Day: March 23, 2024

Tunis: Earth Hour, the world's largest mobilisation for nature, organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), will take place on Saturday at 8:30 pm. Every year since 2007, on one of the last Saturdays in March at 8.30pm local time, millions of people around the world join forces to raise awareness of the planet's natural crises by switching off their lights for one hour. More than 185 countries take part each year. Thousands of iconic landmarks switch off for a symbolic hour to show their collective support for protecting the planet. In 2023, WWF is proposing to extend the initiative by inviting everyone to use the Hour for the Planet to do something, however small, to help the climate and the planet. "Our planet is in crisis, but there is still time to prevent biodiversity loss and climate disruption from reaching catastrophic levels. Every hour counts if we are to reverse the loss of nature by 2030. Spending 60 minutes doing something positive for the planet can generate thousands, if not millions, of ho urs of action and awareness," the fund stresses. The latest Living Planet report, published by WWF in October 2022, reveals a devastating 69% decline in vertebrate wildlife populations in less than fifty years. It also shows that unless global warming is limited to 1.5°C, climate change will become the main driver of biodiversity loss in the coming decades. The planet is therefore facing a double emergency: climate change and biodiversity loss. With this in mind, WWF is calling on institutions and the general public to take action to protect biodiversity. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: The new foreign exchange law will have a positive impact on Tunisia's relations with donors, particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has repeatedly called for reforms in the foreign exchange market, according to economic expert Moez Hadidane. Indeed, Tunisia has made significant progress in liberalising the dinar, one of the conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in addition to capital liberalisation, he added in a video interview with TAP. "This measure will have a positive impact on Tunisia's relations with donors, including the IMF, but the main reforms required relate in particular to the state budget and other areas such as subsidies and public enterprises," he said. He added that the adoption of the foreign exchange law will help Tunisia to mobilise foreign currency and increase its reserves in the medium term. "If we get the scenario right, as far as the provisions of the new code are concerned, Tunisia could mobilise the TND 1.9 billion that it would have rec eived from the IMF, from Tunisian investors abroad and from international accounts," he said. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: The Tunis Rapid Railway (RFR) company is currently working to complete work on Line D, which will link "Tunis city" to "Mnihla". Work on this line, originally scheduled to begin in 2016, has been blocked in the city of Bardo due to opposition from some residents, civil society and some MPs to the formula adopted for the construction of the Bardo section. The termination of the contract with the Italian company in charge of the project for failing to meet its obligations also contributed to the blockage of this project. The situation was further aggravated by the decision of the city council to stop work in 2019. A meeting of the Cabinet meeting on November 10, 2023 ordered the resumption of work in accordance with the original terms of the contract, in application of the law, in order to ensure the progressive operation of the line from September 2024 and the operation of the entire line by 2026." Dhafer Sghiri, Member of Parliament for the Ettahrir neighbourhood - Bardo constituency, explained the opposition of local residents and civil society to the choice made for the construction of the section relating to the town of Bardo by the option chosen for an intersection between the RFR line and the road, simply by installing mobile barriers. In a statement to TAP, he stressed that "this option was chosen from among 7 others because it was the least expensive, without taking into account the risks it could create for the safety of citizens and road users". In his opinion, "the chosen option will also divide and disfigure the city of Bardo, which is known for its many historical sites and monuments". For his part, Lotfi Chouba, CEO of the RFR company, explained that Line D, which runs parallel to the railway line, was built on public land owned by the SNCFT, which explains the problem with its construction. "We have built two RFR lines parallel to the railway, bringing the number of railway lines to three," he added. He went on to say that the project had been designed using a participatory approach, b ased on in-depth studies and taking into account all the essential criteria relating to efficiency, cost and safety. According to the final version of the project, "RFR trains will run according to timetables to be defined at a later stage and at low speeds to ensure the safety of pedestrians and vehicles", said Chouba, adding that there will be two crossings of the railway line with the road. According to the official, the first phase of this line will be put into operation gradually, in September 2024, with the remaining components of the project to be completed by 2026. He also pointed out that it was necessary to speed up the completion of the works and the gradual opening of the line in view of the worsening transport crisis in Tunisia due to the deterioration of the transport fleet. He added that the line would help alleviate traffic congestion in the city of Bardo, especially as the train has a capacity of 2,400 passengers per trip. Line D is 12.2 km long and connects with line A for 2.3 km to Man oubia station. This line has seven stations after Manoubia, namely Melassine, Erraoudha, Bardo, Bortal, Manouba, Cité les Oranges and Gobaa. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: The weather on Saturday night will be characterised by the appearance of low clouds in most areas, followed by local fog late in the night, according to the National Institute of Meteorology (INM). Winds will be light to moderate from the south in most areas. Temperatures will be between 8 and 12 degrees Celsius in the western regions of the north and centre, and between 14 and 18 degrees Celsius in the rest of the country. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse