The Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced Friday it had returned two antiquities worth $1.26 million to Libya that had previoulsy been smuggled and held by the British art dealer Robin Symes. Female Bust would have been part of an important funerary relief that decorated Cyrene’s ancient cemetery, known as a necropolis. Recently, archaeologists in Libya believe they have found what appears to be the torso of Female Bust still intact in its original tomb. “It is shameful that these beautiful pieces were stored away for decades by a convicted trafficker,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. In February, the DA’s office returned a marble head of the emperor Hadrian dating back to 200 CE.

Chinese growth underwhelmsLibya resumes production after brief outageKey technical support levels still belowOil prices pulled back from last week’s highs today, weighed down by the weaker Chinese figures and reports of some Libyan outages being restored. It also falls around the 100-day SMA which could be viewed as a bullish signal, despite the early week setback. That’s not to say a move below here would be a bearish move; it could prove to be of course but there are other potential support levels below. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.

From Kebili in Tunisia to Ethiopia’s Dallol, here are the 13 hottest places on the planet. Although some scientists debate the reliability of historic readings, Death Valley reportedly also topped 54.4°C in the summer of 2020, so there's little doubt that it's one of the hottest places on Earth. Dallol, EthiopiaThis town in northern Ethiopia has some of the world's highest average readings for an inhabited place. And at Wadi Halfa, a trade outpost along the Nile River, the hottest temperature ever registered was 53°C. Getty ImagesUninhabited and one of the hottest places on the planet, the Dasht-e Lut salt desert in Iran had a sweltering 70.7°C recording back in 2005.

Russia is pulling out of a year-old agreement that allowed Ukraine to export its grain to global markets, raising fears of rising prices and food shortages in developing nations. OZAN KOSE, AFP via Getty ImagesThe Kremlin has criticized the pact as unfair to exports of Russian food products. Why is Russia ending the Ukraine grain deal? Wheat production, demand keep growingWhere Russia, Ukraine sent wheat exports in 2020Nations in North Africa and the Middle East depend heavily on Russia and Ukraine for wheat. Those countries have also been hit by droughts and higher food prices and could experience political instability.

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(Bloomberg) -- Oil declined as disappointing Chinese economic data and a resumption of Libyan production undercut signs of a tightening market. Meanwhile, China’s economy expanded more slowly than expected in the second quarter, though apparent oil demand grew 14% last month from a year earlier. Crude remains lower this year as China’s lackluster recovery and the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes weigh on demand. Yet oil has rallied the last three weeks on signs the market is finally tightening, with OPEC+ heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Russia both reducing crude exports. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek©2023 Bloomberg L.P.

Border guards in Libya have rescued migrants abandoned in the desert by Tunisian authorities without food and water. Hundreds of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries were forcibly taken to desert and hostile areas bordering Libya and Algeria after racial unrest in early July in Sfax, Tunisia’s second-largest city. “The number of migrants keeps rising every day,” said Mohamad Abou Snenah of the border patrol unit, telling AFP they have rescued “50 to 70 migrants”. They are being expelled from Tunisia to Libya.” The video also shows a migrant rescued from the border area on Saturday, saying that “Tunisian police deported us to Libya”. Tunisian rights groups said on Friday that between 100 and 150 migrants, including women and children, were still stuck on the border with Libya.

Vice Chairman of Libya’s Presidential Council of Libya, Abdullah Al-Lafi, met yesterday with the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), John Nicolas, on the occasion of the end of his mandate. According to a statement by the council, Al-Lafi stressed during the meeting the continued cooperation of the council with the ICRC regarding the issue of missing and detained persons. Al-Lafi stressed in the meeting that the issue of missing and detained persons is one of the pillars of the national reconciliation project launched by the Presidential Council. In turn, Nicolas praised the council’s “cooperation with the Committee during its work in Libya in recent years”.

The RBN Headliner is a daily summary of energy market developments and news, covering various energy sectors, upstream, midstream and downstream, including crude oil, natural gas, NGLs, refined products, and renewables. Headliners often focus on price changes, supply and demand trends, geopolitical events, and other factors that impact energy markets. Please check back this afternoon for the latest Headliner.

STORY: Since 2011, Edama for Nature Conservation has been conserving turtle nests and other species in Libya’s coastal city Zuwarah, west of Tripoli, to protect them from extinction. Mohsen al-Mansouri says the turtles are also under threat by people who try to sell the eggs. He is one of a group of volunteers who search the beach for nests almost daily, before unearthing the eggs and relocating them to the uninhabited Farwa Island. “We have saved, moved, and protected hundreds of nests over the years, depending on how big the nest is, there are usually 70 to 80 or 100 to 160 eggs in each nest,” says Edama co-founder Abou Bakr al-Mansouri.

OIL prices extended their decline into a second session on Monday after China's second-quarter growth came in weaker than expected, fuelling concern about demand in the world's No. 2 oil consumer, while Libya resumed production on the weekend. "The GDP came in below expectations, so will do little to ease concerns over the Chinese economy," said Warren Patterson, ING's head of commodities research. "Apparent oil demand grew at a strong pace year on year, but the market seems focused on the headline (GDP) numbers," Patterson said. "They are stockpiling crude at low prices, and waiting for recession to hit the West before going full on with stimulus," Grasso said.

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By Arathy SomasekharHOUSTON (Reuters) -Oil dropped by more than 1.5% on Monday after weaker than expected Chinese economic growth raised doubts over the strength of demand in the world's second biggest oil consumer, and a partial restart of halted Libyan output also pressured prices. China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 6.3% year-on-year in the second quarter, compared with analyst forecasts of 7.3%, as its post-pandemic recovery lost momentum. "The GDP came in below expectations, so will do little to ease concerns over the Chinese economy," said Warren Patterson, ING's head of commodities research. Oil briefly rose after a Reuters news alert on Saudi Arabia extending a voluntary output cut. Oil also came under pressure on Monday from the resumption of output at two of three Libyan fields shut last week.

Supply disruptions in Libya and Nigeria lift the price amid output cuts by Saudi Arabia and Russia. Fears of an economic slowdown in China could have a negative impact on the oil price. Investors will keep an eye on unexpected disruptions in Libya and Nigeria and developments surrounding the continued OPEC production cuts. The correction in WTI on Monday seems to be profit-taking by oil traders after WTI recorded its third-straight weekly gain. On the other hand, fears of an economic slowdown in China could have a negative impact on the oil price.

EventActivists plan to protest outside the Prime Minister's Office in Tripoli July 17. Protesters are demanding that authorities investigate the fate of a Hajj pilgrim who went missing in Saudi Arabia. Increased security and localized transport disruptions are likely near the Prime Minister's Office July 17 Clashes between police and protesters cannot be ruled out, particularly if demonstrators are overly disruptive or if they ignore police orders to disperse. AdviceAvoid the protest due to the potential for clashes. Allow additional time if traveling through the affected area July 17.