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Plans that would see European border agents conduct patrols in Libya to stop the flow of migrantshave been welcomed by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs.

FedericaMogherini said strengthening the north African country's border management wasonly a good idea, although she said there was already an EU mission, lead by Italy, that specifically addressed the issue.

The Italian Commissioner also stated hersupport for ''the appeal by Germany and Italy for work to be stepped up on the southern border of Libya'' to control the movement of African migrants across the desert.

Her comments were a response to a letter fromGerman Interior Minister Thomas de Maziere, and his Italian counterpart Marco Minniti to the European Commission, which requested an EU presence on the border betweenLibya and Niger as soon as possible.

"The first months of this year have shown that our efforts up to this point have been insufficient," they said.

We must prevent hundreds of thousands of people who are in the hands of smugglers from risking their lives in Libya and the Mediterranean."

Libya is now the principal point of entry to Europe for African migrants.

This yearThe International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says more than 45,000 people have reached Italy by boat from North Africa, an increase of over 40 percent on the same period of 2016. More than 1,200 are said to have died on the way.

Italian coastguard rescues thousands of refugees off coast of Libya

The European Commission is looking at proposals for an EU force which would assist Libyan border officials in their work, according to reports in German press.

The smuggling of people and contraband has grown in Libya, as militias capitalise on the lack of stable government for enormous financial gain.The IOM has also reported that refugees are being sold at modern-day slave markets in Libya.

Simon McMahon, a researcher of migration and refugees at the University of Coventry, said he thought an EU presence would be ineffectiveand serve only to further increase danger for migrants travelling through Libya.

We know that border controls dont really stop people from moving, they just shape the way people move," he said.

In the short term, a militarised border would benefit the smugglers, because people will still need to make those journeys regardless of an EU presence. In the long term, it's almost certain to make those journeys increasingly dangerous.

He added: "This plan doesn't address the root cause of why people are moving, it just seeks to stop them moving in the first place."

Mr McMahon was part of theMEDMIG project, which conducted extensive interviews with African migrants hoping to reach Libya. The team found that 80 to90 per cent of migrants from West and Central Africa had experienced violence while passing through Libya.

Europe has had a presence in the region for some time, but the desire to control the border of a country which isn't an EU state is certainly new and unprecedented, he said.

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EU to conduct border patrols in Libya to stop migrants reaching Europe - The Independent

by and

May 15, 2017, 6:29 AM EDT May 15, 2017, 12:27 PM EDT

The U.K. Serious Fraud Office sought documents from Societe Generale SAamid probes into a dispute between the French bank and the Libyan Investment Authority, days after the lender agreed to pay 963 million euros ($1.06 billion) to resolve a related civil-bribery lawsuit.

Lawyers for the LIA and the bank disagreed on why the prosecutor wants the paperwork,with an attorney for the Libyans saying the SFO was conducting a probe into Societe Generale. The banks attorney said the document request was made on behalf of U.S. investigators.

The U.K. prosecutor was working on behalf of the U.S. Justice Department, the banks lawyer, Sandy Phipps, told the court. "It is not the case" the bank is under investigation by the SFO.

"The SocGen defendants have long been cooperating with the DOJ," Phipps said. The SFOs request covers documents "broadly similar to the U.S subpoena," he said.

The Justice Department has been investigating a plethora of banks, private-equity firms and hedge funds that may have violated anti-bribery laws while dealing with the LIA. The document request and any SFO interest will be an unwelcome development for Societe Generale in the case, in which a group of executives were given permission to testify in secret to avoid incriminating themselves.

Roger Masefield, a lawyer for the LIA, had said earlier Monday that there was a "pending SFO investigation."

"My understanding is that the SFO wishes the SocGen defendants to hand over various categories of documents by 8 June 2017, including all those that have come into SocGens possession as a result of these proceedings," Masefield said.

Spokespeople for Societe Generale and the SFO declined to comment. Societe Generale apologized to the LIA and said it regretted the lack of caution of some of its employees, when it settled the matter this month.

Peter Carr, a Justice Department spokesman, declined to comment.

The lender and LIA settled their legal dispute, involving five transactions between 2007 and 2009, hours before a civil trial was to start this month.

The U.K. prosecutors request emerged at a hearing scheduled to discuss what should happen with the thousands of documents generated for the vacated trial and the identification of those people who would have testified anonymously. Masefield said the confidentiality club had grown to 150 individuals from 20 over the two-year period before the trial.

"We have moved from tens of documents to tens of thousands of documents being part of the confidentiality club,"Masefield said. An SFO representative attending the hearing didnt participate in the discussions.

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The Libyan case hinged on a $58.4 million payment made by Societe Generale to a businessman named Walid Al-Giahmi to secure investment deals. The LIA, which manages Libyas oil profits and has assets of more than $60 billion, sought to claim losses of about $1.5 billion. The group alleged the payment was a bribe, making the trades invalid. The bank had denied wrongdoing, saying the money was for introductory services and market research.

A similar lawsuit against Goldman Sachs Group Inc. from the LIA -- that dealt with allegations of undue influence instead of bribery -- was thrown out six months ago after a long trial in London.

(A previous version of this story was corrected to fix the name of the LIA attorney.)

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SFO Seeks Files From SocGen Over Libya Bribery Allegations ... - Bloomberg

A consignment of approximately 1,900 heavy Irish bullsis expected to depart for Libya today on-board the dedicated Express 1 livestock carrier.

The group of bulls, consisting of a range of breeds, has been gathered by Supreme Livestock for private Libyan buyers.

The vessel will be loaded under the supervision of Department of Agriculture veterinary officials following guidelines set out in the health certificate agreed between Irish and Libyan officials.

This will be the first shipment of Irish cattle to head to Libya this year. In 2016, some 2,162 Irish cattle were shipped to Libya an increase of 1,729 on the 433 exported during 2015.

Official figures show that some 105,809 cattle have been exported from Ireland up to the week ending May 6. This is an increase of 31,106 head or 41.6% on 2016.

Calf exports, destined for markets such as Holland and Spain, account for the majority of shipments from Ireland so far this year.

In total, some 81,087 calves have been shipped from Irish shores a jump of almost 44% on the corresponding period in 2016.

Weanling, store and finished cattle exports also remain in a positive position with shipments up by 4,072 head (94.9%), 1,106 head (30.5%) and 1,209 head (11.6%) respectively.

Two boatloads of Irish cattle have already landed in Turkey this year, consisting of approximately 4,570 animals.

The shipments were organised by two different exporters, with one shipment containing heifers and the other bulls.

The Turkish market has grown in importance for Irish suckler farmers since the first boatload of Irish animals departed for the Middle Eastern market back in the autumn of 2016.

Last year, Meath-based livestock exporter Viastar shipped more than 19,000 cattle to Turkey. The consignments included both finished and weanling bulls.

It is predicted that an additional 100,000 extra finished cattle will come on stream in 2017. Increased exports this year are necessary to reduce the likelihood of a further increase in cattle supplies occurring in 2018.

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Some 1900 Irish bulls to set sail for Libya - Agriland

European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday are focusing on events in Africa as part of a general discussion this week on the blocs defence and security strategy.

The Chairman of the African Union Commission is among those present.

On the agenda are possible future military missions in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as the security situation in Somalia and South Sudan.

We are moving from the traditional purely aid centred approach to Africa to real partnership in all fields, from climate change to security, economic development, migration and obviously humanitarian support, said Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs.

The number of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean is again on the rise. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says more than 45,000 people have reached Italy by boat from North Africa, an increase of over 40 percent on the same period of 2016. More than 1,200 are said to have died on the way.

Italys coast guard said rescuers saved 484 migrants in the sea on Saturday and found the bodies of seven men who had died trying to get to Europe.

Italy and Germany have asked the EU for a mission to be sent to Libyas southern border which many people cross on their way north. The countries interior ministers, Marco Minniti and Thomas de Maziere, sent a joint letter on Friday to the EU seeking a greater EU commitment to help stabilise the 5,000-kilometre frontier which Libya has long struggled to control.

A senior official in the United Nations-backed Libyan government in Tripoli said on Sunday his administration was ready to create a new guard to patrol frontier, but it could only be secured if other countries helped.

If we dont resolve southern Libyas problems, we will not resolve the migrant issue, Abdudsalam Kajman, the governments vice-president, told Italys Corriere della Sera newspaper.

The difficult economic situation in that region pushes lots of young people to work for the traffickers, he added.

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Africa on Brussels agenda amid rising migration from Libya to ... - euronews

The Looted and Smuggled Antiquities Office of the Libyan Antiquities Authority has prepared a preliminary list of the archaeological objects that have been looted from Libyan museums and smuggled abroad.

The list included incidents of looting that date back to the World War II including a sandstone statue and a local sculpture representing the goddess Isis, found in Martuba town, in addition to a pharaonic statue made from black basalt stolen from Tolmeita village during the Second World War, which is being shown at Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio, USA since1991.

Director of the Looted and Smuggled Antiquities Office Khaled Al-Hadar clarified that the list will be translated into English, as being the first language in the world, and will be circulated to international organizations who have an interest in antiquities including ICCROM, INTERPOL, UNESCO, and Italys Carabinieri Art Squad.

He added that all Libyan embassies abroad will be also informed of this list, which also included various collections of pottery vessels, statues, sculptures and engravings.

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Libyan authorities issue international circular on looted antiquities from Libya - The Libya Observer