Month: April 2018

Migrant rights’ caravan sets off in Tunisia

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The refugee activist migrant caravan — CarovaneMigranti — is setting off on its fourth annual journey through Italy to meet relatives of migrants and discuss common migration policies. CarovaneMigranti and the Tunisian association “La Terre pour Tous” will travel to cities across Italy from April 28 to May 6, to meet the relatives of migrants who have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean and discuss future actions. From Tunisia to the border  The journey will continue along the border between Italy and France, stopping in Bardonecchia, Ventimiglia, in the…

Thomas Cook Says Terror Slump Over as Tunisia Bookings Jump

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Thomas Cook Group Plc said a slump in Europeans traveling to sunspots hit by a spate of terrorist attacks is effectively over as tourists flock back to eastern Mediterranean and north African countries.  The holiday giant’s bookings in Turkey for the coming summer season are approaching previous levels and it’s also piling on capacity to Tunisia and Egypt, Chief Executive Officer Peter Fankhauser said in an interview in London.  Demand is being driven by a perceived lower terror threat as time passes, combined with a jump in the cost of vacations…

ABC Tunisia issues an $8.2 million bond to finance its development strategy

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ABC Tunisia, a subsidiary of Bahrain-based Bank ABC group, announced the placement of a bond loan worth TND20 million ($ 8.2 million) broken into 200,000 bonds valued at TND100 each. This bond placement will focus on three categories. Category A with an interest rate of 8.20% over a 5-year period, category B with a slightly higher interest rate (8.40%) and a maturity of 7 years while Category C has a term of 7 years with an interest rate of 8.50%. With this step, Bank ABC Tunisia hopes to raise additional…

EU-Tunisia partnership strengthening in focus at EU High Representative meeting with Tunisian PM

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The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission Federica Mogherini met yesterday with Tunisian Head of Government Youssef Chahed in Brussels. They discussed the strong relations between the European Union and Tunisia and the current situation of the country. The EU-Tunisia relations are based on a solid cooperation and several achievements. Mrs Mogherini and Mr Chahed both expressed their shared will to deepen this cooperation, with even more tangible results for the Tunisian citizens. Since the revolution of 2011, the EU…

UN launches youth initiatives in four Muslim states

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The United Nations has laun­ched a project to support youth-driven initiatives in education, science, culture and the media in Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, according to a press statement released on Tuesday. Vladimir Voronkov, who heads the UN’s counter-terrorism office, (UNOCT) met Audrey Azoulay, head of the UN cultural agency, in Paris to initiate the joint project, “Preventing violent extremism through youth empowerment in Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia”. “Working at the local level with young people [is important] to identify the best ways to prevent violent extremism and win…

Tunisian organisations call for completing transitional justice

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A civil coalition of some 40 associations and organisations from national and international civil society announced the launch of a series of movements to complete the process of transitional justice. At a press conference on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Tunisian National Union of Journalists (SNJT), Jamel Msallem, President of the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH), said the coalition had scheduled a series of meetings with the three Presidencies, the Minister of Justice, the Tunisian General Labour Union and the Truth and Dignity Commission (French :IVD) “to underline the imperative…

Forum in Tunis aims at unlocking inter-African economic exchanges

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Africa Economic Forum was held in Tunisian capital Tunis on Tuesday, with more than 900 participants from 38 African countries attending this forum. The forum aims at unlocking inter-African economic and trade exchanges and strengthening the building of strong partnership between Tunisia and its continent, for the creation of common wealth, said Radhi Meddeb, Commissioner General of the forum. The accession of Tunisia to COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) would be announced on the sidelines of this forum, while the formalization of this accession is planned during…

2018 World Press Freedom Index: Tunisia still 97th

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Tunisia has kept its 97th position at the 2018 World Press Freedom Index, published every year since 2002 by Reporters Without Borders (French: RSF) to rank 180 countries according to the level of freedom available to journalists. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday in Tunis, RSF Editor-in-Chief Virginie Dangles pointed out that Tunisia remains a model where freedom of press is relatively satisfactory. “However, RSF has observed this year offences and legislative actions that fail to ensure the freedom of press in addition to obstacles hindering the exercise of…

ASBU’s Arab Radio and TV Festival opens tomorrow in Tunis

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The 19th Arab Radio and Television Festival organised by The Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) will be held from 26-29 April 2018 in Tunis. The festival is organised in cooperation with the Tunisian Radio and Tunisian Television Establishments and in partnership with the Arab Satellite Communications Organisation (Arabsat). Speaking about the event, Abdelrahim Suleiman, Director General of ASBU said: “The annual festival aims to contribute to the development of the Arab radio and TV production and improving its quality so as to meet the needs of member corporations. The festival…

Thirty thousand tonnes of additional Tunisian olive oil to be exported to Europe

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Thirty thousand more tonnes of Tunisian olive oil will be exported over two years to Europe, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker announced Tuesday in Brussels. An agreement was reached between Tunisia and the EU Tuesday, allowing the export of an additional 30 thousand tonnes of Tunisian olive oil over two years to the European market, bringing the total quantity to 95 thousand tonnes of olive oil exported to Europe, Juncker said at a joint press conference. With this measure, the European Union has…