Year: 2018

Tunisia to borrow $85 million for Digital Tunisia 2020 project

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The Tunisian parliament has approved an agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB) worth €71.56 million ($85.1 million) on a loan to fund the Digital Tunisia 2020 project. The vote on the loan agreement was made during a plenary session of the parliament followed by Anadolu. The loan agreement received the approval of 97 deputies, the retention of 26, and the objection of 28 of the 151 deputies who attended the session out of 217, which is the total number of deputies in the parliament. On 21 December the Tunisian government…

Tunisia approves illegal enrichment law to fight corruption

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The Tunisian parliament on Tuesday approved a law to combat illicit enrichment, a step designed to strengthen the government’s fight against widespread corruption in the country. Since the 2011 uprising, Tunisia has been held up by Western partners as a model of democracy for the region. Economic progress has lagged, however, and corruption remains a major problem in the North African state. The law will force the president, ministers, senior officials in the public sector, independent bodies, banks, judges, security forces, journalists and unions to declare their property. “The law…

Migrants rescued in Maltese SAR stranded on ship outside Tunisia

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Migrants rescued in Maltese SAR have been refused port entry in Malta, Italy and Tunisia according to NGO that says rescued people are now stranded at sea Malta and Italy have been accused of refusing to give safe harbour to 40 migrants rescued by a supply ship inside the Maltese search and rescue region. The NGO WatchTheMed said it had collected information that strongly suggests that a boat carrying 40 migrants from several African countries seeking protection in Europe, was “illegally transferred into Tunisian territorial waters” after having reached international waters…

German Cabinet declares Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria ‘safe’

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Germany’s Cabinet wants to add three Maghreb states and Georgia to a list of “safe countries of origin.” But will the change pass Germany’s upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, where it failed last year? The German government will put forward legislation declaring Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Georgia “safe countries of origin.” The decision was reached after the weekly meeting of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet on Wednesday in Berlin. If enacted, the change in the law would make it easier for Germany to turn back people from and deport them back…

Uncovering the Beauty of Algeria’s Post-Colonial Architecture

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Algiers like you’ve never seen it before  “What I love about photography is the rich and diverse prisms of analysis it offers. We can feel something very immediate if we look at a picture as an isolated piece, but if we place it within a series, we are also able to create a new vocabulary, a new way of reading things”, says 30-year-old French-Tunisian photographer Safouane Ben Slama, who recalls developing an interest in photography through his father who transmitted his passion to him when he was still a kid. There…

Tunisia is officially 20th member of COMESA

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Tunisia officially became Wednesday, the 20th member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), at the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the member countries, held in Lusaka, capital of Zambia. Minister of Foreign Affairs Khemaies Jhinaoui ratified in his capacity as representative of President Beji Caid Essebsi, the Treaty of Accession of Tunisia to COMESA, in the presence of Trade Minister Omar El Behi. According to a statement issued today by the Foreign Ministry, Jhinaoui emphasised in a speech read out on behalf of…

“Silk Road” symphonic concert held in Tunisia

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A symphonic concert, with the theme of “Silk Road,” was performed Monday night in Tunis, capital of Tunisia. Held at the ruins of Antonin baths, part of the archaeological site of Carthage, this open-air concert attracted over 300 audiences. Tunisian Symphonic Orchestra directed by a Spanish maestro, and artists from China, Tunisia and Mongolia, offered this musical journey to the audience, who enjoyed the cultural exchanges under the breeze from the Mediterranean.  This “Silk Road” symphonic concert in Tunisia is regarded as a good expression of China’s willingness to develop…

Algeria and Tunisia agree to fight cross-border terrorism

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Government officials from Algeria and Tunisia met in Tunis on Wednesday to discuss ways to secure their common border. The move followed an attack on a patrol of the Tunisian National Guard in the border province of Jendouba, in which six soldiers were killed. According to the London-based Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, senior officials of the Algerian security forces met with their Tunisian counterparts during an unannounced visit. The newspaper pointed out that they reviewed the proliferation of armed groups and exchanged all available intelligence, including the identity of active terrorists in border…

Belgium signs migration agreement with Tunisia

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The Belgian and Tunisian secretaries of state for Migration, respectively Theo Francken and Adel Jarboui, signed on Tuesday an agreement. It aims to facilitate the return of undocumented Tunisians living in Belgium back to Tunisia. Mr Francken (New Flemish Alliance) says that this agreement strengthens Belgium’s collaboration with Tunisia for the return of such undocumented individuals and those who have been found guilty by the courts, to Tunisia. Last year 638 undocumented Tunisians living in Belgium were arrested for questioning by Belgian police, the majority for public order offences. There are…

“The Symphony of the 5 senses” theme of Pinna association Culinary Camp

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The Tunisian Pinna APDPE Association is organising on July 20-22, 2018, in Haouaria (Tunisian Cap Bon) a culinary camp on the theme of “the Symphony of the 5 senses” in collaboration with the Indian Embassy to Tunisia. Yoga sessions are on the agenda of the Culinary camp to be offered by Indian Yoga Coach Dayaram Sharma.  The culinary camp will be an occasion for the camping lovers to take the first step towards inner peace and testing the five senses through Yoga, Nature walk, Peacebuilding, Meditation, wildness, outdoors activities and life in…