Center of Democracy, Citizenship and Development: strengthening participatory democracy and principles of governance at local level

The Center of Democracy, Citizenship and Development in Ben Arous is a program funded by the German Hans Seidel Foundation in partnership with the Tunisian League for Nationalism since its establishment in 2017. The center played a pivotal role in meeting the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years. It has trained more than 400 local leaders as part of the School of Governance Program. Besides, the various activities of the Center aimed at strengthening participatory democracy and principles of governance at the local level, in which representatives…

Global CO2 emissions from wildfires in July, August highest since 2003: Copernicus

The Mediterranean basin emerged as the wildfire hotspot that contributed to intense smoke pollution Carbon dioxide emissions from wildfires in the past two months have touched a new high since 2003, from when records have been maintained.  The cumulative CO2 emissions from violent forest fires in the two months was 2643.4 megatonnes, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) announced September 21, 2021.  Wildfires are common during the boreal (of the Northern Hemisphere) fire season that lasts from May to October. But the number of fires, their intensity, region covered and persistence were unusually…

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…

Enactus Tunisia Race powered by Tunisie Telecom under the theme “Tech4COVID

Tunisie Telecom is supporting for the second consecutive year the annual technology competition launched by Enactus Tunisia. Under the theme ”Tech4COVID”, this prestigious competition is dedicated this year to young idea holders and entrepreneurs who want to develop or implement innovative and technological projects to meet the major challenges facing the world today. The proposed solutions should have positive economic, social and environmental impacts and responses to the problems linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. Through this partnership action, Tunisie Telecom reaffirms its commitment to support national efforts to combat the…

Algeria hosts meeting of countries neighbouring Libya on Monday

Algeria is hosting, on Monday, a ministerial meeting of the group of neighbouring countries of Libya, to find a political solution to the crisis in Libya.  Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Chad, and Niger affirmed their participation, and representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the African Union (AU) were also expected to attend the meeting. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced earlier that his country is“at the disposal” of Libya and ready to help it solve its neighbour’s problems.  Tebboune said that Algeria considers, “the final solution to the…

Tunisia’s Junior Robotics Lab scaling cloud-based learning platform across borders

Having started life as a simple robotics club, Tunisian ed-tech startup Junior Robotics Lab now has resellers in various African and European markets, and is targeting further growth. Born in 2017 as an organiser of robotics clubs, with kids starting from the age of eight and learn how to design, code, and build robots, Junior Robotics Lab has gradually transitioned into the ed-tech space and was officially announced as a startup in January 2020, Disrupt Africa reports. These days, the startup is a cloud-based platform that helps schools to teach robotics and…

Natural and organic cosmetics are booming in Tunisia

Tunisia is witnessing significant growth of the natural cosmetics sector and its role in socio-economic development. Over 1,000 hectares are dedicated to the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants. There are 187 non-toxic aromatic and medicinal plant species, of which 80 are grown intensively. The country is currently the world’s leading exporter of neroli and the second largest exporter of rosemary oil. Exports of prickly pear seed oil also recorded a clear upward trend during 2020, despite the global economic crisis. To enhance knowledge sharing and strengthen market access for…

2021 World Refugee Day : Together we heal, learn and shine

The World Refugee Day is an international day established by the United Nations to honour refugees worldwide. It is celebrated annually on June 20 and honours the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home countries to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day is also an opportunity to build empathy and understanding for the plight of refugees and to highlight their ability to withstand hardship and rebuild their lives. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic reminds us more than ever of the values of solidarity. …

Tunisian-Kuwaiti MoU to be inked to exchange engineering expertise

President of the Kuwait Society of Engineers Faisal Douaih Alatel said that an agreement was reached with Tunisian ambassador to Kuwait, Hachmi Ajili to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Tunisian Society of Engineers to enhance joint cooperation. Alatel explained as he met with the Tunisian ambassador, that the MoU will be a true embodiment of the letter of intent signed between the Kuwaiti and Tunisian Society of Engineers earlier. The cooperation will deal with the exchange of engineering expertise in various disciplines and the exchange of field…