Libya
Libya’s upcoming presidential election is turning into a bit of a mess. As mentioned in a recent newsletter, former leader Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, registered as a candidate last month. Gaddafi, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, was then barred from running by the country’s electoral commission. And that decision was today overturned by a court ruling. Gaddafi, who hadn’t been seen in public for years until he showed up to register for the election, is only one of several very divisive candidates vying for the job.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Afghanistan
Now far from the headlines that screamed across the world when the Taliban took control of the country, Afghanistan continues to freefall. The UN says that 60 percent of the population are acutely hungry, including 8.7 million on the brink of famine. Top international aid official, Alexander Matheou, today said he expects the situation to get progressively worse. Huge amounts of international aid money meant for Afghanistan were withheld after the Taliban took over. The Afghan central bank’s $9bn in reserves, most of which are held in the US, were also frozen.
More from AP here.
India
Let’s again do that rare thing for Proximities and end on an up note. BBC has a lovely story of a 104-year-old Indian woman who has just learned to read - and aced her exams! Kuttiyamma had always wanted to go to school but never had the chance.
More here.