Year: 2018

Tunisia FM rules out holding Libyan elections this year

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Libyan rivals agreed during their talks in Paris to hold elections on Dec. 18 Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui on Tuesday ruled out holding elections in conflict-ridden Libya this year. “It has become very difficult to respect the dates set by the Paris conference for holding elections in Libya,” Jhinaoui said in an interview with the local Al Chourouk newspaper. Libya’s warring rivals have agreed during their peace talks in Paris earlier this year to finalize and adopt a constitution by Sept. 16 and hold presidential and parliamentary elections on Dec. 18.…

Euro-Med forum Thursday in Otranto castle

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A workshop will be held  on Thursday in the Aragonese castle of Otranto entitled ‘Reinventing the Mediterranean: dialogue, challenges, and opportunities’. The workshop is part of the 10th edition of the Journalists of the Mediterranean Festival. Organizers say that participants include the ambassador of Morocco, Hassan Abouyoub, of Tunisia, Moez Eddine Sinaoui, and of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Gabriele Checchia, as well as Puglia regional councillor for studies and training Sebastiano Leo. Concluding remarks will be made by Ambassador Enrico Granara, coordinator for multi-lateral affairs of the Euro-Mediterranean area…

UN chief commends anti-money laundering efforts in Nigeria, Tunisia

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed satisfaction with the anti-money laundering efforts in Nigeria and Tunisia. Guterres, in his remarks to the Security Council on ‘Corruption in Conflicts’, noted that the anti-money laundering efforts in Nigeria and Tunisia had seen funds returned to the treasury. At its January Summit this year, the African Union launched the observance of 2018 as African Anti-Corruption Year. “I am pleased to note that anti-money laundering efforts in Nigeria and Tunisia have seen funds returned,” the UN chief said. Newsmen report that the AU has…

NHRC Organizes Tunisia conference on peace issues

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The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) will organize an international conference on “Issues of Peace” in Tunis from 26 to 29 September. The conference is the first of its kind organized by NHRC in Tunis in cooperation with the Arab Institute for Human Rights, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the NGO-NESCO Liaison committee. More than 120 organizations, 250 participants and observers, and UNESCO Member States will attend the four-day conference as part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human…

UK tourist numbers to Tunisia show signs of recovery

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The first signs of recovery in UK tourism to Tunisia following the 2015 terrorist attack in Sousse have emerged. A new study of data from the Office for National Statistics revealed a 537% year-on-year rise to 19,000 visits in the first quarter of 2018. The North African country saw the biggest increase in visitors from the UK of any country in the world, albeit numbers were still low. Research by Manchester-based luxury travel frim Rich Vein Travel disclosed that Finland achieved the second biggest increase at 92,000 UK visits –…

Illegal Migration: Over 3,800 Tunisians Crossed to Italy in 2018

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Frustration over lack of economic opportunities and social mobility has driven thousands of disenchanted Tunisians to undertake the perilous Mediterranean crossing in an attempt to reach Europe. Some 3,811 Tunisian migrants, now in an irregular situation, arrived by sea in Italy during the first eight months of 2018 compared to 1,721 recorded during the same period of last year, according to the Tunisian Forum of Economic and Social Rights (FTDES). Citing figures from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Forum President Masoud Romdhani…

Tunisia : Swiver raises about TND500,000 for its development

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Swiver, a Tunisian cloud accounting service provider, raised about TND 500,000 from Compagnie d’Assurance et de Réassurance Tuniso-Européenne (Carte). These funds will help the company extend its services to other countries in Africa. “These funds will strengthen our business capabilities. We will offer new online services, like monthly tax returns, to our clients. Our company is planning to conquer new markets outside Tunisia”, Azzam Soualmia, the man who founded Swiver in 2016, said. In 2017, Tunisian startups raised $10.5 million. The most important funds were allocated to companies operating in big data, agriculture and creative…

Tunisia joins China’s Belt and Road Initiative as it seeks to diversify trade, investment

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Tunisia, which boasts the most open and diversified economy in the Maghreb, took its first steps to integrate into China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) strategy as it looks to expand trade and foreign investment. Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, in Beijing for the 2018 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, presided over the signing of deals between Tunisian and Chinese partners, marking the country’s first tangible steps to form a “solid partnership” with BRI, Tunisia’s government said. The deals include projects to develop Tunisia’s southern port of Zarzis into an…

Saudi Fund for Development finances housing units in Tunisia

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The Saudi Fund for Development financed 18 housing units in the city of Oued Melliz, governorate of Jendouba. The units are part of a $150 million soft loan provided by the fund, which aims to build around 4,600 units in different regions of Tunisia for low-income people. Mohammed Saleh Arfaoui, Minister of Equipment, Housing and Spatial Planning voiced thanks and gratitude to the Saudi government under the leadership of King Salman for its constant support and for standing by Tunisia on several occasions. For his part, Saudi Ambassador to Tunisia Mohammed…

Chinese tours to Africa rise on deep ties

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The deep friendship forged between China and African countries, especially with the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), has led to an increasing number of Chinese visiting Africa this year. Travel packages to African countries, such as visits to South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, were labelled as popular on the websites of several online travel agencies, including ctrip.com, qunar.com and lvmama.com. Most of the packages go for 10,000 to 15,000 yuan per person for a 10-day trip. The number of Chinese tourists who book trips…