First Independent Mena Newspaper
The Interior Minister, Lofti Ben Jeddou, claimed that Ansar al-Sharia is behind the killings of Mohamed Brahmi and Chokri Belaid. He presented proofs to back his claim before announcing that the objectif of Ansar al-sharia is to establish an Islamic emirate in North Africa. Ansar al-Sharia is an organization of ultraconservative Muslims known as the […]
No one can deny that Arab dictatorships have protected religious minorities across the Middle East and North Africa region for decades as a result of tactical decisions meant to win the political backing of Western powers and the financial support of funding agencies. The nomination of Jewish and Christian leaders to cabinet posts in many […]
In many ways, it appears as if Algeria is weathering the Arab Spring fairly well. Despite its sheer size, it has dodged the cycle of demonstrations and upheaval, even though the Arab Spring started right in the next door Tunisia. Its long-term president Abdelaziz Bouteflika has maintained a façade of democracy, though his tenure has […]
A few days after Chairman Rached Ghannouchi of Ennahda ruled out any possibility of succumbing to the pressure of the opposition, the party has announced through Fethi Ayadi, chairman of its supreme council that it will be making a U-turn for the establishment of “a government of national unity.” The opposition has not reacted to […]
The political crisis in the country is gearing for another step as the Salvation Front, a coalition of secular opposition parties, could propose an alternative cabinet at an anti-government rally on Tuesday. Pressure is mounting on the government but Ennahda has vowed not to leave power. The list of an alternative government from the Salvation […]
Prime Minister Zeidan has gone to Algeria for a brief visit to discuss “issues of mutual interest” with his counterparts. The rising security threats and smuggling was high on the agenda during their meetings. Both sides have agreed on taking common steps to curb it through their Joint Commission. Algeria’s Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal has […]
Simon Kuznets’ inverted U-shaped curve representing the hypothesis that with economic growth country’s inequality level initially increases and then decreases after reaching certain average income level has not yet found much support among the MENA economies. The MENA region has traditionally belonged to the most equal parts of the developing world as supported by the […]
Prime Minister Ali Larayedh has blasted the activists behind the promotion of Tunisia’s Tamarod version. He described them as a “danger to the democratic process” the country is experiencing. The Prime Minister was speaking at a radio interview when he made these remarks. Tunisia’s Tamarod movement wants the National Constituent Assembly to be dissolved and […]
King Juan Carlos I of Spain started on Monday a four-day official visit to Morocco, the first in more than two years as his latest dates back to May 2011. Beyond the exceptional historical personal relations binding the two sovereigns, the visit of King Juan Carlos holds much symbolic and political significance and is seen […]
Egypt’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs has summoned Tunisia and Turkey’s ambassadors’ respectively, in what it considers being a mingling in its internal affairs with respect to comments made by government officials from the two countries. These countries did not welcome the removal of President Mohammed Morsi from power by the military. The Minister of Foreign […]