Production at one of Libya’s key oilfields has been halted for the second time in as many weeks as fighting escalates in the south-west of the country.
Sharara oilfield had reopened on April 2 after a week-long stoppage blamed on armed groups, but with battles continuing to rage in the area it was again forced to close on Sunday.
The shutdown, which the state-owned National Oil Corporation says was caused by armed groups interfering with pipelines, further affects the country’s sagging oil production, which was 660,000 barrels per day until Sunday’s shutdown.
Meanwhile, both the UN-supported Government of National Accord in Tripoli and the rival government in the eastern town of Bayda near Tobruk are sending reinforcements to a battle for control of the Tamenhint airbase nearby.
The airbase, near the main south-western town of Sabha, is held by pro-GNA forces, but is under attack from the Bayda government’s Libyan National Army commanded by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
After LNA units captured positions close to the base at the weekend, GNA defence minister Al Mahdi Al Barghathi announced the start of Operation Al Amal Al Muad (the Promise of Hope) to push back Field Marshal Haftar’s forces.
Both sides have launched air strikes on each other, and reinforcements are moving along key highways into the area.
At stake is an airbase that will give the side that holds it a key strategic advantage in south-west Libya.
Martin Kobler, chief of the United Nations Support Mission for Libya, is pushing for dialogue between the two governments, and held meetings last week in Tripoli with parliamentarians and senior leaders.
On Monday, Mr Kobler met Morocco’s foreign minister Nasser Bourita for discussions on a way forward for Libya.
Morocco has been a key supporter of Libya’s talks.
“Full agreement that only political solution can bring security & prosperity to all Libyans,” Mr Kobler tweeted after the meeting.
Diplomats hope to persuade the GNA and the Tobruk government to form a 30-strong commission to agree on a new unity government.
One crucial sticking point is the role of Field Marshal Haftar in the new government. The commander is popular in the east of the country, but fiercely opposed by many Tripoli militias.
The credibility of the GNA is also taking a pounding. It arrived in Tripoli on March 30 last year but has failed to establish its authority across the country, fix the economy or tame the capital’s fractious militias.
Italian foreign minister Angelino Alfano, who is hosting a two-day G7 summit which started on Monday, said the leaders would discuss Libya.
Rome is keen to use the G7 meeting to forge consensus among outside powers to encourage Libya’s factions to seek peace.
“In recent years, Libya has always been a priority of ours,” Italian deputy foreign minister Mario Giro told Reuters. “We hope — and at the G7 we will say it — that this issue interests also the US.”
London’s influential Royal Institute for International Affairs, also known as Chatham House, released a bleak assessment of the GNA’s progress on April 6, saying it “has little authority and limited legitimacy in the eyes of many Libyans, and is dependent on a group of Tripolitanian militias for its protection”.
“While the GNA may persevere in the interim, it is clear that, in its current form, it is doing little more than papering over the cracks,” the report said.
Another problem for Libya is a fraying of the international consensus. While outside powers insist they back a unity government, Russia favours Field Marshal Haftar and the Tobruk parliament, while the European Union backs the GNA.
US president Donald Trump has yet to issue a definitive policy statement on Libya, but the subject is likely to come up in discussions when US secretary of state Rex Tillerson heads to Moscow on Tuesday.
Diplomats privately hope that consensus on Libya can start at the top, with an agreement between Moscow and Washington that will bring support for a new unity deal.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
Four%20scenarios%20for%20Ukraine%20war
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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UAE SQUAD
UAE team
1. Chris Jones-Griffiths 2. Gio Fourie 3. Craig Nutt 4. Daniel Perry 5. Isaac Porter 6. Matt Mills 7. Hamish Anderson 8. Jaen Botes 9. Barry Dwyer 10. Luke Stevenson (captain) 11. Sean Carey 12. Andrew Powell 13. Saki Naisau 14. Thinus Steyn 15. Matt Richards
Replacements
16. Lukas Waddington 17. Murray Reason 18. Ahmed Moosa 19. Stephen Ferguson 20. Sean Stevens 21. Ed Armitage 22. Kini Natuna 23. Majid Al Balooshi
Itcan profile
Founders: Mansour Althani and Abdullah Althani
Based: Business Bay, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India
Sector: Technology, digital marketing and e-commerce
Size: 70 employees
Revenue: On track to make Dh100 million in revenue this year since its 2015 launch
Funding: Self-funded to date
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
57%20Seconds
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The years Ramadan fell in May
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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