Military commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, whose forces control eastern Libya, held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday.
Field Marshal Haftar, who backs the House of Representatives government based in the eastern city of Tobruk, has long cultivated close relations with Moscow and relies heavily on Russian mercenary group Wagner for military support.
The Tobruk administration is a rival to the UN-backed Government of National Unity in Tripoli.
Field Marshal Haftar “held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu”, his Libyan Arab Armed Forces group said on social media.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Field Marshal Haftar had held talks with Mr Putin.
“They discussed the situation in Libya and the region as a whole,” Mr Peskov said in comments reported by Russia's state news agency Tass.
It was the first meeting between the two men since 2019, according to Libyan media.
Field Marshal Haftar, who arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, had already held talks with Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov there.
Mr Yevkurov has been a regular visitor to eastern Libya in recent years, most recently on September 17 when he met Field Marshal Haftar, days after floods devastated the coastal city of Derna, killing thousands of people and leaving thousands more missing.
A 2019 assault by Field Marshal Haftar's forces on the government in Tripoli relied heavily on Wagner mercenaries. However, it failed to overcome the Tripoli government's Turkish-backed armed forces.
After an October 2020 ceasefire brought the offensive to an end, Wagner redeployed some of its personnel, including to elsewhere in Africa – where Russia has long sought to boost its influence – and Ukraine, where the group took part in Moscow's invasion.
But despite repeated UN Security Council resolutions calling for the withdrawal of all foreign military forces from Libya, hundreds of Wagner personnel remain stationed in the east, as well as in areas of the desert south under Field Marshal Haftar's control.
Wagner's future plans are uncertain after leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash north-west of Moscow in August.
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Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score)
Porto (0) v Liverpool (2), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
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- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
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How to apply for a drone permit
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Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
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“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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