Libya’s presidential council says it has suspended Foreign Minister Najla El-Mangoush for 14 days and banned her from travelling, pending an inquiry. It accused her of not co-ordinating on foreign policy, but the transitional government rejected the decision, saying she would carry on as normal. The political infighting follows comments she made in a BBC interview about the Lockerbie bombing in 1988. Libya admitted responsibility for the bombing in 2003. Controversy ignited here after the minister spoke to the BBC about the possible extradition of a new Libyan suspect wanted by the US over the bombing. The downing of the plane – in which 270 people were killed – remains a sensitive subject here, and a painful one in the US and Britain. Najla El-Mangoush told us that the Libyan government was very open to collaborating with the US on the question of extradition, and said the matter was progressing. “We understand the pain and sadness of the victims and the families,” she said. The move to suspend – and ground – the top diplomat comes ahead of a major international conference on Libya in Paris next Friday. It also comes as Libya is moving uncertainly towards nationwide elections, due in late December. This kind of dispute between institutions of state is not new in Libya, far from it.(BBC)…[+]

The US Navy has launched a ship named after a gay rights activist forced to resign from the service because of his sexuality in the 1950s. The USNS Harvey Milk was launched in San Diego on Saturday in a service attended by Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro and Milk’s nephew, Stuart. It is one of six new ships to be named after famed US civil rights leaders. Others include former Chief Justice Earl Warren and slain presidential candidate Robert Kennedy. Milk served as a diving officer and Lieutenant aboard the submarine rescue ship USS Kittiwake during the Korean War. But he was forced out of the service following two weeks of interrogation about his sexuality in 1955. He later became one of America’s first openly gay politicians, elected in 1977 to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. But a year later he was shot and killed by Dan White, a former city supervisor with whom he had frequently clashed.(BBC)…[+]

The US is reopening its borders on Monday to double-jabbed foreign visitors, ending a 20-month entry ban. The ban was imposed by former President Donald Trump due to Covid-19. It has affected non-US citizens from over 30 countries, including the UK and EU states, separating families and stalling tourism. Airlines are expecting a flood of visitors as the restrictions are lifted for those who are fully vaccinated, and undergo testing and contact tracing. “It feels good, it feels good!” Jerome Thomann, head of Paris-based travel agency Jetset Voyages told Reuters news agency, saying his team had seen an “incredible upturn” in bookings. In an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus, US borders were initially closed to travellers from China in early 2020. The restrictions were then extended to other countries.(BBC)…[+]