First Independent Mena Newspaper
Sudan’s Central Bureau of Statistics has reported a modest easing in the country’s annual inflation rate, which stood at 142.82% in May, down slightly from the previous month. Urban inflation dipped marginally to 146.30%, while rural areas experienced a more pronounced drop to 141.84% from 163.73%. Although the national rate remains alarmingly high, the overall […]
Morocco’s tourism sector has attracted a record 7.2 million tourists up to May, recording a 22% growth compared to the same period last year and up 68% compared with the pre-Covid reference year of 2019. The increase meant an additional 1.3 million tourists, as Morocco prepares to break a new record this year both in […]
Subsidiary of French bank Société Générale has officially rebranded to Saham Bank, six months after Saham Group completed the acquisition. Société Général sold its Moroccan bank and its insurance subsidiary to Saham Group in 2024, worth 745 million euros. The transaction, which involved the acquisition of 57.67% of SGMB’s capital and voting rights, was first […]
Morocco and Rwanda have agreed, under an agreement signed Wednesday in Rabat, to enhance military cooperation in training, exercises, logistical support, military health and exchange of expertise in areas of common interest. The agreement, sealed during the visit paid by Rwanda’s Defense Minister Juvenal Marizamunda to the North African Kingdom, also provides for the creation […]
Morocco’s central bank, Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM), and the High Commission for Planning (HCP) signed a strategic partnership agreement on June 17 aimed at enhancing cooperation in statistical production, data exchange, and economic analysis to meet international standards. The convention establishes a framework for producing more relevant, higher-quality data to support informed decision-making and effectively guide […]
American Oracle Company, a global leader in computer technology, inaugurated on Tuesday a state-of-the-art Research and Development (R&D) center in Casablanca, Morocco, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, cybersecurity, and graph processing. The inauguration ceremony, chaired by Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, was attended by Minister of Digital Transition Ghita Mezzour, Oracle’s Vice Pdt. […]
Kenya’s President William Ruto has defended his leadership in the face of growing public protests and international condemnation, asserting that his presidency is focused on long-term transformation rather than constrained by term limits or political pressure. Speaking at the Kenya Urban Forum in Naivasha, Ruto declared, “I cannot be distracted; I am a man on […]
The Nordic Center for Conflict Transformation (NCCT) unveiled groundbreaking research on terrorism and transitional justice at a high-profile event in Rabat on June 17, calling for a fundamental shift from perpetrator-focused to victim-centered justice approaches. The report, titled “Terrorism Affiliated Adults: from Allegation to Accountability,” examines universal jurisdiction for core international crimes and transitional justice […]
Belgian prosecutors have announced on Tuesday, June 17 their intention to prosecute 92-year-old former diplomat Etienne Davignon for alleged involvement in the 1961 assassination of Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba. Davignon is the sole surviving member of a group of ten Belgians named in a 2011 lawsuit by Lumumba’s children, who accused them of complicity […]
The European Union has strongly condemned the recent escalation of armed clashes in South Sudan, describing the situation as the worst since 2018. Speaking at the opening of the Annual Gender Equality Forum in Juba on Tuesday, June 17, the EU Deputy Head of Delegation, Lothar Jaschke, criticized the use of aerial bombings, ground offensives, […]