A German navy frigate and 250 sailors have left port to join the EU mission enforcing the long-flouted weapons embargo on Libya.
The Hamburg left Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea on Tuesday morning and is due to arrive in the Mediterranean by the middle of the month.
It is set to join the operation for five months and take a leading role in steering the EU mission.
In that time, the ship is expected to remain almost entirely at sea so its personnel are not exposed to the coronavirus.
The 143-metre vessel is the German navy's first contribution to Operation Irini, which began in early May.
The mission, one of the main parts of Brussels' plan to decrease growing violence on the EU's doorstep in Libya, has been plagued by infighting and a lack of resources.
Before the Hamburg arrives, the mission's only listed operational assets have been the Greek frigate Spetsai, a German P-3C Orion maritime-patrol aircraft and one small reconnaissance aircraft, provided by Luxembourg and Poland.
Irini has rarely had more than one vessel operating at any time, with the French destroyer Jean Bart and the Greek frigate Hydra being sent together for two weeks from mid-May.
Before joining the operation, the German navy highlighted the politically sensitive nature of the mission.
Commandant Jan Fitschen said the Hamburg would be operating in "difficult political and operational terrain".
"We are facing an operation that will pose unknown challenges to the ship and crew in several ways," he told the German press agency DPA.
The Government of National Accord in Tripoli and its Turkish backers have regularly railed against Irini, saying the EU mission favoured the rival Libyan National Army led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, blocking the flow of weapons to the country.
The Hamburg, an F124-class frigate, is a multipurpose vessel with an emphasis on air defence. Its radar can monitor air space to a range of 400 kilometres, Greek press reported.
Ankara in the ascendancy
Ankara has turned the tide of Libya’s civil war in recent months, delivering air support and thousands of Syrian mercenaries to the GNA to end a year-long offensive against the LNA.
After victories in western Libya, the country’s eastern LNA and western GNA are facing off around the city of Sirte, near Libya’s central coast.
Ankara’s backing of the GNA has put it on a collision course with France, a central Nato and EU member.
Turkey has regularly accused Paris of backing Field Marshal Haftar, though French officials have denied this.
Relations between the two Nato allies reached a new low point after a naval incident in June in the eastern Mediterranean.
Paris said its frigate, the Courbet, part of a Nato mission there, was harassed by Turkish vessels as it tried to inspect a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship suspected of being used by Turkey to flout Libya's arms embargo.
Ankara has denied that the Cirkin was supplying weapons to the GNA, claiming the vessel was carrying medical supplies.
Germany has increasingly found itself drawn in as a referee in the region, where nine years of instability in Libya have mixed with decades-old disputes over maritime boundaries and access to water rich in natural gas deposits.
At the end of July, German Chancellor Angela Merkel made an 11th-hour diplomatic intervention to stop a confrontation between Greece and Turkey.
Athens placed its military in the Mediterranean on high alert after Turkey announced its research ship, the Oruc Reis, would conduct gas exploration near the Greek island of Kastellorizo.
Last December the GNA in Libya confirmed a new maritime border deal with Ankara in the Mediterranean in exchange for military co-operation.
The UAE, Egypt, France, Cyprus and Greece condemned the agreements, which would give Turkey access to potentially lucrative natural gas reserves in the area.
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
·
Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
·
What is a portfolio stress test?
·
What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
·
How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
·
Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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MATCH INFO
Group B
Bayern Munich v Tottenham, midnight (Thursday)
The biogs
Name: Zinah Madi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and links
Nationality: Syrian
Family: Married, Mother of Tala, 18, Sharif, 14, Kareem, 2
Favourite Quote: “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”
Name: Razan Nabulsi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and Links
Nationality: Jordanian
Family: Married, Mother of Yahya, 3.5
Favourite Quote: A Chinese proverb that says: “Be not afraid of moving slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
FIXTURES
December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm
Scream%20VI
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
