Etoile loan Ben Dhifallah to Libyan club

2010-02-07 Tunisian club Etoile du Sahel loaned international striker Mehdi Ben Dhifallah, 26, to Libya's Al-Nasr until the end of the season, Football365.com reported on Friday (February 5th). Al-Nasr currently occupy 9th place in the Libyan championships.

Maghreb Taekwondo Championships open in Oran

2010-02-05 The 4th Maghreb Taekwondo Championships begin in Oran on Friday (February 5th), APS reported. Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Algeria will participate in the event. Host Algeria will be represented by 64 male and female athletes.

Kadhafi ends term as AU head

2010-02-01 Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi has ended his 1-year tenure as AU head, international press reported Sunday (January 31st). African Union members attending the annual summit in Addis Ababa on Sunday elected Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi to replace Kadhafi. The body's leadership rotates among African regions, with North Africa holding the AU chairmanship last year under Kadhafi.

Libya inks arms deal with Russia

2010-01-31 Libya on Friday (January 29th) concluded an arms deal with Russia worth 1.3 billion euros, international press quoted Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as saying on Saturday. No information was released as to the type of weapons. Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, however, that Libya was ready to purchase from Russia "20 fighter planes, not less than two divisions of S-300PMU2 air defence systems [and] several dozen T-90S tanks".

Kadhafi extends detention for jailed al-Qaeda terrorists

2010-01-29 In an effort to prevent attacks on civilians, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi plans to keep some 300 convicted al-Qaeda terrorists in jail after they complete their sentences. "These people are heretics…They killed a number of civilians and police," Reuters quoted Kadhafi as telling legislators on Thursday (January 28th). "It is a necessity to keep them in prison. They are very dangerous as they are ready to resume killing people in our streets here or travel to Algeria or Egypt or elsewhere to stage attacks," he said.

CEN-SAD warns of growing Al-Qaeda, South American drug trade ties

2010-01-27 Sahel-Saharan member states must work together to quell the alliance between al-Qaeda and drug traffickers, CEN-SAD Secretary-General Mohamed al-Madani al-Azhari told the bloc's executive session meeting in Libya on Tuesday (January 26th). "Traffic is increasing in our region, particularly drug trafficking from South America. There is close co-operation between drug traffickers and terrorists," Al-Jazeera quoted al-Azhari as saying. An upcoming regional meeting will reportedly address a collective counter-terrorism strategy.

Moroccan judokas train in Algeria

2010-01-26 Nearly two dozen Moroccan judokas attended a training camp in Algeria last week, MAP reported on Monday (January 25th). The joint training session aimed at preparing the national teams of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya for the upcoming African Championship in Cameroon and the World Championship in Japan.

Libya convenes CEN-SAD meeting

2010-01-26 The Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) Executive Council meeting opened in Tripoli on Monday (January 25th). Libya called the session to co-ordinate the positions of the 28 member states ahead of the African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa on January 29th. Issues to be discussed include food security, regional stability and the economic crisis.

CNE-SAD is a strategic necessity for Morocco, MAP quoted Mohamed Ouzine, Secretary of State to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, as saying at the opening event.

Kadhafi son visits Tlemcen

2010-01-25 Seif al-Islam, the son of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, arrived in Algeria on Friday for his second visit to the Tlemcen region, El Khabar reported on Sunday (January 24th). Wilaya authorities reportedly prepared a tourist package of trips to scenic and historic sites for their visitor. According to the wali of Tlemcen, the trip aims to strengthen "relations between the Algerian and Libyan peoples". Al-Islam's visit also reflects improved security in Tlemcen, the Algerian daily noted.