DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Jabeur crushes Kvitova to set up rematch of 2022 final with Rybakina
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Mitch Phillips | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Tunisian sixth seed Jabeur had to come from a set down against Bianca Andreescu on Saturday but had no such problems on a blustery afternoon as she raced through the first set in 22 minutes, almost unchallenged. Her crowd-pleasing variety of slice and change of pace and angle left the 2011 and 2014 champion flailing. The ninth-seeded Czech had the briefest of recoveries in the second set but it did not last and Jabeur finished off in style, breaking to love. Third-seeded Kazakh Rybakina, who beat Jabeur in three sets in last year’s final, went through after Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia retired at 4-1 down in the first set with a back injury. Reporting by Mitch Phillips; editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Petra Kvitova, Hannah Mckay LONDON, Elena Rybakina, Jabeur, Bianca Andreescu, flailing, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Mitch Phillips, Ken Ferris Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Czech, Court, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Tunisian, Czech, Kazakh

☆ Boat sinking off Tunisia leaves one dead, at least 10 migrants missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TUNIS, July 9 (Reuters) - At least 10 Tunisian migrants were missing and one died after their boat sank off Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, a judicial official said on Sunday. The latest tragedy raises the number of dead and missing off the North African country's coasts to more than 600 in the first half of 2023, far more than in any previous year, according to figures compiled by Reuters. Tunisia's coastguard rescued 11 people from the boat, which set off from the coast off the town of Zarzis, Faouzi Masmoudi, a judge in the city of Sfax, told Reuters. Tunisia is under pressure from European countries to stop large numbers of people departing from its coasts. Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Alison Williams and Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Faouzi, Kais Saied, Tarek Amara, Alison Williams, Alexander Smith Organizations: Reuters . Tunisia's coastguard, Reuters, Tunisian, Economic, Social Rights, coastguard, Thomson Locations: TUNIS, Tunisia, Italy, Libya, Africa, Europe, African, Zarzis, Sfax, sinkings, Tunisia's

☆ Jabeur battles back to beat Andreescu
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 8, 2023 Tunisia's Ons Jabeur celebrates after winning her third round match against Canada's Bianca Andreescu REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, July 8 (Reuters) - Last year's runner-up Ons Jabeur came from a set down to keep alive her Wimbledon dream with a 3-6 6-4 6-3 victory over former Grand Slam champion Bianca Andreescu on Saturday. The Tunisian, the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final, was outplayed in the opening set on Centre Court. But the sixth seed regained some control with a serve break midway through the second set which enabled her to level. On the resumption, Jabeur had to work hard to hold serve, saving a break point, and she then picked the perfect moment to strike when she broke to love at 4-4. She still had to serve it out, but did so calmly to move into a fourth-round clash against two-time champion Petra Kvitova.

Persons: Canada's Bianca Andreescu, Toby Melville LONDON, Bianca Andreescu, Andreescu, Jabeur, Petra Kvitova, Martyn Herman, Clare Fallon Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Grand, Court, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Jabeur says meeting Beckham inspired her to play well
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 7, 2023 Tunisia's Ons Jabeur celebrates winning her second round match against China's Zhuoxuan Bai REUTERS/Hannah MckayJuly 7 (Reuters) - Last year's Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur was full of praise for former England midfielder David Beckham after their meeting this week, saying the encounter inspired her to play well. loadingJabeur made quick work of Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan with a 6-1 6-1 victory in 45 minutes to move into the third round at Wimbledon on Friday. Jabeur received a hug from Beckham, and the Tunisian sixth seed hinted that she might have enjoyed that moment more than the triumph against Bai. 'Don’t tell my husband that but yes, I did enjoy that hug, and the very nice conversation with him," she said. Jabeur added that they discussed various topics such as football and tennis in general.

Persons: China's Zhuoxuan Bai, Hannah Mckay, David Beckham, Bai Zhuoxuan, Jabeur, Beckham, Bai, Tommy Lund, Ken Ferris Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Jabeur, Wimbledon, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Tunisian, U.S, Gdansk

☆ King Federer back in town as Alcaraz and Rybakina shine at Wimbledon
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Retired Swiss great Federer ditched his racket for a classy cream blazer and a comfy seat as the eight-time Wimbledon champion graced the Royal Box and received possibly the longest ovation of his illustrious career. But Federer missed Spanish phenomenon Alcaraz, the 20-year-old who has taken the tennis world by storm. "I'm really happy with the level that I played, with the performance today," Alcaraz told reporters, although he was not so happy that Federer missed his match. RYBAKINA RECOVERSKazakhstan's Rybakina, the third seed, looked in danger of becoming the first Wimbledon women's defending champion to suffer a first-round exit since Steffi Graf in 1994 when American Rogers took the opening set. Admitting the watching Federer had made her nervous, she shrugged off that poor start to win in style.

Persons: Cameron Norrie, Czech Republic Tomas Machac, Dylan Martinez, Federer, Frenchman Chardy Jabeur, Sabalenka, Roger Federer, Alcaraz, Elena Rybakina, Shelby Rogers, Andy Murray, Ryan Peniston, Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, I'm, RYBAKINA, Kazakhstan's Rybakina, Wimbledon women's, Steffi Graf, Rogers, I've, Rybakina, Poland's Magdalena Frech, Novak Djokovic's, Panna Udvardy, Tomas Machac, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Ed Osmond, Ken Ferris Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Czech Republic, Czech Republic Tomas Machac REUTERS, Court, Swiss, Wimbledon, Poland's, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Swiss, British, Moscow, Bengaluru

☆ Jabeur says now or never for Saudi Arabia to invest in the sport
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Arabia has pumped huge amounts of money into soccer, Formula One and boxing in recent years while the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit recently ended its two-year dispute with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour by announcing a merger. I hope in Saudi they'll not just invest with the ATP, I hope with the WTA (too)," Jabeur said after beating Magdalena Frech 6-3 6-3 in her Wimbledon opener. Critics have accused Saudi Arabia of using the PIF to engage in "sportwashing" amid criticism of its human rights record. "I believe in Saudi they're doing great giving women more rights," 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Jabeur added. Men's world number one Carlos Alcaraz said he would have no doubts about competing in Saudi Arabia, while seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe said tennis should not seek Saudi investment.

Persons: LIV, Steve Simon, Andrea Gaudenzi, Jabeur, Magdalena Frech, Critics, Saudi they're, It's, Carlos Alcaraz, John McEnroe, Andy Murray, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Toby Davis Organizations: PGA, WTA, men's ATP, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Wimbledon, Saudi, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Saudi they'll, Bengaluru

☆ Jabeur turns on the style to see off Frech in Wimbledon opener
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"But it's amazing to come back here, just the atmosphere, the grass is so beautiful and I love connecting with nature." After narrowly missing the opportunity to break the 70th-ranked Frech early with two wayward drop shots, Jabeur got her nose in front in the fifth game thanks to clean hitting and she raced through the opening set. "I'm just trying to enjoy my time, enjoy playing tennis, doing some cool drop shots and see what's going to happen," said Jabeur, who hit 33 winners but also made 29 unforced errors with her high-risk style. I like to entertain the crowd with cool shots, so maybe I'll keep doing that." Jabeur restored her advantage as Frech sent a shot long and closed out the contest on serve to set up a meeting with either unseeded Belgian Ysaline Bonaventure or Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan.

Persons: Magdalena Frech, Tunisia's Jabeur, Jabeur, Elena Rybakina, Frech, I'm, Belgian Ysaline, Bai Zhuoxuan, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Ed Osmond Organizations: Wimbledon, Frech, Belgian, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Eastbourne, Belgian Ysaline Bonaventure, Bengaluru

☆ Djokovic to face Cachin in Wimbledon opener, Rybakina up against Rogers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Friday's draw at the All England Club pitched women's top seed Iga Swiatek against China's 33rd-ranked Zhu Lin, a potentially tricky first hurdle for the Pole. Murray could face fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in round two although first Tsitsipas must get passed former U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem who has tumbled down the rankings. Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, a potential semi-final opponent for Alcaraz, returns to Wimbledon with a first round against British wildcard Arthur Fery. The projected women's quarter-finals based on seedings would see Swiatek meet seventh seed Coco Gauff while third seed Rybakina could face Tunisia's Ons Jabeur. Djokovic, bidding for a record-extending 24th Grand Slam title, will face Cachin on Monday while Rybakina plays the traditional Tuesday Centre Court opener for women's defending champions.

Persons: Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Frances Tiafoe, John Sibley, Elena Rybakina, Shelby Rogers, Novak Djokovic, Pedro Cachin, Zhu Lin, Aryna Sabalenka, Hungarian Panna Udvardy, Venus Williams, Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, Andy Murray, Ryan Peniston, Murray, Stefanos, Dominic Thiem, Coco Gauff, Sofia Kenin, Djokovic, Roger Federer's, Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, Alcaraz, Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, Nick Kyrgios, David Goffin, Daniil Medvedev, Arthur Fery, Jessica Pegula, Holger Rune, Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Cachin, Rybakina, Martyn Herman, Christian Radnedge Organizations: U.S, John Sibley LONDON, Wimbledon, Argentina's, All England, China's, Queen's, Belgian, British, Denmark's, Tsitsipas, women's, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Belarusian, Ukraine, Hungarian, Russian

☆ Champion Rybakina under the radar ahead of Wimbledon
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Rybakina prefers to let her potent strokes do the talking, just as she did last year when marching to a surprise title after a sensational fortnight in London. Yet despite being the third-ranked player in the world, and having reached the Australian Open final this year as well as title runs at Indian Wells and Rome, Rybakina will saunter into Wimbledon with little fanfare. While much of the focus is understandably on top seed Iga Swiatek and number two Aryna Sabalenka, as well as the likes of Coco Gauff and Jabeur, Rybakina will quietly go about her business when she opens play on Centre Court on Tuesday. "She's got the perfect game for grass when everything is working, but everything has to be working," three-time Wimbledon champion Chris Evert said when previewing the tournament for broadcaster ESPN this week. As Evert rightly points out, successfully defending a Wimbledon women's title is no easy task.

Persons: Elena Rybakina, Hannah Mckay, Rybakina, Iga, Coco Gauff, She's, Chris Evert, Evert, Serena, Venus Williams, Steffi Graf, Rybakina's, Martyn Herman, Ken Ferris Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Wimbledon, Indian, Court, Eastbourne, ESPN, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Moscow, Kazakhstan, Indian Wells, Rome, Wimbledon

☆ Tunisians struggle to buy sheep for Eid as economic crisis bites
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Jihed Abidellaoui | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A Tunisian sheep breeder waits for customers at a livestock market in Borj El Amri, ahead of the Eid al-Adha, Tunisia June 17, 2023. REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui/File PhotoSummary Tunisians traditionally buy sheep for Eid al-Adha festivalDrought and expensive fodder increase sheep pricesTunisians already struggling with inflation and economyTUNIS, June 20 (Reuters) - Tunisians hoping to buy a sheep to slaughter for Islam's Eid al-Adha festival next week are facing much higher prices because of a drought, adding to public anxiety at an economic crisis that looks set to worsen. "We can't afford these prices," he said. He has already decided to sell 200 of his 350 sheep because he cannot afford to feed them. Farmers Union official Khaled Ayari said Tunisia had produced 1.2 million sheep for Eid in 2022 but only about 850,000 this year.

Persons: Jihed, Eid, Ridha Bouzid, Khaled Frekhi, El, Nabil Rhimi, Rhimi, Khaled Ayari, Haithem, Jihed Abidellaoui, Angus McDowall, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Farmers Union, Thomson Locations: Borj El, Adha, Tunisia, TUNIS

☆ Egyptian club Al-Masry criticises TV programme after prank call
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, June 17 (Reuters) - Egyptian Premier League club Al-Masry lashed out at the television programme "Al-Laaeb", broadcast on MBC Masr, after an apparent prank phone call in which their Tunisian player Elyes Jlassi was lured into discussing contract talks and criticising a rival team. Jlassi asked the programme presenter if the call was live, and the presenter assured him it was not. "The board of directors of Al-Masry club express their strong dissatisfaction with the unprofessional media performance that violates all media codes of honor during the last episode of the 'Al-Laaeb' program presented on MBC Masr," Al-Masry said in a statement. The player was lured into comments that angered Al-Masry fans and embarrassed him and our technical and administrative staff." "The board of directors of Al-Masry reserve their right to take all legal measures," the club added.

Persons: Masry, Elyes Jlassi, Jlassi, Laaeb, Elyes, Al, Osama Khairy, Shady Amir, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Egyptian Premier League club Al, MBC Masr, Zamalek, Al, MBC, Masry, Tunisia's Union Sportive Monastirienne, Thomson Locations: CAIRO

☆ Haddad Maia first Brazilian to reach WTA top 10
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) - Beatriz Haddad Maia became the first Brazilian woman to reach the top 10 of the WTA rankings on Monday following her dream run to the semi-finals of the French Open. The 27-yaer-old beat Tunisia's Ons Jabeur in the last eight in Paris to become the first Brazilian woman in 55 years to reach a Grand Slam semi-final. Brazilian women's has had precious little success since the days of Maria Bueno who claimed seven Grand Slam titles between 1959 and 1966 -- long before the advent of the WTA rankings which were introduced in 1975. Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten reached number one in the men's ATP rankings in 2000. Haddad Maia will take a ranking of 10 into the grasscourt season in which she impressed last year and will feature in this week's Nottingham Open as build-up to Wimbledon begins.

Persons: Beatriz Haddad Maia, Iga Swiatek, women's, Maria Bueno, Gustavo Kuerten, Haddad Maia, Martyn Herman, Christian Radnedge Organizations: WTA, Nottingham, Wimbledon, Thomson Locations: Paris

☆ EU considering major Tunisia aid package as migration surges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Speaking in Tunisia, von der Leyen said 900 million euros in macrofinancial assistance, plus an immediate 150 million euros in budget support could be ready "as soon as the necessary agreement is found", without elaborating. She said the EU would also this year provide Tunisia with 100 million euros for border management, search and rescue, anti-smuggling operations and returns "rooted in respect for human rights". Von der Leyen was accompanied by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose country is the main arrival point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Tunisia. She said on Sunday the EU and Tunisia had already signed a joint declaration, which she hailed as an important step "towards the creation of a real partnership". She said there was "an important window of opportunity" to finalise the aid agreement before the European Council at the end of June.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, von der Leyen, Kais Saied, Saied, Von der Leyen, Mark Rutte, Giorgia Meloni, Tunisians, Angus McDowall, Federico Maccioni, Alex Richardson, Sharon Singleton Organizations: European, EU, International Monetary Fund, Dutch, Italian, IMF, European Council, Thomson Locations: TUNIS, European Union, Tunisia, Meloni, Europe, Tunisian, Tunis, Rome

☆ Ruud roars, Jabeur races into French Open quarter-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"If we had gone five sets I don't know how long we would have played," said Ruud on court Philippe Chatrier. He next faces either Dane Holger Rune in a re-match of last year's quarter-final, or Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo. Jabeur moved into the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the first time with a 6-3 6-1 win over American Bernarda Pera and hoped that the romantic atmosphere of Paris will help her quest for a maiden Grand Slam title. The Tunisian had reached the Australian Open quarter-final in 2020 and finished runner-up to Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon and U.S. Open title clashes last year. "For now, I just want to take it one match at a time," added Jabeur.

Persons: Roland Garros, Bernarda Pera, Benoit Tessier PARIS, Casper Ruud, Chile's Nicolas Jarry, Ruud, lanky claycourt, Jarry, Philippe Chatrier, Dane Holger Rune, Francisco Cerundolo, Jabeur, Elena Rybakina, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Maria Bueno, Haddad Maia, Bueno, Daria Kasatkina, Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, I've, Kasatkina, Elina, Sabalenka, Svitolina, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Jabeur, Bernarda, U.S, REUTERS, Tunisian, Wimbledon, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Tunisian, Iga, Belarusian, Ukraine

☆ Jabeur swats aside Pera to move into French Open quarter-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 5, 2023 Tunisia's Ons Jabeur in action during her fourth round match against Bernarda Pera of the U.S. REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, June 5 (Reuters) - Ons Jabeur was a woman in a hurry at the French Open on Monday, as the seventh seed eased into the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the first time with a 6-3 6-1 win over American Bernarda Pera in bright sunshine. Jabeur's season has steadily gathered steam in Paris after the Tunisian world number seven had minor knee surgery earlier in the year and skipped the Madrid Open due to a calf problem following her run to the Charleston crown. Pera beat Jabeur in their last meeting on the hardcourts of Guangzhou in 2019 but the left-hander struggled to cope with her tricky opponent's clay prowess and did not help her own cause with errors in her maiden last 16 appearance in a Grand Slam. Jabeur tightened her grip on the contest by blending power, precision and guile in the next set to close out the victory in just over an hour. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Paris Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Roland Garros, Bernarda Pera, Benoit Tessier PARIS, Philippe Chatrier, Pera, Jabeur, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Bernarda, U.S, REUTERS, Wimbledon, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Tunisian, Charleston, Guangzhou

[1/5] Abdessalem Maraouni, a Tunisian university student displays a medicine box of "Celluvisc" at his home in Tunis, Tunisia May 29, 2023. Tunisia imports all medicine through the state-owned Central Pharmacy, which provides drugs to hospitals and pharmacies around the country which offer them to patients at a subsidised rate. Amira said the Central Pharmacy owed about 1 billion dinars ($325 million) to suppliers. Tunisia's Health Ministry and Central Pharmacy did not respond to requests for comment. MEDICINE EXCHANGEFrom the roof of his Tunis house, retired soldier Nabil Boukhili has opened an unofficial medicine exchange for his neighbourhood in coordination with local doctors.

Persons: Maaoui, Faourati, Kais Saied, Naoufel Amira, Amira, Nabil Boukhili, Boukhili, I've, Najia, Abdessalem Maraouni, Kamal, Tarek Amara, Jihed Abidellaoui, Angus McDowall, Ros Russell Organizations: REUTERS, Monetary Fund, Central Pharmacy, Tunisia's Syndicate, Tunisia's Health Ministry, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tunis, Tunisia, TUNIS, Europe

☆ Analysis: North Africa backslides toward swirling debt troubles
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Making debt payments could become almost impossible. EGYPTEgypt's finances also look stretched despite it securing a $3 billion IMF rescue plan in December. The rating agency, which downgraded Egypt's credit rating again on Friday, highlights that only default-stricken Sri Lanka would need to pay more. "It would not be immaterial if it were to default" Ross said about the impact on global money managers. "These very wealthy Gulf countries have generally enhanced financial stability in the region," via their support he added.

☆ Tunisia synagogue attack toll up to 6, local media says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Members of the security forces stand near the entrance of Ghriba synagogue, following an attack, in Djerba, Tunisia May 10, 2023. REUTERS/StringerTUNIS, May 10 (Reuters) - A Tunisian security officer who was wounded in Tuesday's shooting attack outside a synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba has died, hospital sources said, bringing the death toll to six including the shooter. Israel's Foreign Ministry described the attack as a "lethal shooting incident", with a spokesperson saying it was still under investigation. The United States and France said Tunisian security forces had responded quickly. The pilgrimage has had tight security since al Qaeda militants attacked the synagogue in 2002 with a truck bomb, killing 21 Western tourists.

☆ Shots heard on Tunisia's Djerba island, site of a Jewish pilgrimage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TUNIS, May 9 (Reuters) - An exchange of gunshots took place on Monday on Djerba, an island just off the Tunisian coast and the location of a Jewish pilgrimage, according to local residents and media reports. One resident said he had heard gunshots near the pilgrimage site, the historical synagogue of Ghibra. Another said he had heard the exchange of fire coming from a location far from the synagogue. The pilgrimage has had tight security since al Qaeda militants attacked the synagogue in 2002 with a truck bomb, killing 21 Western tourists. Though they now number fewer than 1,800 people, Jews have lived in Tunisia since Roman times.

☆ Tunisian judge orders detention of opposition leader Ghannouchi
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 81-year-old, head of the Islamist Ennahda party, was the speaker of the elected parliament, which was shut down in 2021 by President Kais Saied when he seized all powers. Ghannouchi, who was arrested on Monday, was ordered detained following an investigation by the judge that lasted eight hours, lawyer Monia Bouali added. His lawyer said the decision to hold Ghannouchi in custody was pre-planned because of his expressions of opinion. Tunisian authorities on Tuesday banned meetings at all Ennahda offices and police closed the headquarters of the Salvation Front, the main opposition coalition. Since Tunisia's 2011 revolution, Ghannouchi has been a major political player, leading his party to participate in successive coalition governments with secular parties.

☆ IMF says has not received request from Tunisia to re-examine reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The Fund did not impose any diktats," Azour said, according to the TAP state news agency. The IMF postponed in December its board meeting on a loan program for Tunisia that was scheduled to give the authorities more time to finalize it. "This program has been designed, proudly by the Tunisian authorities," Azour said during the briefing. Without a loan, Tunisia faces a full-blown balance of payments crisis. Most debt is internal but there are foreign loan repayments due later this year, and credit ratings agencies have said Tunisia may default.

☆ Analysis: Debt crunch looms for weaker economies with a wall of bond maturities ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"A more prolonged period without market access would be of more concern for the lower-rated tiers of the emerging markets sovereign universe," said James Wilson, EM sovereign strategist for ING. Tapping international debt markets hasn't been a problem across the board for emerging economies. The JPMorgan's emerging markets bond index (EMBI) for high yield debt is at 900 basis points over U.S. Treasuries, and has largely remained over 800 bps since the beginning of last year. The Russia conflict and then the Fed hiking cycle led to higher spreads for a much longer period," said Gregory Smith, emerging markets fund manager at London-based M&G Investment. A weaker U.S. dollar should help countries to tap international markets in the medium term, but recent data fueled jitters that restrictive central bank policies could push the global economy into recession.

☆ Jabeur targets Grand Slam success after Charleston crown
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I'm glad that I'm finding my rhythm and I hope my body will allow me to play," Jabeur told Tennis Channel, looking ahead to the European claycourt swing. I'm working on a lot of things and it's going my way, so for me: step by step, and I'm going for the Grand Slam this year." "If you want to do something, believe in it and only you can really manifest it," Jabeur added. "I was imagining myself in the photoshoot after, putting the image that I won that title already, and it happened. "I'll manifest the big trophy sets, the Wimbledon one and other Grand Slams that I want to win."

☆ Factbox: The developing countries facing a debt crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The cocoa, gold and oil producer has already reached a deal to write down domestic debt and last week kicked off formal debt talks with international bondholders. A $1.9 billion IMF loan has been stalled for months as Tunisia's president has shown little sign of action on key reforms. SRI LANKASri Lanka defaulted on its international debt last year after economic mismanagement, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, sparked a political crisis and left it without dollars for even essential imports. UKRAINEUkraine just received the first $2.7 billion tranche under a four-year, $15.6 billion IMF loan program. Zambia's currency, the kwacha , has fallen more than 10% against the U.S. dollar this year, which the central bank has said is adding to inflation.

☆ 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.

Search resuls for: "Tunisia's"

25 mentions found