Year: 2017

Tunisia’s parliament delays vote on amnesty law as protests erupt

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At least 1,000 demonstrators voice their anger over bill that calls for amnesty for public officials accused of corruption Tunisia’s parliament delayed voting on a bill that calls for amnesty for former public officials accused of corruption during the rule of president Ben Ali. Lawmakers decided to delay the vote until September after the newly created High Judicial Council asked for more time to study the bill. Aimed at building reconciliation after Tunisia’s 2011 revolution that removed Ben Ali, the bill offered amnesty for high-ranking state officials, including ambassadors and…

Chahed calls on Tunisian expatriates to close ranks to defend nation’s interests

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Prime Minister Youssef Chahed called,  Friday in Tunis, on Tunisian expatriates to close ranks to defend the interests of the Nation and restore Tunisia the place it deserves in the world. He said at the opening of the annual forum of Tunisians abroad, that over one million 300 thousand Tunisians live abroad representing a force of investment creation and promotion in Tunisia. Youssef Chahed underlined that the government is working on a comprehensive strategy to attract Tunisian skills living abroad. In this connection, he recalled the various measures adopted for…

Tunisian Professors Flee the Country for Better Salaries

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Tunisian professors seeking better pay and working conditions are emigrating in large numbers, leaving the students and professors left behind worrying the country’s quality of education. Over the past three years, more than 1,800 university professors have left the country, including 800 this year, according to Tunisia’s minister of higher education. “Some professors have started to leave since 2011, but recently the numbers have increased significantly,” said Slim Khalbous, the minister of higher education and scientific research, in an interview. “They are exercising their right to choose their future, but…

Tunisian-Saudi Joint Commission Paves Way for Stronger Economic Cooperation

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Tunis- Tunisia and Saudi Arabia have agreed to create a company to implement projects in health and services. The agreement was reached at the Tunisian-Saudi Economic Forum held in Tunis on Thursday. Saudi Trade and Investment Minister Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi said at the opening of the forum that Tunisian-Saudi cooperation would open wide investment prospects, especially that Riyadh is planning to develop its economy by 2030 and is turning towards new non-energy sectors. Tunisian Investment and International Cooperation Minister Mohamed Fadhel Abdelkefi also stressed the importance of boosting cooperation…

Tunisia: Dinar is 2nd highest currency in Africa

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The Tunisian Dinar is the second highest currency in Africa, according to the Nigerian information site NAIJ which is based on the criterion of its parity with the US Dollar, 1 US dollars worth 2.41 Tunisian dinars and 130 Naira, the national currency Of Nigeria. In the ranking of the 10 strongest African currencies established by the site, the first place goes to the Libyan Dinar whose parity with the US Dollar is 1.34 and 235.29 Naira. The Rand, the currency of South Africa, despite its devaluation, is among the…

Scholarships in the Netherlands

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There are literally dozens and dozens of scholarships available for international students to study in the Netherlands. There are scholarships for different education levels, for different study fields and for students from almost every country in the world! The Holland Scholarship for non-European students In 2015, the Dutch government introduced the Holland Scholarship to attract more international students to the Netherlands. The scholarship is for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who plan to do a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in the Netherlands. The scholarships have a value of 5.000…

Intimidation by militias creates censorship in western Libya says rights group

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Human Rights Watch (HRW) says that human rights activists in Libya continue to be targeted and prevented from operating, in many cases by militias linked to the Presidency Council and its government of national accord (GNA). It says they have been physically attacked and detained in Tripoli and other regions of western Libya.  In some cases, activists have disappear altogether. It notes that the authorities have been unable to stem the abuse and that the offenders continue to operate with impunity. HRW says that in April 2017 it interviewed 18 human…

Thomas Cook could re-start Tunisia package holidays as early as spring 2018

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‘We are setting up a really good quality offer for Tunisia and this is going to take some time’ Britain’s second-biggest tour operator is set to run package holidays to Tunisia “towards the spring”, according to the company’s boss. On Wednesday the Foreign Office took Tunisia of the “no-go” list, giving a green light to UK holiday companies to run trips to the North African destination once more. The ban had been in force for two years following the murder of 38 people, including 30 British holidaymakers, at a hotel…

Tunisia passes landmark law to ‘end all violence’ against women

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Tunisia’s parliament has approved a bill aimed at ending “all violence against women” in a move welcomed by rights groups. The new law, which is expected to enter into force next year, defines violence against women as “any physical, moral, sexual or economic aggression” against women based on discrimination between the two sexes. It includes the key elements of the definition of domestic violence recommended in the United Nations Handbook for Legislation on Violence against Women. “This law is a landmark test for women’s rights in Tunisia,” said Amna Guellali, Tunisia…

Macron grasps initiative in Libyan standoff with Paris talks

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Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron is meeting Tuesday with the head of Libya’s United Nations-backed government and the North African oil producer’s powerful eastern-based military commander in the latest attempt to seek a solution to their standoff. Macron’s office said the initiative is aimed at facilitating the work of UN special negotiator Gassan Salame, who will also take part in the talks near Paris between Prime Minister Fayaz Al Sarraj and Khalifa Haftar, who leads the Libyan National Army.  “The goal is to build a state capable of responding to…