Qatar sponsors meeting for Libyan political and Islamist figures in Istanbul, Italian press reports
A national consultative meeting between Libyan political and Islamist figures was held yesterday at the Elite World Grand Hotel in Istanbul in Istanbul, Italian news agency Nova reports. Citing unnamed Libyan sources, Nova stated that the meeting was organized by Ali al-Sallabi, a Libyan Islamist politician known for his close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, under sponsorship from Qatar. Also present on the guest list was Faisal Gergab, former chairman of the Libyan Post Telecommunications and Information Technology Company (LPTIC). According to Nova, Mohammed Augila, political coordinator of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, was invited by the organizer but declined to attend the meeting. Nova did not report on the subject of talks at the Qatar-sponsored meeting.
Source:Libya Today
January 05, 2023 18:35 UTC
Saleh and Al-Mishri to hold another round of talks in Tobruk, says HCS member
Speaker of Libya’s House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, and chairman of the High Council of State (HCS), Khaled Al-Mishri, have agreed to hold another round of talks in Tobruk “in the coming days” after achieving a breakthrough in today’s negotiations in Cairo over the constitutional basis for elections in the country, announced a member of the HCS. Belkassem Qzit, who was also part of the HCS delegation that accompanied Al-Mishri to Cairo, expects the House and the Council to vote on the constitutional document that was announced today in Cairo “to become effective.”He also expressed assurances about the elections plan that both Saleh and Al-Mishri have been working on. “The road map that the leaders of the House and the Council announced today in Cairo will be clear and detailed regarding the timing, mechanisms and procedures of the elections,” explained Qzit. “The road map will be a time map with specific regulations that include all procedures and laws related to the electoral process,” he added. The HCS member also revealed that there are two points of contention remain to be resolved between the House and the Council, which are permitting military personnel and dual nationals to run for public office.
Source:Libya Today
January 05, 2023 15:33 UTC
Meta Faces $414m EU Fine over Advert Policies
European Union (EU) regulators have hit Meta Platforms with a massive fine for violating advert policies, the New York Times reported on Monday. Most tech firms also use EU regulations in their global policies to streamline policies, the report said. In May 2021, the Irish Data Protection Commission ruled it would possibly block data flows between the bloc and the US, suspending Meta’s data transfer requests temporarily. The agreement comes after the months-long impasse over EU data privacy rights. He also stated in a previous interview its intentions to protect metaverse users and deepen cooperation with global ethics committees.
Source:Libya Today
January 05, 2023 12:39 UTC
Libyan PM vows to preserve unity, avoid war - News Today
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah has vowed that his government will strive to preserve the country’s unity and avoid war or armed conflict.Dbeibah made his remarks during a graduation ceremony for 306 police officers from the police academy in the western town of Aziziya, which is located some 46 km south of the capital Tripoli, reports Xinhua news agency.”We work together to protect Libya, its unity and we reject any return to war,” Dbeibah said in a speech during the celebration.Acting Interior Minister Emad al-Tarabelsi vowed to make more efforts to develop the interior ministry and impose security in all of Libya.”I would like to assure all the Libyans that the Interior Ministry, under the instructions from the Prime Minister, will be subject to great development in all of Libya,” al-Tarabelsi said in a speech at the celebration.He also said the Ministry would secure all the development projects the government will implement this year in Libya.Because of the state of political division and chaos in Libya since the fall of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, authorities have been struggling to impose security in the country, as many armed groups operate independently.
Source:Libya Today
January 05, 2023 09:36 UTC
Instability fuels North Africa’s illegal tobacco trade
Instability fuels North Africa’s illegal tobacco trade2023-01-05The trafficking of tobacco is a multibillion-dollar business worldwide. The volumes of contraband trafficked into North Africa are staggering. Traffickers use two main methods to smuggle cigarettes to and within North Africa. The Balkans play a significant role in smuggling cigarettes to North Africa. In the present situation though, cigarette smuggling is likely to remain a major headache for North Africa, the Balkans and South-Eastern Europe.
Source:Libya Today
January 05, 2023 09:29 UTC
1,088 migrants rescued off Libyan coast in past week - Daily News Egypt
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that 1,088 migrants were rescued and returned to Libya in the past week. “In the period of 25-31 December 2022, 1,088 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya,” the IOM said in a statement. The rescued migrants included 1,241 women and 776 children, it added. In 2022, a total of 24,684 migrants were rescued and returned to Libya, the IOM revealed, adding 525 migrants died and 848 others went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route. Rescued migrants usually end up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers and release the migrants.
Source:Libya Today
January 05, 2023 09:04 UTC
Libyan state expenditure was LD 127.9 billion in 2022, up LD 42 billion on 2021: latest CBL stats
Libyan state expenditure in 2022 amounted to LD 127.9 billion, an increase of LD 42 billion on 2021, in which the total expenditure had amounted to LD 85.5 billion, according to statistics published by the Tripoli Central Bank of Libya (CBL) today. The first chapter (salaries) of the unofficial budget saw a jump in expenditure on salaries to LD 47 billion dinars for 2022, compared to LD 33 billion the previous year. An increase of state-sector salaries accounts for most of this. Oil revenues achieved a slight improvement to LD 105.5 billion compared to LD 103.4 billion last year. This s partly to increased world crude oil prices, increased and stable oil production in Libya and the lack of political or industrial strikes or wars.
Source:Libya Today
January 05, 2023 02:02 UTC
Prince Harry's friend and group of ex-military personnel intercepted by police en route to Libya
A group of British ex-military personnel led by Jack Mann, one of Prince Harry’s closest friends, was intercepted by police while trying to board a plane to Libya last month, it has emerged. The Maltese Police confirmed that officers spoke to the group of 16 on December 10, amid concerns that the individuals were private military contractors. Libya has been mired by conflict since the Arab Spring of 2011 and the death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi later that year. No further action was required.”The Sanctions Monitoring Board falls under the responsibility of the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, which has been approached for comment. Mr Mann’s party stated they were only visiting Libya to provide medical training, which is permitted under UN guidelines.
Source:Libya Today
January 05, 2023 01:55 UTC
Libya’s Oil Production Capacity Won’t Exceed 1.8 Million Bpd By 2024
In November, Libya’s crude oil production averaged 1.133 million bpd, the latest OPEC monthly report for December showed last month. ADVERTISEMENTThis year, Libyan oil production could reach 1.3 million bpd, after averaging 1.12 million bpd in 2022, according to the African Energy Chamber. ADVERTISEMENTLibya’s oil production recovered after the country resumed oil exports in July. The force majeure severely crippled Libya’s oil exports following weeks of protests and closures amid the new rift in Libya’s political class over who should be governing the country. A stable Libya and fresh projects could see that output grow to 7.25 million bpd by 2030, according to the African Energy Chamber.
Source:Libya Today
January 05, 2023 00:38 UTC
Libya's total oil revenues at $22.01 bln in 2022 -statement
Libya's total oil revenues reached 105.5 billion Libyan dinars ($22.01 billion) in 2022 compared with 103.4 billion libyan dinars in 2021, the central bank said on Wednesday. ($1 = 4.7940 Libyan dinars)(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source:Libya Today
January 04, 2023 23:40 UTC
Armed clashes broke out in the city of Al-Ajailat
Sudden armed clashes erupted on Tuesday, in the Al-Matmar area in the city of Al-Ajailat, 80 km west of the capital, Tripoli, which led to the suspension of studies in the area. The Red Crescent called on the people to stay as far away from windows and doors as possible to avoid injuries and to avoid leaving their homes without coordination, while the Education Monitoring in the city of Al-Ajailat announced the suspension of studies until further notice. Despite the cessation of the clashes, the security and government agencies did not give any information about the clashes.
Source:Libya Observer
January 04, 2023 23:06 UTC
Heads of two Libyan chambers set to meet in Egypt for talks
Libyan Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh and the head of the Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS), Khalid al-Mishri, are set to meet in Egypt later this week, a council member said Wednesday. "Al-Mishri will head for Cairo today to meet with Saleh," he told Anadolu Agency (AA), requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media. He said the two sides will discuss a host of issues, including the constitutional path, the executive authority and sovereign positions. "The constitutional committee tasked with preparing the constitutional basis will meet in Cairo after (the) al-Mishri-Saleh meeting," the council member said. Oil-rich Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011 when longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi was ousted after four decades in power.
Source:Libya Today
January 04, 2023 21:57 UTC
Libya's central bank says 2022 oil revenues rose to $22 bln
Adds details, contextTRIPOLI Jan 4 (Reuters) - Libya's oil revenues rose to 105.5 billion Libyan dinars ($22.01 billion) in 2022 from 103.4 billion libyan dinars in 2021, the central bank said on Wednesday. The Central Bank of Libya (CBL) said it allocated 34.4 billion dinars for the state oil firm - (NOC)- as "emergency and temporary financial arrangements". The United States is pushing for a financial oversight mechanism to ensure the transparent and fair distribution of Libyan oil revenue. Total spending was 127.9 billion dinars, a 49% increase compared to 2021 when it stood at 85.8 billion dinars, the bank said. The CBL also said public salary payments were 47.1 billion dinars, up from 33.1 billion in 2021.
Source:Libya Today
January 04, 2023 21:51 UTC
HoR First Deputy Speaker briefs House on his meeting with Al-Sour
First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR), Fawzi Al-Nuwairi, gave a briefing before the House on Tuesday on his meeting with Attorney General Al-Siddiq Al-Sour. The HoR Spokesman, Abdullah Blehaq, said the parliament discussed during its session in Benghazi the draft law for youth and sports before referring it to the relevant committee for final review. Al-Nuwairi, who headed Tuesday's session, said he discussed with the Attorney General measures to activate the investigation authority, enhance integration between the oversight bodies and the Public Prosecution, and support the national reconciliation project. On Monday, the HoR called on the Attorney General to provide a briefing on the extradition of Abu-Ageila Masoud to the United States of America.
Source:Libya Observer
January 04, 2023 21:38 UTC
Economy Minister Hwej says development of the south needs US$ 10 billion for several years, calls for Libya’s division into ten governorates
Tripoli, Under the slogan “Challenges of Reality and Steps to the Beginning”, the Libya International Spatial Development Forum was held today at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Tripoli. The event was held in the presence of Ramadan Boujanah, Deputy Prime Minister, Mohamed Al-Hwej, Minister of Economy and Trade, several undersecretaries, specialists and interested parties from state institutions, business leaders, and a group of dignitaries from the Libyan south. It seeks to provide a full briefing on the characteristics and advantages of the Libyan south and to draw a road map for the development of the regions of the Libyan south through transit trade and its services. Transit trade needs infrastructure expenditure: airports, ports, roads, and warehousesMinister Hwej said Libya will need four main airports in large cities to establish transit trade, deep ports to accommodate ships of large sizes and deep drafts, and two main roads. One of these transit trade roads would extend from Misrata to the southern Free Zone of Tamanhint and from there to Niger and the rest of the sub-Saharan African countries.
Source:Libya Today
January 04, 2023 20:56 UTC