Tunisia Receives $1.2-bn Loan From Islamic Finance Group

The Saudi-based International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) will lend $1.2 billion to debt-ridden Tunisia to help state-owned enterprises import raw materials, the Tunisian Economy Ministry said in a statement on Monday. The loan, repayable over three years, will enable Tunisian state-owned enterprises to help cover the cost of imports such as “crude oil and petroleum products”, the statement said. The loan agreement, which will be repaid over three years, was signed in Riyadh on Sunday by Tunisian Economy Minister Feryel Ouerghi and Hani Salem Sonbol, CEO of ITFC, which…

Cairo Int’l Film Festival announces dates of its 45th edition

The management of the Cairo International Film Festival revealed that the event’s 45th edition will take place between 13 and 22 November. The festival will open on 13 November at the main stage of the Cairo Opera House, while its activities will span numerous venues at the opera grounds and other locations. The festival will be presided over by renowned artist Hussein Fahmy, while its new artistic director will be director, film critic and researcher Essam Zakaria, who succeeds Amir Ramses. The festival’s 45th edition was supposed to take place last November but was postponed due to…

Tunis hosts 4th scientific conference of African Society of Dermatology and Venereology

600 African dermatologists to take part in the Tunis Congress  The fourth Scientific Conference of the African Society of Dermatology and Venereology (ASDV) will be organised by the Tunisian Society of Dermatology and Venereology from April 24 to 27, 2024 in Tunis. This major scientific meeting will see the participation of 600 dermatologists from 23 different countries, from Africa, Europe, America, Asia and Australia. Fourteen topics will be covered at the conference, including allergology, paediatric dermatology, cutaneous infectious diseases and sexually transmitted infections, lasers in dermatology, hair and nail diseases…

Italy and Tunisia forge stronger ties to tackle migration challenges

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni began an important diplomatic mission in Tunis on Wednesday (17 April), where she consolidated a partnership with President Kais Saied aimed at tackling the challenges of migration. “Working with Tunisia is an absolute priority for Italy in many respects, and it is also part of the work that Italy is doing with the Mattei plan,” said Ms Meloni at a press conference in Tunis after she met with Mr Saied. The Mattei plan, a 5.5 billion euro project by Mr Meloni’s government, aims to foster…

Fares Landoulsi’s starring role in new Russian series

It’s not every day that one of a country’s most famous actors is hired to play the lead in a TV series in a completely different country. That’s exactly what happened to Fares Landoulsi, arguably one of Tunisia’s most famous actors, best known for his role in the series ‘Messiah’ and ‘Ouled El Ghoul’. Tunisian actor Fares Landoulsi announced on social media his new involvement in a new project, saying “A scoop and good news for you all, I’ve been preparing for some time for my new project, my new…

Qair finances a 10 MW solar project in Tunisia

French independent renewable energy producer Qair has secured debt financing of EUR 7.8 million (USD 8.3 million) to build and operate two solar farms that will add 10 MW to Tunisia’s electricity generation capacity. The financing will be extended by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Paris-based company said on Monday. The new capital will be allocated to the construction of the Feriana photovoltaic power plants in the town of Feriana, in the governorate of Kasserine, in west-central Tunisia, as well as the grid connection infrastructure for…

Tunisia: water stored in dams down 16.9% compared with last three years’ average

Water stored in dams stood at 839.815 million cubic meters (m3) on April 12, down 16.9% on the average for the last three years (1,010.755 million m3), according to a report on the situation of dams published on Saturday by the National Observatory for Agriculture (ONAGRI).The deficit is estimated at 170.940 million m3. At the same date, the filling rate had reached 36.3%, with dams in the north supplying water at a rate of 43.7%. The Bouhertma dam recorded the highest filling rate (64%) with 71.378 million m3, followed by…

10,000 miles and 352 days later, a UK man reaches his goal of running the length of Africa

Sore and sandblasted but triumphant, runner Russ Cook reached the northernmost point of Africa on Sunday, almost a year after he set off from its southern tip on a quest to run the length of the continent, Denver7 reported. Dozens of supporters gathered on a rocky outcrop beside the Mediterranean in northern Tunisia, cheering on the British charity fundraiser, who has run more than 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles) across 16 countries in 352 days, the same source said. “I’m a little bit tired,” Cook said — likely an understatement. In…

New TUI flight from Stansted Airport to Tunisia launched

A new flight route has been announced from Stansted Airport to a tourist hotspot in Africa. TUI has announced it will be running flights to Tunisia from summer 2025 as part of its holiday programme for the year, Essexlive reports. The route will be travelling from the Essex airport to Enfidha in Tunisia in the northern part of Africa next year. TUI said it is aiming to offer people more “choice and flexibility” to customers in the county and the UK. The full TUI programme for summer 2025 includes 14…

Tunisia secures EUR 145 mn in loans from EIB and AfDB for Bizerte bridge project

Tunisia will receive EUR 123 mn from The European Investment Bank (EIB) and EUR 122 mn loan from the African Bank of Development (AfDB) for the construction of the Bizerte bridge project, according to a statement released last week. Construction will take place over 38 months for the bridge and 27 months for its roads and interchanges, according to the statement. The project involves building a 2.07 km, 56-meter-high bridge that should move traffic away from the city center, the statement adds. The project will also support regional economic activity…