Tunis: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Nabil Ammar met on Monday in Tunis with Executive Director of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Ms Nardos Bekele Thomas, who is on a working visit to the country from March 23 to 27. The meeting focused in particular on the activities of AUDA-NEPAD and the projects it is implementing throughout the continent, as well as cooperation between the Agency and Tunisia and its prospects, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Minister stressed Tunisia's interest in strengthening joint and effective African action and further consolidating the institutions of the African Union, pointing to the important role played by AUDA-NEPAD, which is the AU's main lever for developing and implementing regional integration on the continent. In this regard, he underlined the important role of the Agency in mobilising resources for the benefit of Member States and African regional organisations for the implementation of development projects, the provision of advisory services and technical assistance to Member States. The Minister also reiterated Tunisia's commitment to strengthening its cooperation with the African Union Development Agency and its willingness to benefit from the various programmes and projects implemented by the Agency. He stressed the need to mobilise financial resources, especially non-conventional ones, in priority areas for Africa in order to ensure the achievement of the objectives of the African Development Agenda 2063, especially in the light of the international economic crisis, which is hampering the continent's development efforts. For her part, the Executive Director of the African Union Development Agency presented the main projects being implemented by the Agency on the continent and the initiatives it has launched in various fields. She praised Tunisia's support for its efforts and stressed the importance of mobilising the potential of the country, which has great experience in a number of areas, to implement development projects on the continent, accordng to the same source. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Temporary thunderstorms expected Monday afternoon
Tunis: Temporary thunderstorms are forecast to hit the western, southern and central regions of the country from Monday afternoon. Showers will extend to all eastern regions overnight. Rain is also expected in northern areas from Tuesday evening to Wednesday afternoon. Rain will be scattered, thundery and locally intense, especially in the north-west, with rainfall of 30-50 mm and hail in some areas. Temperatures are expected to fall gradually in most areas, especially on Wednesday, with highs between 9 and 13°C in the western highlands and between 15 and 20°C elsewhere. Strong winds, gusting to over 90 km/h, are expected during thunderstorms. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
‘Lawyers are in no way being targeted’ (statement)
Tunis: The public prosecutor's office at the Tunis Court of Appeal has said "lawyers are not being targeted in any way", contrary to reports on social media. In a statement to TAP news agency on Monday, the spokesman for the Court of Appeal, Habib Torkhani, said that "some lawyers are currently appearing before the courts for criminal offences or following complaints against them. These complaints have nothing to do with the exercise of their profession," he added. He stressed the supremacy of the law and the 'concern to ensure the strict application of the law to all without distinction.' Torkhani pointed out that the court is in constant contact with the structures of the profession and works in coordination with the Ministry of Justice to facilitate the work of lawyers and alleviate any difficulties related to the exercise of their function within the framework of the law. The Bar Association stressed in a statement last Friday that "lawyers are being targeted without any respect for procedural guarant ees." It denounced "pressure" on lawyers in the exercise of their profession, which is likely to "undermine the rights of the defence". Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Stock market starts week on positive note, up 0.17%
Tunis: The stock market started the week on a positive note, rising by 0.17% to 8837.7 points on a modest trading volume of TND 2.8 million, according to broker Tunisie Valeurs. The BNA share was the most notable performer of the session. On a meagre trading volume of TND 17,000, the state-owned bank's shares rose by 3.8% to TND 7.940. Amen Bank emerged as the highlight of the session. Its stock performed strongly (+2.9% to close at TND 36) and was one of the most sought after stocks of the session, with trading activity amounting to TND 559,000. Conversely, ASSAD was the biggest faller of the session. Shares of the car battery manufacturer fell by 4.2% to TND 0.690 on a limited trading volume of TND 14,000. SOTETEL was one of the stocks most punished by investors during the session. The telecommunications network specialist lost 1.7% to TND 4.100 on a meagre volume of TND 7,000. Meanwhile, Délice Holding took the lead in trading activity. The company's shares closed almost unchanged (+0.09% at TND 11.10 0), injecting a total of TND 974,000 into the market. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Small cabinet meeting approves urgent repairs to buses and metro cars at cost of over TND 23 million
Tunis: The development of public transport was at the focus of a small Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister on Monday at the Government Palace in Kasbah. The Cabinet approved the urgent repair of 200 buses at a cost of about 15.6 million dinars and the accelerated repair of 28 metro cars at a cost of 7.5 million dinars, before the purchase of a significant number of buses and metro cars to strengthen the fleet. At the beginning of the meeting, the Prime Minister stressed the need to provide citizens with all kinds of transport that would preserve their dignity and enable them to carry out their affairs in the best conditions. The Prime Minister also assessed the situation of the transport sector in general and the Tunisian Transport Company in particular. He called for solutions to be found in the short term and for a national strategy to be drawn up for public transport, which is considered in all countries to be an indicator of economic development and a driver of social inclusion. The Prime Minis ter also stressed the need to simplify administrative procedures in order to ensure the normal functioning of public services. The meeting was attended by Minister of Interior Kamel Feki, Minister of Finance Sihem Bougdiri Nemsia, Minister of Economy and Planning Feryel Ouerghi Sebai, Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Fatma Thabet Chiboub, Minister of Trade and Export Development Kalthoum Ben Rejab Gazzeh and Minister of Public Works and Housing in charge of the Transport Department Sara Zafarani Zanzari. The minister in charge of the Transport Department, gave a presentation on the road transport fleet, the number of trips and programmed routes, and reviewed the main obstacles preventing the provision of a sufficient number of buses and metro cars. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse