The UN, the European Union and others on Tuesday voiced support for the sending of ceasefire monitors to Libya and called for the swift exit of foreign forces from the North African oil exporter.
A statement from the Libya Quartet, a grouping of the UN, EU, the Arab League and the African Union, backed sending the monitors as well as efforts towards holding national elections in Libya in December.
"The Quartet condemned the continued violations of the UN arms embargo and emphasised that all external military intervention in Libya is unacceptable," the group said in a statement.
“They called in this regard for full compliance with the arms embargo and the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from the entirety of Libya’s territory.”
The virtual meeting brought together UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Monique Nsanzabaganwa, deputy chair of the African Union Commission.
Mr Borrell wrote on Twitter that the group would “do everything possible to strengthen the current positive momentum” in Libya.
The UN Security Council on Friday voted unanimously to send up to 60 international monitors to Libya to oversee a ceasefire agreed to in October between two warring administrations that had ruled the country's eastern and western regions.
The ceasefire in October was followed by the establishment on March 15 of a new unity government led by interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, raising hopes of an end to a decade of conflict.
The ceasefire has largely held since then but the main road across the front lines from Sirte to Misurata along the country’s Mediterranean coastline remains closed.
Still, the presence of some 20,000 foreign fighters and mercenaries on Libya's territory is seen as a threat to the UN-backed transition leading to December 24 elections.
The ceasefire monitoring mission will start with a small deployment in the capital, Tripoli, before expanding to Sirte, near the front lines of fighting.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday told reporters the UN would send the team “as soon as we can”.
“After years of violence and suffering, there is a window of opportunity in Libya, but urgent and immediate actions are needed to make use of this window,” added Mr Dujarric.
Libya descended into chaos after the Nato-backed overthrow of leader Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
The country was then divided in 2014 between an internationally recognised government in Tripoli and a rival administration in the west, each backed by various local militias and foreign forces from Turkey, Russia, Egypt and elsewhere.
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
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Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The five pillars of Islam
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more about the coronavirus
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
