Alleged fuel smuggler Gordon Debono has requested an urgent police investigation aimed at identifying the government-based source of rumours which had falsely connected him to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The request cites the conclusions of the public inquiry into Caruana Galizia’s killing, which amongst other things, had declared that the State was responsible for spreading these rumours. “The Board is informed that this is what happened after the assassination, when the Office of the Prime Minister disseminated the possibility that the individuals behind the murder could be persons connected to fuel smuggling. News which also began to be spread in the international press,” the report had said. However, Debono’s letter pointed out, neither the amount allegedly laundered, nor the predicate offence (the crime whose proceeds required laundering) had yet been identified, two full years after the start of the proceedings.

Libya aims to increase the level of oil production to two million barrels per day, announced the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) on Thursday. Chairman of NOC, Farhat bin Qadara, said a medium-term plan will be outlined to achieve this goal, which will extend from three to five years and that will see the participation of several companies with their own projects, according to a statement by NOC. Bin Qadara announced that the production rate in the last month has slightly exceeded the figure of one million and 200 thousand barrels per day.

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The U.S. Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, paid tribute on Thursday to Sheikh Al-Basha Saleh Al-Atyush, a leading figure of Al-Mghrabi tribe from eastern Libya, who passed away yesterday. “We honor his contributions supporting peace, unity, and reconciliation in Libya,” Norland was quoted as saying by the U.S. Embassy in Libya via Twitter. The American diplomat offered his condolences to Al-Atyush’s family and loved ones.

Scenes of desperation as migrant ship sinks during rescueBy FRANCISCO SECO - Associated PressFrancisco Seco - staff, AP Migrants swim next to their overturned wooden boat during a rescue operation by Spanish NGO Open Arms at south of the Italian Lampedusa island at the Mediterranean sea, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. Francisco Seco - staff, AP Italian coast guard members rescue migrants after their boat overturned and started to sink at south of the Italian Lampedusa island at the Mediterranean sea, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. An Associated Press photographer who was aboard the ship operated by Spanish group Open Arms documented the harrowing rescue, capturing images of people desperately clinging to their overturned boat as it sank. Open Arms tweeted that all the passengers survived and were transferred to an Italian coast guard ship. The Open Arms says it has rescued more than 26,500 people since 2015.

The Metaverse could potentially host large volumes of cryptocurrency transactions that could pose risks to users and investors, researchers from the Bank of England said in a blog post on Tuesday. According to Owen Lock of the BoE’s Resilience Division and Teresa Cascino, the Bank’s Fintech Hub, institutions were urged to regulate cryptocurrency use to mitigate meltdown risks in the Metaverse. A statement released by the Bank of England a few hours ago. They’re coming for our JPEGs and the only way we can win this is by onboarding 100M people to the open metaverse ASAP. Figures from Citibank have found that the Metaverse is set to reach a total market value of $13 trillion USD by 2030 and host up to five billion users, leading to the development of a virtual economy.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia supports all efforts aimed at achieving stability in Libya, the Kingdom’s foreign minister said on Thursday. During the Libya Stabilization Conference, Prince Faisal bin Farhan praised efforts made by the new unified authority in Libya to meet the aspirations and hopes of the Libyan people towards achieving a united and sovereign state that enjoys security, stability, and development. Prince Faisal added that the Kingdom’s participation in the conference is a continuation of its policy aimed at reaching solutions that are in the interest of the Arab community and benefit the peoples of the region and the world. “The Kingdom stresses the importance of concerted international efforts to combat terrorism and extremist militias so that Libya will not be a safe haven for these groups, through which they threaten the stability of this country and its regional and international surroundings,” the foreign minister said. The conference ended with a communique stressing the need for confidence-building steps to enable fair, transparent and inclusive elections on Dec. 24, Libyan Foreign Minister Najla El-Mangoush said on Thursday.

The embassy of the United States (US) and US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said they look forward to supporting continued Libyan-led progress to reunify Libya’s military, including the efforts of Generals Mohammed Al-Haddad and Abdelrazik Al-Nathori, as well as the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC). The US embassy said on Twitter on Tuesday that ambassador Richard Norland explained that with the change of command at AFRICOM, the US embassy to Libya welcomes General Michael Langley and extends its gratitude to General Stephen Townsend for his contributions to supporting stability and promoting security in Libya. "Today also marks the 82nd anniversary of the Libyan Army, a day to note the important role of Libyans in military uniform committed to serving the people of Libya". The US embassy said. The Libyan army celebrated on Tuesday the 82nd anniversary of its foundation by holding a military parade that was attended by the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, a number of ministers, the Head of the Presidential Council and his two deputies, Chief of General Staff Mohammed Al-Haddad, military officers, a number of ministers, and members of diplomatic missions in Libya.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Wednesday said Ulema had resolved to counter disinformation campaign against Pakistan Army through thick and thin. He said they will express solidarity with Pakistan Army and counter the negative propaganda drive being run by some miscreants with malafide intentions against them from Mehrab-o-Mimber. He made it clear that Pakistan Army was redline for all of us and certain elements who were talking to disintegrate Pakistan Army would be no more successful in their nefarious designs come what may. On the peaceful observation of Muharram processions and gatherings, he thanked the federal and provincial governments including Pakistan Army for providing foolproof security and managing all the affairs in a better way. He also lauded the Ulema, Mashaikh, Zakir and religious scholars for following the ‘Paigham-e-Pakistan Code of Conduct’ pertaining to Muharram-ul-Haram in letter and spirit.

Libya has appointed an ambassador to Libya after the position remained vacant for more than four years. Saleh Mohamed Himma Bakda submitted his credentials to the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ramtane Lamamra, on Monday. The Libyan diplomat expressed his "thanks and gratitude to the Algerian authorities for standing with Libya in these delicate circumstances." The appointment of Bakda as the Libyan ambassador to Algeria came after the position was vacant for about four years since Mohamed Mukhtar Mazen stepped down at the beginning of 2018. In October 2021, Algeria appointed the former speaker of parliament Slimane Chenine as ambassador to Libya.

China says exercises held near Taiwan have concludedBy ANI Published: Published Date - 05:25 PM, Wed - 10 August 22Photo: IANSBeijing: China on Wednesday announced that it has concluded its military drills after more than a week-long training near Taiwan, simulating an attack on the self-ruled island. The PLA Eastern Theater Command said it had successfully completed various missions during recent drills around Taiwan and effectively tested the troops’ joint operation combat capacity, state media outlet Global Times reported. “…China has used the drills in its military playbook to prepare for the invasion of Taiwan. It is conducting large-scale military exercises and missile launches, as well as cyberattacks, disinformation, and economic coercion, in an attempt to weaken public morale in Taiwan,” he said. Justifying its large-scale military drills and airspace violations in the East and South China sea, China on Tuesday said that after Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the country is now preparing itself for every possible scenario.

7 new people tested positive for COVID-19, marking 32 percent of the infection rate, according to a Wednesday report by the National Center for Disease Control in Libya (NCDC). The center also said one person died and 203 have recovered during the same reporting period. The total recorded COVID-19 cases in Libya have exceeded more than 50,000 since the start of the pandemic, while over 490,000 of which have recovered, according to the NCDC. The virus has claimed the lives of 6,434 people. Over two million people received one dose of the vaccination, while more than one million others were vaccinated with two doses.

President of the Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS), Khaled al-Mishri, has discussed with the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peace-building Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, the political developments in Libya. This came during a phone call he received on Tuesday, said HCS Information Office on Wednesday. Al-Mishri explained HCS’ position on the country’s political crisis and its vision to get out of it by organizing elections on sound constitutional and legal bases that would renew the country’s political legitimacy and end the transitional periods.

Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) are technologies that overlay or replace physical environments with virtual content. The degree of immersion in virtual reality vs augmented realityIn VR, the user is completely absorbed in a virtual environment and minimises boundaries and markers. Varying degrees of flexibility and use casesAnother key difference between AR and VR is how the two technologies are used. On a VR headset, 4K resolution quality would require a minimum bandwidth of 500 Mbps, and streaming low-resolution 360-degree VR needs at least 25 Mbps. Furthermore, VR users require 600 Mbps for retinal-grade full 360-degree video experiences.

A Roman mosaic from 500-550 CE currently held in the Metropolitan Museum's collection - Public domain, via the Metropolitan Museum. CAIRO – 10 August 2022: The New York Criminal Court issued a decision to arrest Georges Lotfi, a prominent Lebanese antiquities collector and antiquities dealer. For years, Lotfi has been briefing authorities on the movements of looted and smuggled artifacts. Georges Lotfi, 81, is a former pharmaceutical businessman residing in Tripoli (Northern Lebanon). He has been an avid collector and an active dealer of Roman mosaics for decades.