First Independent Mena Newspaper
Algerian and French government officials were gathered at the western city of Oran to witness the opening of a €50 million Renault car factory in Algeria that will produce 25,000 units per year before rising to 75,000 by 2019. The plant is a joint venture and will be producing the ‘Symbol’ model; a saloon based […]
A close aide of the leader of the Islamic State (Isis) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a US air strike on a convoy of militants in Iraq. This operation has fuelled mounting speculation that the Isis Chief was himself killed or injured in the attack because the two men were rarely separate. However, neither […]
Cars have exploded near the place where U.N special envoy Bernadino Leon was to meet with Prime Minster Abdullah al-Thinni. The meeting was scheduled to take place in Shabat, a city in eastern Libya. It is still unclear whether the explosion targeted the two officials and no group is yet to claim responsibility. Malta strongly […]
Morocco has renewed its readiness to take part in negotiations, either direct negotiations or negotiations through UN mediation, to settle once and for all the Western Sahara conflict, but made it clear that its sovereignty over its entire territory is not negotiable and that the autonomy initiative proposed in 2007 is the maximum that Morocco […]
The internationally recognized Libyan government based in Tobruk is “unconstitutional.” That was the decision of the country’s Supreme Court after it ruled on the constitutionality of the June 25 vote that led to the creation of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni’s government. The decision has been received with mixed feelings. The authorities in Tobruk held a […]
Palestine’s desire of statehood has received another boost after the newly appointed EU Foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, stated that it was time to establish a Palestinian state and not just stopping at recognizing it. Mogherini is preparing to visit the region by the weekend and has stressed that it was time to “move forward” […]
Part of its continuous efforts to promote the automotive sector, Morocco signed last week five performance contracts that will support the deployment of four ecosystems in the automotive sector, namely automotive wiring, automotive seating & Vehicule interior; metal / stamping; and automotive batteries. The contracts, signed on the sidelines of the 4th edition of “Automotive […]
Fighting has intensified in Benghazi as the Islamists and Khalifa Haftar’s forces continue to fight for control over the town. Smoke was seen coming from a ship in the port. Amidst the fighting between rival armed groups, Prime Minister Omar al-Hassi of the government based in Tripoli has called for “new elections” to be organized because […]
A strong Egyptian delegation, including several ministers, is in Ethiopia for a two-day working visit for the fifth session of the joint Egyptian-Ethiopian committee. The session seems to be focused on reinforcing bilateral and trade ties between the two countries despite their differences over the Renaissance Dam project. The visit is seen by Cairo as […]
Plans are underway for Algeria, Libya and Egypt to replace 50% of Russia’s Gazprom natural gas supply to Europe. Italy’s largest utility, Enel SpA, hopes that the development efforts that are ongoing in oil and gas sectors of these North African countries, especially in Algeria, will ease the process. Europe is seeking to reduce its […]