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Meeting between Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia on Libyan crisis moved forward

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A tripartite meeting between Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria to discuss resolving the Libyan crisis will be held on Sunday instead of 1 March, the Tunisian foreign ministry announced on Friday. In an official statement, the Tunisian ministry said that upon consultation with the Egyptian and Algerian foreign ministers, it was decided that the meeting, hosted by Tunisia, be brought forward. On Thursday, Foreign Minister Khamis Alaghinawa announced Tunisia is set to host on 1 March a much-anticipated tripartite summit on the Libyan crisis. The meeting will tackle the results of…

Italy expels Tunisian with indirect link to Berlin attacker

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Italy says it has expelled a Tunisian who allegedly was in contact with an Islamic State group member with links to the Berlin attacker. The Interior Ministry said Friday that the 32-year-old Tunisian, who was living in Ancona, Italy, praised IS on his Facebook page and was in contact with a fellow Tunisian who is an IS member. That member, says the ministry, had been in contact with Anis Amri, a Tunisian suspected of attacking a Christmas market in Berlin with a truck, killing 12 people. Amri was killed in…

One arrest in Lazio counter-terrorism operation

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Suspected of being member of Libyan group linked to al-Qaeda -A suspected member of Ansar al-Sharia, a Libyan group considered to be linked to al-Qaeda, was arrested in a counter-terrorism operation Tuesday in Lazio, the region Rome belongs to, source said. Searches were conducted in dawn raids targeting suspected members of terrorist organizations in Lazio as part of the operation, called “Black Flag”. ANSA

Italian prisons house 39 for terrorism, report says, four are women

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Italian prisons currently house 39 people incarcerated for international terrorism, according to a report by Italy’s prison administration (DAP) on radicalisation and proselytism in Italian prisons, reviewed by ANSA on Friday. “Currently those detained in prison for the crime of international terrorism, among the 179 being tracked, are 39, of whom 3 have definitive convictions, 6 are defendants on appeal, 2 are defendants awaiting a decision by the high Court of Cassation, and 26 are defendants awaiting a first trial or sentencing,” the report said. The prisoners are being held…

High profile smuggler arrested in Casablanca

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The recent discovery of a new drug trafficking route between Morocco and Europe inspired the creation of an international investigation unit, led by Italian police, which has finally resulted in the arrest of one of the world’s most wanted Hashish smugglers last October. The multinational investigation took three years to complete and spanned three continents before leading to the capture of Ben Ziane Berhili, a Moroccan entrepreneur, October 4 in Casablanca. The suspect, aged 57, is the owner of a well-known dessert company in Morocco. Until his arrest Berhili had…

PSA/Stafim to establish Peugeot assembly plant in Tunisia

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PSA Group and Stafim, Peugeot’s long-term partner in Tunisia, have signed a letter of intent to assemble and sell a Peugeot pickup truck in Tunisia. The planned plant will start operations in mid-2018, producing 1,200 units annually to meet local demand. PSA said: “This agreement falls within the core model strategy of the ‘Push to Pass’ organic profitable growth plan, demonstrating the group’s intention to build its presence in the pick-up segment.” At the Tunisia 2020 International Conference on investment held in Tunis, with Béji Caïd Essebsi, president of Tunisia and Manuel…

Moroccan convicted for terrorism proselytism sentenced to over six years in jail

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According to ANSA English Editions a Moroccan national was convicted of proselytism for terrorism via the Internet by a Rome judge on Thursday and sentenced to six years, two months and 20 days in jail. Abderrahim El Khalfi, a 38-year-old pizza chef, was arrested in Rome in July 2015 and is thought to have been a member of a terror cell whose activities included encouraging people to plan and carry out attacks in Italy and North Africa. Prosecutors had asked for a 12-year prison term. ANSA

Kurds, Shi’ite fighters to coordinate after sealing off Mosul

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Iraqi Kurdish and Shi’ite forces agreed to coordinate movements after cutting off Mosul from the rest of the territory held by Islamic State in western Iraq and Syria in support of a U.S-backed offensive to capture the city, U.S. and Iraqi officials said on Thursday. The agreement was reached at meeting on Wednesday between commanders of Kurdish Peshmerga forces deployed in Sinjar, west of Mosul, and Hadi al-Amiri, the leader of the Iranian-backed Badr Organisation, the biggest component of the mostly Shi’ite paramilitary coalition known as Popular Mobilisation. Popular mobilization,…

Trump election: Priebus and Bannon given key roles

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(BBC) – US President-elect Donald Trump has awarded key roles in his incoming team to a top Republican party official and a right-wing media chief. Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), will be his chief of staff. In this role, he will set the tone for the new White House and act as a conduit to Congress and the government. Stephen Bannon, from the Breitbart News Network, will serve as Mr Trump’s chief strategist. Mr Bannon stepped aside as executive chairman of Breitbart – a combative conservative…

New Zealand earthquake: Tsunami follows powerful tremor

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The US Geological Survey said the magnitude-7.8 quake hit just after midnight (11:02 GMT on Sunday), some 95km (59 miles) from Christchurch. The tsunami arrived in the north-eastern coast about two hours later. Officials said the first waves may not be the largest, with tsunami activity possible for several hours. Residents were warned to head inland or for higher ground along the coast. Terrifying A gauge at Kaikoura, 181 km (112 miles) north of Christchurch, measured a wave of 2.5m (8ft 2ins), according to Weatherwatch.co.nz. Smaller waves are said to…