First Independent Mena Newspaper
Algeria is preparing to welcome Pope Léon XIV in April, promoting the trip as a celebration of its early Christian heritage and connection to Saint Augustine. But international rights groups warn the visit comes amid one of the harshest crackdowns on Christians in North Africa. Nearly all Protestant churches have been closed by administrative order, […]
The Central Bank of Sudan announced Monday a significant increase in lending limits for micro and small-scale finance, as authorities seek to cushion the effects of soaring inflation and stimulate economic recovery. The policy shift, outlined in a Circular, forms part of the bank’s broader 2026 strategy aimed at deepening financial inclusion and supporting […]
Japanese firm ShibataFenderTeam (SFT), specializing in the design, engineering, and production of high-quality rubber fender systems for marine infrastructure, has deployed its fender systems and bollards in the terminals of Morocco’s Nador West Med Port, one of Africa’s largest ports. Nador West Med is taking shape on the Kingdom’s Mediterranean coast, along the main east–west […]
A series of US government assessments issued between 2021 and 2025 depict Algeria as an entrenched authoritarian system dominated by the military, with Washington expressing growing concern over political repression, limits on civil liberties, state-controlled economy and use of proxies involved in terrorist acts in the region. The reports come as Senator Ted Cruz introduces […]
La Coruña is set to become the second Spanish city to step back from the list of host cities for the 2030 World Cup, that Spain will co‑organize alongside Morocco and Portugal, Spanish media reported. The decision follows the earlier withdrawal of Malaga, further narrowing Spain’s hosting roster, according to Spanish daily AS The timing […]
The Council of the Arab League has hailed the efforts made by the Al-Quds Committee, chaired by King Mohammed VI, for the protection the Holy city and preservation of its identity. In a statement issued Sunday following the Israeli decision to close Al-Aqsa Mosque, undermining the freedom of worship and access to the Holy site, […]
Sixty-four agricultural groups, including the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), have sent a letter to the chief executives of two of the nation’s largest domestic fertilizer producers, urging them to support the removal of duties placed on imported phosphate products from Morocco. “The recent Middle East conflict has led to increases in the prices of […]
Polisario members have expressed clear support for the Mollah regime during a condolence ceremony held lately at the Iranian embassy in Algiers following the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, during joint US-Israeli air strikes targeting his compound in Tehran. The participation of Polisario in formal condolence ceremony in Iran’s Embassy in […]
Chocolate prices jumped nearly 18% across the European Union in 2025, marking the steepest increase of any food product, following a historic spike in cocoa costs driven by West African drought and plant disease. West Africa, notably Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire, are the world’s main cocoa‑growing region, which pushed supplies to their lowest levels in […]
China has indicated its willingness to support the post-war reconstruction of Sudan, according to Xu Jian, Beijing’s acting Chargé d’affaires in Sudan. Speaking at a press briefing in Port Sudan, Xu said China has incorporated proposals to assist Sudan’s rebuilding efforts into its official foreign policy agenda and is ready to help restore infrastructure destroyed […]