Year: 2018

Italy strengthens engagement in controversial migrant management initiatives in Libya

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The Italian government has announced an additional 80 million euro investment in its African Fund to fight illegal migration and the deployment of troops in Libya “to combat illegal immigration and counter terrorism threats.” The deployment of troops is condemned as a violation of Libyan sovereignty and a report by ISS Institute for Security Studies and The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime describes the tight link between security and migrant management in Libya as counter-productive. The Italian government has announced an additional investment in the African Fund bringing the total to…

Trade deficit narrows to 1,211.7 MD in January 2018 (INS)

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The trade balance deficit has narrowed slightly to 1,211.7 million dinars (MD) in January 2018, compared with 1,221.8 million dinars a year earlier, TAP reports. The coverage rate, therefore, recorded a significant improvement of 7.2 points to 72.1% against 64.8% in January 2017, TAP reports the   National Institute of Statistics (INS) announcement. The non-energy balance of the trade deficit was reduced to 858 MD and the deficit in the energy balance was 353.7 MD (29.2% of the total deficit) against 309.2 MD during the same period in 2017. According to…

Thomas Cook’s Tunisia programme ‘very well-booked’ ahead of relaunch next week

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Thomas Cook’s group chief executive says its Tunisia programme – which recommences on February 13 – is “very well-booked”. The programme will start with 16 hotels and three weekly flights to Enfidha, from Manchester, London Gatwick and Birmingham, expanding to include Glasgow from April and Newcastle and London Stansted from May – six flights per week. “We are carefully going in, we feel well prepared,” Peter Fankhauser told a media call following Thomas Cook Group’s first quarter trading announcement. “They [flights and hotels] are very well-booked so there is a…

Tunisia receiving financial, institutional aid for pilot shrimp farms from China

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The Chinese Commerce Ministry is funding a series of pilot projects to assess the feasibility of large-scale shrimp farming in northern Africa, SeafoodSource reports. A group of experts from the China Academy of Fishery Sciences went to Tunisia recently to assess and advise on the local technical capacity for a large-scale shrimp farm, according to a statement from the academy. The technical feasibility study group, led by the academy’s deputy chairman, Liu Ying Jie, met officials from the Tunisia Ocean Research Institute (INSTM) and the country’s Aquaculture Technical Centre (CTA) to discuss…

Deals on diplomatic training program, economic cooperation inked between China and Tunisia

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China signed Tuesday two agreements with Tunisia to launch a diplomatic training program and boost the bilateral economic and technical partnership, Xinhua reports. The deals were signed in Tunis by Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Khemais Jhinaoui and Qian Keming, visiting Chinese vice minister of commerce. Under the deals, the two countries will launch a program dubbed “Diplomatic Academy of Training and Studies,” and China will invest a total of 32 million US dollars in Tunisia’s economic and technical development. The diplomatic academy will provide training for Tunisia’s officials in…

Tunisia: MEPs confirm Commission blacklist of countries at risk of money laundering

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Tunisia, Sri Lanka and Trinidad and Tobago added to money laundering blacklist List is part of EU’s toolkit to protect itself against money laundering, terrorist financing Long record of disagreement between Parliament and Commission over compilation Despite fierce opposition, Tunisia has been added to the European blacklist of third countries thought to be at “high risk” of money laundering and terrorist financing. Despite intense efforts by some MEPs, they failed to achieve the 376-vote absolute majority needed to reject the inclusion of Tunisia, Sri Lanka, and Trinidad and Tobago to…

Italy pledges 80 million euros to fight illegal migration through Libya

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Italy announced Tuesday an additional 80 million euros (98 million U.S. dollars) in its investment to fight illegal migration from Africa. Italy is allocating a further 80 million euros to its 200-million-euro Africa Fund, Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano told an Africa-European Union ministerial conference on migration here. Foreign ministers from African and European countries of migrant transit and destination gathered at the second edition of the conference titled “A Shared Responsibility for a Common Goal — Solidarity and Security”. Italy launched its Africa Fund in January 2017 to “fight illegal immigration,…

Thomas Cook to resume Tunisia holidays from Manchester Airport

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A TOUR operator is resuming flights and holidays from Manchester Airport to Tunisia, the Bolton News reports. Thomas Cook will start with three weekly flights to Enfidha, from Manchester, as well as London Gatwick and Birmingham, from next Tuesday, the source said. The decision was taken to put the destination back on sale after the UK government changed its advice for Tunisia, meaning that British holiday-makers can now travel to the majority of the country, the Bolton News said. Travel companies stopped flying holiday-makers to Tunisia after 30 British tourists were…

Africa needs to be firm against toxic wastes dumping

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Bamako Convention of 1998 prohibits importation into Africa of toxic goods Conference urges African leaders to rid the continent of toxic goods Recycling of used electronic goods could provide sustainable jobs Africa needs to do more to address the dumping of hazardous wastes, especially from the developed world, into the continent, a meeting has heard. Participants at the 2nd Conference of Parties (COP-2) to the Bamako Convention agreed in Cote d’Ivoire last week (30 January to 1 February) that the continent has to be secured from being a dumping ground…

Positive signs of trade balance improvement in January 2018

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The Tunisian economy got off to a good start in the new year, with improved trade and an increase in tourism in January 2018 compared to the same time last year, TAP reports. The coverage ratio of imports with exports improved by 7%, going from 64.8% to 72.8% between 2017 and 2018, with a 39% increase in exports and a 25.5% increase in imports, according to TAP. The general coverage ratio increased by 10.4% in January 2018, which allowed the value of the Tunisian dinar to stabilise on the foreign…