Year: 2018

UN launches youth initiatives in four Muslim states

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The United Nations has laun­ched a project to support youth-driven initiatives in education, science, culture and the media in Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, according to a press statement released on Tuesday. Vladimir Voronkov, who heads the UN’s counter-terrorism office, (UNOCT) met Audrey Azoulay, head of the UN cultural agency, in Paris to initiate the joint project, “Preventing violent extremism through youth empowerment in Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia”. “Working at the local level with young people [is important] to identify the best ways to prevent violent extremism and win…

Tunisian organisations call for completing transitional justice

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A civil coalition of some 40 associations and organisations from national and international civil society announced the launch of a series of movements to complete the process of transitional justice. At a press conference on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Tunisian National Union of Journalists (SNJT), Jamel Msallem, President of the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH), said the coalition had scheduled a series of meetings with the three Presidencies, the Minister of Justice, the Tunisian General Labour Union and the Truth and Dignity Commission (French :IVD) “to underline the imperative…

Forum in Tunis aims at unlocking inter-African economic exchanges

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Africa Economic Forum was held in Tunisian capital Tunis on Tuesday, with more than 900 participants from 38 African countries attending this forum. The forum aims at unlocking inter-African economic and trade exchanges and strengthening the building of strong partnership between Tunisia and its continent, for the creation of common wealth, said Radhi Meddeb, Commissioner General of the forum. The accession of Tunisia to COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) would be announced on the sidelines of this forum, while the formalization of this accession is planned during…

2018 World Press Freedom Index: Tunisia still 97th

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Tunisia has kept its 97th position at the 2018 World Press Freedom Index, published every year since 2002 by Reporters Without Borders (French: RSF) to rank 180 countries according to the level of freedom available to journalists. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday in Tunis, RSF Editor-in-Chief Virginie Dangles pointed out that Tunisia remains a model where freedom of press is relatively satisfactory. “However, RSF has observed this year offences and legislative actions that fail to ensure the freedom of press in addition to obstacles hindering the exercise of…

ASBU’s Arab Radio and TV Festival opens tomorrow in Tunis

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The 19th Arab Radio and Television Festival organised by The Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) will be held from 26-29 April 2018 in Tunis. The festival is organised in cooperation with the Tunisian Radio and Tunisian Television Establishments and in partnership with the Arab Satellite Communications Organisation (Arabsat). Speaking about the event, Abdelrahim Suleiman, Director General of ASBU said: “The annual festival aims to contribute to the development of the Arab radio and TV production and improving its quality so as to meet the needs of member corporations. The festival…

Thirty thousand tonnes of additional Tunisian olive oil to be exported to Europe

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Thirty thousand more tonnes of Tunisian olive oil will be exported over two years to Europe, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker announced Tuesday in Brussels. An agreement was reached between Tunisia and the EU Tuesday, allowing the export of an additional 30 thousand tonnes of Tunisian olive oil over two years to the European market, bringing the total quantity to 95 thousand tonnes of olive oil exported to Europe, Juncker said at a joint press conference. With this measure, the European Union has…

Chahed in Brussels: Major national reforms topping agenda of his visit

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Prime Minister Youssef Chahed started a working visit, April 23-27, in the Benelux countries: Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg. Upon his arrival in Brussels, he was received by European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. According to Adviser to the Prime Minister in charge of Diplomatic Affairs Tarek Ben Salem, the meeting focused on the major reforms undertaken by Tunisia, the current municipal elections, the EU’s classification of Tunisia among the countries likely to be heavily exposed to money laundering and terrorist financing, counter-terrorism and irregular emigration. The two…

Korea, Tunisia Hold Joint Commission For ‘thriving, Full-fledged’ Ties

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South Korea and Tunisia held a joint commission meeting on Monday to discuss bilateral cooperation and upgrade their relationship to “thriving and full-fledged ties. South Korea and Tunisia held a joint commission meeting on Monday to discuss bilateral cooperation and upgrade their relationship to “thriving and full-fledged ties.” “We noted with satisfaction that Korea and Tunisia have fostered thriving relations in all fields, including the political, economic, development cooperation and cultural areas since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1969,” Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said at the opening of the 10th Korea-Tunisia Joint Commission. It was held…

Visiting the Tunisian desert where ‘Star Wars’ was filmed

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There’s a reason the original “Star Wars” movie was filmed here in the deserts of southern Tunisia. This stark, remote landscape looks like another planet. One of Tunisia’s vast desert regions is even called Tataouine, like Luke Skywalker’s home planet, Tattoine. And the underground home where Luke Skywalker first appeared living with his uncle and aunt is a real hotel in the town of Matmata, one of various desert locations used in the movies.  “It looks just like the film,” said Lorenzo Bresciani, one of two young touring Italian professional…

More illegal migrants come cross boundary river into Slovenia from Croatia

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Slovenian police patrolling the area along the Kolpa boundary river with Croatia in the south of Slovenia apprehended 14 illegal migrants at the weekend, the national media reported. The Novo Mesto Police Department police report from the region said on Sunday an as yet unidentified body was recovered from the river, according to the Slovenian Press Agency STA. The 14 migrants apprehended in the areas along the Kolpa river have applied for asylum and will be taken to the asylum centre once police procedures have been completed. Nine of them…