Separately, a charity vessel carried out 15 rescue operations and the Italian coast guard on Sunday recovered a body off the western coast of Sicily from a shipwreck. Tens of thousands of migrants have set out this year from northern African shores to try reach Europe. The Italian coast guard on Sunday recovered a man's body from a shipwreck of a rubber dinghy a day earlier near Marettimo, Italian state TV quoted a Trapani-based port official, Gulgielmo Cassone, as saying. State TV said one person was believed missing, and a coast guard helicopter was deployed in the search. The charity ship Ocean Viking, in a recent 48-hour-period, carried out 15 separate rescue missions under the direction of the Italian coast guard, its most ever.

The Attorney General’s Office announced today that the Zawia Public Prosecutor has ordered the detention, pending further investigation, of the Commander of the Isnad Force in charge of protecting the Zawia Oil Refinery. The Commander is accused of fuel smuggling. It also announced the prosecution of administration and security officials involved in fuel smuggling at the refinery.

The Attorney General’s Office announced today that the Zawia Public Prosecutor has ordered the detention, pending further investigation, of the Commander of the Isnad Company in charge of protecting the Zawia Refinery. He is accused of fuel smuggling. It also announced the prosecution of administration and security officials involved in fuel smuggling at the refinery. The Attorney General’s Office said the action comes within continuing measures aimed at responding to the negative reactions to the national economy. The Attorney General’s Office also said procedures have also been taken to block the distribution tools that were used in the fuel smuggling activity.

Italy’s engineering, drilling, and construction services provider Saipem has secured a new contract worth approximately $1 billion for the development of a gas project off the coast of Libya. The contract is with Mellitah Oil & Gas Libyan Branch, a consortium formed by National Oil Corporation of Libya and Eni North Africa. The contract, known as the Bouri Gas Utilisation Project (BGUP), will involve the revamping of platforms and facilities at the Bouri gas field in water depths between 145 m and 183 m. The completion of the project is expected to contribute significantly to reducing CO2 emissions in Libya. Saipem’s responsibilities under the contract include engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning of a 5,000-ton gas recovery module onto the existing DP4 offshore facility. The Bouri Gas Utilisation Project (BGUP) is an expansion project for the Bouri field, which is part of Block NC-41.

Tunisia and Libya have agreed to create a continental trade corridor that will connect the two countries to sub-Saharan Africa, media reported. The decision was officially approved on Thursday evening in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, during a meeting between the Tunisian Minister of Trade and Export Promotion Kalthoum Ben Rejeb and the Libyan Minister of Economy and Trade Mohammed Al-Haweij, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. The two Ministers also signed several memorandums of understanding on the organisation of fairs, international markets, free trade, etc. Both sides emphasised the importance of rehabilitating and developing the Ras Ejdir border crossing between Tunisia and Libya, according to international standards. “The objective is to make this area a commercial portal for Africa, able to promote economic integration with sub-Saharan countries,” the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) reported.

“I also expressed my aspiration to continue working with Mr. Takala and the HCS in order to reach comprehensive elections that fulfill the desire of Libyans to choose their leadership, unify the institutions of their country, and achieve sustainable peace and stability,” Bathily pointed out. “I urged the new HCS Presidency to continue working in a spirit of compromise and consensus to reach a broad agreement that would end the intractable political impasse and open up prospects for stability, development and prosperity for Libya and the region,” UN envoy added.

Oil prices edged higher on Friday after the International Energy Agency forecast record global demand and tightening supplies, propelling prices to the seventh straight week of gains, the longest such streak since 2022, Reuters reported. The IEA estimated that global oil demand hit a record 103 million barrels per day in June and could scale another peak this month. Meanwhile, output cuts from Saudi Arabia and Russia set the stage for a sharp decline in inventories over the rest of 2023, which IEA said could drive oil prices even higher. On Thursday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said it expects global oil demand to rise by 2.44 million bpd this year, unchanged from its previous forecast. U.S. economic data this week also lifted market sentiment, fueling speculation that the Federal Reserve is nearing the end of aggressive rate hikes.

SummaryUnder this contract, Saipem will undertake the revamping of platforms and facilities at the Bouri gas field, situated offshore the Libyan coast. by: Shardul SharmaSaipem has been awarded a $1bn contract by Mellitah Oil & Gas, a Libyan consortium compr...

Greece safely evacuates dozens of migrants from a sailboat off the southern coastAuthorities in Greece say they have safely evacuated dozens of migrants from a yacht reported in trouble off the country’s southern coast

Tunisia and Libya have agreed to split responsibility for hundreds of black african migrants stranded at their shared border after they'd been dumped there by Tunisian authorities. Dozens have died after they'd been driven out into the desert and left to fend for themselves. Their plight was the fallout of months of mounting racist attacks in Tunisia. FRANCE 24's Clémence Waller explains.

The political crisis in Niger took a serious turn yesterday as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced it is assembling a standby military force to restore constitutional order in the country. This comes 16 days after a military coup overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum and placed him under house arrest. The coup leaders have refused demands to release Bazoum and reinstate the democratic government, despite economic sanctions and threats of intervention. ECOWAS leaders met in Abuja on Thursday to determine a course of action. The United States and European Union echoed ECOWAS’ call for a peaceful path forward, urging the coup leaders to engage in dialogue.

Tunisia and Libya announced on Thursday an agreement to share responsibility for providing shelter for hundreds of migrants stranded at their border. African migrants protest on the Libyan border with Tunisia on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2023. Under the agreement, Libya will take in the remaining 150-200 migrants, humanitarian sources said. The Libyan interior ministry earlier on Thursday announced the bilateral agreement to "put an end to the crisis of irregular migrants stranded in the border area". In a later statement, it said there were no more migrants stranded at the border following the agreement, adding that joint patrols were being organised to "secure the border".

Tunisia and Libya agreed on Thursday to share responsibility for providing shelter for hundreds of migrants stranded for up to a month at their border after dozens died in the desert. Aid groups said three groups of about 300 migrants in total from sub-Saharan African countries remain stranded there in life-threatening conditions. The Libyan interior ministry announced the agreement to “put an end to the crisis of irregular migrants stranded in the border area”. – Racial tensions – In a later statement, it said there were no more migrants stranded at the border following the agreement, adding that joint patrols were being organised to “secure the border”. But AFP journalists and other media reported that about 350 migrants had remained stranded at Ras Jedir in the following weeks.

With hundreds lost in the migrant shipwreck near Greece, identifying the dead is painfully slowNearly two months after a dilapidated fishing trawler crammed with people heading from north Africa to Italy sank in the central Mediterranean, killing hundreds, relatives are still frantically searching for loved ones among the missing and dead

Tunisia and Libya announced Thursday they had agreed to share responsibility for providing shelter for hundreds of migrants stranded at their border, many of them for over a month. Aid groups said three groups of about 300 migrants from sub-Saharan African countries in total remain stranded there in life-threatening conditions. The Libyan interior ministry earlier on Thursday announced the bilateral agreement to "put an end to the crisis of irregular migrants stranded in the border area". In a later statement, it said there were no more migrants stranded at the border following the agreement, adding that joint patrols were being organised to "secure the border". Read more on RFI EnglishRead also:At least 41 migrants feared dead after boat capsizes near TunisiaTunisia and EU sign pact to fight illegal immigrationRights group accuses Tunisian forces of abuses against African migrants