The curtain of the 59th Carthage International Festival fell in dazzling fashion as Emirati superstar Ahlam took center stage, delivering an unforgettable performance before a packed Roman amphitheater overflowing with fans. The evening was more than a concert—it was a celebration of art, heritage, and heartfelt connections. From the very first note, Ahlam’s presence radiated confidence and grace. Dressed in a soft, refined gown that reflected her signature elegance, she mesmerized the audience not only with her voice but also with her style. In a gesture that embodied her generosity…
Month: August 2025
THE RED SEA FILM FOUNDATION UNVEILS PROGRAMMERS FOR FESTIVAL’S 2025 EDITION
The programming team includes TIFF film curator Giovanna Fulvi, former ArtisticDirector of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Deepti D’Cunha, Fasllah.com Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Al-Ayyad, Good Chaos CEO Mike Goodridge, and African cinema expert Alex Moussa Sawadogo The Red Sea Film Foundation (Red Sea FF) has unveiled the programming team for the fifth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival, which takes place from 4–13 December 2025 in the historic district of Al Balad, Jeddah Under the leadership of Antoine Khalife, Director of Arab Programs and Film Classics, the Arab Programming…
Tunisian Scientist Emna Harigua Wins Top National Award for AI Innovation in Health
Tunisian researcher Emna Harigua has received Tunisia’s 2025 Best Female Scientific Achievement Prize for her pioneering work in artificial intelligence–driven drug discovery. Awarded by the Ministry of Family, Women, Children and Seniors on National Women’s Day (August 13), the prize celebrates Harigua’s leadership in advancing AI applications in health research. A scientist at the Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Harigua heads the BIND project (Bioinformatics and Artificial Intelligence for Infectious Diseases), part of the Global South AI for Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness and Response Network, supported by IDRC and the UK’s…
Tunisia Climbs to 7th Place in Africa for Greenfield FDI Performance
Tunisia has strengthened its position as a competitive destination for foreign investment, ranking 7th in Africa and 38th worldwide in the 2025 Greenfield Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Performance Index, published by fDi Intelligence, a division of the Financial Times. The index measures how effectively countries attract new Greenfield projects—investments that establish new facilities rather than acquiring existing businesses—relative to the size of their economies. Tunisia scored 2.2 points, a notable improvement of 0.7 points from the previous edition. While Namibia leads the African ranking and places second globally, followed by…
Tunisia Pushes Digital Governance with Launch of Tartib 2.0
The Tunisian Ministry of Economy and Planning has unveiled Tartib 2.0, a digital application that will become mandatory in 2026 for evaluating and selecting public investment projects for the state budget. The platform uses a multi-criteria scoring system to assess projects based on economic, social, environmental, and cross-cutting impacts, aiming to ensure transparency and efficiency in public spending. The launch is part of Tunisia’s wider digital transformation strategy, Digital Tunisia 2025, which seeks to modernize public administration, strengthen digital infrastructure, and boost investor confidence. Despite past setbacks caused by bureaucracy…
Paris to Host International Symposium Honoring Emirati Poet Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, UNESCO will host a major international symposium celebrating the centennial of Emirati poet Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais (1925–2025). Entitled “Sultan Al Owais… A Journey of Poetry, A Journey of Giving”, the event will take place on September 11–12, 2025, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Organized by the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation in cooperation with UNESCO, the two-day gathering will bring together leading scholars, poets, and orientalists…
Scientists Launch CryoSCOPE Project to Unlock Secrets of Melting Glaciers
As glaciers melt at unprecedented rates, threatening global water security and climate stability, scientists from Europe and India have joined forces under a new initiative—CryoSCOPE. Launched in Helsinki, the project aims to advance understanding of how snow, ice, air, and water interact, and how their rapid changes shape climate and ecosystems. Glaciers are losing an average of 267 gigatons of ice annually—double the pace of two decades ago—raising concerns over rising seas, disrupted water cycles, and dangerous tipping points. By combining field research in the Alps, Arctic, and Himalayas with…
Adam Ignites Carthage Festival Stage with a Storm of Emotion and Nostalgia
The Carthage International Festival witnessed an unforgettable evening on August 18, 2025, as Lebanese artist Adam took the stage in a performance brimming with passion, nostalgia, and raw emotion. Before a packed amphitheater, Adam delivered a repertoire of his most beloved hits, including “Kheles Edamaa,” “Hatha Ana,” and “Kifak Ent.” He also paid tribute to the golden era of Tarab with renditions of Dhekra’s “El Asami,” Mayada El Hennawy’s “Ana Baachaak,” and George Wassouf’s “Helef Al Amar.” From the first note, the audience responded with thunderous applause, often joining in…
Thalathoun” at Carthage Festival: A Posthumous Tribute to Fadhel Jaziri
The Carthage International Festival paid tribute to the late filmmaker and theater pioneer Fadhel Jaziri with a special screening of his celebrated film Thalathoun on August 17. The evening, filled with emotion, brought together audiences and cultural figures to honor the legacy of an artist who left a profound mark on Tunisia’s cultural history. Released in 2008 and later presented at the Carthage Film Days in 2010, Thalathoun takes its title from the 1930s, a turbulent decade in Tunisia’s modern history. Co-written with Aroussia Nalouti, the black-and-white feature combines archival…
UN Human Rights Ruling Puts Qatar and France Under Scrutiny
French-Algerian consultant Tayeb Benabderrahmane—dubbed “the mosquito” by Libération for repeatedly stinging Qatar with revelations—has scored a major point in his legal battle. The UN Human Rights Council issued an opinion condemning Qatar’s treatment of him, a decision his lawyers say exposes both Doha’s violations of international law and France’s failure to protect its citizen. Benabderrahmane claims he was arbitrarily detained and subjected to inhumane treatment in Qatar, while French authorities refused to intervene or assist him in seeking justice. His legal team—lawyers Ramaël, Ruiz and Vidal—hailed the UN ruling as…