Karim Abdel Aziz to receive the Faten Hamama Award for Excellence at 43rd Cairo International Film Festival

The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) has announced that the eminent Faten Hamama Award for Excellence will be granted to Egyptian actor Karim Abdel Aziz. The CIFF 43rd edition (26 November-5 December) will see Abdel Aziz be honoured for his outstanding career through the award. Festival President. Mohamed Hefzy stated that “the festival is always keen to honour the figures who combine talent, popularity, devotion to cinema, and this applies to the star Karim Abdel Aziz, who will be awarded the Faten Hamama Award for Excellence.” Hefzy added that  “I…

91st National Day of Saudi Arabia

The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Tunisia will hold on September 23 the 91st iteration of National Day in its headquarter, with precautionary measures and preventive protocols against Coronavirus due to the pandemic situation in Tunisia the last period. On this occasion, Saudi ambassador to Tunisia Dr Abdulaziz bin Ali Al-Saqr is expected to deliver a brief address in which he will emphasize the importance and significance of such an anniversary as well as the fraternal relations between Tunisia and the Kingdom, marked by the longstanding common brotherly cooperation…

Mediterranean migrant crossings to Italy double in a year

Nearly 41,000 people reach Italian shores but many are denied asylum The number of migrants arriving on Italy’s shores has nearly doubled compared with last year. Almost 41,000 people have arrived in Italy by sea since January, compared with 21,000 over the same period in 2020, the national news said in a report posted Tuesday. The jump in numbers is not a one-off. Crossings during last year’s pandemic-affected summer were higher than in 2019. Warm summer weather and political instability in North Africa have been linked to the rising number of crossings,…

Climate change could see 200 million people move by 2050 says WB report

Climate change could push more than 200 million people to leave their homes in the next three decades and create migration hot spots unless urgent action is taken to reduce global emissions and bridge the development gap, a World Bank report has found. The second part of the Groundswell report published Monday examined how the impacts of slow-onset climate change such as water scarcity, decreasing crop productivity and rising sea levels could lead to millions of what it describes as “climate migrants” by 2050 under three different scenarios with varying…

Flight of First Female Tunisian Astronaut to ISS May Take 3-4 Years

A flight to the International Space Station (ISS) on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft by the first female Tunisian astronaut is possible in three to four years, Sergey Savelyev, deputy general director of Russia’s Roscosmos state space corporation responsible for international cooperation, told Sputnik. “Now we are developing a plan, a scientific program. Before signing the memorandum, the Tunisian delegation visited the Mission Control Center, the Cosmonaut Training Center. They have not yet determined the flight date. This is possible in the foreseeable future, in three to four years,” Savelyev said.…

A Dike of Tunisian Filmmaker Bilel Bali to compete in El Gouna Film Festival

A Dike; Tunisia Directed by Bilel BaliA young girl working in a bar arrives late to work; she cannot escape the growl of her boss nor the harassment of her homosexual colleague. Then, when she gets home, she is faced with tragedy. El Gouna Film Festival has selected 16 Arab films for the fifth edition. The festival is scheduled to take place from October 14 to 22, 2021, in the resort town of El Gouna. The lineup includes films from Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Tunisia. Set for its world premiere, The Sea Ahead (Lebanon) by…

Libyan Business Council and Libyan-Tunisian Economic Cooperation Council sign cooperation agreement

Head of the Libyan Business Council (LBC) eastern branch, Fawzia Furjani, and Head of the Libyan-Tunisian Economic Cooperation Council, Saber Bougera, signed an agreement last Thursday at the LBC’s Benghazi branch, Libya Herald reports. The ten-point agreement covered: Benefiting from human expertise to support economic cooperation between the two countries. Holding meetings and exchanging economic work visit. Encouraging joint investment. Developing commercial exchanges and facilitating the movement and residence of business owners and the movement of materials, goods and production components. Support the economy of the two countries and the…

Poll confirms popular support for Saied decisions

President Kais Saied still enjoys popular support from the electorate, with a recent poll showing 81% of Tunisians are favourable to the extension of the suspension of the Tunisian Parliament and the withdrawal of parliamentary immunity for MPs. The poll was conducted by Emrhod Consulting and commissioned by Business News and Attessia TV. Saied decided to suspend parliament on 25 July for 30 days, then he extended the suspension on 23 August “until further notice”. However, 55% of those surveyed said they are worried about the future of the country.…

Tunisia plants seeds of hope against climate change

Tunisian farmers are turning to the past to ensure a future by planting indigenous seeds as the North African country suffers at a time of drought, disease and climate change. Traditional seeds come from a genetic heritage best suited to the environment, said Maher Medini, from Tunisia’s National Gene Bank, which promotes the development of sustainable agriculture in the country. “They are reservoirs of genes hundreds, if not thousands of years old,” Medini said, adding that the seeds are more resistant to the ever-growing dangerous impacts of global warming. Climate…

Tunisia launches 3rd national open day for COVID-19 vaccination: 467.631 COVID vaccination administered

Tunisia launched on Sunday the third national open day for vaccination against COVID-19 across the country’s 24 governorates for citizens aged between 15 and 17 and those aged 40 and above. The vaccination process started at 7 a.m. local time and continued until 7 p.m with 467.631 COVID vaccination administered on the same day. This initiative was organized by the health ministry in coordination with the defence, interior and education ministries, and in cooperation with several departments and components of the civil society. Over 390 vaccination centres, distributed throughout the…