TRIPOLI // As Libya's interim government works to put Muammar Qaddafi's captured son on trial in the country instead of before an international court, France yesterday pressed Tripoli to extradite the dictator's former intelligence chief over the bombing of a French airline two decades ago.
A senior Libyan commander confirmed yesterday that his fighters had captured a former spy chief, Abdullah Al Senussi.
Unconfirmed reports said he had been captured over the weekend soon after Qaddafi's son and former heir-apparent, Saif Al Islam, was caught in Libya's southern desert trying to flee to Niger.
The prime minister-designate, Abdurrahim El Keib, said earlier he needed to verify the reports of Senussi's capture.
Saif Al Islam and Senussi are wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity but the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) has already said it would try Qaddafi at home.
In Paris, the French foreign ministry spokesman, Bernard Valero, said France was talking with "relevant jurisdictions" to ensure that Senoussi was held to account.
Revolutionary fighters captured the brother-in-law of the former leader on Sunday - the day Saif Al Islam was taken in the same region by mountain tribesmen.
Senoussi was among six people tried and convicted in absentia 12 years ago in France over the 1989 bombing of a UTA airline flight over Niger that killed all 170 people on board, including 54 French citizens.
"Six direct authors of this crime were tried and sentenced in absentia to life in prison by the Paris assizes court on March 10, 1999, including Abdullah Al Senussi," Mr Valero said.
He added that "to end the sentence in absentia, a trial with the accused present would need to be held in France", but he did not call for Senussi's extradition to stand trial in France.
"Abdullah Al Senussi must be tried for the crimes he has committed.
"He is notably the subject of procedures at the International Criminal Court," Valero said.
* Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE