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☆ Is global warming helping loggerhead turtles colonise the Med?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Borja Suarez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Borja SuarezTALIARTE, Spain, April 5 (Reuters) - Growing numbers of loggerhead sea turtles are nesting and laying eggs on western Mediterranean beaches in what some scientists suggest could be a case of climate change causing habitat expansion of a threatened species. Along with the warming sea water, another factor probably benefiting the world's largest hard-shelled turtle, which is considered a vulnerable species, are protection programmes in countries like Spain and Cape Verde. The group rescues injured turtles in Spain's Canary Islands and studies their population in Cape Verde, the eastern Atlantic's main reproduction area. Their size and hard shell generally protect them from predators, but fishnets, ship rotors and pollution have become significant threats. Reporting by Borja Suarez, writing by Inti Landauro, editing by Andrei Khalip and Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tunisia to cut off public water supplies overnight due to drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TUNIS, March 31 (Reuters) - Tunisia will cut off water supplies to citizens for seven hours a night in response to the country's worst drought on record, state water distribution company SONEDE said in a statement on Friday. The country's agriculture ministry earlier introduced a quota system for potable water and banned its use in agriculture until Sept. 30, as the country battles with a drought that is now in its fourth year. SONEDE said in a statement that the water will be cut off daily from 9 p.m until 4 a.m, with immediate effect. Tunisia recorded a drop in its dam capacity to around 1 billion cubic meters, or 30% of the maximum, senior agriculture ministry official Hamadi Habib said. The agriculture ministry has also banned the use of potable water to wash cars, water green areas and clean streets and public places.

☆ Tunisia cuts off water supply at night amid severe drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TUNIS, March 28 (Reuters) - Tunisian authorities have started cutting off drinking water at night in areas of the capital and other cities, residents said, in what appears to be a bid to reduce consumption amid a severe drought. Officials of the water distribution company contacted by Reuters declined to comment. Tunisia is suffering a serious drought, prompting officials to say the ministry may begin to cut off water supply at night over the summer to reduce consumption due to the scarcity of reserves in the country. The continued lack of rain, however, appears to have prompted authorities to start doing so early in some places. Yassin Mami, a lawmaker in the new parliament, said officials from the national water company informed him that the reason for the frequent interruption of water supply in Hammamet city, was "because the country is threatened by water scarcity".

☆ Killer drones and multi-billion dollar deals: Turkey's rapidly-growing defense industry is boosting its global clout
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Drones aren't the only thing elevating Turkey's status as a growing player in the global defense industry. Turnover for the country's defense industry as a whole last year was $10 billion, according to Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries. And the investment shows in the numbers: research and development in Turkey's defense sector "recently increased by 30 percent," the Atlantic Council's report wrote. Turkish defense manufacturers say they are booked for the next several years with orders to help replenish NATO stockpiles. Those firms also have high demand from Turkey's military alone — it is, after all, the second-largest military in NATO after the United States.

☆ Nineteen African migrants die when another boat sinks off Tunisia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TUNIS, March 26 (Reuters) - At least 19 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa died when their boat sank off the Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, a human rights group said on Sunday, the latest migrant boat disaster off Tunisia. The coast guard said it had stopped about 80 boats heading for Italy in past four days and detained more than 3,000 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan African countries. According to U.N. data, at least 12,000 migrants who reached Italy this year set sail from Tunisia, compared with 1,300 in the same period of 2022. The Italian coast guard said on Thursday it had rescued about 750 migrants in two operations off the southern Italian coast. Meloni called on the IMF and some countries to help Tunisia quickly to avoid its collapse.

☆ At least 29 African migrants die when two boats sink off Tunisia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TUNIS, March 26 (Reuters) - At least 29 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa died when their two boats sank off the coast of Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, the Tunisian coast guard said on Sunday. Houssem Jebabli, a senior official in the national guard told Reuters that the Tunisian coast guard had also rescued 11 people off the coast of Mahdia, further north. The coast guard said it had stopped about 80 boats heading for Italy in the past four days and detained more than 3,000 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan African countries. According to U.N. data, at least 12,000 migrants who reached Italy this year set sail from Tunisia, compared with 1,300 in the same period of 2022. The Italian coast guard said on Thursday it had rescued about 750 migrants in two operations off the southern Italian coast.

☆ Banksy's migrant rescue ship seized by Italy's coast guard in Lampedusa
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, March 26 (Reuters) - A rescue ship funded by British street artist Banksy was seized in Lampedusa on Sunday after Italy's coast guard said the boat had disobeyed its instructions to head to Sicily after carrying out a migrant rescue operation. The coast guard said it had ordered the MV Louise Michel ship to dock in Trapani in Sicily after it performed an initial rescue operation in Libya's Search And Rescue area. The coast guard added that it was already on its way to assist the three other boats at the time. It ordered the Louise Michel to dock in accordance with a new law passed in Italy this year establishing a code of conduct for migrant charity ships, the coast guard said. The coast guard said it wanted to prevent the ship from taking too many people on board, thereby putting their safety at risk.

☆ African migrants stuck in Tunisia say racism persists after crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Sudanese refugee, Awadhya Hasan Amine, reacts during a protest asking for evacuation, outside the headquarters of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in Tunis, Tunisia March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Jihed AbidellaouiTUNIS, March 24 (Reuters) - Weeks after a violent crackdown on migrants in Tunisia that triggered a perilous rush to leave by smuggler boats for Italy, many African nationals are still homeless and jobless and some say they still face racist attacks. Outside the United Nations refugee agency in Tunis, dozens of African migrants stood protesting this week by the temporary camp where they have lived, including with children, since authorities urged landlords to force them from their homes. While the official crackdown appeared to end weeks ago, migrants say they still face abuse. "Tunisia is an African country.

☆ Europe risks migrant surge without aid to Tunisia, Italy PM warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, March 24 (Reuters) - Europe risks seeing a huge wave of migrants arriving on its shores from North Africa if financial stability in Tunisia is not safeguarded, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday. Tunisia has been gripped by political upheavals since July 2021, when President Kais Saied seized most powers, shutting down parliament and moving to rule by decree. "Maybe not everyone is aware of the need to preserve the financial stability in a country which has severe financial problems," Meloni told reporters following a summit of European Union leaders in Brussels. Earlier on Friday Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told RAI public radio Europe could see "tens, maybe hundreds of thousands" of boat migrant arrivals if economic aid is not granted soon to Tunisia. According to United Nations data, at least 12,000 of those who have reached Italy this year set sail from Tunisia, against 1,300 in the same period of 2022.

☆ Factbox: Legal hurdles faced by LGBT+ people in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Africa accounts for nearly half of the countries worldwide where homosexuality is outlawed, according to the review, which was last updated in December 2020. - Life imprisonment is the maximum penalty for same-sex relations in Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, while jail terms of up to 14 years are possible in Gambia, Kenya and Malawi. - Broad protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation exists in three countries: Angola, Mauritius and South Africa. - South Africa is the only African country where gay marriage is legal and where the constitution protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, South Africa has high rates of rape and homophobic crime.

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - The United States is "actively" working on re-establishing a diplomatic presence in Libya, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, although he declined to provide an exact time on when the U.S. embassy can be reopened. U.S. Special Envoy for Libya, Richard Norland, has operated out of the Tunisian capital, and took occasional trips into Libya. "I can't give you a timetable other than to say that this is something we're very actively working on. I want to see us be able to re-establish an ongoing presence in Libya," Blinken said at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. The United Nations' special envoy for Libya last month moved to take charge of a stalled political process to enable elections that are seen as the path to resolving years of conflict.

☆ Tunisian president's supporters rally against 'traitors'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Supporters of Tunisia's President Kais Saied hold cloth in the colours of the Tunisian flag during a rally to demonstrate their support for the president after a crackdown on opponents accused of treason and corruption, and to reject what they call foreign interference, in Tunis, Tunisia March 20, 2023. The opposition has held frequent protests against Saied, regularly drawing crowds of thousands, but his own supporters have only rarely taken to the streets. Saied has denied mounting a coup, saying his actions were legal and necessary to save Tunisia from years of chaos, and has denounced his opponents as traitors, criminals and terrorists. He has responded to expressions of concern at his moves by the United States and the European parliament by denouncing them as foreign interference and attacks on Tunisian sovereignty. "We support Saied in his campaign against the traitors and the corrupt, against those who ruined the country during the past decade and against external interference," Lobna Souissi, one of the demonstrators, said.

☆ Italy pushing IMF to help Tunisia and avoid instability, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

However, Tajani has spoken to IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and urged her to show flexibility to stave off possible financial collapse. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is also "working the phones", one official said, warning that Italy faced an "invasion of migrants" in the coming months if Tunisia did not get the money. "Uncontrolled irregular migration can only be reduced by improving the conditions of security and economic stability," Tajani said, adding that Italy was looking to boost training opportunities for Tunisians as an alternative to migration. Of the arrivals this year to Italy, the top country of origin is Ivory Coast (3,223), followed by Guinea (2,906). "The stability and prosperity of Tunisia, with respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, are crucial for the stability of the entire Mediterranean region," Tajani said.

☆ IMF, World Bank Pause Loans to Tunisia Amid Crackdown on Migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Chao Deng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Migrants at Tunis-Carthage International Airport prepare to leave Tunisia on a repatriation flight. A crackdown on political opponents and Black African migrants in Tunisia is complicating the country’s efforts to secure billions of dollars in critical loans and grants from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. The IMF reached an agreement last October to lend $1.9 billion to Tunisian authorities but has delayed final approval as President Kais Saied has moved to consolidate power and detained political opponents. After Mr. Saied in February denounced immigration in a speech and said without providing evidence that a “criminal plot” to change Tunisia’s demographic makeup was under way, hundreds of sub-Saharan African migrants in the country were arrested and others were attacked by mobs.

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - The World Bank is pausing future work with Tunisia after statements by the country's president on migrants from African countries triggered racist harassment and violence, World Bank President David Malpass told staff in a note seen by Reuters. He said the World Bank viewed the situation as deeply concerning, but viewed steps announced by the Tunisian government to protect and support migrants and refugees as a positive step and would be monitoring their impact. He said the bank was working to ensure the safety of all its staff in Tunisia, and especially Africans, including through additional security measures. The safety measures could affect delivery of World Bank programs, but "staff safety will override program-related concerns," Malpass said. The World Bank has been a major donor to Tunisia, helping it finance food imports and business development as the government seeks an International Monetary Fund bailout for it state finances.

☆ Tunisian President Targets Sub-Saharan African Migrants, Mob Violence Follows
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Chao Deng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Protests erupted in the Tunisian capital after President Kais Saied ordered security forces to expel all migrants who had entered the country illegally. Tunisian authorities have arrested hundreds of sub-Saharan African migrants after President Kais Saied denounced immigration last month and said there was a “criminal plot” to change Tunisia’s demographic makeup. Following the speech, groups of Tunisian men attacked dark-skinned migrants, assaulting some and chasing many from their homes. More than 100 migrants have fled to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration building in Tunis, the country’s capital.

☆ Tunisian president rejects racism accusation after migrant crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui/File PhotoTUNIS, March 5 (Reuters) - Tunisia's president denounced racism on Sunday and pointed to possible legal consequences for perpetrators 10 days after announcing a crackdown on illegal migration using language the African Union condemned as "racialised hate speech". Police detained hundreds of migrants, landlords summarily evicted hundreds from their homes and hundreds of others were fired from work, rights groups say. While Saied denied racism in a statement on Feb. 23, he repeated his view of immigration as a demographic plot. In Sunday's statement he described the accusations of racism as a campaign against the country "from known sources", without elaborating. He has said his actions were legal and needed to save Tunisia from chaos.

☆ Tunisian opposition defies protest ban with rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Supporters of Tunisia's Salvation Front opposition coalition react during a protest over the arrest of some of its leaders and other prominent critics of the president, in Tunis, Tunisia March 5, 2023. REUTERS/Zoubeir SouissiTUNIS, March 5 (Reuters) - Hundreds of opposition supporters in Tunisia defied an official ban on their protest against the president on Sunday after some of their leaders were arrested, breaking through a police barrier in central Tunis to rally in the city's main street. The National Salvation Front coalition combines Tunisia's biggest party, the Islamist Ennahda, the Stop the Coup protest movement and some other political parties, demanding that President Kais Saied step down. However, opposition to Saied is fragmented along ideological and political lines that were drawn during a period of democratic government after the 2011 revolution which triggered the Arab spring. Reporting by Tarek Amara, writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ CORRECTED Italy's Meloni says on track to rebuild 'excellent' relations with UAE
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I think discussions this morning went very, very well and we're going back to a strategic partnership. Italy historically had very strong relations with UAE which in recent years experienced serious difficulties," Meloni told reporters in Abu Dhabi. Italy in 2021 halted the sale of thousands of missiles to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, citing Rome's commitment to restoring peace in Yemen. "On all these matters Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed has expressed his willingness to help," Meloni said. "I think there is a strong will on both sides to rebuild not just good but excellent relations, a friendship, which I think is very important for our national interest."

☆ Tunisian union holds biggest protest yet against president
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Supporters of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) protest against President Kais Saied, accusing him of trying to stifle basic freedoms, including union rights, in Tunis, Tunisia March 4, 2023. REUTERS/Zoubeir SouissiTUNIS, March 4 (Reuters) - Tunisia's powerful UGTT labour union rallied in the capital on Saturday in what appeared to be the biggest protest yet against President Kais Saied, staging a show of strength after his recent crackdown on opponents. Many thousands of protesters filled Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the main street in central Tunis, holding banners that read "No to one-man rule" and chanting "Freedom! Hamma Hammami, head of the Workers Party, said protests were the answer to what he called Saied's "creeping dictatorship". Saied has denied his actions were a coup, saying they were legal and necessary to save Tunisia from chaos.

☆ International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation lends Tunisia $280 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TUNIS, March 3 (Reuters) - The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation lent Tunisia $280 million to finance energy imports, the economy ministry said on Friday. Tunisia, suffering a financial crisis, has struggled to provide basic commodities such as energy and food amid a growing social and political crisis in the country. Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ African migrants suffer under crackdown in Tunisia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Angus Mcdowall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Ivory Coast nationals living in Tunisia and seeking repatriation, wait outside the embassy of Ivory Coast in Tunis, Tunisia February 27, 2023. Social media has, meanwhile, filled with accounts by darker-skinned people in Tunisia, including migrants with and without valid visas, African students and Black Tunisians, of ill treatment and fear. Official figures say there are 21,000 migrants from sub-Saharan African countries in Tunisia. Tunisia introduced visa-free travel for many African countries over the past decade. Many migrants in Tunisia aim to cross illegally to Europe but cannot afford the hundreds of dollars to get to Italy - a journey also taken by growing numbers of Tunisians.

☆ Migrant boat breaks apart off Italy; dozens are dead, 80 survive
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Rescuers recover a body after a migrant boat broke apart in rough seas, at a beach near Cutro, southern Italy, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. Rescue officials say an undetermined number of migrants have died and dozens have been rescued after their boat broke apart off southern Italy. The Italian Coast Guard said at least 80 people were found alive, "some of whom succeeded in reaching the shore after the shipwreck." One survivor was taken into custody for questioning after survivors indicated he was a trafficker, Rai state TV said. "It's an enormous tragedy," Crotone Mayor Vincenzo Voce told RAI state TV.

☆ Factbox: Migrant arrivals in Italy on the rise, despite high danger
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Some 861 of the migrants registered this year were unaccompanied minors. In 2022, 105,129 migrants reached Italy in total, up from 67,477 in 2021 and 34,154 in 2020. Some 13,386 of the migrants in 2022 were registered as unaccompanied minors. The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said in 2022 51% of migrant sea crossings to Italy departed from Libya, 31% from Tunisia and 15% from Turkey. Migrant arrivals stayed low in subsequent years, partly as a result of the COVID pandemic.

☆ Migrant crossings in Mediterranean leave thousands dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

2021Dec. 17: 9 dead, 93 missing, 8 survivors after boat sinks off Sabratha, Libya. 2020Nov. 12: 57 dead, 18 missing, 48 survivors after boat sinks off the coast of Al Khums, Libya. July 25: 75 dead, 75 missing, 134 survivors when boat sinks off Al Khums, Libya. 2018Sept. 1: 2 dead, 128 missing, 55 survivors when boat sinks off the coast of Al Khums, Libya. June 29: 3 dead, 101 missing, 16 survivors when boat sinks off the coast of Tripoli, Libya.

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