Month: July 2018

Nasreddine Guerfala, Energy Manager of the Year in Canada

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He has only a few years of study and research in Canada, after the National Engineers School of Tunis (Enit) diploma, he is elected “Energy Manager of the Year 2017” in Toronto. Nasreddine Guerfala has a very promising future ahead. “I graduated from Enit in June 2010 as an industrial engineering engineer and ranked as one of the laureates of my class. I started working at Leoni in Sousse. A few months later, I was contacted by the Tunisian University Mission in North America (Mutan) which was looking for candidates…

Export receipts of Tunisian dates reach record of over 700 MD

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The Tunisian dates export revenues reached a record of over 700 Million Dinars (MD) announced, Tuesday, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries. For the current season (October 1, 2017-July 27, 2018), the date export receipts edged up 32.6% in value to reach 700,832 MD against 528,263 MD, during the same period in 2017. Tunisia exported about 119,710 thousand tonnes of dates during this season, against 102,869 thousand tonnes over the past season, up 16.37%, This leap is due to the development of exports to traditional markets, such as Morocco…

German government aims to streamline returns of irregular migrants to Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Georgia

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The Cabinet of Germany’s federal government has decided to add Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Georgia to the category of “safe countries of origin”, which makes it easier to return irregular migrants who have not obtained a right to stay in Germany. Before this change can be signed into law, it still needs to pass Germany’s two legislative bodies – the Bundesrat and the Bundestag. Find out more about the implications and what happens if these bodies decide in favour of the law. What are the safe countries of origin? Germany…

Look Back in Joy

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On July 29, 2018, the Faculty of Arts of Manouba hosted an alumni meeting involving former graduates and students from the various departments. They came from differrent parts of Tunisia. Some of them endeavoured to travel from foreign countries where they are now working to join the gathering. The meeting was overwhelmed by a lot of nostalgia and a sense of pride. This gathering was an occasion to celebrate and refresh good old relationships and memories. It was also an opportunity for the special guests to recollect their wonderful memories…

An economic malaise lies at the heart of Libya-Tunisia border standoff

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The Tunisian state has a responsibility to create economic alternatives to southern smuggling networks  “We let go if you let go,” reads a banner hoisted a few miles from Ras Ajdir, one of the main border crossings between Tunisia and Libya.It perfectly sums up a standoff that has shut the crossing in recent weeks. On one side, the crossing has been closed by Libyan authorities; on the other, the only road to the crossing has been barricaded by smugglers from the town of Ben Guerdane in southern Tunisia. Both sides have dug…

Algeria Ready for Joint World Cup Bid, but Politics May Get in the Way

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Algeria’s sporting authorities have reiterated a desire to jointly bid with neighbours Tunisia and Morocco for the hosting rights of the 2030 FIFA World Cup. While Algerian Minister of Sports Mohamed Hattab spoke more cautiously in June when Morocco first spoke of the possibility of a joint bid, the Algerian official is currently more welcoming of the proposal, as he “confirmed” his country would support a united Maghreb bid. Speaking on Thursday, July 26, Hattab suggested the countries sideline political differences for the benefit of the region’s many football fans…

Tunisia allows boat with 40 migrants to dock

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Tunisia on Saturday said it would take in 40 migrants, including two pregnant women, rescued by a commercial vessel. The ship, the “Sarost 5” a Tunisian flagged supply boat, has been blocked for two weeks from docking off Zarzis in southern Tunisia. “For humanitarian reasons, we will accept the 40 migrants,” Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said in parliament. The African migrants, five of whom are women, set off from Libya and were lost at sea for five days before being spotted. “Despite this delay in making this decision we are…

Tunisian economy continues to struggle

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More than any time in the country’s past, Tunisia must now engage in reforms to ease the financial and economic strains affecting its trade and balance of payments, according to the governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia, Marouane el-Abassi. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) this month approved the fourth tranche of its $2.8 billion loan to Tunisia, which was arranged in 2016. The $250 million payment brings IMF’s total loans to Tunisia so far to approximately $1.14 billion. Speaking at a July 11 press conference in Tunis, Abassi said the country will focus on solving its own economic crisis rather…

IAEA Helps Researchers Worldwide Implement Sophisticated Isotope Techniques to Date the Age of Very Old Groundwaters

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Nuclear techniques enable scientists to understand more accurately the age and flow of particularly old groundwaters. This information can prove important for the long-term management of water resources. Groundwater is the main source of freshwater in many places of the world, but it is a limited resource. Many developed and developing countries are actively seeking the best way to use clean groundwater as sustainably as possible, considering the risks associated with water shortage, pollution, or land subsidence. To this end, the IAEA, together with 13 countries, collected over 100 groundwater…

Tunisian Producers See Promise in Olive Oil Tourism

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Tunisian producers are exploring how olives, one of the country’s biggest natural resources, can potentially lure a new kind of tourist. Tunisia has long been a tourist destination for mostly sun-seeking Europeans. But as alternative models for tourism are explored, there’s a new interest in developing opportunities for visitors to learn about aspects of Tunisian culture, including food. It’s a simple aspect of Tunisian life and culture that can be fun and meaningful for travelers who want an authentic experience.– Austin Hand, Engaging Cultures One-third of Tunisia’s land is covered…