North Africa

Tunisia’s electoral commission said on Wednesday it had approved 26 candidates including two women for next month’s presidential election and had rejected 71 other applicants. The Sept. 15 vote follows the death at age 92 last month of Beji Caid Essebsi, the first president to be democratically elected in Tunisia …

United Arab Emirates’ Dana Gas has hired investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. (TPH) to advise it on the sale of its Egyptian assets, worth over $500 million, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the company shifts its focus to its Kurdistan operations. The Abu Dhabi-listed energy …

Tunisia’s 92-year-old president, Beji Caid Essebsi, a major player in the north African country’s transition to democracy after a 2011 revolution, has died, the presidency said on Thursday. He was taken to a military hospital on Wednesday. A leading figure in the country’s fortunes since 2011, Essebsi was hospitalized late …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD     It’s being taken as a given that the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is going to be built on the Blue Nile and that the downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt, are going to have to face the consequences. If the so-called Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam …

The National Media Council, NMC, participated in the 93rd ordinary session of the Arab Media Standing Committee, which was held today at the Arab League in Cairo. The session was held to prepare for the meeting of the Executive Office of the Arab Information Ministers scheduled tomorrow, and the Ministerial …

More migrants have been moved to a detention center in Libya’s capital where an air strike killed more than 50 last week, despite a risk it could be hit again which led to survivors being evacuated, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Friday. Around 95 migrants were moved to the …

A man sought unsuccessfully to set himself on fire on Friday as tens of thousands of Algerians rallied to push for reforms and the departure of the ruling elite. For the 21st consecutive Friday, crowds gathered, now demanding more rapid change after they brought about the end of Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s …

Eastern Libyan authorities and U.S. security firm Guidry Group plan to finalize an agreement to develop a major port in the east of the troubled oil producer, both sides said. Talks have been going on for about a year to build a port in Susah, which would mark a rare …

Over 80 migrants went missing at sea following a shipwreck which occurred on Wednesday off the coast of Zarzis in Tunisia, Italian news agency ANSAmed reported on Thursday. Only five people survived the incident, according to Alarm Phone, which announced the news on Twitter and attributed it to Chamseddine Marzoug, …

The International Security Cooperation Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation affirms the United Arab Emirates’ commitment to the UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973 on sanctions and arms embargo, denying the ownership of weapons found in Libya and reiterating the UAE’s commitment to fully cooperate …

Hub71 today announced that Aldar Properties, the Department of Health, DoH, and the Abu Dhabi Global Market, ADGM, have come together as partners for its MENA Growth Competition, powered by the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab. Hub71 is an initiative of the Ghadan 21 programme and global tech ecosystem in …

Forces allied to Libya’s internationally recognized government based in Tripoli captured sophisticated U.S. and Chinese rockets as well as drones when they seized a town from eastern forces last week, officials said on Saturday. On Wednesday, Tripoli’s forces took Gharyan, south of the capital, which eastern forces loyal to Khalifa …

Juma Mubarak Al Junaibi, UAE Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League, headed the UAE delegation participating in the 11th Arab Ministerial Water Council. The meeting of the council was also attended by other Arab ministers of water resources and irrigation, along with Mazen Ghoneim, Head of …

The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, launched the sixth phase of a campaign to combat eye diseases in Morocco, following the directives of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation. …

The Expo Centre Sharjah recently concluded its visit to Egypt and Jordan where it explored prospects of future cooperation and joint coordination in the sector of international exhibitions and conferences, to promote the interests of the Arab economy. The Expo delegation was headed by Saif Mohamed Al Midfa, Expo Centre …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed to try to ensure the Egyptian government is tried in international courts for the death of former president Mohamed Mursi, who suffered a fatal heart attack in a Cairo court earlier this week. “Muhammed Mursi flailed on the courtroom floor for 20 minutes …

The United Nations human rights office called on Tuesday for an independent investigation into the death of Egypt’s former President Mohamed Mursi, saying it should encompass all aspects of his treatment during nearly six years in custody. Egypt’s Islamist ex-president was buried in a small family ceremony early on Tuesday …

The UAE will participate in an annual festival in Morocco, which celebrates a vibrant Bedouin culture. The 15th Tan-Tan Moussem in Morocco, themed ‘Tan-Tan Moussem: Hosting the Global Nomadic Culture’, will be held from14th to 19th June, under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco. For …

Algeria’s interim President Abdelkader Bensalah called on Thursday for all parties to launch an “inclusive dialogue” to prepare for presidential elections, following the constitutional council’s scrapping of a vote set for July 4. Bensalah, in a speech broadcast on state television, did not set a date for the new contest. …

Algeria’s constitutional council has concluded it will not be possible to hold presidential elections on July 4 as planned, state TV reported on Sunday, prolonging the country’s transition after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned two months ago. The constitutional council cited a lack of valid candidates, saying it had received only …

By Firas Samuri*   While the offensive of the Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Field Marshal Halifa Haftar in Tripoli against the armed groups controlled by the Government of National Unity (PNU) is well underway, more and more international and regional players intervene in the Libyan crisis. Initially, the …

The Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) has announced that the consortium of EDF Renewables, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and Green of Africa has been awarded the tender for the design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the Noor Midelt Phase 1 multi-technologies solar power plant. The project, …

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar in the middle of next week to discuss how to resume peace talks in the country, a French presidential source said on Thursday. Macron last week called for a ceasefire in the month-long battle for Libya’s capital Tripoli after …

During a recent class at Cairo University, students laughed as they watched a skit acted out by their peers about a married couple. The husband came home from work and asked his wife, who was sweeping the floor, why dinner wasn’t ready. “I pick up the kids and I go …

Egypt’s government wants to start running the nation from a new capital in the desert from mid-2020, but the $58 billion project is struggling to raise funds and needs to overcome other challenges after investors pulled out. Workers are rushing to build core areas of the new city to replace …

Algerian police have arrested Said Bouteflika, the youngest brother of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, and two former intelligence chiefs, Generals Bachir Athmane Tartag and Mohamed Mediene, security sources said on Saturday. No more details were available, and there was no immediate comment from police. The sources were confirming an earlier …

Fighting raged in the battle for the Libyan capital Tripoli on Friday, with neither faction able to secure gains as an offensive by eastern commander Khalifa Haftar entered its fifth week, killing almost 400 people and displacing 50,000. Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), which is allied to a parallel administration …

Tunisia ordered the army on Friday to transport fuel to petrol stations on Friday, a government source said, the second day of a strike by fuel distribution workers that has caused empty pumps and long queues across the country. The government is facing rising public demands for more pay with …

Hundreds of thousands of protesters rallied peacefully in Algiers after Friday prayers, chanting “We will not shut up!” and demanding the departure of Algeria’s ruling elite a month after the downfall of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Weeks of demonstrations forced Bouteflika out of office on April 2 after 20 years in …

Fuel distribution workers in Tunisia began a three-day strike on Thursday to demand higher wages, leading to long queues and empty pumps at petrol stations across the North African nation. The government is facing rising public demands for more pay as price rise, with inflation at about 7 percent. It …

About 5,000 Tunisians protested on Monday in central Sidi Bouzid city against marginalization and deteriorating conditions, two days after the deaths of 12 female rural workers in a traffic accident. Traffic stopped and schools, hospitals and public offices were closed under a regional strike called by unions in Sidi Bouzid, …

Heads and representatives of stock exchanges, including the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, Arab depository and clearing companies, as well as representatives of a group of brokerage firms and financial experts, attended a series of meetings of the Arab Federation of Exchanges, AFE, in Cairo, Egypt. Khalifa Salem Al Mansouri, Acting …

Thousands of protesters demanding the departure of Algeria’s ruling elite rallied in Algiers for a tenth Friday. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down after 20 years in power this month, bowing to pressure from the army and weeks of demonstrations mainly by young people seeking change. “The system must go” and …

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, met President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt in Beijing, China. Sheikh Mohammed is leading the UAE delegation to the second ‘Belt and Road Conference for International Cooperation’ taking place in the Chinese capital. Sheikh …

Tunisian police stormed the offices of a private television station and cut it off the air on Thursday over accusations it had breached broadcasting rules, which the channel called an attempt to silence its voice criticizing the government. Dozens of members of the security forces stormed the headquarters of Nesna …

Eastern Libya commander Khalifa Haftar has thrown much of his military forces into attacking Tripoli, but the outcome of the offensive could be determined by a separate battle — to keep open the parallel finance system that funds his soldiers. Mobilizing Libya’s biggest military campaign since the 2011 overthrow of …

The UAE is chairing the 7th extraordinary meeting of the Arab Economic and Social Council, which began today at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Arab League. The three-day meeting of senior officials will discuss a range of issues, including rules of origin, which was also discussed during …

Five Algerian billionaires, some of them close to former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika who quit over mass protests, have been arrested as part of an anti-graft investigation, state TV said on Monday. They were later brought to court to face charges from the general prosecutor’s office, private Ennahar TV channel said, …

An Algerian court has summoned former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia and current Finance Minister Mohamed Loukal, two close associates of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in a probe into the wasting of public money, state TV said on Saturday. They are being investigated over “dissipation of public money” and “illegal privilege,” …

Libya has reopened Tripoli’s only functioning airport, according to a posting on the airport authorities’ Facebook page on Sunday. Mitiga airport was closed earlier in the day when residents reported an air strike on the Libyan capital. Source: Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan will not involve giving land from Egypt’s Sinai peninsula to the Palestinians, an American envoy said on Friday. Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s Middle East envoy, apparently sought to deny reports on social media that the long-awaited plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would …

The White House said on Friday that President Donald Trump spoke by phone earlier in the week and discussed “ongoing counterterrorism efforts” with Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, leader of a military assault on the capital Tripoli in opposition to the internationally recognized government. In Libya on Friday, two children were …

The United States and Russia both said on Thursday they could not support a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Libya at this time, diplomats said, as mortar bombs crashed down on a suburb of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. Russia objects to the British-drafted resolution blaming …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD   What can I say about Ammar Al-Masry’s Throne of Atlantis, the long awaited sequel to Shadows of Atlantis? It’s a mind-boggling treat! To remind those who have forgotten, myself included, here is a summary. In Shadows of Atlantis you have a near perfect world …