Year: 2017

Morocco Leads Maghreban Countries in FDI Flows

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Morocco topped the countries of the Maghreb region in terms of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2016, according to a report established by the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation. The North African kingdom attracted $2.3 billion worth of FDI in 2016, followed by Algeria with 1.5 billion, Tunisia with 958 million, and Libya with 493 million. At the Arab world’s level, Morocco came fifth preceded by the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. In total, Arab countries attracted some $30.8 billion worth of FDI in 2016, a…

Student recreates Spencer Creek flooding with 2D simulation

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The goal is to define warning areas and predict water levels for future evacuation and response plans If you knew a flood was coming — and you could predict the water level and damages — your evacuation and response would be dramatically improved. Such a tool might have helped the Dundas community back in April, when a month’s worth of rain fell in a single day. The flooding at Spencer Creek caused millions of dollars in damage and transformed streets into gushing rapids and mudslides. Using 2D simulation, an engineering…

In post-revolution Tunisia democracy endangered by low voter registration

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In Tunis, municipal elections are on the horizon. However, democracy is at risk.  Registration to vote is very weak and there is a clear reluctance among the many Tunisian political parties to participate. The municipal and regional elections are the democratic exercise in post-revolution Tunisia since the last elections took place in 2010. And they are especially significant because these councils used to be appointed by the Head of State. This time, on 17 December to be precise, things will be different. There will be votes in 350 municipalities and…

TUNISIAN HOTEL INDUSTRY INCREASINGLY RELYING ON DOMESTIC TOURISM

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The Tunisian Federation of Hotels (FTH) is pleased by the resumption of hotel activity in Tunisia.  During the first half of 2017 there was a 20.3% increase in the number of nights spent by Tunisian clients compared to the same period during the previous year – some 2 007 674 overnight stays versus 1 669 560 in the first half of 2016 and 1 916 303 in 2014. Domestic tourism is thus growing in importance for Tunisian hotel industry. In total, the number of overnight stays by Tunisian clients (non-residents…

Looking at long range identification and trackin

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The Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system provides for the global identification and tracking of ships. During a recent workshop in Tunis, Tunisia, (17-18 July), held on the request of the Government of Tunisia, participants were briefed on the functioning, operation and use of the LRIT system, taking into account the provisions in IMO’s Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention and relevant standards and guidance. The obligations of ships to transmit LRIT information and the rights and obligations of Governments and of search and rescue services to receive LRIT…

Thirty Saudi businessmen to take part in Tunisian-Saudi Economic Forum

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Thirty Saudi businessmen will participate in the Tunisian-Saudi Economic Forum scheduled for July 27, on the fringes of the 9th session of the Tunisian-Saudi Joint Commission, according to a Development, Investment and International Co-operation Ministry press release Monday. Financial co-operation agreements and memoranda of understanding will be signed during works of the Joint Commission which will be officially opened on July 28 by Development, Investment and International Co-operation Minister Fadhel Abdelkefi and Saudi Trade and Investment Minister Madjed Abdullah Al Qassabi, the same source specified. The Tunisian-Saudi Economic Forum will…

How to keep your family safe from terrorism – anti-terror experts publish handy guide

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x-Royal Marine Angus Weston has been targeted by IRA terrorists, he has intimidated insurgents in Iraq and faced down pirates off the coast of Africa. During his military career, he served in Northern Ireland during the peak of the troubles, fought in the Falklands War, and took part in major investigations into drugs smuggling and gun-running. After he left the army he worked as a close security officer, protecting engineers in the badlands of Iraq after the Gulf War. Now Stoke fan Angus is putting his expertise to good use…

Libyan premier, rival eastern commander to meet in Paris: source

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The head of Libya’s U.N.-backed government will hold talks in Paris this week with a powerful military commander who has so far rejected his authority, a diplomatic source said. The talks between Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and commander Khalifa Haftar are aimed at stabilizing the oil-producing country, which has been mired in chaos and fighting since rebels toppled strongman Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Western governments are pushing the U.N.-backed political agreement that installed Serraj’s Government of National Unity, but Haftar, whose forces have gained ground in the east of the…

Morocco tops Maghreb countries in attracting foreign investment: report

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Morocco has topped Maghreb countries in terms of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), local media reported on Sunday. Citing a report by the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation, the Moroccan financial daily L’Economiste said the North African kingdom attracted 2.3 billion U.S. dollars worth of FDI in 2016. According to the report, Morocco overtook its neighboring Maghreb nations such as Algeria with 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, Tunisia with 958 million U.S. dollars and Libya with 493 million U.S. dollars worth of FDI in 2016. Among Arab countries, Morocco…

Islamic State corpses await repatriation after force was defeated in Sirte, Libya

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Hundreds of Islamic State bodies are waiting to be taken back to their countries after the force was defeated in December, in the coastal city of Sirte in Libya. The corpses are now in Misrata – West of the country, under the forces that fought IS. Shipping the bodies back to Tunisia, Sudan and Egypt remains complicated as such governments will find it difficult to determine how many of their citizens left to fight as jihadists in Iraq, Syria and Libya. “The team has removed hundreds of bodies during the…