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Libya U.N. envoy expects election date to be set at coming talks

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The United Nations acting Libya envoy expects coming political talks to designate a date for national elections, she told Reuters on Tuesday, after the country’s two warring sides agreed a ceasefire last week.

“What resonates is a clear and direct desire for there to be elections in as rapid a timeframe as possible,” Stephanie Williams said.

“Whatever executive authority they agree on really needs to have a clear focus – preparing for the elections,” Williams said. “I do fully expect there to be a date designated for elections.”

Some Libyans have been critical of the list of 75 delegates invited to the political talks, arguing they are not representative of the country as a whole.

Williams said it was important to make sure the relevant political forces active on the ground were “around the table” but also include representatives from other parts of society.

Malta, Libya sign two MoUs

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Two Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs), were signed during a bilateral meeting between a Maltese delegation led by Transport Minister Ian Borg and a Libyan delegation. During the meeting, the maritime and aviation sectors were discussed, according to NewsBook

The first MOU signed concerns cooperation in the maritime and aviation sectors. The Transport Ministry said that this agreement will lead to cooperation between the two countries, even on a technical level, with regards to aspects like port administration, aviation and maritime safety, accident investigation in these sectors, training, and cooperation in international fora.

The agreement also considers the possibility of revising bilateral aviation agreements in accordance with the latest requirements, as well as the possibility of passenger connectivity between the two countries, the registration of Libyan aircraft on the Maltese registry and cooperation of knowledge about best practices between Malta and Libya.

The second MOU is about an action plan for the prevention of marine pollution. Through this agreement, Malta and Libya will have the opportunity to establish a platform where knowledge and information may be shared about several aspects related to this subject, as well as more collaboration for more effective and efficient action in the case of an accident of this kind.

The second MOU also includes the possibility of joint projects, training opportunities and other forms of collaboration.

“The finance and banking sector in Libya suffers”

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The banking expert, Haytham Al-Abidi, confirmed during a televised interview for Libyan WTV channel and Tabadul Platform, that the finance and banking sector suffers from weaknesses in the efficiency of the credit management.

  Al-Abidi said a decline in profit of about 56% has been registered during the second quarter of 2020, compared to the second quarter.   

“The quantum leap registered in 2017 was due to currency appreciation and high foreign sales services.” He said.

” There is a high concentration in the banking market… As monopolization becomes higher, services and quality become lower in these banks.” The banking expert confirmed.

” During the second quarter of 2020, the clearing accounts rose about 50 %, while the debt ratio reached 21% against the global rate, which is estimated at 5 %.” he added.

According to the expert, the economic growth is linked to the volume of funding and its means. Nevertheless, the banks have assets exceeding 70 billion, which is a great source of financing in the development process and the economic growth as well.

Al-Abidi added that the banking concentration was found in 4 state-owned banks, or only a part of them belonging to the state. These banks are; the Jumhouria Bank, the National Commercial Bank, the Wahda Bank and the Sahara Bank.

“According to the World Bank’s latest statistics, the financial and banking sector in Libya represents about 80 % of the financial industry.”

“The sector is composed of specialized commercial banks, in addition to non-banking financial institutions. We have 19 banks, 4 of which are specialized and are not subject to the Central Bank’s supervision. We also have 2  Executive Offices for Arab and foreign banks, in addition to 9 non-banking financial institutions.” Haytham Al-Abidi said.

Medserv awarded international freight forwarding services contract by OMV of Libya Ltd

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Medserv announced that it was awarded a contract to provide international freight forwarding services to OMV of Libya Ltd.

Medserv will provide services for the transportation of goods and drilling related equipment from global sites to specified locations in Libya using the Medserv facilities at the Malta Freeport as a logistics hub in the supply chain.

The Framework Agreement shall enter into force on the 30th October 2020 for a term of three years, with the option for OMV to extend the term by a further two years.

Berniq Airways To Operate First Flight

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The Director of Administration and Finance at Benina International Airport, Osama Mansour, told Sada newspaper that Berniq Airways will start operating.

Osama Mansour said that (A320) aircraft will land on Wednesday, adding that Benina International Airport will be the headquarters of Berniq Airways, the new Libyan Airline in eastern Libya.

New Coronavirus cases bring Libya’s total to 57,975

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752 new cases of Coronavirus were registered in Libya, according to the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC).

The NCDC announced in a statement on its official Facebook page that 737 new recoveries had been registered, in addition to 11 deaths due to COVID-19.

According to the Center, the total amount of infections reached 57,975 cases, 24,910 of which remain active, however the number of people fully recovered increased to 32,253, while the number of fatalities reached 812.

Image may contain: ‎text that says "‎195 الرقم الخاص بالطوارى المركالطْكالَل LIBYA CONTROL DISEASE FOR CENTRE NATIONAL 3405 التقرير اليومي لفيروس كورونا COVID-19 تاريخ:62/ 10 /0202م عدد العينات الوفيات الحالات المتعافية الموافق يوم الإثنين 11 الحالات السالبة الحالات الموجبة 738 رقم البيان:232 2,653 752 الإجمالي العام للحالات الوفيات كلنام واحد صد فير فيروس ورونا الإصابات التراكمية 812 حالات التعافي الحالات النشطة 57975 32,253 24910‎"‎

Libya to load about 160,000 b/d of Sharara crude in November

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Libya is expected to load eight cargoes of Sharara crude oil in November, or about 160,000 barrels per day, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

The El Sharara oilfield resumed production earlier this month following a ceasefire with eastern forces that had blockaded most of the country’s oil infrastructure, Reuters reported.

Ahmed Maiteeq welcomes the reopening of all oil fields

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  The Vice President of the Libyan Presidential Council (PC), Ahmed Maiteeq, welcomed the announcement by the National Oil Corporation (NOC) to lift force majeure, and congratulated the Libyan people as a whole, on the reopening of all oil fields.

He also called for the resumption of the program for economic reforms along with the swift dealing with the Libyan dinar exchange rate, whether that be on foreign commercial exchange or for personal purposes.

Maiteeq clarified that the restart of the economic reform program would contribute to the recovery of the foreign exchange situation and the neutralization of the ‘black market’ and address the crisis of cash shortage in banks.

Norland:” I hope Sarraj stays on as Prime Minister a little longer”

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The ambassador of the United States Richard Norland said there is no doubt that Wagner Group is operating on behalf of the Russian government, adding that its activities are destabilizing Libya.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awasat newspaper, Norland said the presence of any armed groups, including Wagner, in Libya will only lead to undermining the measures of trust building between the parties to the conflict.

“We cannot hope to see foreign mercenaries withdraw from western Libya if Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries remain and boost their presence in the east.” He added.

” I just want to commend Prime Minister Sarraj for announcing his intent to step down… So I would hope and expect that he stays on as Prime Minister a little longer, at least until this transfer of power is possible. Having said that it’s clear to me that he has every intention of stepping down.”

Libya to operate direct flights to Egypt and Sudan

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On Monday, an official at Afriqiyah Airways told Sada newspaper that the company would begin operating direct flights from Tripoli’s Mitiga airport to Alexandria and Khartoum. This is set to begin on 4 and 7 November

The company’s head of schedules at the commercial planning department, said that the flights to Alexandria will be operated on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The flights to Khartoum will be on Tuesdays and Saturdays.