CAIRO – 12 July 2023: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi sent cables to U.S. President Joe Biden, President of the Comoros Azali Assoumani, and President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh to extend his greetings on the occasion of Independence Day. President Biden has been to Egypt in November to attend COP 27 that was hosted in Sinai's Sharm El Sheikh. During their meeting, President Sisi noted that the long-standing strategic partnership between the two countries was pivotal in supporting security and stability in the Middle East. President Biden valued the strong and deep Egyptian-US relations and confirmed that the US considered Egypt a strong and reliable friend and ally in the region. The Spokesman added that the two presidents exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues, especially the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and its negative repercussions worldwide, mainly on the sectors of food and energy.

More allegations about the unnamed BBC presenter have been published by The Sun, claiming that the star broke COVID rules to meet a 23-year-old. Now that the Metropolitan Police have asked the BBC to pause internal inquiries into suspended presenter, we ask if there has been a mood shift in the way this story should have been reported. On the Sky News Daily with Kimberley Leonard, from outside the BBC’s New Broadcasting House, arts and entertainment correspondent Katy Spencer explains the latest allegations and how the story could progress. Plus, in Ukraine, our international correspondent John Sparks has interviewed two foreign volunteers who have been fighting in the army as foreign fighters for the past 17 months, including Rhys Byrne, codename 'Rambo', a spirited 28-year-old from Dublin. #skynews #podcast #bbc SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skynews Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skynews For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps: Apple https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-news/id316391924?mt=8 Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bskyb.skynews.android&hl=en_GB Sky News Daily podcast is available for free here: https://podfollow.com/skynewsdaily/ Sky News videos are now available in Spanish here/Los video de Sky News están disponibles en español aquí: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzG5BnqHO8oNlrPDW9CYJog To enquire about licensing Sky News content, you can find more information here: https://news.sky.com/info/library-sales

A vessel belonging to the militia of Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar illegally returned about 250 migrants onboard a fishing boat in distress in international waters near Malta to Benghazi, in an operation at the weekend. The operations were monitored by EURACTIV from the Ocean Viking in the Mediterranean Sea. When the 57 survivors were brought onboard the Ocean Viking, slightly before 2 PM CEST, the NGO boat started to navigate towards the fishing boat in distress. Initially, the Maltese authorities gave the fishing vessel the satellite number of the Ocean Viking, an unusual practice in SAR coordination. However, later in the day, the Italy told the Ocean Viking to change course because Malta wanted to assume coordination of the rescue.

The North African country is a key departure point for migrants, with many risking the perilous sea journey seeking a better life in Europe. ALSO READ: Libya strongman Haftar threatens military action over oil revenuesWERE THE LIBYA NATIONALS SPECIFIED? War-torn Libya is a crucial launchpad for migrants often fleeing conflict and poverty in sub-Saharan African countries. In October 2021, the United States and the United Nations imposed sanctions on a Libyan, Osama Al Kuni Ibrahim, accused of abusing African migrants at a detention centre in Libya. ALSO READ: UN insists on dignity for migrants and asylum seekers in Libya

The Head of Libya’s Higher National Electoral Commission (HNEC), Imad Al-Sayeh, yesterday discussed with Russia’s Ambassador in Tripoli, Aydar Aganin, the latest developments in the electoral process and preparations for holding parliamentary and presidential consultations in the country. The meeting, which took place at the headquarters of the electoral commission in Tripoli, discussed the support and expertise that can be provided in the field of electoral process management and implementation, as well as ways to support efforts aimed at to ensure the success of the elections in accordance with international standards. The Russian ambassador confirmed Moscow’s support for the HNEC’s work to hold elections defined as “free and credible”, which reflect the will of the Libyan people and the aspirations for peace and stability. Lastly, the commission specified that the visit of the Russian ambassador falls within the framework of the international community’s support for the electoral process in Libya.

The NGO SOS Méditerranée and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) denounced on Monday the shooting of the Libyan coast guard during a rescue operation. “Shortly after the evacuation of the 11 survivors on the inflatable lifeboats of the Ocean Viking, a Libyan Coast Guard patrol boat approached at high speed and began firing several shots in the immediate vicinity of the victims. Sunday, in a previous press release, SOS Méditerranée had specified that the crew of the Libyan patrol boat had “fired several times in the air”. Earlier Friday, the Ocean Viking had rescued an initial group of 46 people in the area without incident. To disembark these 57 surviving migrants, the Ocean Viking was designated by the Italian authorities the port of Civitavecchia, three days away.

A Libyan court has jailed 37 people convicted of human trafficking – following the deaths of 11 migrants who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea, according to a statement by the office of Libya’s chief prosecutor. Five members of the criminal gang were sentenced to life in prison – others received between one and 15 years. All had been involved in organizing a dilapidated boat that was supposed to take the migrants to Italy. The statement did not say when the deadly shipwreck took place or provide further details.

Chief Japanese Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno also denounced North Korea over its repeated ballistic missile launches as “threats to the peace and safety of Japan, the region and international society.” He said that Japan protested to North Korea via embassies in Beijing. In an emergency security council meeting convened in Lithuania, Yoon told officials that North Korea must face consequences over its provocation. Since 2017, North Korea has performed a slew of intercontinental ballistic missile launches as part of its efforts to acquire nuclear-tipped weapons capable of striking major U.S. cities. Some experts say North Korea still has some technologies to master to possess functioning nuclear-armed ICBMs. U.N. Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from engaging in any launches using ballistic technologies.

Old photos of shipwreck off Libya falsely shared as 'Greece migrant boat disaster'Copyright © AFP 2017-2023. The pictures actually show the deadly sinking of an overcrowded migrant boat off the Libyan coast in May 2016. One photo, which shows an overcrowded boat tilting to one side, was posted on Twitter here on June 18, 2023. "At least seven migrants have drowned after the heavily overcrowded boat they were sailing on overturned, the Italian navy said. AFP published both pictures in its report about the disaster (archived link).

A small victory in the never-ending fight for free speechThe Dalli judgments are just one small victory in the never-ending fight for free speech and an enabling environment for journalism to thrive

Every migrant I speak to has friends who have died attempting the same journey. Some have also been following news on social media of the Greek disaster - one of the deadliest migrant sinkings in years, in which up to 750 people are believed to have died - which happened less than two weeks earlier. Those migrants had also set sail from Libya.

(@ChaudhryMAli88)Tunis, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Jul, 2023 ) :Hundreds of migrants left stranded in harsh conditions on the Tunisia-Libya border after fleeing violence were moved on Monday, an NGO said, but fears remained for dozens of others forced towards Algeria. "All of the 500 to 700 migrants who were at the Libyan border have been transferred elsewhere," Salsabil Chellali of Human Rights Watch (HRW) in Tunis told AFP. "But many other people expelled near the Algerian border risk their lives if they are not rescued immediately," she added. About 30 migrants have been abandoned to fend for themselves in a desert area near the Algerian village of Douar El Ma, close to the Tunisian border, he said. The group called on the United States, European Union and individual European countries to provide urgent aid and condemn the "forced expulsions by the Tunisian security services".

Today, the Libyan High Council of states gave its “initial acceptance” to a roadmap proposal pertaining the implantation of elections laws. The council convened its 88th session during members discussed the proposal and approved it, but requested few amendments, according to a brief statement by the council.

Asylum claims lodged in Malta in 2022 were lower than in the previous year, despite a growing number of crossings through the treacherous Central Mediterranean route. Detections of boat migrants attempting the deadly route rose by over 50% to 106,000 in 2022, making it the second busiest route for asylum seekers into Europe. In a sign of the growing fatalities of the route, detections outnumbered asylum claims in Italy and Malta, the two countries along this route. While asylum claims lodged in Malta were lower than in the previous year – 444 sea arrivals compared to 832 – applications in Italy increased by over one-half in 2022. In 2022, Malta granted refugee status or subsidiary protection in just 6% of total decisions.

ch-aviation understands that even if confirmed, the decision would only apply to Italian airlines and subject to designation. All Libyan airlines were proscribed by the European Commission in 2014 on safety grounds and remain banned from any operations in the bloc's airspace, including overflights. As the EU Air Safety List takes precedence over any domestic legislation, EU member states cannot unilaterally reauthorise Libyan carriers. Greece and Malta are the only EU countries with direct scheduled flights to Libya. While Malta MedAir (MT, Malta International) operates to GNU-controlled Misurata and Tripoli Mitiga, Greece's Marathon Airlines (O8, Athens) flies to Benghazi, an eastern city under the control of rival Libyan National Army (LNA) forces.