Abu Dhabi nears deal to buy stake in Turkish port -sources By Reuters
Russian-flagged bulk carrier SV Nikolay is unloaded at Izmir port in Turkey June 25, 2022. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik/File PhotoBy Ebru Tuncay and Alexander CornwellISTANBUL (Reuters) -Abu Dhabi is set to buy a stake in a key Turkish port, according to four sources aware of the deal, in a further sign of a rapprochement between the once bitter geopolitical rivals. The port, owned by Turkey's sovereign wealth fund, is an important gateway that is in need of new investment.An official for the Turkey Wealth Fund declined to comment. AD Ports didn't immediately respond to a request for comment while ADQ, the emirate's sovereign wealth fund and majority owner of the ports group, wasn't available for comment. The Dubai state-owned port operating giant DP World bought a majority stake in a Turkish port earlier this year.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 23:04 UTC
South Korea military says North fires ballistic missile
Seoul (AFP) – North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile on Sunday, Seoul's military said, as the United States and South Korea warned any nuclear attack would lead to the end of Pyongyang's regime. The missile flew around 570 kilometres (354 miles) before landing in the East Sea, it said, adding that Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have "closely shared information regarding North Korea's ballistic missile." Japan's defence ministry also said North Korea launched "what appears to be a ballistic missile", with its coastguard adding that it seemed to have already fallen. The missile launch also comes as Pyongyang marks the anniversary of the death of leader Kim Jong Un's father and predecessor Kim Jong Il who died on December 17, 2011. The UN Security Council has adopted many resolutions calling on North Korea to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes since it first conducted a nuclear test in 2006.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 22:25 UTC
U.S. reaffirms its unchanged position on Sahara, reiterates support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan – The North Africa Post
“The United States fully supports UN Personal Envoy de Mistura in facilitating the negotiations process to achieve a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable solution for the Sahara,” the statement points out. The visit to Rabat of Deputy Assistant Secretary Joshua Harris will also focus on the means to further strengthen the U.S.-Morocco partnership in addition to a range of regional security priorities, the statement stresses. In choosing Algeria as an interlocutor on the Sahara issue, the US sends a clear message that Algiers is the real party to the conflict, vindicating Morocco’s position that no political solution is fathomable without the active involvement of Algeria, the paymaster, protector and donor of the Polisario militias. “We are serious about using our influence to enable a successful UN political process,” said Harris in his interview. The US recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara territory in 2020 and backed the autonomy plan.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 20:51 UTC
Bergen comes up big as Montana beats North Dakota State 31-29 in 2 OTs to make FCS Championship game
“First of all, congratulations to North Dakota State,” Hauck said. It was also the second overtime this postseason for North Dakota State. The Bison beat Montana State 35-34 in the second round by blocking an extra point. North Dakota State answered that with Crosa’s 35-yard field goal on the last play of the half to trail 10-6. The Bison reached the title game 10 of the previous 12 seasons, winning nine before losing 45-21 to South Dakota State last year.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 14:12 UTC
Kerala’s Shaikh Hassan Khan now scales Mount Vinson in Antarctica
December 17, 2023 05:21 pm | Updated 06:39 pm IST - New DelhiScaling yet another peak in his ambitious journey, Kerala government employee Shaikh Hassan Khan has climbed Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica. This is the fifth highest peak that has been scaled by the 36-year-old Khan. Apart from Mount Vinson, Mr. Khan has climbed four other highest peaks -- Mount Everest (Asia), Mount Denali (North America), Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa), and Mount Elbrus (Europe). Mr. Khan has sustained frost bite on both hands and is now receiving treatment at the Union Glacier Camp in Antarctica. Mr. Khan, who is currently on leave from his government job, takes the help of his close friends for planning the trips.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 14:05 UTC
Traditional Chinese Medicine Center unveiled in Tunis
People pose for a group photo in front of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Center at Mongi Slim Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia, on Dec 15, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]TUNIS -- A Traditional Chinese Medicine Center was unveiled on Friday in the Tunisian capital Tunis. A ceremony was held to mark the establishment of the center, which is located in Mongi Slim Hospital. Ben Nasr said "the traditional Chinese acupuncture has been welcomed here in Tunisia, and I hope the center will operate under better conditions and become a model for the promotion of traditional Chinese medicine in Tunis and other places." For years, Chinese doctors have provided acupuncture services at Mongi Slim Hospital to local people.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 14:02 UTC
Colombian Senators highlight prosperity in Moroccan Sahara, criticize their Government’s Stance – The North Africa Post
Colombian senators underlined the “great socio-economic development” and the security and tranquility prevailing in the southern provinces, and criticized the recognition by the current government in Bogota of the so-called SADR, an entity that “does not exist”. This came in a statement signed by three senators, “legitimate representatives of the Colombian people”, who have just visited the southern provinces. The three signatories of the statement, which was published on the Senate’s official website, are German Blanco Alvarez, President of the Colombia-Morocco Friendship Group in the Colombian Senate, and Paola Holguin Moreno and José Luis Pérez Oyuela, members of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Similarly, “almost 40% of African countries have opened consulates there, expressing their firm support for Morocco’s sovereignty and unity,” they said. The Colombian senators added: “This visit has further confirmed what we have been expressing to all our country’s authorities.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 13:32 UTC
HSBC projects further devaluation of EGP in Q1 2024
The UK-based bank HSBC expected a further devaluation of the Egyptian pound during the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, which could range between EGP 40 and EGP 45 against the US dollar, Ahram Online reported, citing a report by the bank. The bank’s previous forecasts for the exchange rate in for Q1 2024 were between EGP 35 and EGP 40 per $1. This devaluation is expected to facilitate the completion of the International Monetary Fund's loan program, the report read. The bank highlighted that adjusting the Egyptian pound exchange rate is part of a shift toward a more flexible exchange rate regime. Copyright © 2022 Arab Finance Brokerage Company All rights reserved.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 12:08 UTC
The Overlooked Crisis in Congo: ‘We Live in War’
Artillery boomed, shaking the ground, as a couple scurried through the streets of Saké, their possessions balanced on their heads, in the embattled east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. At a crossroads, they passed a giant poster of Congo’s president, Felix Tshisekedi, who is standing for re-election on Wednesday. “Our children were born in war. We live in war,” Jean Bahati, his face beaded with sweat, said as he paused for breath. It was the fifth time that he and his wife had been forced to flee, he said.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 11:36 UTC
At least 61 migrants drown after shipwreck off Libya
Sixty-one migrants, including women and children, drowned following a shipwreck off Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Libya said. Migrants from Eritrea, Libya and Sudan sail a wooden boat before being assisted by aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms, in the Mediterranean sea, about 30 miles north of Libya, June 17, 2023. "The central Mediterranean continues to be one of the world's most dangerous migration routes," IOM said. Deadly incidents this year included one in June, when a fishing boat packed with hundreds of migrants sank off Greece after departing from Tobruk, Libya. 🚨 61 migrants including women and children drowned following a tragic shipwreck off Libya.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 10:56 UTC
More than 60 people, including women and children, drown in shipwreck off Libya, says IOM
More than 60 people, including women and children, are said to have drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya, on Saturday (Dec 16), according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The United Nations agency citing survivors said that the boat carrying around 86 people departed the Libyan city of Zwara. What we knowAccording to the IOM, at least 61 people, including women and children, are missing and presumed dead. More than 153,000 migrants arrived in Italy this year from Tunisia and Libya, according to the UN refugee agency. ALSO READ | Migrant boat with 400 on board slowly sinking between Libya and MaltaIn June, the Adriana, a fishing boat loaded with 750 people which departed from Libya and was en route to Italy, sank in international waters off southwest Greece.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 09:33 UTC
More Than 60 Drown When Migrant Vessel Capsizes Near Libya, UN Says
A boat carrying dozens of migrants trying to reach Europe capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving more than 60 people dead, including women and children, the U.N. migration agency said. According to the IOM's missing migrants project, at least 940 migrants were reported dead and 1,248 missing off Libya between January 1 and November 18. The project, which tracks migration movements, said about 14,900 migrants, including over 1,000 women and more than 530 children, were intercepted and returned to Libya this year. In 2022, the project reported 529 dead and 848 missing off Libya. More than 24,600 were intercepted and returned to Libya.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 08:40 UTC
Egypt’s exports of outsourcing services likely to reach $9bln by 2026: Talaat
Egypt’s exports of outsourcing services are expected to reach $9 billion by 2026, Asharq Business reported, citing the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat. The outsourcing industry will offer various job opportunities to youth in a wide range of IT fields, bringing the number of specialists in this field to 550,000 by 2026, Talaat noted. Additionally, Ramy Kato, the former Head of Vodafone Intelligent Solution Egypt Center and Global Care, said that the outsourcing industry is projected to grow by over 15% between 2023 and 2024. Copyright © 2022 Arab Finance Brokerage Company All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 08:39 UTC
Over 60 Migrants Feared Dead Off Libya Coast After Boat Sinks
Libya and Tunisia are principal departure points for migrants (Representational)At least 61 migrants were missing and presumed dead after their boat sank off Libya's coast, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Saturday, in the latest such tragedy off North Africa. Libya and Tunisia are principal departure points for migrants risking dangerous sea voyages in hopes of reaching Europe, via Italy. More than 153,000 migrants arrived in Italy this year from Tunisia and Libya, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Her approach to tackling illegal migration won praise from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a visit to Rome on Saturday. The United Nations has described the central Mediterranean migration route as the world's deadliest, claiming hundreds of lives each year.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 08:33 UTC
Belgium quizzes Moroccan officials in Qatargate probe
Several Moroccan officials have been questioned as part of a high-profile investigation into alleged bribery by the north African state and Qatar at the European Parliament, Belgian prosecutors said Saturday (16 December). The interviews in Morocco — conducted by local authorities in the presence of Belgian investigators — were the first in the country since Brussels launched a sprawling graft probe in 2022. Despite the denials from Rabat and Doha, Belgian investigators have been interested in several officials from the two countries. The Brief – Qatar, the cunning state Some countries are called “cunning states”. Qatar is often referred to as a “cunning state”.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 17, 2023 07:11 UTC