Cries for answers in Libya as rescue efforts fail
A top Libyan official demanded an investigation late Wednesday, three days after two dams collapsed, causing major flooding that destroyed most of the city of Derna and destroyed other coastal towns, leaving thousands dead and thousands missing.
Mohamed al-Menfi, the head of Libya’s presidential council, based in the west of the divided country, said in a post on social media that “anyone who made a mistake or failed to abstain or take actions that resulted in the collapse of the dams in the city of Derna” would be held accountable.
It was unclear how an investigation would be carried out and how much responsibility Libyans could expect in a country where infrastructure has deteriorated as rival authorities have battled for power for more than a decade.
As officials clamored for answers, relief efforts faltered. Yesterday, the eastern government’s health minister said the death toll had risen to 3,065 documented deaths. On Wednesday evening, the mayor of Derna told Al Arabiya television that the death toll could reach 20,000, based on the number of districts wiped out.
A volunteer who worked at the relief effort said the response was disorganized and uncoordinated. “Unfortunately, in Libya we suffer from a lack of crisis management. There is no.”
With many health facilities out of service or overwhelmed, the WHO said it was preparing an airlift carrying 28 tons of surgical and medical supplies to take off from Dubai in the next 48 hours.
What’s next: Libyan authorities have announced a joint operations room to oversee the response. The Interior Minister of the government in eastern Libya, Essam Abu Zeriba, explained the plan, saying the joint effort would work in coordination with the security forces.
Drone footage offers a heartbreaking look at what’s left of the city of Derna.
Putin will visit North Korea
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea and accept an invitation from the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, the Kremlin said yesterday, after the two leaders held a summit in Russia’s far east on Wednesday.
North Korea has used the war in Ukraine to increase its position with Russia. And to support its war efforts against Ukraine, Moscow needs ammunition and military equipment, which North Korea has in abundance.
History is turned upside down: Washington and Moscow flooded the Korean Peninsula with weapons and aid during the Korean War, which officially never ended after a ceasefire in 1953. Both Koreas have since been engaged in an arms race and are now in a position to supply their former benefactors.
Other developments in the war:
Hunter Biden indicted on gun charges
Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, was charged yesterday with three felonies related to his illegal purchase of a gun in 2018, a move that could land him in court next year if his father runs for re-election.
The charges, which came after the last-minute collapse of a settlement that would have protected Hunter Biden from jail, relate to whether he lied about his drug use on a government form during the purchase. The indictment comes as Republicans in the House of Representatives step up efforts to use Hunter Biden’s work abroad to build a case for impeaching his father.
For more: Hunter Biden, now 53, has acknowledged a decades-long addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine. Here is a timeline of his life and legal troubles.
A close relationship: Despite the potential political fallout, allies of the president say his bond with his son is rock-solid.
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Khalida Popal, the former captain of the Afghan national women’s football team, helped rescue more than 200 people, including the entire senior national team, from the Taliban.
Now she has a different mission: to try to convince FIFA, football’s world governing body, to let her exiled teammates – now living in Australia – represent their country again after the Taliban banned girls and women from sports.
ARTS AND IDEAS
The Rolling Stones have started again
“Hackney Diamonds,” due Oct. 20, is both a new banger and a recap. It digs into the Rolling Stones’ long-standing style: Keith Richards’ sinewy guitar riffs, the proud, intemperateness of Mick Jagger’s vocals and the band’s bluesy underpinnings and always improvisational guitar playing.
“Without improvisation it wouldn’t be anything at all,” Richards said. “I mean, there are no rules for rock ‘n’ roll. That’s the reason it’s there.”
The songs are unapologetically hand-played and organic, writes our chief pop music critic, Jon Pareles. They are not quantized on a computer grid; they speed up and slow down with a human heartbeat. And the album honors the band’s elder statesman status, with guest appearances from Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga and Elton John.