bus appeared to have hit a highway barrier either before or after it caught fire, Bulgarian officials said.
The accident happened on Struma highway about 45 km (28 miles) west of Sofia around 2:00 a.m. (0000 GMT), Bulgarian officials said. The coach party was returning to Skopje from a weekend holiday trip to Istanbul, a trip of about 800 km (500 miles).
Television footage showed the bus charred and gutted by fire in the middle of the highway, which was wet from rain.
"We have an enormous tragedy here," Bulgarian interim Prime Minister Stefan Yanev told reporters.
North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said he had spoken to one of the survivors who told him the passengers were sleeping when they were woken by the sound of an explosion.
"I am terrified. This is such a huge tragedy," he told private television channel BTV.
Bulgarian investigative service chief Borislav Sarafov said four buses from a North Macedonian travel agency had entered Bulgaria late on Monday from Turkey.
"Human mistake by the driver or a technical malfunction are the two initial versions for the accident," he said.
In a three-page report on Afghanistan's banking and financial system seen by Reuters, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said the economic cost of a banking system collapse - and consequent negative social impact - "would be colossal."
An abrupt withdrawal of most foreign development support after the Taliban seized power on Aug. 15 from Afghanistan's Western-backed government has sent the economy into freefall, putting a severe strain on the banking system which set weekly withdrawal limits to stop a run on deposits.
"Afghanistan's financial and bank payment systems are in disarray. The bank-run problem must be resolved quickly to improve Afghanistan's limited production capacity and prevent the banking system from collapsing," the UNDP report said.
Finding a way to avert a collapse is complicated by international and unilateral sanctions on Taliban leaders.
"We need to find a way to make sure that if we support the banking sector, we are not supporting Taliban," Abdallah al Dardari, head of UNDP in Afghanistan, told Reuters.
"We are in such a dire situation that we need to think of all possible options and we have to think outside the box," he said. "What used to be three months ago unthinkable has to become thinkable now."
Afghanistan's banking system was already vulnerable before the Taliban came to power. But since then development aid has dried up, billions of dollars in Afghan assets have been frozen abroad, and the United Nations and aid groups are now struggling to get enough cash into the country.
'UNDER THE MATTRESS'
The UNDP's proposals to save the banking system include a deposit insurance scheme, measures to ensure adequate liquidity for short- and medium-term needs, as well as credit guarantees and loan repayment delay options.
"Coordination with the International Financial Institutions, with their extensive experience of the Afghan financial system, would be critical to this process," UNDP said in its report, referring to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
The United Nations has repeatedly warned since the Taliban took over that Afghanistan's economy is on the brink of a collapse that would likely further fuel a refugee crisis. UNDP said that if the banking system fails, it could take decades to rebuild.
The UNDP report said that with current trends and withdrawal restrictions, about 40% of Afghanistan's deposit base will be lost by the end of the year. It said banks have stopped extending new credit, and that non-performing loans had almost doubled to 57% in September from the end of 2020.
"If this rate continues of non-performing loans, the banks may not have a chance to survive in the next six months. And I am being optimistic," al Dardari said.
Liquidity has also been a problem. Afghan banks heavily relied on physical shipments of US dollars, which have stopped. When it comes to the local afghani currency, al Dardari said that while there is about $4 billion worth of afghanis in the economy, only about $500,000 worth is in circulation.
"The rest is sitting under the mattress or under the pillow because people are afraid," he said.
As the United Nations seeks to avert famine in Afghanistan, al Dardari also warned about the consequences of a banking collapse for trade finance.
"Afghanistan last year imported about $7 billion worth of goods and products and services, mostly foodstuff ... If there is no trade finance the interruption is huge," he said. "Without the banking system, none of this can happen."
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