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French President Emmanuel Macron told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday (5 April) that he was counting on him to “bring Russia to its senses” over its war in Ukraine. The French president, who arrived on Wednesday for a...

La marque de sport américaine Nike a consacré le mois de mars aux femmes algériennes à travers plusieurs actions pour encourager la gente féminine à […]

L’article La marque de sport Nike met la femme à l’honneur est apparu en premier sur .

TIRANA, 6 April 2023 — Observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will hold a press conference on the opening of the election observation mission to the forthcoming local elections in Albania on Friday, 7 April.

What: 

• An introduction to the role of the ODIHR election observation mission and its planned activities

Who: 

• Dame Audrey Glover, Head of the ODIHR election observation mission

When: 

• 11:00 local time (GMT +2) on 7 April 2023

Where:

• Antigonea 1- Conference Room, Rogner Hotel Tirana, Bulevardi Dëshmorët e Kombit

Registration:

• No registration is necessary, but only questions from journalists will be taken.

For further information on ODIHR’s election observation activities in Albania, please visit: https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/albania

Media contact:

Giovanna Maiola, Media Analyst: giovanna.maiola@odihr.al or +355 685840857.

Die Abteilung Staat (Public Economics) im DIW Berlin sucht zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt eine studentische Hilfskraft (w/m/div) für 10 Wochenstunden.

Onyinye Udokporo wrote a book about her own experience growing up with dyslexia.

Packaging manufacturers and the recycling industry have warned about the "huge challenges" lying ahead before the EU can achieve its planned targets to rein in packaging waste.

Sur le plan de la tolérance religieuse, l’Allemagne continue de prendre de la vitesse. En effet, le pays continue d’entreprendre des initiatives qui s’engagent en […]

L’article Allemagne : les enseignantes musulmanes autorisées à porter le voile à l’école est apparu en premier sur .

Experten zufolge ist das deutsche Gesundheits- und Altenpflegesystem von Migranten abhängig. 690.000 Menschen, die in einem anderen Land geboren wurden, arbeiten in diesem Sektor.

Der spanische Ministerpräsident Pedro Sanchez kam am Mittwoch in Rom an, um die italienische Ministerpräsidentin Giorgia Meloni zu treffen, die ihn im Palazzo Chigi, dem Sitz der Regierung, empfing.

Der neue Präsident von Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic, erklärte, das Land werde seine Anerkennung der Unabhängigkeit des Kosovo nicht zurücknehmen und seine bisherige Außenpolitik fortsetzen.

Egypt plans to sell shares in 32 state-owned businesses, including three banks. Credit: Hisham Allam/IPS

By Hisham Allam
Cairo, Apr 6 2023 (IPS)

Egypt intends to sell shares in 32 state-owned businesses within a year, including three banks, two military-owned businesses, and numerous businesses in the energy and transportation sectors. This is part of the administration’s efforts to reduce the role of the state in the economy and attract foreign capital.

That also follows the government’s December USD 3 billion deal with the IMF to resume privatization initiatives.

The IMF approved the USD 3 billion loan to strengthen the private sector and reduce the state’s footprint in the economy.

Egypt planned to sell 23 state-owned enterprises in 2018, but the plan was postponed due to the worldwide crisis.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has put pressure on the Egyptian economy and currency, making the proposal more urgent.

According to Rashad Abdo, head of the Egyptian Forum for Economic Studies, Egypt had already received sovereign loans from many donors, including international institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and Gulf countries, and these parties either set harsh lending conditions or would be reluctant to lend due to increased risks.

The State Ownership Policy Plan, adopted by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in December, outlines how the government would participate in the economy and how it would increase private sector involvement in public investments. Egypt wants to increase the contribution of the private sector to the nation’s economic activity from 30 percent to 65 percent within the next three years. One-quarter of these enterprises will be listed by the government within six months.

Egypt announced the offering of these companies, intending to sell them to strategic investors, specifically Gulf sovereign funds. Egypt is expected to sell enterprises worth USD 40 billion within three years, including those held by the army.

Attracting foreign investment requires strengthening the investment climate, lowering inflation rates, and expanding anti-corruption efforts, Abdo told IPS.

The State Ownership document states that 32 Egyptian state companies will be listed on the Egypt Exchange (EGX) or sold to strategic investors within a year, beginning with the current quarter and ending in the first quarter of 2024. Stakes in three significant banks, Banco du Caire, United Bank of Egypt, and Arab African International Bank, are among the scheduled transactions. Insurance, electricity, and energy companies, as well as hotels and industrial and agricultural concerns, will also be on the market. Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly announced that the first stakes would be offered in March and a quarter by June, and more businesses could be added over the next year.

Abdo pointed out that the Monetary Fund affirmed the Egyptian government’s commitment to implementing the State Ownership Document when it agreed to grant it this loan and the Egyptian government saw it as a favorable opportunity to implement the terms of the document set by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Mohamed Al-Kilani, professor of economics and member of the Egyptian Society for Political Economy, said the privatization effort seeks to eliminate the dollar gap in Egypt and thus provide indirect compensation in the form of services and benefits from the International Monetary Fund’s debt.

The state would also send a message to foreign investors that it responds to the private sector and is willing to withdraw from certain sectors to benefit the private sector.

“The state is attempting to exploit this proposal to stimulate and revitalize the Egyptian Stock Exchange while taking into account the fair valuation of these companies in comparison to the global market. However, the state was unclear about the details of this offering and whether it is a long-term or short-term investment, and it has not clarified the size of employment or the percentages offered in terms of ownership and management,” Al-Kilani told IPS.

“The state is trying to create new types of foreign investment to attract foreign currency due to the fluctuation in exchange rates and high-interest rates,” Al-Kilani added.

According to external debt data published on the central bank’s website in mid-February, Egypt’s external debt fell by USD 728 million to USD 154.9 billion at the end of last September, but its foreign exchange reserves remain low, prompting renewed demand for state assets. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has further pressured the economy and local currency, prompting the proposal for new urgency.

Despite its relatively modest improvement in the latest data from the central bank at the beginning of February (USD 34.2 billion), it lost about 20 percent of the level of USD 41 billion at the end of February last year.

Last January, the IMF suggested that the volume of the financing gap in Egypt would reach about USD 17 billion over the next 46 months in light of its decline in foreign exchange resources and the high cost of its imports as one of the largest countries in the world to import its food and the first importer of wheat in the world.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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China kann nicht als Friedensvermittler bei der russischen Invasion in der Ukraine auftreten, da Pekings Friedensplan zum Verlust der Souveränität der Ukraine führen würde, so der litauische Außenminister Gabrielius Landsbergis.

540951 Marina Živaljević

From 27 to 31 March, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in co-operation with the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation Support Section and the French Gendarmerie, organized an assessment of the capacities of the Montenegrin police in terms of use of K9 – police dogs to detect small arms and light weapons (SALW), ammunition, explosives, illegal drugs and currency.

The information collected from the visit and the expert report that will follow should serve as a basis for future planning by the police on optimising the use of trained service dogs and improving conditions for their housing, training and transportation.

The OSCE K9 expert Denis McCoy reviewed the current organizational structure, training and infrastructure needs of the Border Police and Special Police Sectors. The OSCE and French Gendarmerie delegation assessed the current conditions for upkeep, safety and use of dogs of several K-9 sites and observed police operations and dog training demonstrations at border crossings. “Partnership is key in capacity development in relation to SALW and explosive detection,” said McCoy.

Marko Ćetković, Specialist Platoon Commander in the Special Police Unit, was pleased for this visit, as both training and material support in improving conditions for the work of the police dogs is welcome.

K9 police dogs are highly intelligent and trained, and can perform a number of different functions that benefit the police force and the general public. Use of K9 dogs in the police service contributes to the enhancement of police capacities to prevent, reduce, and counter trafficking and misuse of SALW, ammunition, explosives, illegal drugs and currency.

Né dans les confins hongrois, d'un père juif et d'une mère monténégrine, Danilo Kiš est la grande figure des lettres yougoslaves durant la seconde moitié du XXe siècle. Une magistrale biographie éclaire sur le parcours de cet indispensable contemporain. Entretien avec Pascale Delpech.

- Articles / Danilo Kiš, Serbie, Monténégro, Culture et éducation, Courrier des Balkans

Né dans les confins hongrois, d'un père juif et d'une mère monténégrine, Danilo Kiš est la grande figure des lettres yougoslaves durant la seconde moitié du XXe siècle. Une magistrale biographie éclaire sur le parcours de cet indispensable contemporain. Entretien avec Pascale Delpech.

- Articles / Danilo Kiš, Serbie, Monténégro, Culture et éducation, Courrier des Balkans

Né dans les confins hongrois, d'un père juif et d'une mère monténégrine, Danilo Kiš est la grande figure des lettres yougoslaves durant la seconde moitié du XXe siècle. Une magistrale biographie éclaire sur le parcours de cet indispensable contemporain. Entretien avec Pascale Delpech.

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Plus de vingt ans se sont écoulés depuis la fin d'une guerre civile sanglante, mais l'Angola reste l'un des pays les plus touchés par les mines terrestres. À l'occasion de la Journée internationale de sensibilisation aux mines, nous vous présentons l'histoire de jeunes femmes qui aident leur pays à aller de l'avant.

Die französische Regierung wird die bei weiten Teilen unbeliebte Rentenreform, die ohne Abstimmung im Parlament verabschiedet wurde und zu Massenprotesten im ganzen Land führte, nicht ändern, bestätigten die Gewerkschaften im Anschluss an ein Treffen mit Premierministerin Elisabeth Borne.

Polen und die Ukraine werden eine Lösung für das Problem des billigen ukrainischen Getreides finden, das den polnischen Markt zum Nachteil der polnischen Landwirte überschwemmt, sagte der ukrainische Präsident Volodymyr Selenskyj am Mittwoch bei seinem Besuch in Warschau.

Ein Fünftel der serbischen Bevölkerung hat ein monatliches Einkommen unterhalb der Armutsgrenze, die laut den verfügbaren Daten aus dem Jahr 2021 bei 24.064 Dinar oder etwas über 200 Euro liegt. Am stärksten gefährdet sind junge Menschen und Menschen über 65 Jahre.