Year: 2018

Emmi profit growth accelerates on minority interests

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Just-food presents the key metrics from company financials in bitesize format, with analyst insight and social media comment alongside graphs illustrating a business’ historical performance to give you an easy-to-read digest of the numbers you need to know. Swiss dairy company Emmi reported a 15% increase in full-year net profits due to a reduction in “minority interests”, which fell by CHF10.8m (US$11.5m), mainly related to Mittelland Molkerei. Commenting on the results, chief executive Urs Riedener said: “Emmi made up a good deal of ground in the second half of the…

Specific Support to Tunisia: kick-off meeting –

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Setting research priorities and public-private cooperation in R&D The Specific Support to Tunisia will kick-off with a discussion on its two main focus areas – business participation in R&D activities and defining research priorities – and the schedule for a series of fact-finding visits to the country. The PSF team includes independent European R&I policy experts from Austria, Belgium, France, Spain and Switzerland.  TunisianMonitorOnLine (European Commission)

Tunisia’s foreign exchange reserves are at ‘critical’ levels (experts)

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The Tunisian Central Bank announced that the country’s foreign exchange reserves fell to 11.3 billion Tunisian dinars, equivalent to about 4.6 billion dollars, which covers no more than 80 days of the value of the country’s imports, after it was covering 82 days. Experts said that this decline warns of many risks that Tunisia may face in case the reserves continue to fall to lower levels. The Central Bank attributed this decline to the country’s need to enhance the mobilization of  foreign exchange resources at the beginning of each year,…

China’s outbound trips reach 130 million

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China’s outbound travel market raked up 130 million trips in 2017, a 7% increase on 122 million trips recorded in 2017. Thailand and Japan continue to be the two hottest outbound destinations. But with more flight connections, better exchange rates and fewer visa restrictions, destinations such as Morocco, Turkey and Tunisia are seeing a huge growth in visitors from China. The figures are highlighted in a Ctrip 2017 China Outbound Tourism Travel Report compiled with the  China Tourism Academy (CTA), a specialised institute under China National Tourism Administration. Recognised as…

Government suspends all job offers in Gafsa phosphate production sites until resumption of production

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The government decided to suspend all job offers at the phosphate production sites shut down and to freeze all recruitment programmes developed by the Gafsa Phosphate Company (GPC) until the normal resumption of phosphate production and transport. The decision was taken during a small cabinet meeting held Saturday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed. The cabinet meeting instructed the parties concerned to determine the responsibilities and the Minister of Justice to take immediate action for prosecution of all those who violate the law and deliberately impede the production…

Libya: Sweheli Asks for Washington Mediation to Rein in Haftar

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Head of Libya’s High Council of State Abdulrahman Sewehli indirectly called for a US mediation with Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. An aide close to Haftar however denied the claims. Lambasting Haftar, Sewehli explained that the mediation would be necessary to rein in those “thwarting the political process and those benefiting from the ongoing status quo.” “Time and circumstances no longer leave space for disruption. There is a need to return to the Libyan people in the event of the failure of parties in tasks entrusted…

Tunisia, battling rough economy, looks to expand ties with Spain

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Although Spain is a major player in the European Union, its imports from Tunisia represent only 3.8% of Tunisia’s exports to the EU. – Samir Majoul, president of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicraft. Spain and Tunisia pledged to strengthen economic and military ties during a visit by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to Tunis. The official visit, the first by a Spanish prime minister to Tunisia since the “Arab spring” uprisings in 2011, saw the two countries sign eight memorandums and agreements on economic, cultural and educational…

Tunisia’s public debt reaches 69.9% of GDP, end of December 2017 (Finance Ministry)

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Tunisia’s public debt reached, at the end of December 2017, 69.9% of GDP against 61.9% in 2016, according to the December 2017 Public Debt Monthly Brochure posted by the Finance Ministry on its website. In terms of value, outstanding public debt rose from 55 921.5 MD (million dinars) for the whole of 2016 to 68,073.7 MD at the end of December 2017. The external debt stood in December 2017 at 46,785.1 MD (48.04% of GDP). It includes 50% of multilateral debts, 14% of bilateral debts and 36% of debts contracted…

Aljanoubia TV in Washington

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Tunisian Aljanoubia TV channel launched a new permanent office in Washington, in addition to the two other offices in Paris and Los Angeles. This initiative aims to cover American news and events, as a first Tunisian and Maghreb Channel to broadcast through its office from the U.S. federal capital. The three overseas offices will enhance the presence of this Channel in nationwide as well as worldwide media landscape, as its owner businessman Mohamed Ayachi Ajroudi aspires to improve the performance of his Channel continuously. It is an important step and…

New business incubator specialising in ICT opens at ISTIC Borj Cedria

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A new business incubator specialising in new technologies, on Friday, opened at the Higher Institute of Information and Communication Technologies (ISTIC) of Borj Cedria, TAP reports. This incubator will provide to young higher education graduates wishing to create companies the mechanisms of support, training, coaching and assistance. At the opening ceremony chaired by Slim Khalbous, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Slim Feriani, Minister of Industry and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), a cooperation agreement was signed between the two ministries and other agreements related to the establishment…