French, British nationals evacuated from LibyaJuly 30, 2014 - 15:39 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The French government says it has evacuated French and British nationals from Libya, as battles rage between government forces and militias, BBC News reported. A French diplomatic source said 40 French nationals, including the ambassador, had been evacuated by ship along with seven British nationals. France's embassy in Tripoli has been closed temporarily, the French foreign ministry said on its website. Libya has been gripped by instability since the 2011 uprising. The French government spokesman in Paris, Stephane Le Foll, announced that French and British nationals had been evacuated, without giving numbers. An unnamed diplomatic source gave the numbers to AFP, saying the expats had been evacuated by the French army. They are aboard a warship bound for the southern French port of Toulon, the French foreign ministry said. On Sunday, the U.S. evacuated its embassy in Tripoli, citing a "real risk" because of the fighting. Together with France, Germany and the UK, it advised its nationals in Libya to leave immediately. The UN announced this week it was pulling its staff out. France and the UK played an important role in enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya in 2011, when rebels toppled long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was captured and killed. Dozens of people have been killed in the fighting in recent weeks, which has centered on the city of Benghazi, where the main military base fell to Islamist-led militants on Wednesday. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |