New army chief appointed in Libya

A number of military leaders in Libya have protested against the appointment on Tuesday of Colonel Abdulsalam Jadallah Al-Obeidi as chief of staff of the country’s army. Colonel Obeidi was sworn in before the General National Congress on Tuesday, after being voted in by 90 out of 130 MPs present at a meeting at the Congress late on Monday. Military spokesperson Ali al-Sheikhi said that the new Chief of Staff met all the necessary requirements and standards, adding that there were no compelling reasons for the objection of some army officers to his appointment. Meanwhile, the Speaker of the General National Congress Nuri Abu Sahmain met with military leaders to discuss how to tackle the security crisis in the country. Security forces prevented the explosion of a car bomb planted outside a luxury hotel in the capital Tripoli on Monday, the second such incident in just over a week.