Botched 2025 AFCON Tie : CAF President Blasts, Says Appropriate ActionAwaits Libya, NigeriaIbrahim LateefCAF President Patrice Motsepe has blasted African nations and clubs who take the habit of making visiting teams go through hell for failing to provide adequate transportation, accommodations, or training facilities, but says appropriate action will be taken, reports BSNSports.com.ng. Motsepe made his stand clear during the CAF 46th Ordinary General Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. "I have heard too many stories of a football club or national team going to a country. But also who treat them in the same way that they want to be treated when they visit those clubs. ”“When there was a problem with the Nigerian national team in Libya.

One hundred and fifty seven more stranded irregular Bangladeshi migrants returned home today (October 22) from Libya. Upon arrival, the repatriated migrants were received by the officials of the foreign ministry and IOM at the airport. Many of them had suffered abduction and abuse during their time in Libya, said the foreign ministry. The foreign ministry’s officials urged the returnees to raise awareness within their communities about the danger of illegal migration, particularly the perilous journey to Europe via Libya. The IOM provided each repatriated individual with a cash grant of Taka 6,000, food supplies, medical assistance, and temporary accommodation if required.

Italian far-right leader Giorgia Meloni’s flagship ‘return hub’ for Albanian detention centres to take in failed asylum seekers from Italy, has hit an immediate legal hurdle. According to Italy’s own rules for the scheme, only adult men who are not vulnerable and who are from designated safe countries can be sent to the centers. In February 2024, Italy finalised a deal with Albania to transfer up to 36,000 asylum seekers to detention centres in Albania each year. Despite this investment, the opening of the detention centres has been delayed by more than three months. Individuals whose cases fit the criteria for “fast-track asylum procedures” will be transferred to detention centres in Albania.

A group of 157 undocumented Bangladeshi nationals, who wanted to voluntarily return home from Libya, arrived in Dhaka early Tuesday. Most of them entered Libya facilitated by human traffickers, with the intention of illegally travelling to Europe via the sea route. They were victims of kidnapping and torture at different times in Libya, according to the foreign ministry. After arrival, the returnees were received by ministry officials and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) at the Dhaka Airport. IOM provided each repatriated person from Libya with Tk 6000 and some food items.

Just think for a moment what could have happened if that plane had crashed with the full Nigerian team aboard. That they wanted to frustrate the Nigerian team and make it easier to beat them in their return leg for the 2025 AFCON? Related NewsWhy go to the extreme of placing lives in danger over a football match? Curiously, Libya claimed that what happened to the Nigerian team is not unusual in aviation. If the Nigerian team does not play well and gets defeated, the fans will take their anger on their team and never on the visiting team.

The Confederation of African Football will on Wednesday announce its decision on the botched AFCON qualifying Group D between Libya and Nigeria, which was scheduled for Benina Martyrs Stadium on October 15, PUNCH Sports reports. The outlet also revealed that the Libyan Football Federation submitted all the documents it collected with a specialised lawyer assigned by the body to supervise the Libyan file with the Confederation of African Football. In its statement on Monday, the Libyan Football Federation denounced the measures taken by the Nigerian side regarding the team’s refusal to play its match against Libya. The Libyan authorities held them captive for approximately 17 hours, leaving them traumatized as they flew back to their home country. It referred the matter to its disciplinary committee to investigate and take appropriate action against those who violated the regulations.

Libya’s parliament, the House of Representatives (HoR), today named the six members of the Board of the Central Bank of Libya (CBL). Rida Gargab – Worked at the Audit Bureau Amer Karkar – Ali Omran‎ –The six CBL board members join Naji Issa the Governor and his Deputy Marei Al-Barassi. The CBL, in a statement issued today, welcomed the HoR announcement of the six board members. The naming of the board members should, in theory at least, end the CBL crisis triggered this summer by the Presidency Council when they replaced the Governor Saddek El-Kaber. (libyaherald.com)UNSMIL rejects HoR election of Shukri as central bank governor, says Elkaber still in place | (libyaherald.com)CBL Governor Saddek Elkaber sacked again | (libyaherald.com)

After boycotting the game, Nigeria petitioned CAF over their “inhumane” treatment by Libya, just as the Libya Football Federation (LFF) appointed a lawyer to defend it against the charges and possibly award the match to it. CAF last week appointed a committee to investigate the incident and punish any of the parties found culpable in the crisis. The Libyans have also raised concerns about possible collusion from some parties within CAF. Meanwhile, CAF will hold its executive committee (EXCO) meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, today with its president, Dr Patrice Motsepe, presiding on the deliberations. Before then, the six zonal union meetings, which started yesterday, will end today ahead of the CAF assembly at the African Union Hall.

Soaring U.S. oil exports have made Corpus Christi the world’s third-largest crude export terminal as ports in the U.S. Gulf Coast are shipping growing volumes of American energy to the international markets, including crude oil, fuels, and LNG. The Port of Corpus Christi has just announced record-high volumes moved through the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, thanks to rising shipments of crude oil. The port currently handles more than half of all U.S. crude oil exports and is also the top LNG point of export. Corpus Christi is preceded only by the Ras Tanura Port in Saudi Arabia and the Basrah oil export port in Iraq. In Iraq, Al Basrah Oil Port is capable of exporting more than 3.2 million bpd, making it the second-largest oil export facility in the world.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will announce its final decision on the botched Libya-Nigeria Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match. According to Libyan sources, the two parties had until Sunday, October 19th, to submit their sides of the case. But as Libya Al-Ahrar Channel puts it, not just the failed match at Benina Stadium is being investigated. The publication has it that the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) may have asked that the first-leg match that Libya lost should be included in the investigation. According to Libya Al-Ahrar Channel, investigations “will include the events that accompanied the first and second leg matches between the national team and Nigeria in the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.”The Libyan Federation submitted all the documents it collected with a specialized lawyer assigned by the Libyan Federation to supervise the Libyan file with the Confederation of African Football.

‎Libya’s state National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced today that its subsidiary, the Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO), completed today the mechanical connection works for the two wells K-7 and K-9 in Area K in the Nafoura field, and their production capacity is expected to reach 3,500 barrels per day.‎‎The NOC also said that AGOCO’s teams are also continuing mechanical connection work to complete the connection of 11 additional wells spread over 4 contracts, to enhance the production capacity of the Nafoura field and improve operational efficiency.‎

The Presidency of the Libyan House of Representatives has announced the appointment of new members of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Libya. The UN, the EU and the United States have repeatedly highlighted the need for the Board of Directors to be composed of independent and impartial experts. In fact, there has also been pressure from the east to appoint board members who represent the interests of Cyrenaica. He is known for his work in strengthening Libya’s financial structures. Fawzi Misbah Ali Bukhzam is the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sahara Bank.

Libya’s oil production was cut roughly in half when a blockade of major fields and ports began at the end of August. According to subsequent statements from its National Oil Corporation (NOC), the move is now on to significantly boost its crude production. The aim of this is precisely to orchestrate a rise in Libya’s production capacity to 2 million bpd in the next three to five years. ENI still produces gas in Libya from its Wafa and Bahr Essalam fields operated by Mellitah Oil & Gas, a joint venture between the Italian company and the NOC. It had also agreed to make the development of the Waha-concession North Gialo and NC-98 oil fields a priority, according to the NOC.

By Amr FathallaTiny but destructive red mites which thrive in arid conditions have led to huge crop losses in northwestern Libya and threaten to wreak havoc across the wider region. The red spider mites, typically measuring less than half a millimetre, feed on a wide range of plants, sucking the sap and causing leaves and fruits to dry up and fall off. Optimal climateAccording to Suwaisi, climate conditions have accelerated the spread of the pest, especially in the last two years. He said the red spider mite had become a major pest affecting fruit trees, vegetables, and ornamental plants across North Africa. The losses caused by red spider mites are undoubtedly huge, according to Abdul Majeed Al-Baghdadi, head of the management committee of Libya’s National Center for Prevention and Agricultural Quarantine, Tripoli branch.

- According to Libya’s national oil company, crude production has recovered to 1.3 million b/d already, depressing sweet grades in the Atlantic Basin+ as European demand remains lukewarm. - Confronted with ebbing domestic natural gas production from the offshore Zohr field, raising the risks of persistent power cuts across the country, Egypt turned to fuel oil for electricity generation. LNG Carrier Fleet Booms Despite Limited Supply Growth- The cost of renting an LNG carrier has dipped to the lowest for this time of the year since at least 2018, Bloomberg reports, despite physical demand for the chilled fuel warming up ahead of the winter season. - Iraq alleges it was compliant with its 4 million b/d production target for the first time in 2024 last month, alleging that crude output in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region has halved to 150,000 b/d. - Domestic steel demand is expected to fall 3% this year compared to 2023 to about 869 million tonnes, in contrast to global consumption of steel which despite China’s weakness is poised to grow 1.2%.