First Independent Mena Newspaper
Following the repeated attacks of shrines by unidentified individuals, the Tunisian government has decided to adopt emergency measures to protect Sufi Muslim mausoleums, considered as religious and cultural treasures. The latest such attack took place last Thursday when two Sufi mausoleums were torched. Many believe that ultra-conservative Salafist Muslims are behind such acts. The government […]
British petroleum is not hiding its fears about the risks in the North African region after it revealed that it was having second thoughts about its activities in Libya. The spokesperson of the British company said that drillings in Libya were scheduled for the end of the second quarter this year but the company is […]
“Today, Emirati women are a model for Gulf or Arab women” said Dr Amal Al Qubaisi while making her first speech as the Federal National Council Speaker. As Deputy Speaker, Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, took the FNC Speaker’s chair, last week in Abu Dhabi, making history as it was the first time ever that a […]
Last December, the U.N. Security Council passed a cautious resolution that outlined steps to be taken before an international military intervention into Mali to deal with the deteriorating security situation in the country. But in a surprise move on 11 January, French President Francois Hollande authorized airstrikes in Mali to stop a sudden southward push […]
Relations between the Head of the Government, Abdelilah Benkirane, and the leader of the Istiqlal Party, the backbone of the governmental coalition, Hamid Chabat, are growing more strained by the day. Chabat’s harsh criticism of the government’s performance and his repeated calls for a cabinet reshuffle are the main bone of contention between the two […]
The free trade agreement between Korea and EU came into force on 1 July 2011. Under the FTA, the EU agreed to eliminate or phase out tariffs on 96% of goods, and Korea for 99% of goods, within three years. Within five years, 98.7% of imports would be tariff-free. Beside tariff reduction, the FTA facilitates […]
At least some 37 foreign workers, who were taken lately hostage by Islamist militants linked to Al Qaeda at a gas plant in Southern Algerian city of In Amenas, were killed during a military operation launched by the Algerian Special Forces to release the captives and retake to the gasfield compound. The identified slain hostages […]
Two years ago, Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution toppled Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s dictatorship and ignited the first flames of what would be called the Arab Spring. At the same time, it kindled Tunisians’ hopes and dreams for a better future, a better Tunisia where democracy, freedom and social justice will prevail. Two long years have elapsed, […]
When President Barack Obama, in a speech in Cairo University in 2009, pointed to education and innovation as being the mechanisms of progress in the 21st century, these ideas must have resonated in capital cities across North Africa. Although different countries in the region have made various efforts to improve education and innovation and create […]
Climate change has emerged as one of the greatest challenges to international community. Increasing frequency and intensity of natural calamities caution that changing climate would have severe implications for economy and society and have potential to alter the course of development across the world. In absence of robust infrastructure, resources and technologies to cope with […]