Day: January 17, 2017

Libya turns into an arena for conflict between Russia and the West

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It seems that Libya has been drawn into a new phase of international conflict between Russia and the West, especially after Russian warships arrived in Libyan waters. This occurred amid expectations of Moscow seeking to establish a military base in Libya, as well as Italy’s deployment of military units in Tripoli under the pretext of protecting its embassy, not to mention the presence of 1,000 American troops. In addition to this, France has participated in the fighting in Benghazi, while American planes are participating in bombing Daesh alongside the Misrata…

Training session on methodology for conducting polls

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The second training session on the methodology for conducting polls was launched, on Monday in Tunis, with the participation of twelve young people from different Libyan regions. This three-day session, supported by the German Hanns Seidel Foundation, is the second event held by the Maghreb Centre for researches on Libya in collaboration with the Tunisian ”Sigma Conseil” Institution” specialized in opinion polls. The training, meant to train Libyan youth to carry out opinion polls which were banned or fake during the dictatorship era, is a sign of the democratic climate…

Zied Ladhari, Tunisian Minister of Industry, on building upon older relationships and developing new ones: Interview

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What is the relationship between Tunisia and Algeria, specifically with respect to industry? ZIED LADHARI: Tunisians attach a lot of importance to the relationship with Algeria. Our histories since independence share many aspects. With respect to the economic aspect today, we hope to transform our historic and cultural ties into increasingly dynamic relations with Algeria and to use them to create real strategic partnerships. Currently, we observe that our economic relations do not reach our expectations, and we believe that there is a lot of room to advance in mutually…

Tunisia: Punishment and Rewards

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Berlin wants to persuade crisis-ridden Tunisia to quickly take back rejected asylum seekers. However, many Tunisians fear the mass return of radicalized young men. The banner stretched across the entire right lane of the wide Avenue Bourguiba in downtown Tunis. “Angela Merkel! Tunesien ist nicht die abfall von Deutschland” (“Tunisia isn’t a garbage of Germany”) could be read in large black letters against a white background. Even the rough German and the labeling of people as garbage couldn’t distract from the fundamental message that thousands of demonstrators sought to convey last…

Tunisia Should Stop Jailing People for Drugs

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Reform of Country’s Draconian Drug Law Suffers Setback Every year, thousands of young people in Tunisia are thrown into jail for using or possessing drugs. Ministry of Justice figures show that 6,700 people were jailed for using drugs last year alone – that’s almost one-third of the country’s entire prison population. Not only is this an unnecessary burden on Tunisia’s overcrowded prisons, but criminalizing drug use fuels other abuses, too. So human rights groups celebrated when the Tunisian parliament announced earlier this month that it will start discussing draft legislation…

Angela Merkel: respond to Trump’s criticism when he We’ll takes office

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday she would wait until Donald Trump’s inauguration to respond to his statement that Germany had put Europe in danger by allowing refugees into the country. “I’m waiting for his inauguration, as is proper,” the chancellor said in Berlin. “Then we’ll work with him on all levels. He has just stated his positions, which have been known for quite some time. My positions are also known.” In an interview with the Times of London and German newspaper Bild, Trump said he believed Merkel made a ­”catastrophic mistake” when she…

Boxing coach arrested in San Sebastián on suspicion of running Isis recruitment cell

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Police have arrested a Moroccan boxing coach suspected of heading an Islamic State (IS) recruitment cell, two members of which had already been detained for intending to commit terror acts in Europe, Spain said on Monday. The man, who held Spanish residency, was detained in the northern city of San Sebastian and was said to be working on recruiting potential combatants in person and over the internet since 2010. “The accused was very active in finding new recruits and would approach young people at risk of social exclusion, easily influenced…