Year: 2017

Japan grants Tunisia credit for construction of seawater desalination plant in Sfax

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A loan credit worth 36,676 million yen, about 780 million dinars (MD), was granted to Tunisia by Japan to build a sea water desalination plant in Sfax. This credit, granted to the National Water Supply and Distribution Company (SONEDE), will be repaid over 25 years, 7 years of which are grace period with an interest rate of 1.7%.  The loan agreement was signed by Secretary of State to the Foreign Minister Sabri Bachtobji, Japan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kentaro Sonoura and the representative of the Japan International Co-operation Agency…

Tunisia, France eye increased trade

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Industry and Trade Minister Zied Ladhari and French Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean Baptiste Lemoyne agreed, as they met Saturday, to increase trade and develop economic relations, in line with a roadmap that will be jointly worked out in the coming months. “We spoke about avenues to develop cooperation,” Ladhari told reporters following a talk in the presence of France’s Ambassador in Tunis Olivier Poivre d’Arvor and Secretary of State for Trade Abdellatif Hmam.  “Our French partners showed great enthusiasm and willingness and the same commitment to…

10 ‘Superfoods’ to Eat Daily for Optimum Fitness

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Ask five nutrition experts to provide a list of their favorite “superfoods,” and the results will vary—but they’ll also overlap. The reason is each food provides something different and of great importance to body functioning. One food on the list might be a rich source of protein or fiber, but wind up lacking in vitamins and minerals. Another superfood could be loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants, but be largely absent of protein. That’s why experts claim that eating a wide variety of power foods is the best way to ensure optimum health. Try…

United Nations SG, faith leaders launch Fez Plan of Action on religious violence

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United Nations Secretary General AntĂłnio Guterres, along with religious leaders of the world, announced on Friday the launch of a new initiative to curb atrocities rooted in faith-based incitements to violence. The launch of the Fez Plan of Action, first drafted in Morocco in April 2015, marks two years of engagement with religious leaders on how to improve multifaith dialogue, develop alternative messaging and educational tools, and limit hate speech that leads to violence. “Around the world, we see how religion is being twisted – cynically manipulated – to justify incitement…

Hoosier archaeologist found the long lost ‘Star Wars’ sets. He wants your help to tell its story.

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Archaeologist David West Reynolds took his ‘Star Wars’ fandom to the next level by mapping out the filming locations of the original ‘Star Wars’ movie and setting out on an expedition to find themMadeleine Winer/Courier-Journal/USA TODAY Network  David West Reynolds, a New Albany native, has visited a galaxy far, far away and wants to share it with you. That galaxy is the Sahara Desert of Tunisia, where he was the first to find the original — supposedly lost — “Star Wars” filming locations using a combination of his fanboy status and…

Global olive oil supply under threat as tree disease reaches Spain

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Spread by insects, the European Union considers Xylella fastidiosa to be“one of the most dangerous plant bacteria worldwide, causing a variety of diseases, with huge economic impact for agriculture.” The EU is the world’s largest producer of olive oil, accounting for 73% of global production. Spain produces 56% of the world’s olive oil supply. The next four top-producing countries — Italy, Greece, Tunisia and Morocco — together produce just half of Spain’s annual volume, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. U.S. olive oil accounts for just 0.6% of Spain’s olive oil production. At the moment,…

UPU and Tunisia sign e-commerce agreement

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The Universal Postal Union (UPU) and Tunisia have signed an agreement for the development of e-commerce in the country under the Ecom@Africa project initiative. In a statement issued yesterday (13 July), the UPU said: “The cooperation agreement formalizes commitment to implement the Ecom@Africa Tunisian platform. Experts from the UPU and Tunisia have for the past months been setting up suitable technical and operational structures that will enable the roll out of the project. ” The UPU launched the Ecom@Africa initiative to assist African countries develop and facilitate online trade using the postal network. The…

House rejects Trump’s Middle East aid cuts

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Congress rejected the Donald Trump administration’s proposed cuts to Middle East aid today, in some cases even voting to increase assistance over the current year’s budget. While the State Department request for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1 sought deep cuts across the board, members of the House foreign aid spending panel made clear they wouldn’t be touching aid to key US allies such as Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. In addition, the House state and foreign operations bill released today makes clear that the administration’s proposalto turn some foreign military financing grants…

Tunisia: Spanish company gets €2.6-million contract for 6 desalination plants

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Spanish engineering company “Typsa” will manage in consortium with another two companies the construction of six desalination plants in the Tunisian Sahara, Spanish site “The Diploma” reported, quoting information provided by the company on Monday (July 10). The information has also been officially confirmed by the management of SONEDE in Tunis. According to the same information we have, the contract, worth € 2.6 million, will last five years.  According to our sources, “Typsa will develop construction projects for the treatment plants, the selection of construction companies and the supervision of…

Australia ranked among world’s best countries to be an immigrant

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Australia is ranked in the top four countries to be an immigrant, according to a new global study. The nation polled highly in measures such as economic stability, income equality and job markets, which were used to create the list complied by ranking company US News and World Report. Sweden, a strong social welfare state that has long been considered a haven for migrants, took the top spot, followed by Canada, Switzerland, then Australia. Germany rounded out the top five. The US fell in the rankings due to its perceived economic…