Year: 2018

Servicemen and security officers take part in municipal race for first time

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Some 36 thousand soldiers and security officers are be able to choose their representatives in municipal councils. This is a first in Tunisi a’s history, established under the amendment of the electoral code of 2014. The electoral authority reserved 359 voting centres in 350 constituencies throughout the country. Organic Law No. 2017-7 of February 14, 2017, amending and supplementing the Organic Law No. 2014-16 of May 26, 2014 on elections and referendums sets a series of measures that differentiate the military and security officers of the rest of the electoral…

Libya, US sign security cooperation agreement

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The Libyan deputy foreign minister of Presidential Council government Lutfi Al-Maghrabi signed with the US Charge d’Affaires to Libya, Stephanie Williams, a security cooperation agreement in Tunisia. Media office of the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday that the signing included a memorandum of intent for airport security and a letter of agreement to support Libyan policing, corrections and justice sector development. “The signing opens the door for training Libyan cadres in the aforementioned fields with the funding and assistance of the US.” The foreign ministry’s statement reads.…

Tunisia attracts 44% of Thomas Cook’s bookings

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“Tunisia is selling well and is attracting the family market which accounts for 44% of bookings to date,” says British tour operator Thomas Cook, adding that to meet customer demand Thomas Cook Airlines has decided to increase the number of weekly flights to Tunisia from 3 to 11 flights for this summer. According to Thomas Cook 2018 report, online searches for Tunisia destination increased 8-fold, up by 790%, as of February 13, 2018, the day Thomas Cook’s flights to Tunisia resumed. “The summer of 2018 sees the return to North…

First Municipal Election Since 2011 A Boost For Tunisian Democracy

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The North African nation holds its first municipal elections since the Arab Spring of 2011. Some 57,000 people have signed up to run, and the election rules were crafted for inclusivity. The municipal elections law stipulates the presence of at least one candidate with a physical disability among the first 10 candidates on each list, and the lists must be divided equally between men and women. The candidate lists submitted to the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) revealed that over 1,800 individuals with special needs submitted their candidacy and…

Algeria frets over rise in migrants as Europe tightens controls

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Algeria warned that it could face housing ‘hundreds of thousands’ of migrants if Europe closed its doors. Algeria expects to have to accommodate more illegal migrants from sub-Saharan Africa after the European Union made it more difficult to reach Europe by boat, a senior official in the country’s interior ministry said on Thursday. A 2016 EU agreement with Turkey all but closed the sea route to the Greek islands that almost a million people took in 2015. Departures have also fallen from the latest main departure point, Libya, because of  EU…

French-Tunisian baker on the secrets behind Paris’ best baguettes

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A French-Tunisian baker, who has won the right to supply the French presidential palace with baguettes for a year, says kneading is the secret behind his prize-winning loaves. “A lot of people go too quickly with the kneading,” Mahmoud M’seddi told the BBC. He is the latest winner of the annual best baguette in Paris competition. Mr M’seddi makes his first visit to the Elysée Palace on Friday and will now start hand-delivering his baguettes. He is the fourth North African in the last six years to win the award.…

Migrant rights’ caravan sets off in Tunisia

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The refugee activist migrant caravan — CarovaneMigranti — is setting off on its fourth annual journey through Italy to meet relatives of migrants and discuss common migration policies. CarovaneMigranti and the Tunisian association “La Terre pour Tous” will travel to cities across Italy from April 28 to May 6, to meet the relatives of migrants who have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean and discuss future actions. From Tunisia to the border  The journey will continue along the border between Italy and France, stopping in Bardonecchia, Ventimiglia, in the…

Thomas Cook Says Terror Slump Over as Tunisia Bookings Jump

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Thomas Cook Group Plc said a slump in Europeans traveling to sunspots hit by a spate of terrorist attacks is effectively over as tourists flock back to eastern Mediterranean and north African countries.  The holiday giant’s bookings in Turkey for the coming summer season are approaching previous levels and it’s also piling on capacity to Tunisia and Egypt, Chief Executive Officer Peter Fankhauser said in an interview in London.  Demand is being driven by a perceived lower terror threat as time passes, combined with a jump in the cost of vacations…

ABC Tunisia issues an $8.2 million bond to finance its development strategy

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ABC Tunisia, a subsidiary of Bahrain-based Bank ABC group, announced the placement of a bond loan worth TND20 million ($ 8.2 million) broken into 200,000 bonds valued at TND100 each. This bond placement will focus on three categories. Category A with an interest rate of 8.20% over a 5-year period, category B with a slightly higher interest rate (8.40%) and a maturity of 7 years while Category C has a term of 7 years with an interest rate of 8.50%. With this step, Bank ABC Tunisia hopes to raise additional…

EU-Tunisia partnership strengthening in focus at EU High Representative meeting with Tunisian PM

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The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission Federica Mogherini met yesterday with Tunisian Head of Government Youssef Chahed in Brussels. They discussed the strong relations between the European Union and Tunisia and the current situation of the country. The EU-Tunisia relations are based on a solid cooperation and several achievements. Mrs Mogherini and Mr Chahed both expressed their shared will to deepen this cooperation, with even more tangible results for the Tunisian citizens. Since the revolution of 2011, the EU…