Libya

Yesterday in his latest major speech on the Middle East, President Obama pledged American support for pro-democracy uprisings in the region. However, in the Gulf, commentators are criticising what they see as a safe choice. They insist that the speech didn't cover new ground, was short on policy prescriptions, and that the president missed a chance to apologise for America's history of supporting the dictators people revolted against. Has Obama then missed the chance of opening "a new c...

Obama's speech was of broad scope, with the US leader tackling different issues in different countries while using this as an opportunity to give the US response to the Middle East uprisings and regime changes. He pledged international economic support for countries undergoing democratic change, notably Egypt and Tunisia and warned Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to lead transition in his country, or to "get out of the way".

Colonel Gaddafi will inevitably leave or be forced from power, says Barack Obama, after NATO allies continue their bombing campaign.

A recording allegedly made by former Al-Qaeda number one Osama Bin Laden shortly before he died has been released. The 12 minute long message sees him praise the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt and speak of a "rare historic opportunity" for Muslims to rise up against the "tyrants". He repeatedly refers to and encourages the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt but does not mention Bahrain, Syria, Libya or even Yemen.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the first ever permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to promote the rule of law and ensure that the gravest international crimes do not go unpunished and is complementary to national criminal jurisdictions.It was set up in the wake of genocide in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and created in 2002 by the Rome Statute Treaty.While the court is widely understood to be a great international achievement, it has also been cri...

Yesterday the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, raising as they did so an interesting question. Why does the ICC only seem to target African despots?

While the headlines surrounding the Libyan conflict are becoming more and more political with The ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo seeking the arrest of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and two others for crimes against humanity, and Russia and America taking opposite positions over NATO’s strategy, how is the Libyan conflict really evolving, if at all, and will NATO keep its hard-line policies?

Nato airstrikes in Libya against the forces of Colonel Gaddafi should be stepped up to include infrastructure targets, the head of the British Armed Forces has said.

The likelihood of a breakup of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland looked ominously closer today after the separatist Scottish National Party won an overall majority in elections for the devolved Scottish government.

NATO forces flattened a building inside Muammar Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziyah compound early on Monday, in what a press official from Gaddafi's government said was an attempt on the Libyan leader's life.

Makwaia wa Kuhenga writing for Tanzania's leading English language newspaper, The Citizen, on Sunday 17 April 2011, tells us he witnessed the Libyan troops of Colonel Qaddafi being mowed down, scores of them being buried and the rest rounded up and returned home. This was during a little known war in October 1978, now almost forgotten in the West, when Colonel Qaddafi gave military support to General Idi Amin of Uganda on his invasion and annexation of the Kagera salient in Tanzania.

Rebel forces in Libya are to begin exporting oil from the town of Tobruk, making for the first oil export in three weeks from the east of the country.

Shares in British banks were down on the FTSE 100 in morning trading as positive signs about the global economic recovery started to be outweighed by more immediate concerns.

Looking at the Sun and Daily Star newspapers on Thursday, 31 March 2011, one could be forgiven for being totally unaware of any conflict taking place in Libya. For any news on the current war, the Sun managed an article on page 13. The Daily star was bereft of any comment on the topic.

The head of the Royal Air Force has said that he expects operations over Libya to last at least six months and has said that the British government needs to increase funding to the service if it is to perform the tasks assigned to it by the government.

A coalition airstrike on a pro-Gaddafi supply convoy has reportedly killed seven civilians, some of them children.

Libyan rebels are reported to be preparing for a large counter attack, after losing significant ground to forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi.

The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has said that his government has not offered immunity to his Libyan counterpart, Moussa Koussa, who dramatically flew to Britain yesterday, allegedly in order to defect.

RAF Tornado aircraft yesterday attacked Libyan armoured vehicles and an anti-aircraft site during patrols to enforce UN Resolution 1973.

The American President, Barack Obama, has reportedly given authorisation to the CIA to conduct covert operations to help rebel forces in Libya.

The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has suggested that Great Britain may be willing to allow Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi to go into exile, rather than face trial at the International Criminal Court.

The British government is to host a meeting today of the international community to discuss the current situation in Libya and make plans for the future of the country.

The Royal Air Force launched attacks on pro-Gaddafi tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery over the weekend, the Ministry of Defence has said.

At the Arab Summit in Doha, Qatar, on Monday, 28 March, 2009, Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Qaddafi grabbed a microphone as the conference was about to begin and denounced King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia as a "British product and American ally."

The Labour Party today held what it called a "listening exercise" on a scale hitherto unachieved by a British political party.

Military operations over Libya will be taken over by NATO in the next few days according to the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague.

The imposition of a no-fly zone in Libya has succeeded in one thing at least: it has enforced a stalemate onto what was seemingly the opening moves of the Libyan civil war.

Shares in British banks were up on the FTSE 100 in morning trading as investors continued to buy after last week's panic sell offs.

Below is the full text of a British government note explaining what it regards as the legal basis for using British military forces in Libya:

The British military and political leadership appears to be divided over whether Colonel Gaddafi is a legitimate target for airstrikes and missile attacks, following the passage of United Nations Resolution 1973.