Yesterday, flights to and from the airport resumed after hours of suspension as Mitiga airport suffered another attack, according to “Sada” economic newspaper’s statement.
It should be noted that no casualties or damage has been reported.
In the framework of its cotingency plan to face coronavirus, Libya’s National Centre For Disease Control launched isolation and quarantine chambers in Tripoli, according to an official statement the Centre published today.
The head of the Centre, Badruddin Bashir Al-Najjar, claimed that quarantine rooms were provided in Tripoli and others for isolation in Tripoli, Misurata and Benghazi.
He also clarified that isolation rooms were established in Benghazi Medical Centre, in addition to other isolation rooms in Abu Sitta Chest Diseases Hospital along with Tripoli Central Hospital.
Nevertheless, Al-Najjar added that other isolation chambers were also opened in Zureiq Chest Diseases Hospital in Misurata city.
Today, Aguila Saleh Issa, the President of the House of Representatives, invited deputies to attend an “important official meeting” next Tuesday in Tobruk.
However, no further details were announced.
NOC reconfirms a drop in production as a result of the blockade of ports and pipelines to the current level of 163,684 barrels per day, as of Thursday February 13, 2020, with losses exceeding 1 billion USD at 1,437,616,232 USD. National Oil Corporation (NOC) renews its call for all blockades to be lifted to allow the corporation to resume production immediately, for the sake of Libya and its people.
NOC continues to supply hydrocarbons to the Central and Eastern regions in sufficient quantities to meet the transport and domestic needs of citizens. A liquid petroleum gas (LPG) tanker is expected to arrive at Benghazi port today. The city of Tobruk and the rest of the Eastern region is being supplied directly from Benghazi.
Storage facilities in Tripoli and some surrounding areas, as well as in Southern regions, are still facing supply shortages due to the security situation.
Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up 13 cents at $56.47 a barrel by 07:31 GMT, after gaining 1% the previous session. Brent is 3.7% higher for the week, the first increase since the week of January 3.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures CLc1 were 14 cents higher at $51.56 a barrel. The contract rose 0.5% on Thursday and is now 2.4% higher for the week.
Today, gold eased from a more than one-week high as hopes for global measures to soften the blow of the coronavirus outbreak increased appetite for equities.
For instance, spot gold was down 0.1% at $1,575.35 per ounce as of 06:51 GMT, having touched its highest since February 4 at $1,577.89 earlier in the session. However, U.S. gold futures were flat at $1,578.50.
In yesterday’s report concerning gas and oil sales revenue, NOC reported 19% drop in revenues in January 2020 from previous month.
National Oil Corporation announced January 2020 revenues of approximately 1.77 billion USD ($1,768,879,320.49), a decrease of around 418 million USD (19%) on December 2019 revenues, and an increase of around 167 million USD (10.4%) compared with January last year.
NOC’s revenues come from sales of natural gas, crude oil and assorted derivative products, in addition to taxes and royalties received from concession contracts.
NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla commented: “January’s revenues show a dip from December 2019. However, at nearly 2.2 billion USD, December’s revenues were relatively high. January’s 1.77 billion USD figure was more in line with November’s of around 1.78 billion USD.”
He added: “On one hand figures in the last few months have reflected a relatively high oil price, with January’s revenues coming from sales in December at an average of 66.48 per barrel. On the other hand, January’s revenues also reflect some loss of production in December, such as when El Feel field had to be closed due to illegal closures of pipelines. We’ll see this to a much greater degree in February’s revenues, which will reflect the blockades that still continue and have forced us to stop production”.
January’s 10.4% gain in revenues from January 2019 reflects a significant increase in the price of oil since last year. January’s reported revenues come from sales made in December. The average OPEC basket crude oil price in December 2019 was 66.48 USD, up 9.54 USD from December 2018, when it was 56.94 USD.
Today, the Ministry of Finance called for the implementation of 2019 Prime Ministry’s resolution Number 24 concerning the reduction of the salaries of senior positions within the Presidential Council and the government.
The Ministry stated that salaries of the president and the members of the Presidential Council, the Prime Minister as well as the ministrys’ deputies must be reduced by 40%.
In addition, the wages of the presidential advisers, members of the Presidential Council along wih the minister counsellors should be reduced by 30%.
Today, after two-year restrictions, the Libyan-Tunisian land-based trade was held in Tunis between Customs Authorities along with the Ministries of Economy of both countries.
Within the framework of joint trade cooperation, the meeting aimed to overcome the difficulties and solve the obstacles that may hinder the flow of goods between the two countries.
It was also agreed to allow the entry of goods and products of foreign origin into Libya through shared land-based border crossings with Tunisia.
However, some goods were excluded from the list,for a temporary period, such as tobacco, engines, fresh and dry fruits as well as ready-made clothing.
In a report, Human Rights Watch stated that the Italian government should suspend all support to the Libyan Coast Guard until Libya commits to a clear plan to fully respect migrants’ safety and rights, adding that the plan should include closing abusive migrant detention centers and, in particular, a guarantee to protect migrants against arbitrary detention and inhuman and degrading treatment.
“Italy can’t paper over its complicity in the suffering of migrants and refugees who fall into the hands of the Libyan Coast Guard,” said Judith Sunderland, associate Europe and Central Asia division at Human Rights Watch. “Humanitarian rhetoric doesn’t justify continued support to the Coast Guard when Italy knows people apprehended at sea will be returned to arbitrary detention and abuse.” She added.
Human Rights Watch also announced that cooperation with the Libyan Coast Guard should only occur as necessary to comply with the obligation under international law of the sea to coordinate response to situations of distress at sea.
On February 9, 2020, the Italian Foreign Ministry announced that it had sent Tripoli its proposal for changes to the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding that provides the framework for cooperation on border control between the two countries. However, the Memorandum of Understanding automatically renewed for another three years on February 2.For instance, according to UNHCR figures, almost 40,000 people have been intercepted and taken back to Libya since it was signed 3 years ago.