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The most prominent points of the speech of Prime Minister Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba at the fifth regular cabinet meeting of 2023 last Wednesday.

We renew the pledge with confidence to all Libyans that what is coming next is better.

-Today, our cities and regions are adorned with reform and development projects, after they were previously an arena of wars and conflicts.

The competition has become fierce between Libyans in change and construction, not in killing and carrying arms.

The Government of National Unity has completed more than 1,345 projects in its Return of Life programme in various fields.

We are continuing to construct the coastal road extending from the Egyptian border at Emsaad to the Tunisian border at Ras Jadir.

Our medical centres and hospitals in Libya have become a point for localizing treatment and providing the best medical services.

Our doctors have performed more than 300 open-heart surgeries, more than 4,500 corneal transplants, 12 kidney surgeries, and added more than 180 beds to dialysis centres.

We have completed the construction of more than 315 water networks, 116 wells, 83 sewage networks and 16 water treatment plants.

One hundred thousand young men and women are granted marriage grants, 25,000 housing loans have been allocated, and a grant has been allocated to 351,000 male and female students, and we will not stop supporting youth.

156 modern schools have been completed, and 216 other schools have been maintained. Before the end of the year, more than a hundred schools will be opened.

We are launching the Schools of the Future project, which aims to establish 1,500 schools that are distinguished in terms of building, curricula, and teaching aids, and raising the efficiency of teachers.

We are continuing to address the consequences of the war and support the affected families, and we have provided financial grants to more than ten thousand displaced families.

The number of families benefiting from the grant for children and wives has reached more than one million two hundred thousand families.

The entitlement of citizens has been completed through the implementation of the unified salary scale, which included all employees in the sectors, and work is underway to complete and process the rest.

We have released the salaries of more than 180,000 male and female employees, and we are continuing with more releases.

We affirm the launch of the initiative to establish the official religious work institution in Libya under the slogan (And hold fast to the rope of God all, and do not be divided); To serve as a national charter in religious affairs in which all parties participate.

We support all efforts aimed at calming down and stopping the fighting in Sudan.

I salute the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Transport for their efforts to return the Libyans safely from Sudan to the homeland and to ensure their safety.

We will continue to provide services to citizens, improve the standard of living, implement projects and achieve achievements, whatever the difficulties and obstacles.

Our goal is one homeland without distinction between its people, peace and prosperity prevail.

More here:
The most prominent points made by Prime Minister Abd Alhamid ... - Libya Herald

Mali Condemns UN Report in Fight Against Terrorism (Libya and NATO)

Sawako Utusumi and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Leading NATO powers (America, France, and the United Kingdom) supported insurgents in Libya to oust Colonel Gaddafi in Libya (2011). The combined bombing campaign of these NATO powers and insurgents on the ground entailed that Gaddafi was brutally killed by his captors.

Since this period, the deterioration of the Sahel region is continuing. This concerns Islamic terrorism, ethnic issues, and the demise of the economic magnet of Libya for regional nations and workers.

Former President Barack Obama sanctioned the Libya debacle. The Boston Globe reported (2020),That attack, in which the United States played a key role, may now be ranked among the most recklessly self-defeating military interventions of the 21st century. It was sold as humanitarian intervention, but wound up producing a human rights disaster. It turned Libya, once one of the most stable and prosperous countries in Africa, into a failed state and breeding ground for terror. In nearby countries, it has nourished a generation of murderous militias. The coup in Mali shows that after-effects of the Libya attack are still reverberating.

ISIS (Islamic State IS) and several branches of al-Qaida roam vast regions of the Sahel. Hence, millions of people have fled parts of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and other nations linking West Africa (Nigeria).

A report by the United Nations (UN) is tainted by natural bias. After all, three permanent members of the UN destabilized Libya which in turn led to greater instability throughout the Sahel region.

Voice of America reports, Malis military junta on Saturday denounced as fictitious and biased a United Nations report that said the army and foreign fighters executed at least 500 people during a 2022 anti-jihadi operation.

Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga the government spokesperson for Mali denounced the UN report.

He said, No civilian from Moura lost their life during the military operation.

Colonel Maiga continued, Among the dead, there were only terrorist fighters.

Mali is also shocked by the surveillance tactics of the UN. It transpires and without Mali government permission that the UN investigators have utilized satellites in the Moura region to obtain information.

The Russian Federation known for having cordial relations with the leaders of Mali also rejects the accusations of what happened in Moura.

Maria Molodtsova, the UN Russian Federation envoy, said the military operation contributed to peace and tranquillity and was aimed at terrorists.

The transitional government in Mali became disillusioned by the role of France and developed stronger ties with the Russian Federation. Burkina Faso and other nations are also moving closer to the Russian Federation and further away from France.

The African Union, regional nations, and the international community need to assist Mali in its fight to preserve the unity of the nation-state.

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Mali Condemns UN Report in Fight Against Terrorism (Libya and ... - Modern Tokyo Times

Cover operations in Syria

The Wagner Group officially intervened in Syria in 2015, following Putins decision to militarily support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. At that time, it was estimated that the group had hired approximately 3,000 fighters, many of whom were recruited from pro-Moscow militias that had recently fought in eastern Ukraines Donbass region. These fighters were deployed to Syria just a few months later.

It became apparent at that time that Putin sought to replicate the experience of Blackwater, the infamous American firm that was used as a private security company in Iraq to carry out violent tasks after the American invasion.

Similarly, the Russian Wagner Group employed its fighters as paid contractors to avoid direct accountability of the Russian government for their actions in Syria.

In this manner, Putin has benefited from having a military group capable of executing covert operations and commercial deals that he does not wish to involve the Russian army indirectly. Furthermore, he has utilized the group to conduct limited ground military operations without incurring casualties to the Russian army, which could spark public outrage.

As long as the deaths of Wagner contractors are not recorded in the Russian Ministry of Defense, they will not be considered practical human losses that require open and transparent declaration. It is important to note that a significant proportion of these fighters were originally not Russian nationals.

Since the beginning of its intervention in Syria, Wagner has sought to take control of the oil and gas fields.

Concurrently, Russia has coerced the Syrian government to grant investment opportunities for these fields to a group of Russian oil companies that are owned by individuals with close ties to Putin. As part of this agreement, Wagner has been granted a portion of the profits made from the extraction of oil in exchange for its provision of security operations to maintain control over these fields.

Russian energy companies, partnering with Wagner, have gained control over contracts to invest in oil and gas fields located in areas such as Badia al-Bukamal, Deir ez-Zors countryside, Raqqa and Homs, along with all the marine areas adjoining the Syrian coast.

Furthermore, these companies have utilized Wagner to negotiate security agreements with local militias and clans outside the control of the Syrian government. These agreements are aimed at securing the areas adjacent to oil and gas fields.

On occasion, Russian companies and the Wagner Group carried out investment operations through shell companies whose ownership was shared by Syrian businessmen with ties to Bashar al-Assad. This was done in exchange for attracting local fighters to safeguard oil facilities.

Wagner Groups activities expanded to encompass the control of phosphate fields in Syrias Palmyra region. They invested in the fields through a partnership with the Russian company Soyuz Naftegaz, with contracts extending for 50 years.

With the expansion of its activities beyond Syria, the Wagner Group has taken advantage of the dire living conditions in Syria to recruit thousands of Syrians and deploy them to work in operations outside the country, particularly in Libya. The group has utilized local front companies to advertise on social media and conduct interviews before sorting the fighters based on their assigned tasks.

In 2021, Syrian media reported the deaths of three Syrians who were working for Wagner Group on security missions in Libya.

Read this article:
Wagner in Arab Region: Making the Most of Conflict and Misery - Fanack Chronicle

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gov. Spencer Cox answers questions during his monthly news conference at the Eccles Broadcast Center, on Thursday, May 18, 2023. Cox, who said hes passionate about immigration reform, called Congress imbeciles who should all get fired" for not assign immigration reform.

| May 18, 2023, 7:10 p.m.

| Updated: May 19, 2023, 12:07 p.m.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is fed up with Congress using immigration as a political football and not addressing the human and economic crisis at Americas border. Cox, who said he is passionate about immigration reform, called Congress imbeciles who should all get fired.

The remarks came during the governors monthly news conference on Thursday and after he was asked about strict immigration policies recently signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

We absolutely have to do more to secure the border. First and foremost, that is critical. We live in an ordered society, a society of laws, and that piece matters, the governor explained, adding that he thinks the Biden administration has done a terrible job of enforcing border security.

Those poor security efforts are not just an issue President Joe Biden hasnt addressed, Cox said, and other administrations have also failed. But it wasnt solely on the White House to fix immigration, he said.

Congress has abdicated their responsibility around immigration for the last 40 years. They punted every time. So its hard to blame any single administration when really this problem lies at the feet of Congress, the governor responded to Telemundo reporter Jos ngel Galavis, who had asked about DeSantis immigration policies.

Cox explained that he also supports fixing legal immigration, which, he said, will help the economy and ensure immigrants arent forced to enter the U.S. illegally through a backdoor.

We do need more immigrants in our country, Cox said, we have so many job openings right now in the state of Utah and other places that cannot be filled.

Immigration reform, Cox said, is an issue where he thinks Republicans and Democrats are aligned. But, growing more passionate during his two-minute-long response, Cox criticized Congress for neglecting its responsibility to address the countrys immigration crisis, and, instead, using the issue as a political cudgel.

The Constitution is very clear that immigration is a federal issue. But states have to step in because these imbeciles in Congress cant get their crap together to do something that everybody knows needs to be done, and that is to protect the border and to fix legal immigration, Cox criticized. And all they want to do is get reelected by pointing fingers at each other and they divide us and they do it on purpose, and its embarrassing, and they should all get fired.

Earlier this month, DeSantis signed a bill aimed at restricting migrants working illegally in the U.S. The law ends a program that provides identification cards for undocumented immigrants and toughens penalties for individuals that bring migrants to the U.S., the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Unlike Cox, the Florida governor whos exploring a run for president put the blame for the immigration crisis at the foot of the White House.

This is something that is the responsibility of Joe Biden. This is a responsibility that he has defaulted on really from day one of his presidency, DeSantis said at a news conference, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Obviously if we had a different administration it would be a lot easier to actually deal with the problem at its source.

In February, Cox and Indiana Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb wrote a Washington Post op-ed that called on Congress to act on immigration. Utah, Cox said, was willing to sponsor immigrants for the open jobs in the state.

To help us do our jobs as governors, we call on Congress to end its two-decade standoff on setting immigration policy one of its most basic duties, the governors wrote. And, as leaders of states, we pledge to share the accountability. Though border security is a national concern, and a nonnegotiable requirement of national security in a world with drug cartels and terrorists, we believe that states should be able to sponsor whatever immigrants serve the needs of their communities.

Editors note This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.

See more here:
'They should all get fired': Utah Gov. Cox calls Congress 'imbeciles' for not passing immigration reform - Salt Lake Tribune

It seems that the anticipated humanitarian crisis of thousands of migrants streaming across the border, which many predicted with the end of the Title 42 program, has been avoided.

Still, something like 12 million undocumented people currently live in the United States, and we are probably just one migrant caravan away from having scores of families forced to live in squalor in border cities and perhaps being subject to violence at the hands of border agents.

Making matters worse, no recently proposed legislation concerning immigration has much chance of becoming law.

It's the design of the Farm Bill that we should focus on. Its form, not its content.

For instance, the 2021 US Citizenship Act, which Biden championed early in his term and that would have created a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people, ran aground quickly last term due to GOP opposition. Now, Republicans have their own version of revamping our immigration system with the Secure the Border Act. This bill, which calls for hiring more border agents, as well as championing some Trump-era initiatives like building a physical border wall, has no path out of the Democrat-controlled Senate.

So, is there any hope of getting beyond our seemingly never-ending policy quagmire that is immigration reform?

The Farm Bill is where our leaders should turn.

The point is not to add some provision about immigration to this omnibus piece of legislation that governs most facets of our agricultural system.

Instead, it's the design of the Farm Bill that we should focus on. Its form, not its content.

By form, what's key is that the Farm Bill comes up for debate every five years. The expiration date is even written into the law.

The legislations design poses quite the task, as the Farm Bill sets the terms for most of the critical elements of the U.S. food system, from commodity prices and conservation policy to international trade and farm credit.

But that's the bill's geniuswith such serious issues to debate, it makes sense to revisit them every now and again. And here's the best partif one party misses something, then they can try again next time.

That much was behind the bill's creation. Before becoming law in 1933, for most of the 1920s, politicians fought over how to address the economic crisis ravaging farmers. While farmers did well during World War I, they struggled once the conflict was over. In response, some legislators wanted protectionist policies, others believed promoting exports was the answer. They couldn't find middle ground and our nations food producers suffered for years.

So, what happened? When FDR became president, farmer groups and politicians created an omnibus billthat contained sections dealing with the issues that were the subject of debate years before and that required periodic renewal. The bill itself has come to include new sections from time to time, such as rural development and food assistance in the 1970s.

Agriculture aside, doesn't such a way of addressing complicated policy matters, such as migration, make sense?

Think about itwho could have foretold when early in Biden's term, when he sent Vice President Kamala Harris to Central America to search out ways to keep people from fleeing poverty, that Cubans and Venezuelans would eventually join the exodus of people? Or that Russia would invade Ukraine, sending millions seeking safe haven abroad?

Furthermore, historically, we see that migrants come to the U.S. in waves. Such moments are related to all kinds of unexpected events, including wars, famines, and natural disasters.

Comprehensive immigration reform has evaded our lawmakers for decades. So, it would make sense to take some of the pressure off of them and at least create a framework that they can work with.

There is no crystal ball that we can peer into and see where in the works some disaster will take place. The best we can do as a country is to craft a bill that provides parameters within which our legislators can debate every five years or so. Furthermore, all the major issues currently raging now could be foundborder security, temporary protected status for people who are temporarily displaced, visas for students and workers, and so on.

A majority of Americans agree that something has to be done about immigration. Our parties also agreethis much is seen in how regularly their policy proposals come up in the news.

So, why not give them a space to hash out their differences, not as a one-shot game, but something they can come back to every now and again?

Let's also not forget the migrants in this discussion. Now we are talking about Title 42 and Venezuelans, but in a year or two, it will be some other policy and another group of people. What is certain is that for quite some time, people will want to come to the US to work and live.

Comprehensive immigration reform has evaded our lawmakers for decades. So, it would make sense to take some of the pressure off of them and at least create a framework that they can work with. Both parties could also take credit for promoting it. And who knows, maybe they will compromise once in a while. They do so already with Farm Bill. Maybe the same could happen with immigration.

Go here to read the rest:
Immigration Reform is Possible the Farm Bill Shows How - Common Dreams