That book is based on Hisham Matar’s own experience.

@Harry Purdie

That is a photograph of Lawrence Gonzi and Kate Gonzi.

It sounds like someone from a deprived area in Malta singing Mintoff’s praises, blissfully unaware of the harm he brought upon them, and unaware too of the deprivation – thanks to him – of bare essentials normally taken for granted in civilised parts of the world.

Nice to know, especially after Gonzi’s last press conference, where he stated that he took a call from al-Baghdadi. I’m almost embarassed to say that I am Maltese.

And there was no “I wouldn’t say so.” Sigh.

And this is how Al-Baghdadi does business…

http://www.wikileaks.ch/cable/2008/06/08TRIPOLI480.html

“…Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi’s office has become directly involved in the matter, and has directed that the franchise either be sold to unspecified government officials, or suffer an immediate freeze on further import of stock and be closed permanently by year’s end.

(…)

According to a well-placed embassy XXXXXXXXXXXX contact, there is a genuine threat that state security officials may visit personal harm on XXXXXXXXXXXX (and others like him) at the direction of “old guard” regime figures. XXXXXXXXXXXX Telling our contact XXXXXXXXXXXX that “in the old days we would just arrest him”, they offered that they would instead “clip him down to nothing” by dismantling his business empire piecemeal and undertaking a campaign to diminish his business influence. They then noted darkly that if those methods proved insufficient, they would see to it that XXXXXXXXXXXX was involved in a fatal car accident.

Thanks for the update. So that’s where Gonzi got his phone call from on Friday.

Sunday, 20th March 2011 – 13:50CET

Armed men detain crew of Italian ship in Tripoli
AFP

Armed men have detained the 11-strong crew of an Italian high-seas tugboat in the Libyan port of Tripoli, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

It said the crew of the ocean-going tug comprising eight Italians, two Indians and one Ukrainian were being held on board.

ANSA quoted sources saying the action occurred yesterday afternoon soon before French warplanes launched air strikes at the start of a Western military operation against Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi’s forces as the tugboat was discharging Libyan employees of the Libyan oil firm Noc.

Armed men, including one who claimed to be the harbour master, detained the crew and prevented the 75-metre vessel from leaving, ANSA said.

A crisis team of the Italian foreign ministry was monitoring the situation and was in touch with the tugboat’s owner, August Offshore company, which is based in the southern Italian port of Naples and specialises in assisting oil rigs as well as exploration and production activities.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110320/local/libya-malta-should-continue-to-be-prudent-joseph-muscat

I left a hurriedly and angrily written comment but I can’t even remember what I wrote (just a few minutes ago and it’s not published yet). Probably won’t make much sense but who cares, not many comments there do.

In the wake of the 17 February 2011 uprising in Libya, he founded Libya Alhurra TV, the first private television station established in territory controlled by the National Transitional Council.

He was killed on 19 March 2011 while reporting on attempts by government forces to seize control of Benghazi.
Nabbous was shot in the head by snipers soon after exposing the Gaddafi regime’s false reports related to the cease-fire declaration.He touched the hearts of many with his bravery and indomitable spirit. He will be dearly missed and leaves behind his young wife and unborn child”