The Indian oil company Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has confirmed its willingness to participate in the ongoing call in Lebanon and Israel for the exploitation and production of oil and gas offshore.

The Indian company is one of the pre-qualified companies in Lebanon for the first phase of contract award for Blocks 1, 4, 8, 9 and 10.

However, the ONGC indicated that it would not present itself for the Lebanon-Israel border blocks, namely Blocks 8, 9 and 10, as the Indian company also intends to participate in the exploration and exploitation of 24 blocks off the Israeli coast (none of which is in the controversial areas).

In Lebanon, pre-qualified companies for the first phase of contract award must submit their bids by September 15. The announcement of the winners and the signing of the contracts is scheduled to take place on November 15.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

The Master of the Tennis FIT Kinder + Sport 2017 circuit finished. The event, held at the Foro Italico from August 21 until August 30, was characterized by the fact that it was the first international edition: over 1300 matches played by 1345 players, including 51 foreigners. Between the Kinder Village the Pietrangeli Stadium, young athletes, aged between 9 and 16, spent some days immersed in a sporty climate, full of passion for sport. From this year, Italy has invited eight additional federations in the capital to take part

to the event: Austria (5 players), Bulgaria (8), Germany (6), Israel (6), Luxembourg (8), Malta (9), Principality of Monaco (5) and Hungary (4). A satisfaction for Rita Grande, the former tennis player that organizes the event: “We are very happy to have been able to involve 8 federations. Some

foreign athletes have won, while others have made it to the final. It’s the first time, after eleven years, that the Italian kids can compete with foreign boys. Technical exchanges took place and new friendships have emerged”.

Several winners belonged to foreign federations. Bulgaria won the women’s Under 12 and reached the final in the male tournament. Hungary brought 4 athletes in the finals, in the Under 10 and Under 11 categories, while Austria won the Under 9 women tournament. Germany was finalist in the under 12th

Women tournament. In the remaining categories, finals were played by Italian playersi. The goal of next year, as stated by the organizers, is to involve at least four more federations in order to make the atmosphere of the tournament as international as possible.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

On 28 August, the Moroccan Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Abdelkader Amara, said that the work on the Tangier – Casablanca high speed rail line has reached a state of progress of over 90%. This figure was confirmed at the last meeting of the Board of Directors of the Office national des chemins de fer (Ferrovie dello Stato), which foresees the delivery of the infrastructure by June 2018. The project altogether includes 12 tunnels, 169 Railway bridges and over one hundred hydraulic structures, 80% of which made by Moroccan companies. ONCF Chief Operating Officer Mohamed Rabie Khlie informed the media that the first tests of the TGV were carried out last February at a speed of 160 km / h, while 320 km / h tests will begin next September on a 120 kilometers stretch. DG Khlie confirmed that trainings for train maintenance personnel are also being carried out, in addition to the operators in charge of marketing the service. The first semester of 2018 will be dedicated to line and routing approval tests, while commercial start-up is scheduled for next summer. The TGV station in Tangier, for which an amount of about € 32 million has been allocated, will be built on an area of 10,500 m² (waiting rooms, ticket offices, boarding areas, shopping areas) and 77,000 m² of equipped outdoor areas. In Tangier, a convoy maintenance center was also set up, designed for 30 high-speed trains, covering an area of 14 hectares, of which 20,000 square meters of buildings. The TGV maintenance center, with the latest industry technology, costed around € 56 million and was made by a consortium of Moroccan companies, joint ventured with French Railways Société nationale des chemins de francais (SNCF).

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews

In recent days, interesting macroeconomic data was released by Israeli CBS. Growth in the second quarter of 2017 was 2.7%. Comparing these data, it emerged that, compared with Q4 2016, where an important 4.4% was achieved, there was a slowdown. In the first half of this year, economic growth thus stands at 2.1%. The value is more modest than the peak reached in 2016, partly due to the extraordinary performance of the automotive industry. In the quarter under review, increases in consumption (+ 6.5%) and in fixed capital (+ 5.2%) were recorded. As a consequence of the shekel appreciation of recent months, exports decreased by 8.8% on an annual basis. It is important to remember that all these estimates may be subject to review. On the monetary front, the shekel is returning to higher exchange rates, suggesting that the Central Bank will not intervene with rising interest rate. Good news continues to come from the labor market; Compared with 4.3% in June, in July the unemployment rate fell to 4.1%. The participation rate thus reached 80,01%.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

The Turkish aerospace industry, with the third Istanbul airport under construction, will record a major growth. The airport, once completed, will be the largest airport in the world and at the same time a connection center between European and Asian flights. Daily Sabah Economy reports this.

In 2018, when much of the project will be completed, 90 million passengers a year will be able to take advantage of the new airport with more than 350 destinations and about 100 airlines. It is assumed that increased air traffic and the internationality of the chain will have positive impacts on bilateral trade relations, contributing to the growth of the Turkish economy and making the country more and more attractive to potential foreign investments.
(ITALPRESS).

 

Source: medNews

The Albanian Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure canceled and reopened the August 8th tender procedure for the construction, operation and maintenance of the Arbri Road as a result of some changes. The companies concerned will be able to submit their offers by October 2, 2017. The Albanian Monitor.al website reports.

The road of Arbri is part of the “1 billion euros for infrastructure” project proposed by the Albanian government. The contract will last for 13 years and the estimated budget will amount to Lek 33.6 billion (approximately € 253 million).

The project was already started by former Premier Berisha with the construction of 20.12 km and the partial construction of 15.175 km. The road has a total length of 61.6 km.

The feasibility study was presented at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure by Gjoka Konstruksion, which will participate in the call with a bonus of 10% of the total score.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

The Ambassador of Italy to Malta, Giovanni Umberto De Vito, and the permanent secretary of the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Fiona Formosa, have signed in Palazzo Parisio, in the presence of the Minister of the Foreign Affairs Carmelo Abela, the 15th Executive Cultural Cooperation Program for the years 2017-2019, so confirming the commitment to strengthen bilateral relations in sectors such as Culture and education. Among the objectives of the Program: cooperation among Universities, the promotion of the language, the dissemination of their respective cultures and training on the themes of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. 

“I am very pleased to be able to renew this Italian-Maltese collaboration protocol, a few weeks before the state visit by the President of the Republic, Mattarella, to Malta in mid-September” Ambassador De Vito said. “In the cultural sector, Italy enjoys a privileged position in Malta, also witnessed by the presence and the activities of the Italian Cultural Institute in the main square of the capital, right in front of the Presidential Palace. We now want to encourage further synergies in the field of science and research – the Ambassador added – and that is why we work to increase exchanges of university teachers and researchers, joint programs between Universities, specialized Institutes and Centers of higher education”. 

The Executive Program envisages granting scholarships in the sector of science, humanistic, arts, music, fine arts, design and restoration of the artistic and bibliographic heritage management. The direct collaboration between theatres and lyric institutions, the visits of experts and artists for festivals, training courses and conferences will also be promoted in view of two great events such as Valletta and Matera, European Capitals of Culture for the year 2018 and 2019 respectively.(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

Slovenia ranked 21st among 128 countries in the Social Progress Index, calculated by the American NGO Social Progress Imperative, in collaboration with Deloitte; last year it occupied the 20th place among 133 countries.

Ljubljana maintains the primacy of Central Eastern Europe, with the best results recorded in the field of basic human needs (access to food, water, sanitation and health care). However, the rate of suicide remains high. The worst result was achieved in the “Opportunity” category, which includes, inter alia, tolerance and inclusion. In measuring the quality of life, the social progress index mainly uses non-financial parameters.

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

Turkey’s exports soared over 31 percent annually to reach nearly $11.5 billion in July; the highest growth rate in the last six years, a leading sector association announced on Aug. 1.

A failed coup last July hit the country’s exports in a steep manner.

The Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM) said in a statement that the value of total exports for the last 12 months also increased by 7.5 percent to over $150 billion, compared to the same period last year.    

Mehmet Buyukeki, who heads TIM, said the country’s exports totaled nearly 89 billion in the first seven months of the year, up by 10.7 percent compared to the same period last year. 

While Turkey’s automotive exports saw a 41.1 percent year-on-year increase in July, the country’s exports to Germany, its top market, soared 28 percent in the mentioned period. 

Among the top 20 countries for Turkey’s exports in July, Russia showed the highest 95.7 percent increase, Büyükeki noted at a meeting in the Aegean province of Manisa to launch the export figures.

Turkey’s exports to the European Union showed a 29.1 percent year-on-year increase, taking a share of 51.1 percent in Turkey’s total exports. 

The organization added that Turkish exports to the top five countries, namely Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Iraq and the United States, were all on the rise.  

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

According to a report by Forbes Middle East magazine, twelve Lebanese female entrepreneurs are listed in the annual ranking of the 100 most powerful Arab entrepreneurs. Lebanon is the third country most represented on the list after the United Arab Emirates (18 women) and Egypt (16). In 2016, 11 Lebanese women were included in this ranking.

According to the report, this year in particular, the position of women around the Arab world seems very important. The most significant sector is the banking sector, which represents 28% of the ranking in 2017. Several women in the region have been promoted the highest positions; these women have been providing services for a long time and have reached impressive results.

This report, which has been published each year since 2012, classifies female entrepreneurs according to their position, the business size in which they operate (turnover, number of employees) and their level of influence.

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews