Year: 2018

Djerba to host First International Congress on Energy Security & Environment ESE’2018 Tunisia

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Djerba will host the First International Congress on Energy Security & Environment ESE’2018 Tunisia, on February1-4, 2018 according to the European Commission website. The ESE 2018 congress will be supported the The EU-funded FETRIC project. ESE’2018 Tunisia is organised by General Direction of Technological Studies of the Tunisian Ministry of High Education, in partnership with the IEEE organisation  (The world’s largest technical professional organisation for the advancement of technology).   The Congress will consist of invited talks, special sessions, oral and poster presentations of peer-reviewed papers, security training and workshop and a…

Positive tourism outlook for Tunisia after successful 2017

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-Thomas Cook chooses Djerba to hold its annual congress.  -Tui UK & Ireland reintroduces Tunisia for summer 2018. Thomas Cook, the second European tour operator, has chosen the island of Djerba to organise its annual congress due on January 7-11, 2018 TAP reports. The congress will be marked by the participation of no less than 300 French travel agents. Visits of hotels and tourist sites in the island are scheduled as part of this congress, which will officially begin on January 8. The aim is to further encourage the marketing…

Extra $600 Million given by Trump administration to Middle East and N. Africa Allies to combat ISIS

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The Trump administration has given the Pentagon $600 million more to arm and aid  allies in the Middle East and North Africa in their battle against the remnants of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) following its defeat in Iraq and Syria, Al-Monitor reports. The Defense Department is giving arms packages and assisting special forces units to better equip countries to battle the domestic and external threat of homegrown or returning jihadis who sympathize with ISIS’s ideology, according to congressional records seen by Al-Monitor. The global increase in security assistance that the Pentagon gives…

Tui reintroduces Tunisia for summer 2018

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Tui UK & Ireland has reintroduced Tunisia for summer 2018, with departures available from May. The operator put a small programme to Hammamet on sale today (Thursday), offering four flights a week from Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham and Gatwick to Enfidha. Tui has not offered a Tunisia programme since a terrorist gunman opened fire on tourists at the Imperial Marhaba Hotel in the resort of Sousse in 2015, killing 30 British holidaymakers, all of whom were Tui customers. The British Foreign Office (FCO) subsequently advised against all travel to Tunisia, halting UK…

“Tunisian-British Chamber of Commerce partner of choice for Tunisian and British Business leaders”, says Mehdi Ben Abdallah

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We need to strengthen relations between Tunisia and Great Britain and bring the respective business communities closer together, said Mehdi Ben Abdallah President of the Tunisian-British Chamber of Commerce (TBCC) in an interview with Express FM.  He highlighted the importance of the role of the TBCC in promoting trade and investment between Tunisia and Great Britain. The TBCC is the partner of choice for Tunisian-British companies and business leaders, he went on saying. The Tunisian-British Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organisation established by Tunisian and British businessmen in order…

Leonid Bershidsky: Is democracy coming to Iran? The demographics say yes

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A theory that predicted the recent transition to democracy in Tunisia may offer some clues on the future path taken by Iran In a country as repressive as Iran, it’s difficult to gauge where the current countrywide protests are leading. But a bold theory that predicted the recent transition to democracy in Tunisia may offer some clues. In 2008, U.S. demographer Richard Cincotta predicted that Tunisia — then under a well-established authoritarian regime — would probably democratize before 2020 based on the age structure of its population. When Cincotta aired…

Tunisia joins states pushing to escape EU tax haven blacklist

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Brussels accused of undermining own efforts to help nation fight terrorism Tunisia is seeking to persuade the EU to take it off a tax haven blacklist as countries around the world deploy geopolitical arguments against Europe’s crackdown. President Beji Caid Sebsi has said friendly EU states led by France are helping Tunisia to fight its inclusion on the list. Mr Sebsi said Tunisia’s inclusion was “unjust” and undermined its efforts to transform itself into a “21st-century state”. Critics argue that Tunisia’s designation as one of 17 “non-co-operative” territories in December sits uncomfortably…

Revival of the Tunisian banking sector will depend on aggressive reform, says report

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S&P Global Ratings regards Tunisia’s banking sector as a weakness for its economy, and a significant source of contingent liabilities for the government, according to a report entitled, Ambitious Reform Is Key To The Revival Of The Tunisian Banking Sector. The Tunisian banking system continues to suffer from long-standing structural and asset-quality issues,” said S&P Global Ratings credit analyst, Pierre Hollegien. Difficult operating conditions for banks, their past utilization by the Government in developing strategic economic sectors, such as tourism, and the country’s slow implementation of banking reforms have resulted in…

We Got Funded: Video Content Startup Buzzkito Raises US$1.7 Million From AfricInvest

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Stirring up MENA’s video development scene, Morocco-born startup Buzzkito has raised US$1.7 million in a Series A round, from AfricInvest, a Tunisia-based private equity fund managing $1 billion assets and more than 140 portfolio investments. Founded in 2006, the startup was launched by founder and CEO Mehdi Benslim, who noticed the lack of entertainment and engaging content in Morocco. The video content and development startup uses tech, data and psychology, to produce short, engaging and viral videos. This is Buzzkito’s first investment round, and the startup aims to use the funds to expand its operations…

Libya to recruit 500 diplomatic security personnel

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Libya’s Interior Ministry of the UN-backed government has approved to recruit 500 new members of the diplomatic security service responsible for protecting foreign embassies and missions in Libya, according to a security official on Monday. Col. Wissam Al-Jama, head of the diplomatic security service, told Xinhua that this batch will receive substantial training and intensive lectures related to international relations knowledge. He revealed last week that a number of EU embassies will reopen earlier this year. Most foreign embassies and missions to Libya, including the UN Support Mission in Libya,…