Tunisian solar energy draws UK interest

2010-12-01

The United Kingdom is "working hard to boost commercial exchanges with Tunisia", the British Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt, said in La Marsa on Tuesday (November 30th). Britain will focus particular attention on strategic partnerships with Tunisia in the solar energy and tourism sectors, Tunisia Online reported. Burt's visit to Tunisia is part of his first official Maghreb tour.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/12/01/newsbrief-05.

Tunisia to host Arab Children's Theater Festival

2010-11-22

The 9th Arab Children's Theater Festival will open December 19th in Hammam-Sousse, TAP reported. Troupes from Morocco, Oman, Jordan, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and host nation Tunisia are set to perform at the one-week event.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/11/22/newsbrief-06.

Tunisian cities to host European Film Days

2010-11-16

Tunisia's 16th European Film Days Festival will be held November 23rd-December 12th in Tunis, Sousse, Kairouan, Mahdia, Sfax, Jendouba, Gabès and Gafsa, TAP reported on Monday (November 15th). Fifty films from 20 European and Maghreb countries will be screened during the event, organized by the EU delegation to Tunisia and embassies of EU member states. The program includes workshops and meetings with filmmakers.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/11/16/newsbrief-08.

Tunisians sentenced for joining Iraq insurgency

2010-11-12

A Tunis court sentenced six Tunisians to prison terms of 6-20 years for joining the Iraqi insurgency, ANSA reported on Thursday (November 11th). One defendant admitted to fighting US forces in Iraq, defense attorney Samir Ben-Amor said.

In a separate case, 17 men received prison terms ranging from two to 10 years for establishing a terrorist group that planned to commit attacks in Tunisia.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/11/12/newsbrief-03.

Maghreb patients prefer Tunisia hospitals

Tunisia's experienced medical personnel, coupled with the country's mild climate, render the country a prime health spot for Maghrebi patients.

By Monia Ghanmi for Magharebia in Tunis – 09/11/10

Tunisia is becoming the number one medical haven for its Algerian and Libyan neighbors. The Health Ministry reported that Tunisian health institutions received more than 140,000 Libyan and Algerian patients last year.

"In Libya, we suffer from the bad treatment of medical professionals and from their indifference to the health problems that worry us," frequent visitor of Tunisian clinics Bouajila Fakhri told Magharebia.

Dissatisfied with local medical services, Libyans found solutions in Tunisia. A famous clinic in Tunisia is now known as the Libyan Clinic.

The Libyan government said earlier this year that the state has spent almost 2.5 billion Libyan dinars (1.5 billion euros) on the health sector last year, adding that the country has 97 hospitals, featuring 20,689 beds.

Some Libyans, however, question the healthcare reform data, noting that Libyan clinics still suffer from negligence and a dearth of basic equipment, including beds, blankets and air conditioners.

"All of these factors made Libyan citizens lose confidence in the health services that are provided in their country and leave them for hospitals in neighboring states," Libyan patient Hamida Abd Karim said.

According to the 2009 Libyan Health Secretariat report, 566 doctors were sent for overseas courses to raise their competency level in 2008. Meanwhile, 6,024 local courses were held for medical professionals. The same source said that 1,283 patients went abroad to seek help in 2008, compared to 399 in 2007.

Nawal Issaoui came to Tunisia with her ill father after doctors in Libya advised him to complete his treatment in Tunisia. Although she found it easy to have the necessary examinations made in Tunisia and praised the speed and accuracy in collecting the test results, Issaoui confirmed that most Libyans come to Tunisia for treatment to show off, adding that all capabilities are available in her country.

Meanwhile, the number of Algerians who seek treatment in Tunisia is on the rise as well. Clinics in Tunis, Sousse and Sfax have turned into destinations for Algerian patients, especially during the tourist season. Many Algerians prefer to kill two birds with one stone, by spending their summer vacation in Tunisia and simultaneously seeking medical help.

Some Algerians note that brain drain resulted in low expertise of medical professionals in Algeria and forced patients resort to Tunisian clinics.

The Order of French Doctors revealed in 2009 that there are 1,934 Algerian doctors in France, constituting 10.26% of the total number of foreigners working at French hospitals. Moroccans account for 7.69% and Tunisian for 4.85%.

Algerian patients complain about carelessness and lack of attention by local doctors. According to the Order of Algerian Doctors, more than 200 medical errors were made in 2009.

A study by the Canadian University of Sherbrooke and the World Health Organization (WHO) released September 14th confirmed that Tunisia has the best health care system in the Maghreb region.

In 2008, the country had 1.2 doctors per 1,000 citizens, as compared to 1.2 in Algeria and 0.6 in Morocco. The average life expectancy is 70 years for men and 75 years for women, compared to 70 years for men and 74 for women in Morocco, and 70 years for men and 72 for women in Algeria. Tunisia also has the lowest infant mortality rate (23 per 1,000, compared to 37 in Morocco and 38 in Algeria).

According to the report, among the main factors that contributed to the positive indicator in Tunisia were the eradication of all epidemics and medical training that conforms to international criteria.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/11/09/feature-02.

Tunisia, Libya agree on joint projects

In what some view as an important step towards Maghreb unity, Tunisia and Libya reached an agreement to lift restrictions on movement of travelers and goods.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis - 07/11/10

Tunisian traders and families traveling to Libya may now breathe a sigh of relief as the two countries agreed October 30th to remove all administrative and financial obstacles that hinder the movement of goods and people.

The Tunisian-Libyan High Joint Executive Committee session headed by Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi and his visiting Libyan counterpart, Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi, also discussed the creation of a free economic zone between Ben Guerdane in Tunisia and Libya's Ras-Jedir border development area.

"This agreement came to restore the Libyan-Tunisian relations to their original condition, given that the two countries were, and still are, two inseparable outlets for each other. Each time either country suffers a crisis, the other country would be at the forefront to provide help. This agreement will also enable the southern Tunisia area to have broader opportunities for investments and to improve the purchasing power of a whole region," political analyst Ghassen Kesibi said.

The committee also decided during their 2-day meeting to create a company to supervise Libyan investment projects in Tunisia, the largest of which is a refinery in Skhira.

The two countries agreed to double the volume of investments to reach $2 billion and hold a meeting next month to discuss investment projects in greater detail.

Some travelers have already noticed that the situation looks better along the Tunisia-Libya border.

"The treatment of Libyan customs authorities was smooth, and the searches lasted for only a few minutes," said Tunisian Moufida Idoudi, who visited Libya with her parents to shop for her wedding.

"It is different now," Tunisian trader Salem Kaouache agreed. "I didn't pay 150 dinars that we were used to in the past. The way they received and searched us also differed, although the long lines at the border checkpoint of Ras-Jedir are still the same. However, the removal of tax on trucks and vehicles has compensated small traders like me for the suffering of waiting."

Last summer, protests and clashes broke out at the border area in Ras-Jedir following the measures taken by the Libyan authorities on the movement of travelers, which border area residents deemed as unjust.

The Libyan authorities required that each traveler pay 1374 Tunisian dinars or 1219 Libyan dinars to enter Libyan soil.

"Although the Tunisian-Libyan committee took historical measures that are considered strategic, as they represent a real breakthrough in the relations between the two countries, the greater attention was paid to the removal of restrictions on the movement of goods and people between the two countries and to making it without any obstacles or payment of charges," Fateh el Kefi, a specialist in Tunisian-Libyan affairs, told Magharebia.

"That attention can be understood because it concerns thousands of people who live on income from trade between Tunisia and Libya. In addition, many Tunisian families benefit from the imported Libyan goods that they purchase for very competitive prices," he added.

"The agreement is very positive because it confirms the nature of distinguished relations between Tunisia and Libya, and the keenness of the two countries to promote bilateral relations even further," Al-Watan editor Noureddine Moubarki told Magharebia.

Moubarki added, however, that movement of travelers and trade across the Tunisian-Libyan border requires real solutions.

"What took place a few months ago in the Tunisian town of Ben Guerdane is a proof of that," he said.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/11/07/feature-01.

Young Tunisia smokers cause concern

Smoking claims 7,000 lives every year in Tunisia, and educators, parents and officials are worried that young smokers are on a dangerous path.

By Monia Ghanmi for Magharebia in Tunis – 05/11/10

Every day in Tunisia, twenty people die of smoking-related diseases. Despite these grim statistics, secondary school and college students remain heavy smokers.

"It's my pen that I can't give up," said 17-year-old Ramez Aloui. "The fun of sipping a cup of coffee is not complete unless it is accompanied by a cigarette."

Aloui added that young people in Tunisia smoke because they consider smoking to be a symbol of manhood, an ability to shoulder responsibility, a challenge to family authority and as a means to attract the opposite sex. He then pointed to his classmate Yasmine Nafati, 17, sitting next to him, playing with a cigarette between her fingers and blowing smoke out of her lips.

Nafati told Magharebia that she smoked her first cigarette when she was 14-years-old. She justified it by saying cigarettes are available everywhere at prices affordable to everyone.

Adham Dhaoui, a 16-year old student, goes every day to the coffee shop that is located near his school on Marseille Street. He justified his addiction to smoking by saying that it gives him more self-confidence and feels enjoyable. Dhaoui said began smoking when he was 13 years old after pressure from friends. He took up the habit as something to do or as a "change of the mood" but now it is a daily practice that he can't avoid.

Nabil Ben Amer, a waiter at the coffee shop, said the same scene is repeated every day, with students representing most of his customers. He added that their number continues to increase, something he blames on the lack of parents observing their children.

However, Hammadi Mahjoubi, a parent, said the reason young people smoke is due to "the absence of a law banning the selling of such products to students". He considered that to be some sort of encouragement of smoking, especially in light of the continued sale of individual cigarettes for low prices. Hammadi also accused educational institutions of not providing better activities for students to occupy their free time.

Teacher Bessma Chanmi disagreed, saying that parents are the ones who encourage their children to smoke in an indirect way by giving them money and not monitoring their behaviour. She said parents give their children absolute freedom to act at an early age without any guidance or observation.

"Educational institutions have for years been implementing an awareness policy to sensitize students about the harms of smoking, noting that they have formed health clubs for students that aim to warn them of the serious diseases and the negative complications of cigarettes on man's health," Chanmi added.

Dr Mounira Masmoudi Nabli, co-ordinator of the national anti-smoking program, confirmed that smoking can cause many deadly diseases, such as cancer and clogged arteries. In addition, there is a possibility that smokers, especially young people, may suffer from heart disease and strokes.

She noted that the government has prepared an integrated awareness program, both in the media and at schools, in order to reduce the percentage of smokers and subsequent deaths. The ministry has also created 211 clinics to help people quit smoking. The clinics are staffed by specialized doctors who care for smokers both physically and psychologically.

The government has also stepped up legal measures by banning smoking in public spaces and punishing violators with fines. In addition, Tunisia has banned all forms of advertising for tobacco products and insisted that tobacco manufacturers clearly show the negative effects of smoking on cigarettes packs.

Dr Nabli urged all parties to combat tobacco manufacturers, who turned their attention to the young people category, who they started to focus on in their ads, after studies showed that the percentage of adult smokers has dropped.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/11/05/feature-03.