The head of the Libyan Business Council’s (LBC) Media and Public Relations, Tarek Smuee, confirmed to Libya Herald yesterday that LBC’s delegation, headed by Bashir Trabelsi, Vice Chairman of its Board, and his accompanying delegation, participated in the 21st Turkish-Arab Economic Cooperation Forum held in Istanbul from 19-22 December 2023. The event was attended by ambassadors and consuls of Arab countries in Turkey, in addition to heads and representatives of chambers of commerce, industry, agriculture, federations, unions, associations, and investment bodies in Turkey and Arab countries. Smuee said it was an important forum to present investment opportunities and provide the facilities and services provided by these institutions to their Arab and Turkish counterparts, companies and businessmen. The LBC was presented with a shield of appreciation for its participation in the forum.

Executive Director of Derna Reconstruction Fund, Belqasim Khalifa, and board chairman of Egyptian construction company Arab Contractors, Ahmed Al-Assar, signed today a “major” deal to rebuild city’s infrastructure. Both sides also signed a contract to construct a bridge at the top of Wadi Abu Mahboul on the sea road linking the cities of Sousse and Derna, and a bridge at the top of Wadi Markus on the sea road also linking the two cities. During the ceremony, Belqassim Khalifa stressed upon “the necessity of completing the work as soon as possible in order to solve the bottlenecks that the city of Derna suffers from, with the need to maintain quality,” according to the government’s statement. Last Wednesday, the parliament-backed government, led by Prime Minister Osama Hammad, announced the formation of the Derna Reconstruction Fund, and appointed Belqassim Khalifa as executive director of the fund. Yesterday, Belqassim Khalifa and Osama Hammad visited Dena, examining the scale of flood damage in multiple locations.

EchoStar Corporation completed its acquisition of Dish Network to close out 2023 on Dec. 31. Dish Network is now a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar. The merger brings the companies back together — Dish was developed as part of EchoStar and spun out in 2008. Its brands include Boost Mobile, Boost Infinite, Sling TV and DISH TV, as well as EchoStar, Hughes and Jupiter satellite services, HughesON managed services and HughesNet satellite internet. Together, EchoStar and DISH offer an enhanced consumer connectivity business and an unmatched enterprise managed services business.

The Tripoli based Libyan Ministry of Health reported yesterday that 1,233 heart operations were conducted by its various medical centres. These included heart surgery, catheterisation, and open-heart surgery for children. The Ministry said the operations came in at a total cost of LD 14.1 million (US$ 2.35 million), with an average price of LD 11,500.00 (US$ 1,900) per operation. The statistics were revealed by the Head of the Health Ministry’s Documentary Credits Department during a meeting held by Deputy Prime Minister / Acting Minister of Health, Ramadan Abu Janah. The Minister urged those gathered to continue coordination to speed up financial procedures, so that medical centres can complete the implementation of surgical operations for patients awaiting scheduled operations on waiting lists.

In this round-up, we take stock of 2024 and look at some of the top commercial satellites expected to launch this year. Designed by Maxar, the satellite has faced numerous delays, pushing it from a 2022 launch, to late 2023 and now early 2024. CEO Per Norén spoke with Via Satellite in 2022, saying the satellite will “revolutionize” the company’s satcom-as-a-service offering and allow service for new generations of small, mobile satellite terminals. Also, according to its most recent financial report, SES also expects the ASTRA 1P broadcast satellite to launch in the second half of 2024. After validating its demonstration satellite in 2023, the company is preparing for its first five “BlueBird” commercial satellites to launch in the first quarter of 2024.

Abdel Salam Nasia, a member of the House of Representatives, said that no decision can be made on unification of sovereign positions before a new interim government is established. The Libyan MP’s remarks came after the High Council of State discussed the issue of sovereign positions during the council’s session today. “It is better to unify the executive authority through a new, unified government with specific tasks and budget, to supervise the presidential and parliamentary elections, and end the transitional stages,” Nasia said, adding that unifying sovereign positions is not a priority at this stage. He pointed out that Article 15 of the Skhirat Agreement that only a government of consensus can decide on Libya’s top sovereign positions, such as naming governor of the central bank.

Terran Orbital has started the year by announcing two significant financial updates regarding its cash balance as well as an update on its contract with Rivada Space Networks. The company received a milestone payment from Rivada on its constellation contract. Terran Orbital said the amount was for the completion of a program milestone. Terran Orbital expects to receive additional milestone payments in 2024 and continues to expect to meet its delivery obligations under the Rivada contract on schedule in 2025 and 2026. Rivada was previously delayed on making this payment, which caused Terran Orbital to cut its financial projections for 2023.

Deadly Attack on 51 Brigade Headquarters Shakes LibyaLibya’s fragile peace was rudely interrupted when the 51 Brigade headquarters, located in the Qawia district east of Tajoura, became the target of a deadly assault. The Rahbat Aldrou Brigade, an affiliate of the targeted forces, confirmed the attack. In the ensuing chaos, five combatants met their untimely demise, one of whom was a member of the Rahbat Aldrou. In response to the attack, the Rahbat Aldrou Brigade promptly deployed their units to the brigade’s primary headquarters, highlighting the urgency and severity of the situation. Broader Context: Libya’s Ongoing StrugglesWhile the assault on the 51 Brigade headquarters symbolizes the ongoing violence in the region, it is just one event in a series of distressing developments that have been unfolding in Libya.

The Prime Minister of the parliament-backed government, Osama Hammad, arrived in Derna today where he reviewed ongoing reconstruction projects in the city following the devastating floods caused by Storm Daniels in September 10, 2023. Hammad was accompanied by the Chairman of the Reconstruction and Stabilization Committee, Hatem Al-Araibi, and the Executive Director of the Fund for the Reconstruction of Derna and Affected Areas, Al-Qasim Haftar. The east-based premier visited Al-Fataeh University, the municipal council headquarters, and several locations covered in the Derna Reconstruction Fund.

( MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) CAIRO, Jan 1 (KUNA) -- Libya beat Kuwait 89-76 in the quarterfinals of the Arab Basketball Championship currently held in Egypt. In other matches, the United Arab Emirates overcome Algeria 79-73 and Tunisia outrivaled Somalia 95-74. (end) rgLegal Disclaimer:MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

The President of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Mohamed Al-Raied, speaking exclusively to Libya Herald, confirmed that 39 Egyptian companies will participate in the activities of the fifth edition of Libya Food exhibition, which will be held in Tripoli from 28 to 31 January. The General Union of Chambers is supporting the event. An important marketing opportunity for Egyptian food companiesAl-Raied referred to the speech of the head of the Expo Group, which organizes the Egyptian pavilion, Ashraf Abdel Rahim, at a conference, who announced the details of the exhibition, in the presence of representatives of Egyptian companies, considering the exhibition an important opportunity for Egyptian companies to introduce their products and expand exports to foreign markets. He reminded that the number of Egyptian companies in last year’s exhibition was 24 companies which increased rose to about 39 companies this year. He revealed that there are other companies in the ‘‘waiting list’’ waiting for the organisers to make space available at the exhibition.

The High National Elections Commission announced, in a press conference today, the launch of the preliminary stage for electing municipal council members in 97 municipalities at the national level. The Commission has specified a number of technical conditions for registration on electoral lists, such as the requirement to have phone numbers linked to the national numbers of voters, while the electronic system will refuse to register any citizen who does not meet this condition. The Commission also confirmed the adoption of the same polling centers that were previously registered during the general elections, noting the separation between the municipal electoral register and the register for parliamentary and presidential elections. At the conference, the Commission called on the government to support these local elections and provide full financial coverage for them as soon as possible, to ensure the success of the democratic process at the local level.

The Coordination Committee of the High Council of State said the majority of the council’s members has boycotted today’s sessions to protest against the council’s chairman, Mohammed Takala. The committee accused Takala of making unilateral decisions in violation of the council’s policies and bylaw over his support for the Government of National Unity’s controversial deal with Eni at the Hamada oilfield. The deal, reportedly scheduled to be signed this month, sparked uproar after the House of Representatives claimed that the government, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, intends to waive 40% of production at Hamada oilfield to a coalition of foreign companies, which include Eni and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. The Public Prosecution sent a notice to the National Oil Corporation, ordering halt to negations until the nature of the deal is legally examined.

A call made by Najla Mangoush, the (dismissed) Foreign Minister of the Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU), to a Greek official, brought her back to the forefront of events in the country again, amid questions about whether she was “secretly running the ministry from her self-imposed exile.”Mangoush held a telephone conversation with Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, according to local media, in which she discussed strengthening diplomatic relations with the government in the capital, Tripoli. Mangoush was dismissed by GNU Head, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, on September 28, 2023, following the crisis caused by her “secret” meeting with her then-Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, in Rome, and referred her to investigation. Dbeibeh also formed an investigation committee headed by Justice Minister Halima Abdel Rahman. After an absence from the country, media reports reported that Mangoush “is playing a current role” in terms of activating the Dbeibeh government’s relationship with Greece, which was also reported by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini. Libyans were surprised by what they called “Mangoush’s return to the forefront of events, even though her case file before the Public Prosecutor is still open without a ruling being issued yet.”

In an end of year goodwill message to shareholders, the Temporary Committee, management and staff, the suspended chairman of Assaray Trade and Investment Bank (ATIB), Naaman Elbouri said the bank has shown its resilience. ATIB, it will be recalled, one of the leading private banks in Libya, had its board suspended and a temporary one installed by the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) last May. ATIB is challenging its board suspension in court. Institutional resilience‘‘Despite all challenges, what emerged from the CBL suspension was a profound demonstration of ATIB’s institutional resilience — a testament to the strength of ATIB management and staff, not being reliant nor depending on specific individuals. We remain confident that in the weeks to come, a favourable court verdict/decree will reinstate the board, which we are confident will be respected by CBL Board and Governor.’, concluded Elbouri.