G20 Com­pact with Africa

G20 initiative to promote private investment and investment in infrastructure The G20 Africa Partnership is a central project of Germany’s G20 presidency. Its aim is to improve conditions for sustainable private sector investment, investment in infrastructure, economic participation, and employment in African countries. A key pillar of the G20 Africa Partnership is the Compact with Africa, an initiative within the G20’s finance track. It is coordinated by the German Federal Ministry of Finance. Resolution on the Compact with Africa adopted by G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Baden-Baden  The G20 acknowledges…

Olivko keeps its promises, pays tribute to teamwork of extra virgin olive oil processing

Karim Fitouri, Founder of Olivko winner of the gold medal prize of the New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC), held in New York, USA on Thursday April 27, 2017, .keeps his promises by paying tribute to all those who contributed to achieving this success through the different steps of processing. He acknowledged the efforts made by Slim Fendri owner of the “Domaine Fendri”, the young Sfaxian who spent the last 15 years striving to improve the quality of extra virgin olive oil. The process is not easy and needs…

BRIEF-Fitch affirms Tunisia at ‘B+’ outlook stable​

Fitch affirms Tunisia at ‘B+’; outlook stable * Fitch on Tunisia – has affirmed short-term foreign- and local-currency IDRS at ‘B’ and country ceiling at ‘BB-‘ * Fitch on Tunisia says external imbalances have worsened, with a wider current account deficit in 1q17 leading to exchange rate pressures * Fitch, on Tunisia, says ‍without fiscal consolidation to reduce foreign financing needs, Fitch expects strains on external balances to continue * Fitch on Tunisia – expects exports growth to be aided by higher GDP growth in Europe, and projected recovery in…

Tunisian olive oil Olivko wins Gold Award in New York International Olive Oil Competition

Tunisian olive oil “Olivko” last Thursday won the Gold Award at the world’s largest olive oil competition, held Thursday in New York, USA. This extra virgin olive oil, extracted from the Tunisian olive variety “Chetoui”, comes from Dougga valley, an archaeological site declared a UNESCO heritage site, located at the Teboursouk delegation in Beja (northern Tunisia). Tunisia took the leading position alongside Italy, Spain, the United States and Greece, in this competition which evaluated 910 olive oils from 27 countries. “This award is not only for me, but for the…

Merkel’s visit to Algeria aims at strengthening economic cooperation

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s official visit on Monday to Algiers constitutes an opportunity to assess the Algerian-German economic relations and to reinforce the partnership avenues for a strong relation economically. This second visit of Merkel following that paid in 2008 will be notably marked by the holding of the 6th session of the Algerian-German Joint Committee and the Business Forum between the two countries’ operators. It also follows the visit Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal has paid to Berlin in January 2016, during which the two parties had identified about thirty…

Meeting between Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia on Libyan crisis moved forward

A tripartite meeting between Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria to discuss resolving the Libyan crisis will be held on Sunday instead of 1 March, the Tunisian foreign ministry announced on Friday. In an official statement, the Tunisian ministry said that upon consultation with the Egyptian and Algerian foreign ministers, it was decided that the meeting, hosted by Tunisia, be brought forward. On Thursday, Foreign Minister Khamis Alaghinawa announced Tunisia is set to host on 1 March a much-anticipated tripartite summit on the Libyan crisis. The meeting will tackle the results of…

Italy expels Tunisian with indirect link to Berlin attacker

Italy says it has expelled a Tunisian who allegedly was in contact with an Islamic State group member with links to the Berlin attacker. The Interior Ministry said Friday that the 32-year-old Tunisian, who was living in Ancona, Italy, praised IS on his Facebook page and was in contact with a fellow Tunisian who is an IS member. That member, says the ministry, had been in contact with Anis Amri, a Tunisian suspected of attacking a Christmas market in Berlin with a truck, killing 12 people. Amri was killed in…

One arrest in Lazio counter-terrorism operation

Suspected of being member of Libyan group linked to al-Qaeda -A suspected member of Ansar al-Sharia, a Libyan group considered to be linked to al-Qaeda, was arrested in a counter-terrorism operation Tuesday in Lazio, the region Rome belongs to, source said. Searches were conducted in dawn raids targeting suspected members of terrorist organizations in Lazio as part of the operation, called “Black Flag”. ANSA

Italian prisons house 39 for terrorism, report says, four are women

Italian prisons currently house 39 people incarcerated for international terrorism, according to a report by Italy’s prison administration (DAP) on radicalisation and proselytism in Italian prisons, reviewed by ANSA on Friday. “Currently those detained in prison for the crime of international terrorism, among the 179 being tracked, are 39, of whom 3 have definitive convictions, 6 are defendants on appeal, 2 are defendants awaiting a decision by the high Court of Cassation, and 26 are defendants awaiting a first trial or sentencing,” the report said. The prisoners are being held…

High profile smuggler arrested in Casablanca

The recent discovery of a new drug trafficking route between Morocco and Europe inspired the creation of an international investigation unit, led by Italian police, which has finally resulted in the arrest of one of the world’s most wanted Hashish smugglers last October. The multinational investigation took three years to complete and spanned three continents before leading to the capture of Ben Ziane Berhili, a Moroccan entrepreneur, October 4 in Casablanca. The suspect, aged 57, is the owner of a well-known dessert company in Morocco. Until his arrest Berhili had…