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Egypt: Ethiopian Water Minister Hails Egypt Decision to Resume Dam Talks

Ethiopian Water and Energy Minister Alemayehu Tegenu hailed Egypt’s decision to resume the three-way dialogue with Sudan and Ethiopia on the Renaissance Dam last August. He also applauded the positive atmosphere which prevailed in the two meetings, which were held in Khartoum in August and Addis Ababa in September. In statements on the sidelines of the second round of the tripartite national committee of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, currently in session in Cairo, Tegenu said that the outcome of the two studies recommended by the international experts committee should be based on authenticated and variable information and data in order to come up with unbiased recommendations and results. The project has been a source of concern for the Egyptian government since May 2013, when images of the dam’s construction stirred public anxiety about the possible effect on Egypt’s water supply from the Nile River. However, Ethiopia maintains that Egypt’s […]

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General Escalates Libya Attack

TOBRUK, LIBYA — A Libyan general who has led a six-month campaign to rid the country of Islamists sharply escalated his attacks on Benghazi on Wednesday, with a concerted ground assault and airstrikes — pledging to give up command if he succeeds. Gun battles raged in several parts of the city throughout the day to an extent not seen since the general, Khalifa Hifter, 71, began his campaign six months ago, before a backlash by Islamist militias — some of them hard-liners like Ansar Al Sharia — forced his soldiers and their allies to retreat to the outskirts of Benghazi. In a televised address announcing the assault, General Hifter , who calls his campaign Operation Dignity, declared that his men “are now ready to reach their most important goal for this phase, which is the liberation of the city of Benghazi.” His latest advance is part of a sharp […]

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Libya: Fighting Displaces Thousands

About 100,000 people have fled fighting near the capital, Tripoli, in the past three weeks, adding to a growing problem of internal displacement, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday. “With fighting among rival armed groups intensifying in a number of areas of Libya, we are seeing growing displacement, now estimated at 287,000 people in 29 cities and towns countrywide,” the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement. The main area of recent displacement is around Warshefana, a suburb of Tripoli, and about 15,000 have fled from fighting around the Benina area outside Benghazi, it said. Most displaced people are living with local families but others are sleeping in schools, parks and nonresidential buildings converted into emergency shelters.

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Egypt settled some debt, BG Group says

BG Group says Egyptian government paid off a portion of its lingering debt. UPI/Stephen Shaver LONDON, Oct. 6 (UPI) — After receiving $350 million from the Egyptian government, British energy company BG Group said Monday the balance stands at around $1.2 billion. BG Group said the Egyptian government paid down some of its debt as a result of raising funds specifically meant to address arrears in the oil and gas sector. "While the group has been impacted by the reduction of liquefied natural gas exports from Egypt, the company continues to investigate options for increasing the supply of gas and is working with the government on resolving the outstanding receivable balance," it said in a statement. Egypt last year accounted for 18 percent of the natural gas production for BG Group, making the company one of the largest producers in the country. BG in January said the Egyptian government […]

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Egyptian Government Pays $350M to BG Group

By Razak Musah Baba LONDON–BG Group PLC (BG.LN) has received a $350 million payment following the commitment from the Egyptian government to repay outstanding debts to the energy industry, the natural gas producer said Monday. BG said this reduces the company’s domestic receivables balance in Egypt to around $1.2 billion. "While the group has been impacted by the reduction of LNG exports from Egypt, the company continues to investigate options for increasing the supply of gas and is working with the government on resolving the outstanding receivable balance," the company added. BG Group operates in Egypt through its wholly owned subsidiary BG Egypt. -Write to Razak Musah Baba at [email protected]; Twitter: @Raztweet

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Egypt settles some debt to foreign energy companies

Egyptian government working to pay off its debts to foreign oil and gas companies. UPI CAIRO, Oct. 3 (UPI) — After securing loans from national banks, the Egyptian Petroleum Ministry announced it paid off $1.5 billion of its debt owed to foreign oil and gas companies. "The government aims to reduce the debt to encourage firms to step up research and exploration operations, to boost local production of oil and gas and minimize imports, which in turn will spare the cash to continue paying Egypt’s due debts to its foreign partners," Petroleum Minister Sherif Ismail in a Thursday statement. The ministry’s announcement came the same week as it signed an agreement with a consortium of banks led by the National Bank of Egypt for $1.4 billion. The ministry said it still owes $4.9 billion to foreign firms. Egypt is the largest oil producer in Africa that’s not a member […]

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Libya suicide blasts leave 40 soldiers dead

The 2011 uprising gave rise to a patchwork of heavily armed and increasingly unruly militias [Reuters] A series of suicide bombings in Libya has left at least 40 soldiers dead, as opponents and supporters of a renegade ex-general clashed for control of a key air base in the port city of Benghazi. Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud AbdelWahed, reporting from Tripoli, said four separate suicide attacks targeted the Benina air base on Thursday killing at least 40 soldiers loyal to former general Khalifa Haftar and wounding dozens more. "Fighting is ongoing around the strategic Benina air base, with militias seeking to capture the base before Eid on Saturday," he said. "The air base houses heavy weaponry and is crucial for the militias as they attempt to seize control of Benghazi," AbdelWahed added. The Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries said it carried out the attack in conjuction with the Libya Shield brigade and Ansar al-Sharia. Special army […]

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Algeria drawing more interest from energy players

Dragon Oil and Enel latest to examine energy potential in Algeria. UPI/Maryam Rahmanian DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 1 (UPI) — Emirati energy company Dragon Oil and its Italian counterpart Enel said Wednesday they were awarded two contracts for oil and gas exploration in Algeria. "This achievement represents a strategic move for Dragon Oil to establish a footprint in another North African country known to be rich in hydrocarbon resources and opportunities," Dragon Oil Chief Executive Officer Abdul Jaleel al-Khalifa said in a statement. Algeria and Enel will work together in the Tinrhert Nord and the Msari Akabli license areas. Dragon offered no estimate of the reserve potential in the license areas in Algeria. In a separate statement, Enel said it’s the third-largest investor in the Algerian natural gas sector. Some of Enel’s legacy operations in the country could be producing 100 billion cubic feet of natural gas per […]

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Statoil, Shell to assess Algerian shale

Norwegian energy company Statoil joins Shell and Algerian energy company Sonatrach in assessing Algerian shale gas potential. UPI/Andy M. Kin/USAF STAVANGER, Norway, Sept. 30 (UPI) — Norwegian energy company Statoil and its counterparts at Shell said Tuesday they’d spend the next two years assessing the shale gas potential in Algeria. "Statoil is entering this shale play to test the prospectivity and commerciality through a step-wise approach," Nick Maden, a senior vice president of exploration for Statoil, said in a statement. "The first exploration phase is expected to last up to 2017 and include the drilling of two wells." Statoil and Shell entered a license in an Algerian shale area alongside state energy company Sonatrach, which holds the controlling interest. Algeria has the tenth-largest natural gas deposits in the world and is the third-largest gas supplier to Europe. Its exports have been in decline, however, because of lagging foreign investments. […]

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