Burnt Bodies Found on Libya Beach

A number of African migrants in Tajoura, east of Tripoli (AFP)
A number of African migrants in Tajoura, east of Tripoli (AFP)
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Burnt Bodies Found on Libya Beach

A number of African migrants in Tajoura, east of Tripoli (AFP)
A number of African migrants in Tajoura, east of Tripoli (AFP)

Libyan rescue workers have recovered at least 15 bodies found on the coast in Sabratha including a number burned in a boat and others on the beach, a member of the Red Crescent in the city said on Friday.

A security source in Sabratha said the dead people were migrants caught in a dispute between two rival groups of people smugglers in the northwest city, a major hub for illegal migration across the Mediterranean.

Pictures shared on social media, which Reuters was not immediately able to verify, showed a burning boat on a beach with dark smoke pouring from it and what appeared to be the same vessel, scorched inside and containing charred human remains.

The country has become a major transit point for migrants seeking to travel to Europe in search of a better life, but international agencies say they face many dangers there.



Biden Says It May Be Easier to Reach a Ceasefire in Lebanon than Gaza

 President Joe Biden talks to the media before departing from the Brandenburg Airport in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP)
President Joe Biden talks to the media before departing from the Brandenburg Airport in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP)
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Biden Says It May Be Easier to Reach a Ceasefire in Lebanon than Gaza

 President Joe Biden talks to the media before departing from the Brandenburg Airport in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP)
President Joe Biden talks to the media before departing from the Brandenburg Airport in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP)

President Joe Biden suggested on Friday that negotiating a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah could be easier than forging one between Israel and Hamas.

Biden said he discussed the way ahead to end the Middle East conflict following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza when he met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Friday.

Biden told reporters that the leaders “think that there is a possibility of working for a ceasefire in Lebanon and it’s going to be harder in Gaza.”

He continued: “But we agree there has to be an outcome of what happens the day after.”

Sinwar was killed Wednesday by Israeli forces in Gaza, and Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone the following day.

He declined to say whether Netanyahu gave him assurance during that conversation that the Israelis are ready to get back to negotiations toward a ceasefire and the release of hostages.

“We’re in the middle of discussions about that,” Biden said, adding: “I’m not going to get into that.”

Asked whether he had an understanding of when and how Israel may respond to Iran’s missile barrage on Israel earlier this month, he responded, “Yes and yes.”

He declined to offer any further details on Israel’s potential retaliation.