Day: November 8, 2016

Youssef Chahed: there are no drones flying out from our country to Libya

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On the eve of his official visit to France on November 9, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed gave an interview to French daily newspaper “Le Monde” published on November 8, in which he called on the international community to understand the particular situation of Tunisia that pays today the economic price of the 2011 Revolution. In another connection, the Prime Minister formally denied the rumors according to which the U.S. drones take off from Tunisian soil to fly Sirte (bastion of Daech in Libya). He said that military and security cooperation…

IMF Publishes Fiscal Transparency Evaluation for Tunisia

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The IMF Tuesday published a Fiscal Transparency Evaluation (FTE) report for Tunisia, which was carried out at the request of the Government of Tunisia by a joint team from the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs and Statistics Departments that visited Tunis in November-December 2015. This report assesses Tunisia’s fiscal transparency practices based on the IMF’s Fiscal Transparency Code. Tunisia has witnessed a profound transformation of its political institutions in the wake of the 2011 revolution, including a new Constitution that came into force on January 27, 2014. In this context, the authorities…

Mohamed Masmoudi  passes away

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  Mohamed Masmoudi former Foreign Minister during late President Habib Bourguiba’s presidency, died on Monday night November 7, at the  age of 91. As a journalist, I met him for interview on two occasions in his hometown Mahdia, on his long political and diplomatic career during which he was active and influential nationwide and worldwide. Mohamed Masmoudi is known by his deep culture and his close ties with famous political leaders such as Pierre Mendes France, current Algerian president Abdul-Aziz Bouteflika,  Kaddafi, King Faycel, Sheikh Zaeied and others. In the…

CIPE and IACE Launch Hotline to Help Tunisian Businesses Facing Bureaucratic Hurdles

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In an effort to improve the Tunisian business environment and accelerate economic reforms, the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the Tunisian Arab Institute of Business Leaders (IACE) have launched a hotline to help local businesses deal with red tape and bureaucratic roadblocks. The hotline was developed jointly with the government and the country’s two biggest private sector organizations, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA) and the Tunisian Union for Agriculture and Fishing (UTAP). “This initiative will make it easier for Tunisian entrepreneurs to start and…

Islamic State abducts more than 200 near Mosul, retreats with thousands: U.N.

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(Reuters) – Islamic State fighters abducted 295 former Iraqi Security Forces members near the militant stronghold of Mosul and also forced 1,500 families to retreat with them from Hammam al Alil town, the United Nations human rights organization said on Tuesday. The abductions took place last week as Iraqi government forces, Kurdish peshmerga and Shi’ite militias backed by U.S.-led air strikes pushed an offensive to recapture Mosul from Islamic State. “People forcibly moved or abducted, it appears, are either intended to be used as human shields or – depending on…

At long last, Americans decide between Clinton and Trump

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(Reuters) – Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump face the judgment of the voters on Tuesday as millions of Americans turn out on Election Day to pick the next U.S. president and end a bruising campaign that polls said favored Clinton. In a battle centered largely on the character of the candidates, Clinton, 69, a former secretary of state and first lady, and Trump, 70, a New York businessman, made their final, fervent appeals to supporters late on Monday to turn out to vote. Their final week of campaigning…