First Independent Mena Newspaper
On December 19, lawyer Abdel Sattar Al Massoudi announced that the Siliana Court of Appeals had dismissed charges in five cases against his client, Ayachi Zammel, a former presidential candidate in Tunisia’s recent elections. The decision represents a notable legal win for Zammel, who has faced widespread scrutiny over allegations tied to his candidacy. The […]
Governor of Morocco’s central bank, Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM), Abdellatif Jouahri, said earlier this week that the legal framework governing crypto-assets in Morocco, currently undergoing adoption process, aims to regulate this ecosystem while preserving the financial innovation that can emerge from it. “We wanted to regulate the use of crypto-assets, without stifling the innovation that can […]
The UK government has said it still sticks to the plan to hand over the contested Chagos Islands to Mauritius even after the country’s new leader backed away from the contentious deal, arguing that it did not benefit his country enough. London announced it will transfer the sovereignty over the contested Indian Ocean archipelago, which […]
African countries face higher tariffs and tend to import relatively low-quality digital goods compared to other regions, especially in low-income nations, a recent research by World Bank economists has found. Despite relying heavily on imports, tariffs that African countries impose on imported digital goods are about three times higher than other regions, the research has […]
The leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have pledged to renew efforts to launch the region’s single currency, the ECO, with the revised date set for 2027. This decision was reaffirmed during the recent 66th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja, where leaders […]
Cairo hosted the 11th D8 summit that brought together leaders from developing countries—Egypt, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. The summit themed “Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Towards Tomorrow’s Economy” emphasized collaborative efforts to tackle global and regional challenges. The summit focused on the crises in the Middle East, including conflicts, economic […]
Morocco’s central bank gave a promising outlook for Morocco’s current account balance putting emphasis on the growing exports of the automotive sector, seen at a record 20 billion dollars by 2026. Likewise, the bank expects Morocco’s phosphates and derivatives exports would settle at 10 billion dollars, while remittances from Moroccans abroad and tourism receipts would […]
Thanks to a successful mediation by King Mohammed VI, four French officials accused of espionage and detained since December 1, 2023, in Burkina Faso have been freed. French President Emmanuel Macron “spoke over the phone on Wednesday, December 18, with King Mohammed VI to warmly thank him” for the success of his mediation, said the […]
Several UN experts are convinced that it is just a matter of time before the designation of the Algeria-backed Polisario separatist group a terrorist organization, resulting in its expulsion from the African Union. The Polisario militias are armed, funded, and sheltered by the Algerian junta in Tindouf camps. This terrorist organization and its anti-semitic leaders […]
The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), through KfW, will grant Morocco’s National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) a €50 million loan destined to finance a climate-resilient drinking water supply program. The program is aimed at securing and reinforcing drinking water supply in several towns, including Ghafsai, El Hajeb, Ain Legdah, Bouderbala, Souk […]