Category: General

Campaigning for December 24 local elections is underway in the constituencies of Ariana. Candidate Nourredine Trabelsi, electoral district of Raoud, pledged to upgrade transport services and public lighting and work in concert with the Health Ministry to build a local hospital. A football field and support of sports associations top the candidate's electoral platform. Fellow candidate Youssef Khazri opted for direct contact with voters in Mnihla to outline his electoral platform placed under the slogan "for Social Justice." Youth are a target group with the unemployment of graduates taking centre stage. Support of low-income households and vulnerable groups, sustainable development, adoption of renewable energy projects in urban planning and the use of advanced technology to improve municipal services. Olfa ouerfeli, constituency of Dar Fadhal, pledged to improve healthcare services and lend special attention to cultural clubs. Attracting European investors is another electoral promise in addition to ca re for children with specific needs. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Director of the Tunis office of «Lawyers Without Borders» Rami Khouili, Thursday, said that the number of cases of immunodeficiency virus, «HIV-AIDS» increased in 2022, to nearly 7,100, adding that only 26% received treatment. He told TAP on the sidelines of a national conference on «HIV-AIDS and the Rights of Vulnerable Populations: Towards an Inclusive Approach» that the number of new cases of AIDS had been stable until 2010 with 70 new cases a year, yet, he underscored that, this number increased in 2020 to reach 150 cases a year. Khouili underlined that cases of infection with this virus have declined in most countries in the world except in North Africa and the Middle East, according to world statistics. He stressed the need to reform repressive legislation criminalizing HIV-AIDS patients who are also victims of exclusion and marginalization and find difficulty accessing information, healthcare services and social integration. Representative of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), i n Tunisia Ahmed Shehata pointed out that a large number of civil society organizations have offered, in collaboration with government bodies, training to lawyers and judges in defending lawsuits filed by HIV-AIDS patients, who are also victims of stigma and discrimination. This national conference was held at the initiative of Lawyers Without Borders, in partnership with the UNAIDS programme, the International Development Law Organization and the National Office for Family and Population (ONFP) as part of a programme launched by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Campaigning for December 24 local elections is underway in the constituencies of Ariana. Candidate Nourredine Trabelsi, electoral district of Raoud, pledged to upgrade transport services and public lighting and work in concert with the Health Ministry to build a local hospital. A football field and support of sports associations top the candidate's electoral platform. Fellow candidate Youssef Khazri opted for direct contact with voters in Mnihla to outline his electoral platform placed under the slogan "for Social Justice." Youth are a target group with the unemployment of graduates taking centre stage. Support of low-income households and vulnerable groups, sustainable development, adoption of renewable energy projects in urban planning and the use of advanced technology to improve municipal services. Olfa ouerfeli, constituency of Dar Fadhal, pledged to improve healthcare services and lend special attention to cultural clubs. Attracting European investors is another electoral promise in addition to ca re for children with specific needs. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) 2024 on Thursday revealed the longlist of 16 novels in contention for the 2024 prize, including two Tunisian authors Sofien Rejeb with his novel "Reader of the Tanners' Alley," published by Masciliana, and Dorra Fazaa with "I hide passion," published by Sindbad Editions. The list has been chosen from a total of 133 books published in Arabic between July 2022 and June 2023 by a panel of five judges, chaired by Syrian writer Nabil Suleiman. Joining him are Palestinian writer, researcher and academic Sonia Nimr, Czech academic František Ondráš, Egyptian critic and journalist Mohamed Shoair, and Sudanese writer and journalist Hammour Ziada. The novels take readers from a racecourse in 1920s Cairo, to a rare book market in Tunisia; from the ancient houses of Baghdad, to a famine in 1970s Jerusalem. We also see customs and traditions of territories new to Arabic literature, such as the Comoros islands and the Belgian Congo. Transitional periods in history are deco nstructed to answer questions about the current moment, and to explore the impact of socio-political conditions on both individual identity and interpersonal relationships. A number of the books reflect on the act of creation, while other recurrent themes include war, exile, and impossible love. The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world. Its aim is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing and to encourage the readership of high quality Arabic literature internationally through the translation and publication of winning and shortlisted novels in other major languages. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Local elections candidate for the Ezzouhour Bach Hamba council in Tunis 1 Rabeb Ben Ayed promised to upgrade road infrastructure and improve lighting and sewerage. She further undertook to coordinate actions with the region's municipal services so as to find a radical solution to stray dogs, which have become an exasperating phenomenon for the local residents. The candidate said her programme mainly focuses on the environment aspect by endeavouring to provide bins for household and plastic waste through the recycling waste sorting mechanism, while ensuring that laws are enforced to protect the environment. Ben Ayed also expressed interest in improving sports facilities in the region and setting up cultural and leisure clubs to better mentor young people. She further confirmed that if she won the local council elections, she would set up a support fund for unemployed young people's projects. Ben Ayed also pointed out that as a candidate, she represents young people and is ready to bet on the youth segment and share their concerns and demands. She stated that it is legitimate to provide mechanisms and programmes that stimulate private initiative and generate funding sources. At the social level, the candidate promised to work in coordination with stakeholders to provide for needy families. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse