A UN-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday was announced in Tripoli between militia leaders, as fierce fighting raged in the country's capital.
But as the wider Libya peace process looks to have all but collapsed, it is unclear when and if Tuesday's agreement will come into effect. News of the ceasefire came in a Tweet, after talks between militia leaders hosted by UN Special Representative for the Secretary General Ghassan Salame.
"Under the auspices of SRSG @GhassanSalame a ceasefire agreement was reached + signed today to end all hostilities, protect civilians, safeguard public and private property + reopen Meitiga Airport in #Tripoli #Libya”.
As leaders gathered at an undisclosed location in the capital, the city streets echoed to the sound of artillery and rocket fire as militias battled each other in several southern districts. The UN said of the talks: “The top priorities are a cessation of hostilities, protecting civilians + safeguarding public and private property.”
However, it is uncertain whether the truce will last. A similar truce agreed last Thursday collapsed within hours, and as there are no regular police or army units in Tripoli, there is no means of compelling the militias to honour the ceasefire deal.
Beyond the desire for a ceasefire the UN also wants to salvage a Libya peace process many think is doomed.
That process, backed by the UN, began in May last year, when the prime minister of Tripoli’s UN-backed Government of National Accord Fayez al Serraj met in Abu Dhabi with the army commander of east Libya’s rival Interim Government, Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar.
Both men met again two months later in Paris to agree a ceasefire.
At the July 2017 Paris talks the host, France’s president Emmanuel Macron, expressed optimism: “There is political legitimacy. That is in the hands of Mr Al Serraj. There is military legitimacy - that of commander Haftar,” said President Macron. “They have decided to act together.”
With UN backing the two men met again in Paris in May this year.
This time the Field Marshall, whose Libya National Army (LNA) is the country’s most powerful military formation, was joined by his ally Aguila Saleh, president of the elected parliament, the House of Representatives (HoR), with Mr Al Serraj supported by Khaled Al Mishri, head of the High Council of State, an advisory body of the GNA.
_________
Read more:
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_________
These second Paris talks saw both governments confirm a ceasefire and agree to hold elections on December 10 this year.
Since then, relations have worsened.
In June a west Libya militia led by warlord Ibrahim Jathran briefly captured key eastern oil ports before the LNA recaptured them. The LNA accused the GNA of using oil revenues to finance militias such as Mr Jathran’s.
The bad blood saw Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte declare on August 8 that the time was not yet right for elections: “We are in no hurry to have the vote tomorrow, or in November or in December.”
Mr Conte will likely view the current fighting as proof that Libya is in no position to hold an election while militias hold Tripoli.
The good news for the UN is that the current fighting is not between the two governments: The LNA and Interim Government have stayed aloof from the Tripoli fighting. The bad news is that this fighting demonstrates that militias hold sway in the capital, making the prospect of an election unlikely. But the UN worries that to abandon the elections plan will condemn Libya to extended chaos.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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ENGLAND SQUAD
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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The five pillars of Islam
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
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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
Results
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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Most wanted allegations
- Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
- Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
- Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer.
- Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
- Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
- John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
- Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
- Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
- Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain.
- Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
- James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
- Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
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Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
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Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
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How to tell if your child is being bullied at school
Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
Academic performance begins to deteriorate
Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
Refuses to go to school
Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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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5
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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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