Year: 2017

Tunisian marriage ban rescinded; freedoms for women grow

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Since 1973, Tunisian women have been prohibited from marrying men who were not of the state religion. But this recently changed, according to Women for Middle East Hope, a project of SAT-7, a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa. Free to Marry The goal of Women for Middle East Hope is to bring awareness to the United States about the issues that women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) deal with. One of these issues in Tunisia was the marriage stipulations. And while marriage in…

TUNCATIC show held on October 24 to 26 in Montreal

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Mr. Philippe Armengau, new commercial adviser at the Embassy of Canada to Tunisia, received a Tunisian delegation on October 20 at the Canadian Embassy to Tunisia to participate in the TUNCATIC trade show held from October 24 to 26 in Montreal. TUNCATIC is a trade show dedicated to information and communication technology organised by OPTIMUM Group in collaboration with the Tunisian Junior Chamber of Quebec (JCTQ). The TUNCATIC show is an excellent initiative that strives to bring the two countries (Tunisia and Canada) together so as to generate economic benefits.…

How to immediately stop scourge of illegal immigration?

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Many Tunisian families experienced pain and sorrow due to illegal crossing from Tunisia to Europe via the Mediterranean, after they lost their loved ones tragically. The bitter and ugly truth repeated again and again,  especially in the recent period. The last death is arousing fears, along with the figures published by Tunisian authority and by some polls which  spread in us concern and confusion, as we were again besieged by  a big question: how do you solve a rising hard problem like illegal immigration? Why some young people are still…

Book Review: Arab National Media and Political Change: Recording the Transition by Fatima El-Issawi

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In Arab National Media and Political Change: Recording the Transition, Fatima El-Issawiexamines the role of traditional media, including television, radio and print, in the wake of political transitions in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. In contributing to understandings of the complex relations between journalistic practice and politics, the book deserves to be read and referenced by media and MENA scholars as well as anyone who has an interest in the changing shape of the media and democracy, recommends Aida Al-Kaisy. Arab National Media and Political Change: Recording the Transition. Fatima El-Issawi. Palgrave. 2016. We…

“Only a few gaps” in Tunis talks says UNSMIL

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UNSMIL has produced a surprisingly bullish summary of today’s resumed Joint Drafting Committee talks in Tunis,  saying there were only a few remaining gaps to be filled before agreement could be reached. On Monday evening the House of Representatives (HoR) delegation said itwas withdrawing from the process accusing the State Council (SC) of obstruction and bad faith. UNSMIL chief Ghassan Salamé postponed further discussion until today. He clearly persuaded the HoR delegation to return to the table. The UN organisation explained this evening “Bilateral and trilateral meetings with the UNSMIL team,…

Equal inheritance for daughters is key to Tunisian women’s empowerment

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t was to be expected. The speech given by the Tunisian president on Women’s Day in August of this year, marking the 1956 anniversary of the Code of Personal Status, reignited a recurring debate in Tunisia over the equality of the sexes. In his address, the president tackled two issues which have been the subject of heated debates since the 70s. He announced his determination to repeal the ministerial decree of 1973 which prohibited marriage between a Muslim Tunisian woman and a non-Muslim man. Second was his intention of moving towards…

UK to invest about $4bn in Africa, in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal especially

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 The Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC), UK’s finance development institution, plans to spend a little more than $4 billion in Africa over the next five years, in the form of direct and indirect investments. Some of the entity’s executives who are in fact actually visiting West Africa have revealed that in the framework of this new investment round, particular attention will be given to countries like Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire which are WAEMU’s two most dynamic economies. “We see great opportunities in this region. CDC has been investing here even when it…

EU aims to boost anti-terror info sharing with Tunisia

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EU anti-terror chief Gilles de Kerchove on Tuesday called for a boosted exchange of information with Tunisia, which has seen its nationals involved in deadly attacks abroad and on its soil.  During a visit to Tunis, for talks with Tunisian ministers, the EU official said that the flow of information across the Mediterranean “is functioning well” but could be improved. “We are looking to see how to help Tunisia in the area of data protection… to increase the exchange of information,” between the Tunisian authorities and organisations such as Europol…

Tunisia keen to enhance bilateral trade ties with Pakistan: Envoy

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Tunisian Ambassador to Pakistan Mr. Adel Elarbi said on Wednesday that his country wanted to boost bilateral trade ties with Pakistan. Addressing a meeting of exporters at Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), he said Tunisia would remove all trade barriers from the way of promoting bilateral trade with Pakistan, besides, bridging all the communication gaps. He said that Pakistan could get better access to the world’s largest markets like Europe, North Africa and Middle East by promoting cooperation with Tunisia while Tunisia could get access to Asia by enhancing cooperation with Pakistan. The Tunisian…

IOM launches programme for vulnerable groups

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The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday launched the inclusion programme ‘Incorporate’ with the aim of finding job placements for people who normally have difficulty accessing employment and offering them an alternative to irregular migration to Europe. The programme is aimed in particular at young people and women at risk of social and economic exclusion and has the financial support of the Spanish banking foundation La Caixa and Tunisia’s Deposits and Loans Fund. It will be implemented in the capital and in the surrounding urban area, which as a…