The Export Pomotion Centre (CEPEX) is organising Tunisia's participation in APAS SHOW 2024, the largest food and beverage fair in the Americas due next May 13-16 at São Paulo Expo Center Norte, Brazil. With about 850 exhibitors and over 73, 000 visitors from 200 countries, APAS SHOW is also the biggest trade show in the supermarket industry across the world. In addition to food and beverage, the trade show covers the sectors of technology, innovation, logistics, finance, infrastructure and equipment. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Trade Ministry expects launch of fourth review of Tunisia’s trade policies after coordinating with government
Tunis: The fourth review of Tunisia's trade policies and practices by the World Trade Organization (WTO) is expected to take place after setting a date with the government. These forecasts were announced on April 5, following the third meeting of the National Committee in charge of Relations with the WTO, reads a statement of the Trade and Export Development. This meeting focused on the main outcomes of the 13th Ministerial Conference held from February 26 to March 1 in the United Arab Emirates, with the participation of a Tunisian delegation and the examination of Tunisia's trade policy and practices by the WTO. The report examining trade policies and practices is an important reference on the international scene as it reflects the degree of Tunisia's economic openness and helps increase the confidence of the country's trade partners and donors. The third review of Tunisia's trade policies and practices was made on July 13 and 15, 2016, according to the WTO. It is based on a report from the WTO Secretari at and a report from the government of Tunisia. Tunisia considers the trade policy review mechanism as an important instrument of the World Trade Organization which advocates transparency, predictability and efficiency of the multilateral trading system. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Sighting of crescent moon of Choual to coincide with total solar eclipse (INM)
Tunis: The sighting of the crescent moon of Choual of the year 1445 of the Hijri calendar will coincide with a total solar eclipse - when the moon completely covers the face of the Sun - expected on April 8 ( Ramadan 29) at 7:21pm (local time), the National Institute of Meteorology (INM) said. The total solar eclipse will sweep across the Pacific Ocean, through Mexico, the US and Canada and end over the Atlantic Ocean. The sighting of the lunar month of Chaoual, the first day of which signals Eid El Fitr, on April 8 after sundown will be impossible. It will visible on April 9 as of 8:56am (Tunis local time). The INM recalled that al-Ifta Office (Diwan al-Ifta) is the only authority entitled to announce the start of lunar months. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Weather partly cloudy on Sunday evening
Tunis: Temperatures on Sunday evening are expected to range between 15°c and 20°c, reaching 24°c in the far south. The weather will be partly cloudy in most regions. The wind is blowing north in the north and the midland and east in the south, light to moderate in most regions. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Tunisia guest of honor at Aswan International Women’s Film Festival 2024
Tunis: The steering committee of the Aswan International Women's Film Festival (AIWFF) announced that Tunisia has been named guest of honor of the Festival. The event is scheduled from April 20 to 25, in coordination with the National Center for Cinema and Image (CNCI) and the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs. This is the first time that a country is designated as guest of honor at the Aswan Festival, the steering committee said, adding that Tunisia was selected because of the recent remarkable success achieved in the Tunisian cinema, especially after the emergence of a large number of Tunisian filmmakers who have successfully imposed their works during several festivals and have won several prestigious awards. The steering committee of the Aswan Festival pointed out that a tribute will be paid to the famous editor Kahena Attia who was also chosen to chair the jury of the feature film competition for this eighth edition. Furthermore, the choice of the opening film of the Festival was the Tunisian film with great international success "Les Filles d'Olfa" by Kaouther Ben Hania, which was selected for the feature film competition in which the Tunisian film "Les Filles d'Olfa" also appears. Backstage» (2023) by Atef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane, screened during the last edition of the Venice Film Festival. A conference will be devoted to women's cinema in Tunisia, with the participation of Tunisian critics, academics and filmmakers. The programme reserved for the celebration of Tunisia, guest of honor, also includes a selection of recent Tunisian short films, with the participation of filmmaker Mirvet Médini Kamoun, member of the short competition jury. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Applications open for 17th edition of Ibn Khaldoun – Léopold Sédar Senghor Translation Prize
The International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF) and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO) said applications are open now for the 17th edition of the Ibn Khaldoun - Léopold Sédar Senghor Translation Prize. June 30 will be the deadline. Tunisian member of academia and writer Samia Kassab-Charfi won last year the prize in its 16th edition for her translation of Barg Ellil - a novel in Arabic by the late Bechir Khraief. The prize is designed to promote cultural and linguistic diversity and encourage all forms of cultural exchange between the Arab world and French-speaking countries. It is geared towards translators, universities, higher education institutions, study and research centres as well as publishing houses in the Arab world and French-speaking countries. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Citizens gather in Sfax downtown in solidarity with Palestinians
Sfax: A large number of citizens gathered, Saturday evening, near the Municipal Theater of Sfax to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who have been victims of a mass genocide carried out by the Israeli occupation forces. The gathering was held at the initiative of the El-Khataba Wal Ouloum Al-Charia association in Sfax. A long march was subsequently staged from Sfax downtown to Bab Jebli Square. Demonstrators chanted anti-Zionism slogans, urging the international community to save civilians' lives, lift the embargo and put a halt to the barbaric assaults on Gazans who have been resisting for over 6 months. President of the association Lotfi Zouari told TAP local correspondent that this gathering is held to show support to Palestinians and the Palestinian resistance. «Taking part in this demonstration should be a duty for any Arab Muslim citizen, knowing that similar movements are taking place all over the world,» he pointed out. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
WHO picks “My Heath, My Right” as theme for World Health Day
Tunis: The World Health Organisation (WHO) picked "My Heath, My Right" as a theme for the World Health Day 2024. "This year's theme was chosen to champion the right of everyone, everywhere, to have access to quality health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination," reads a WHO statement. "Around the world, the right to health of millions is increasingly coming under threat. Diseases and disasters loom large as causes of death and disability. Conflicts are devastating lives, causing death, pain, hunger and psychological distress. The burning of fossil fuels is simultaneously driving the climate crisis and taking away our right to breathe clean air, with indoor and outdoor air pollution claiming a life every 5 seconds," the organisation further said. The WHO Council on the Economics of Health for All has found that at least 140 countries recognise health as a human right in their constitution. Yet countries are not passing and putting into practice laws to ensure their populations are entitled to access health services. This underpins the fact that at least 4.5 billion people - more than half of the world's population - were not fully covered by essential health services in 2021. The global community has been observin World Health Day since 1950 with each theme addressing a particular concern at one point of time. World Health Day is an opportunity to launch long-term awareness programmes. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
World Health Day; UNICEF says mothers, children entitled to quality prenatal and postnatal care
Tunis: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Sunday emphasised the right of mothers and children to quality prenatal and postnatal care as the international community is observing World Health Day on April 7. It emerges from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys on the situation of mothers and children (Tunisia 2023) that eight women out of 10 had at least four prenatal consultations during their last pregnancy (78.6% against 84.1% in 2018). Access to prenatal health care visits is more limited for women from the poorest households (64.3%) and the less educated ones (49%) and living in rural areas (72.4%). The highest rate was reported in east central areas (88,6%) and the lowest in the west centre (59.6%). The World Health Organisation picked "My Heath, My Right" as a theme for the World Health Day 2024. "This year's theme was chosen to champion the right of everyone, everywhere, to have access to quality health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination," reads a WHO statement. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
Ouargaye: the population reaffirms its support for Captain Ibrahim Traoré and the Transition government and demands strong actions to fight against terrorism
Ouargaye: This Sunday, April 7, 2024, the population of Ouargaye, capital of the Koulpelogo province, came out once again to support Captain Ibrahim Traoré and the ongoing Transition. It recognizes all the efforts made, such as the recruitment, training and equipment of the VDP, as well as the work of the FDS for the reconquest of the territory. However, according to the demonstrators, the tree should not hide the forest, because in recent times, terrorist attacks have increased in the villages of Ouargaye and in many other localities. This is in addition to the traffic blockage on national road No. 17 since the beginning of 2023. Faced with all these difficulties, strong actions are demanded by the demonstrators of the day from the highest authorities. We can cite in particular an armed intervention in certain villages taken over by armed terrorist groups, additional recruitment of VDPs in certain villages, as well as the reopening of national road No. 17 linking Tenkodogo to Ouargaye, on the border wit h Togo. All these measures will allow populations to be able to move around. As a reminder, yesterday April 6, 2024, the governor of the Center-East region, Colonel Aboudou Lamizana promised Tenkodogo that strong measures are being taken to reopen traffic on national 17 and paved this road. Source: Burkina Information Agency