As many as 61 migrants, including women and children, drowned following a "tragic" shipwreck off Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Libya said on social media platform X on Saturday. The organisation quoted survivors as saying the boat, carrying around 86 people, departed the Libyan city of Zwara. The central Mediterranean continues to be one of the world's most dangerous migration routes. advertisementLibya and Tunisia are one of the prominent departure points for migrants to reach Europe via Italy. More than 153,000 migrants arrived in Italy this year from Tunisia and Libya, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

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According to the IOM’s missing migrants project, at least 940 migrants were reported dead and 1,248 missing off Libya between Jan. 1 and Nov. 18. The project, which tracks migration movements, said about 14,900 migrants, including over 1,000 women and more than 530 children, were intercepted and returned to Libya this year. In 2022, the project reported 529 dead and 848 missing off Libya. Over 24,600 were intercepted and returned to Libya. Human traffickers in recent years have benefited from the chaos in Libya, smuggling in migrants across the country’s lengthy borders, which it shares with six nations.

CAIRO (AP) — A boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving more than 60 people — including women and children — dead, the U.N. migration agency said. Saturday’s shipwreck was the latest tragedy in this part of the Mediterranean Sea, a key dangerous route for migrants seeking a better life in Europe, where, according to officials, thousands have died. Libya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The country is a major launching point for migrants trying to reach the European shores through the deadly central Mediterranean. The abuse often accompanies attempts to extort money from the families of those held, before the imprisoned migrants are allowed to leave Libya on traffickers’ boats to Europe.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said that 61 migrants, including children, are believed to have drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya while they were trying to cross the Mediterranean seat to enter Europe, reported BBC. The agency further said that high waves inundated the boar and 61 migrants have been missing since then, presumed dead. BBC reported that Libya is among the main departure points for migrants who want to enter Europe. In June this year, at least 78 people died while 100 others were rescued after a fishing boat sank off southern Greece. According to the UN's refugee agency, BBC reported, over 153,000 migrants have arrived in Italy this year from Tunisia and Libya.

Libya Moves Forward: Preparatory Committee Concludes Third Meeting, Charts Course for National ReconciliationNoteworthy progress was marked in Libya’s journey towards national reconciliation, as the third regular meeting of the Preparatory Committee concluded in Sabha. The agenda of the meeting centred around key decisions for the upcoming National Reconciliation Conference. Establishing the Preparatory CommitteeThe Sabha meeting also saw the establishment of a mechanism for creating the Preparatory Committee for the conference. The next preparatory meeting of the committee was decided to be held in the city of Zuwara, marking the end of the current month. The upcoming National Reconciliation Conference aims to rectify these issues, marking a new chapter in Libya’s political landscape.

Orbex has secured another 3.3 million pounds ($4.14 million) in funding, the company announced Dec. 13. The funding is from the UK Space Agency (UKSA) as part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) ‘Boost!’ initiative. The initiative, which is part of ESA’s Commercial Space Transportation Services and Support program, is designed to further the development of world-leading space launch technologies. Orbex will use the funding to undertake activities to build the Launch Complex at Sutherland Spaceport, located on the north coast of Scotland. program is not only very welcome, it’s further validation of our commitment to delivering low-carbon, high-performance space launch services in a way that respects the environment.

Eutelsat OneWeb is beginning to see the benefits of offering multi-orbit services. It has won a new contract to deliver connectivity services, on both Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), to Libya. Eutelsat OneWeb announced the deal Dec. 13. Eutelsat OneWeb will provide exclusive access to its LEO powered connectivity constellation, delivering full connectivity over Libya from early 2024. The multi-million-dollar, multi-year contract further cements the existing relationship between Eutelsat Group and RLTT.

Libya’s state-owned Sirte Oil company says its output has hit 93,500 b/d with the Raguba field producing at 13,300 b/d, the highest level since 2011. This comes as Libya’s self-reported output hit 1.206mn b/d for November, the highest since Tripoli began ‘direct reporting’ of figures to the Opec secretariat earlier this year. NOC’s daily figure of 1.240mn b/d on 14 September is also the highest since NOC began reporting such data on an irregular basis in July 2022. MEES assesses Libya’s November crude output somewhat lower at 1.90mn b/d, up 20,000 b/d on October but only slightly above the 1.83mn b/d year-to-date average. (CONTINUED - 165 WORDS)

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh on 11 December launched a new renewable energy strategy in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). According to a government statement, the “National Strategy for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency” will focus mainly on energy diversification and reducing consumption. (CONTINUED - 160 WORDS)

Social partners support flexible retirement among other measures aimed at addressing labour shortages. Incentives for people over 61 years old were among the subjects discussed during a Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) council meeting, where the Malta Chamber and the General Workers’ Union (GWU) presented research on active ageing. Fiscal incentives, the avoidance of imposing active ageing, and recognizing the resource potential of older workers were highlighted as considerations. Parliamentary secretary for social dialogue, Andy Ellul thanked the MCESD for its work throughout 2023 and outlined impactful initiatives for 2024. These include launching an entity for public consultation on EU-related matters, addressing workplace democracy, green collective bargaining, AI in the workplace, and union membership for low-wage earners.

Orban, who in the past has also delayed some EU sanctions against Russia, said Ukraine should only get aid after 2024’s European elections. Hungary’s objections to Ukraine’s formal membership talks and long-term funding are seen as an effort by Orban to extract the frozen EU funds earmarked for Hungary. On Wednesday, the European Commission released some €10 billion in frozen aid, after Hungry fulfilled demands for judicial reforms. ‼️BREAKING‼️EU-Commission releases 10bn Euros of EU funds to the Orban regime. “The signal is fatal: the EU Commission is showing today that Viktor Orban’s blackmail tactics are paying off.

Low-Pressure System to Impact Northwest and Northeast Regions of LibyaThe National Meteorological Center (NMC) of Libya has predicted a significant drop in temperature in the northwest regions of the country. This is due to the anticipated extension of a low-pressure system, which is expected to impact the area starting from the evening of the following day. The influence of this weather system is also expected to extend to the northeastern regions of the country. Low-Pressure System: A Weather PhenomenonA low-pressure system, often associated with unstable weather conditions, is an atmospheric phenomenon characterized by lower atmospheric pressure at its center than the areas around it. Anticipated Effects on Northwest and Northeast LibyaAs the low-pressure system gradually moves to the east, it is expected to develop into a significant storm system over the weekend.

The Tripoli based Libyan government reported the Adviser to the Tripoli based Libyan Prime Minister for Electricity and Renewable Energy Affairs, Osama Al-Darrat, discussed with Greek Ambassador Nikos Dendias the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries in the field of electricity and renewable energies. The two parties stressed the continuation of communication through the Electrical Interconnection Committee, to coordinate efforts to follow up on the Electrical Interconnection Project between Libya and Greece. Libya discusses cooperation in renewables with Greece (libyaherald.com)Libya and Malta discuss strengthening energy cooperation and follow up on June’s MoU (libyaherald.com)Libya and Malta sign MoU on electricity connectivity during Maltese PM’s Tripoli visit (libyaherald.com)The International Conference on Renewable Energies and Green Hydrogen in Benghazi discusses several key topics (libyaherald.com)Beyond the controversial Turkish maritime agreement: Greece seeks cooperation in energy, construction, maritime transport, health, security, tourism, education and culture (libyaherald.com)

The Supreme E-Government Committee, headed by Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs Walid Al-Lafi, followed up on preparations for launching the pilot phase of the Unified Electronic Services package last Tuesday. In its meeting on Tuesday held in Tripoli, the committee approved the general plan for the project’s stages, the distribution of its sections, the documentary evidence, and the definition of the package scheduled to be launched next February, within the vision approved by the Council of Ministers for the digital transformation project, which would contribute to developing the services provided to citizens. It will be recalled that last December, Tripoli based Libyan Prime Minister Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba issued Circular No. 16 regarding the implementation of the Secure Government Network for data exchange, so that the Libyan Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology Company would prepare and implement digital transformation projects, in coordination with the General Information Authority to ensure the protection and confidentiality of government data.