Latest news with #DZD
El Chorouk
12-05-2025
- Business
- El Chorouk
Algeria, Candidate For Digital Leadership in Africa by 2030
Algeria's achievements enable it to achieve continental leadership in digital transformation by 2030, the Minister and High Commissioner for Digitalisation, Meriem Benmouloud, affirmed on Monday in Algiers. In a statement on the sidelines of a media day dedicated to the official announcement of the National Digital Transformation Strategy, Benmouloud explained that Algeria 'has achieved several gains that allow it to become the African leader in the field of digital transformation, by 2030, through the approved strategy.' She also discussed the two data centres currently under construction, noting that they 'align with the new strategy, in its component related to expanding the infrastructure.' She added that 'the completion rate at the Mohammadia data centre has reached approximately 80%, while the completion rate at the Blida centre has reached 50%.' The minister asserted that the aforementioned strategy encompasses various fields, as it is 'the organising framework for the digital transformation process, which is an ambitious project to activate Algeria's achievements.' This strategy is based on five main axes. The first relates to 'basic infrastructure for information and communication technologies,' which includes telecommunications networks, data centres, and equipment to ensure strong connectivity and equal access to digital services. The strategy aims to 'build more than five national data centres, along with the general use of the national domain (dz).' The second axis concerns 'human capital and training,' and aims to 'provide 500,000 active experts in information and communication technologies, while reducing the migration of skilled workers by 40%.' The third axis is related to 'digital governance and focuses on the digitisation of public administration. Its goal is the complete digitisation of the internal management of the public sector, in addition to digitising administrative procedures for citizens and institutions.' The fourth axis focuses on the 'digital economy and aims to reduce cash payments and eliminate cash payments for financial transactions exceeding 500,000 DZD, as well as promote the creation of start-ups active in the digital sector, and make digital a means of generating wealth for the national economy, contributing 20% of GDP.' As for the fifth axis, which is the 'digital society', it aims to 'ensure equal and comprehensive access to digital technologies and services and increase citizen participation in public life through the digital space.' In the same context, Rabah Nassim Iklef, a representative of the Information Systems Security Agency of the Ministry of National Defense, explained that the National Strategy for Information Systems Security 'determines the country's direction and the strategic objectives to be achieved to ensure the protection and resilience of national information systems and sensitive infrastructure, thereby ensuring our country's secure digital transformation and preserving its digital sovereignty.'
Saudi Gazette
20-04-2025
- Automotive
- Saudi Gazette
Jarno Opmeer claims 2025 F1 Sim Racing World Championship
The ES TIMES — Jarno Opmeer has been crowned the 2025 F1 Sim Racing World Champion, becoming the most successful driver in the history of the official F1 esports series. Representing Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing, Opmeer secured his third career title after finishing seventh in the season finale at the EFG Studio in Stockholm, Sweden. The Dutch driver adds this triumph to his previous titles from 2020 (with Alfa Romeo Esports) and 2021 (with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports), surpassing Brendon Leigh, the first back-to-back champion in 2017 and 2018. With three titles, Opmeer now stands alone at the top of the sport. Calm under pressure, dominant by nature Starting the final race from 14th on the grid, Opmeer climbed through the field with precision, collecting enough points to seal the championship. His ability to stay composed under pressure has been a defining trait throughout his career, and his latest victory reinforces his legacy as one of the most consistent and elite drivers in sim racing. This season also marks the second consecutive championship for an Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing driver, following Frederik Rasmussen's title in the 2023–24 campaign. Red Bull completes the sweep with Teams' title In addition to Opmeer's individual success, Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing also secured the 2025 Teams' Championship, earning a prize pool of $130,000 (DZD 17,419,350 / SAR 487,629.48). This is the team's third championship title in the F1 Sim Racing series, further establishing its dominance in the competitive sim racing scene. Beyond F1 esports, the team has also excelled in other premier racing titles. Notably, Sebastian Job captured the Porsche Esports Supercup on iRacing in 2020 and 2024, extending the team's multi-platform success. A maturing sport with global ambition The F1 Sim Racing World Championship is operated by the ESL FACEIT Group, a key player in expanding the global esports footprint of competitive sim racing. While the RENNSPORT platform was previously part of the ESL ecosystem, the 2025 season saw a rebranding of the ESL R1 Championship to RENNSPORT R1, marking a clear structural division between the two series. As sim racing grows in prestige and professionalism, Jarno Opmeer's third title reflects not only his personal mastery but also the rising stature of F1 Sim Racing as a legitimate esports discipline closely aligned with real-world motorsport.
El Chorouk
08-03-2025
- Business
- El Chorouk
Speculation Law to Prosecute Manipulators of Imported Meat Prices
The Minister of Internal Trade and National Market Control, Tayeb Zitouni, ordered the opening of in-depth investigations into the unjustified increase in the prices of imported meat during the month of Ramadan at some points of sale, which exceeded the legal ceiling set at a profit margin not exceeding 8% when distributed at retail. These increases, which may affect the purchasing power of citizens, prompted the ministry to take action to uncover those involved in market manipulation, especially with the availability of quantities exceeding the needs of Algerians, as 17000 tons of Spanish, Brazilian and Romanian meat were imported for the month of Ramadan. The increases primarily affected Spanish meat, which Algerian consumers highly demand. Initial investigations, starting last Thursday, included several butcher shops in El-Kalitous and Ain El-Benian in Algiers, where three dealers were referred for investigation. In addition, the trade services are monitoring the activity of importers who benefited from bank settlement operations to import meat, as they are checking their invoices and the selling price to the retailer. Although the quantities expected to enter the Algerian market during the holy month reached 17000 tons, exceeding local demand, prices continued to rise at some points, raising suspicions about monopolistic practices and illegal speculation. Accordingly, the Ministry of Commerce is moving, under the Anti-Illegal Speculation Law, which was adopted to combat monopoly and manipulation of prices of basic products. This law stipulates strict penalties, which may reach 30 years in prison in serious cases, especially if the price increase is deliberate and affects widely consumed products. The law stipulates imprisonment from 5 to 10 years and heavy fines for anyone proven to be involved in speculation in basic materials, imprisonment from 10 to 20 years if the crime is committed in a crisis or disaster or if it leads to market disturbances, and imprisonment from 20 to 30 years in cases where those involved are part of an organized network aimed at creating fabricated scarcity or raising prices illegally. The ministry is working in coordination with the security and judicial authorities to arrest violators, as anyone proven to be involved will be brought to justice under this law, which does not allow any leniency with those responsible for speculation. According to official pricing, imported meat must be sold at regulated prices, with the price of Spanish lamb meat reaching DZD 2050 per kilogram, Spanish beef DZD 1350 per kilogram, and Brazilian vacuum-packed meat DZD 1200 per kilogram. After butchers in the capital were caught manipulating the prices of imported red meat and did not respect the profit margins specified under the approved regulatory decisions, and after the control officers recorded an unjustified increase in the prices of imported red meat, the Minister of the sector, Tayeb Zitouni, gave instructions to intensify control work at all stages of distribution from the importer to the retailer to protect the purchasing power of citizens. However, some markets record clear violations of these prices, which prompted the Ministry of Commerce's control teams to intensify field inspections, while taking strict deterrent measures against violators. Spanish meat is widely popular with Algerian consumers, outperforming meat imported from other countries in recent years, due to its high quality and suitability to local tastes. With the start of the entry of Ramadan meat quantities since last February, in quantities exceeding the size of demand, the rise in prices remains a matter of investigation, especially since the state has provided the necessary facilities to import meat at reasonable prices. These measures come in the context of presidential directives to control the market, as President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune stressed more than once in Cabinet meetings the need to ensure price stability during Ramadan, and not to allow any party to speculate on basic products, especially those that affect the food security of citizens.
El Chorouk
25-02-2025
- Business
- El Chorouk
France's Pain Over Algeria's Wheat Production Policy
A famous French website specializing in agricultural news and defending its country's producers published an article that showed the extent of the pain affecting producers and others in the field of wheat and grains in general in France. The article discussed Algeria's policy of increasing the production capacity of this vital food product, which will directly impact the increase in the quantities imported from Paris. In this context, the famous website 'La France Agricole', which specializes in agricultural news, described the new Algerian strategy for wheat cultivation as facing an insurmountable challenge related to winning the challenge of yield in quintals, claiming that the goal of achieving self-sufficiency in grains is facing an imaginary problem that only the author of the article saw, related according to him to the high costs of cultivation and production. The website tried by all means to give the impression that the costs of grain production in Algeria are very high and not economically viable, by referring to technical cards allegedly prepared by the National Institute of Major Agricultural Crops, stating that while the yield is still below the level of 30 quintals per hectare set by the authorities, the cost of planting one hectare of wheat (soft and hard) during the 2022-2023 season, for all stages from soil preparation to harvest, is about DZD 206.000 (1475 euros), while the cost of planting one hectare of barley is DZD 157.000 (1251 euros) when using rented equipment. However, the article published by the French website, which often conveys the concerns of French grain producers and their complaints in particular, regarding the continuous decrease in their shares in Algeria, did not mention that the heart of Algeria's grain production strategy aims to increase the quantities produced in agricultural areas, most of which are in the desert across several southern wilayas, where the yield is usually not less than 50 hectares/quintal, and even reached 120 quintals in the city of Oued Souf during the last season. Given these high costs, the author claims, the farmer can only achieve a yield of more than 37 quintals per hectare of soft wheat when renting equipment, and between 27 and 30 quintals per hectare when owning it, according to the purchase price set by the Professional Office of Cereals at 40 euros per quintal. In a clear attempt to target the Algerian-Italian project to produce durum wheat, the biased article stated that the costs of producing this type in Algeria are the highest among all types of grains, with agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilizers, fungicides and herbicides) accounting for up to 75% of the total costs. This blatant French bias comes a few days after a heated debate in the Senate, the upper house of parliament, which showed real horror at the Algerian-Italian rapprochement, especially concerning wheat and dry legume production projects in the south of the country, which was understood by French elites and circles as a direct 'diminishment' of Paris's share in the Algerian market. During the discussion, the senator, Akli Mellouli, spoke about the Algerian-Italian rapprochement and the investments that he described as heavy within the framework of the 'Mattei' plan directed at the African continent, in addition to the competition of the Americans as well. In this regard, he said, 'As I was saying today, as we see about wheat, you know that there is a Mattei plan because if we do not take into account that we are not alone in this field in Africa, there are the Americans but also the Italians who have put in place a Mattei plan with very large investments in Africa in general, and especially in Algeria.' 'They (the Italians) will take 36,000 hectares in southern Algeria to produce wheat, and thus Algeria will achieve self-sufficiency and this wheat will also go to Italy, which means that the quantities of wheat we sell will be much less (referring to France), and this is also realistic,' added Senator Akli Mellouli. The French politician stressed that if this issue, the Algerian-Italian rapprochement in the field of wheat, is not taken into account, it will lead to further isolation of France because Paris does not only have problems with Algeria but also with other countries.
Argaam
11-02-2025
- Business
- Argaam
Jamjoom Pharma provides SAR 27.1M guarantee to JV in Algeria
Jamjoom Pharmaceuticals Factory Co.'s (Jamjoom Pharma) joint venture in Algeria, Jamjoom Algeria lil Dawa (Jamjoom Algeria), renewed on Feb. 10 a Shariah-compliant short-term revolving banking facility with Al Salam Bank Algeria at DZD 2 billion (SAR 55.3 million). To support the credit facility issuance, Jamjoom Pharma provided a corporate guarantee of DZD 980 million (SAR 27.1 million) to the bank, in line with Algerian law and in proportion to its joint venture share, the company said in a statement to Tadawul. The facility aims to fund the short-term working capital requirements, the statement added. However, the company said that the previous guarantee of DZD 666.4 million (SAR 18.50 million), announced on Nov. 22, 2023, in favor of the bank was no longer valid. Jamjoom Algeria is a related party as the company's board members, Mahmoud Yousuf Jamjoom and Ahmed Yousuf Jamjoom, have a direct interest as board members of the Algeria venture. Meanwhile, Jamjoom Pharma members – Yousuf Salah Jamjoom, Mohammed Yousuf Jamjoom, and Alaa Yousuf Jamjoom – have an indirect interest.
