First Independent Mena Newspaper
The U.S. Africa Leaders Summit that brought to Washington this August 4-6 more than 50 African leaders and hundreds of governmental officials, CEOs and civil society activists was an opportunity for President Barack Obama to make a declaration of love to the black continent, announcing new partnerships and initiatives and pledging that America will be […]
The influx of tourists to Egypt has been declining since 2011 but the country continues to register a significant increase of visitors coming from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Red sea resorts of Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada are the most preferable destinations. Egyptian authorities have been doubling their efforts to attract visitors but […]
Egypt’s new cabinet will be sworn in on Tuesday and most of them are familiar faces. The information was announced by the Cabinet spokesman, Hossam El-Kawish, after Prime Minster Ibrahim Mehleb finally formed his government. With the economy struggling and the law courts busy, much of the attention was given to those who were nominated […]
Jordan, a country without oil or experiencing a self-destructive civil war, stands on a precipice. Its current ‘greatest’ challenge, the Syrian conflict, is showing the first signs of resolution and it now has a chance to recover from the almost overwhelming forces of refugee migration. The difficulty of integrating its new refugee population into wider […]
Morocco’s leading telecom operator, Maroc Telecom, will acquire six African subsidiaries of its new majority shareholder UAE Etisalat for $ 650 million. By acquiring Itisalat branches in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Niger, Central African Republic and Togo, the Moroccan operator will expand its activities in the continent and become a genuine telecom “hub” in French-speaking […]
Russia could be on the verge of signing an agreement with Egypt as reports claim that a delegation of advisers is in Cairo to meet with officials. Egypt is expected to buy 24 advanced MiG-35 fighter jets as part of its switch towards using Russian military hardware. Negotiations have reached advanced stages. The MiG-35 jets […]
There are reports that Egyptian banks have been ordered by the Central Bank to refrain from doing business with some banks in African and Arab countries amongst which are Qatar, Libya, Syria and Sudan. The central bank’s decision is aimed at reducing the scale of money laundering in compliance with the anti-money laundering laws. Several […]
Economists are getting increasingly optimistic about the plan of Tunisia’s Prime Minister, Mehdi Jomaa, to tackle persistent unemployment and a tight budget. Mr Jomaa has recently visited a number of Gulf countries, accompanied by a delegation of businesspeople led by the head of the Tunisian Union of Trade, Industry, and Handicrafts (UTICA), Wided Bouchamaoui. Mr […]
On a two-day visit to Moscow, Egyptian army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was on Wednesday accompanied by Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy to seal a lucrative arms deal and discuss areas of cooperation “in multiple fields”. The US$2 billion arms deal will mainly be funded by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The expected Russian […]
Egypt’s central bank has lately taken some exceptional steps to help the Egyptian pound and restrain the black market in foreign currencies. Despite the central bank’s effort, the currency black market is thriving around the country, which suggests that the limits of the economic recovery since the fall of ex-President Morsi in July last year […]