Libya's Benghazi Hosts Rare 'Week of Culture'

A Libyan musician plays during a cultural week in the eastern city of Benghazi on June 14, 2021 - AFP
A Libyan musician plays during a cultural week in the eastern city of Benghazi on June 14, 2021 - AFP
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Libya's Benghazi Hosts Rare 'Week of Culture'

A Libyan musician plays during a cultural week in the eastern city of Benghazi on June 14, 2021 - AFP
A Libyan musician plays during a cultural week in the eastern city of Benghazi on June 14, 2021 - AFP

Libya's eastern city of Benghazi is hosting a rare "week of culture" featuring art, music and theater, as the country attempts to turn the page on a decade of violence.

"It's an honor to have an exhibition for the first time in Benghazi," said Elham el-Ferjani, an artist who traveled from the capital Tripoli in the country's west specially for the event.

Benghazi was the first city to rise up against longtime dictator Moamer Gaddafi in 2011 in a NATO-backed revolt.

The situation deteriorated into a complex war involving Libyan armed groups, foreign mercenaries and foreign powers, and an ensuing political crisis saw the oil-rich country split in recent years between rival authorities in the east and west.

An October truce set in motion a UN-sponsored process that led to the creation of an interim government tasked with preparing the country for elections this December and unifying its institutions.

Ferjani, whose work is inspired by Libyan desert rock art, Amazigh (Berber) culture and the North African country's decade of conflict, is displaying her paintings at the Barah cultural centre in the heart of Libya's ancient second city.

The opportunity to meet with artists who have traveled from all over the country was "a source of joy", said Ferjani, whose show kicked off the week's events, AFP reported.

Other activities include workshops on glass painting, photography and sculpture, as well as roundtables and conferences, said organizer Hazem el-Ferjani, who is not related to the artist.

The aim of the cultural week, which runs until Saturday, was "to revive the artistic and cultural life of Benghazi", a city long associated with violence, he said.

The program also features debates on Libyan cinema, a concert of Arab-Andalusian music and a play performed by a Libyan theater troop.



7 California Men Charged in 'Largest Jewelry Heist' in US History

One of the rings stolen in the heist (FBI handout)
One of the rings stolen in the heist (FBI handout)
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7 California Men Charged in 'Largest Jewelry Heist' in US History

One of the rings stolen in the heist (FBI handout)
One of the rings stolen in the heist (FBI handout)

Seven men from California have been charged in the "largest jewelry heist in US history,” involving the theft of $100 million worth of gold, gems, and luxury watches, according to BBC.

The heist has been a mystery in California for nearly three years after a Brinks company truck transporting the jewelry was robbed at a remote stop as one driver slept inside, and another was having a meal.

The suspects tracked the truck as it left a jewelry show near San Francisco with 73 bags, officials said.

The next morning, they stole 24 bags when the truck was at a rest stop in Lebec, California, according to court documents.

The indictment does not say how they gained access to the truck.

Announcing the charges on Tuesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that one of the suspects scouted a jewelry show near San Francisco for several days in 2022 and then robbed the truck with his accomplices in the early hours of 11 July.

A copy of the indictment says the defendants watched as a Brinks truck was loaded with jewels and then followed the truck for approximately 300 miles (485 km) from San Mateo to Lebec, California.

While the truck was parked at a stop in Lebec, the suspects allegedly stole 24 bags containing about $100 million in jewelry, the court document says.

Officials said the robbers did not use any weapons during the heist.

The robbery was discovered when the driver returned to the vehicle and saw that the exterior padlock was missing. Authorities believe it was sawed off.

The truck was on its way to another jewelry show in Pasadena, California.

Some of the jewels were recovered during the execution of search warrants on 16 June, according to a DOJ statement.

Jerry Kroll, an attorney who represents some of the jewelers whose merchandise was stolen, told the BBC he did not know how much had been recovered.