Libya’s UN-backed forces press gains despite Egypt’s ceasefire proposal
number of devotees inside the temple at one time. We have drawn circles where they need to stand to ensure proper distancing of at least 2m,” Vyas said.
Disinfection tunnels were installed at the entrance to Delhi’s shopping malls that was due to open yesterday.
But the capital, one of the country’s hot spots, will not allow hotels to reopen because it might need to convert them into temporary hospitals should there be a big jump in cases.
“Our cases are rising each day; we could run out of beds,” said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
India’s total number of coronavirus cases reached 256 611, the health ministry said, just behind Spain after a record one-day jump of 9 983 infections.
Only the US, Brazil, Russia and the UK have more cases, and health experts say India’s peak could still be weeks away, if not months.
Deaths from Covid-19 stood at 7 135, still low compared with other countries that have suffered tens of thousands of fatalities.
In Mumbai a few offices opened, and in the suburbs there were long queues at bus stops as the commuter trains that are its lifeline have not yet opened.
LIBYAN fighters allied with the country’s UN-supported government in Tripoli pressed their advance yesterday, boosted by recent battlefield gains and their rivals’ withdrawal from around the capital, the warring sides reported.
The push came despite a unilateral ceasefire proposal over the weekend by Egypt, a backer of the rival Libyan forces commanded by Khalifa Hifter, who has waged a year-long campaign to capture Tripoli from the militias allied with the UN-supported but weak government.
The Tripoli forces, backed by Turkey, gained the advantage last week after retaking the capital’s airport, all main entrance and exit points to the city and a string of key towns near Tripoli, forcing Hifter’s fighters to withdraw.
The militias fighting to defend Tripoli rejected Egypt’s proposal, instead pushing eastward to take the coastal city of Sirte, a former stronghold of the Islamic State group that Hifter’s forces captured in January.
Taking Sirte would open the gate for the Tripoli-allied militias to press even farther eastward, to potentially seize control of vital oil installations, terminals and oil fields that tribes allied with Hifter shut down earlier this year, cutting source of income.
Libya’s Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj urged the Tripoli fighters to “continue their path” toward Sirte, according to a statement posted by Mohamed Gnono, a spokesperson for the Tripoli-allied forces.
Hifter’s military media unit, however, said his forces destroyed a military company that included Turkish-made Hausers and tanks, along with a bus allegedly carrying Turkish troops and Syrian mercenaries who have been aiding the Tripoli militias.
The push on Sirte shows the Tripoli-based government and its main backer, Turkey, are eager to build on their recent victories.
Libya’s east-based forces are backed by the UAE and Egypt, as well as France and Russia. The Tripoli-based government receives aid from Qatar, Italy and Turkey, which stepped up its military support in recent months.
Sirte was the hometown of Libya’s former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, killed in the 2011 uprising. The city was later controlled by Islamic militants.
But Libya’s turmoil continued, and the oil-rich country has since been divided.
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