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☆ Tunisia will not be Europe's border guard, president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TUNIS, June 10 (Reuters) - Tunisian President Kais Saied said on Saturday that Tunisia would not accept becoming a border guard for other countries ahead of a planned visit by European leaders concerned at the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and European Union Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen will offer aid when they visit on Sunday, Meloni said on Friday, with Tunisia facing a crisis in its public finances. "The solution will not be at the expense of Tunisia... we cannot be a guard for their countries," Saied said while visiting the port city of Sfax, the main departure point for migrants seeking to reach Italy by boat. European countries fear that would turbocharge what is already a big surge in cross-Mediterranean migration this year, particularly from Tunisia. Perilous Mediterranean crossings soared after Saied announced a crackdown on sub-Saharan migrants in February using language the African Union denounced as racialised.

Persons: Kais Saied, Giorgia Meloni, Mark Rutte, Ursula von der, Meloni, Saied, Fitch, Tarek Amara, Angus McDowall, Andrea Ricci Organizations: European Union Commission, IMF, Thomson Locations: TUNIS, Tunisia, Italian, Dutch, Sfax, Italy, African

[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

☆ Tunisian judge sentences opposition leader Ghannouchi to year in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TUNIS, May 15 (Reuters) - A Tunisian judge on Monday sentenced in absentia opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi, a fierce critic of President Kais Saied, to a year in prison on charges of incitement, his lawyer Monia Bouali said. Ghannouchi, 81, has been in prison since April. He has called his critics criminals, traitors and terrorists and warned that any judge who freed them would be considered abetting them. Ghannouchi has refused to appear before judges in legal cases, arguing that the charges are fabricated and the trial is political, his lawyer said. "These trials are the purification against opposition leaders, using the judiciary, because they have not been able to defeat them politically," said Bouali.

☆ 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.

☆ When Is the Debt Ceiling Deadline and What Happens if the Limit Isn’t Raised?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Andrew Duehren | Amara Omeokwe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

As Democrats and Republicans debate raising the debt ceiling, they both agree that a default would be disastrous for the economy. WSJ explains why U.S. debt has become the center of the economy. Photo Illustration: Madeline MarshallThe federal government could run out of money to pay its bills soon, putting Congress on the clock to again raise or suspend the federal borrowing limit. The Treasury Department said in January that the U.S. was bumping up against the current $31.4 trillion borrowing limit, prompting it to begin implementing so-called extraordinary measures to manage the government’s cash flow through the spring.

☆ 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.

☆ Tunisia retrieves 41 drowned migrants as death toll soars
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Dead bodies, lying in bags, which according to hospital official belong to migrants, are pictured at the entrance of Habib Bourguiba hospital morgue in Sfax, Tunisia April 26, 2023. The bodies were in a decomposed state, suggesting they had been in the water for several days, said Houssem Eddine Jebabli told Reuters. The cumulative total of fatalities was unprecedented over such a short period, he said. Tunisia is struggling to contain the surge, and some morgues are running out of space to bury the victims. Reporting by Tarek Amara; Writing by Tala Ramadan in Dubai; Editing by Jon BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

☆ Syria says that the priority is to work on its bilateral Arab relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TUNIS, April 16 (Reuters) - Syria's return to the Arab League will be "almost impossible before correcting bilateral relations", the Syrian foreign minister said in comments about the possibility of preparing for the Arab League. Faisal Mekdad told Algeria International TV that recent visits to Arab countries aim to open a new page. Syria was suspended from the Arab League in 2011 to protest how the government of President Bashar al-Assad treated demonstrators. Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

☆ At least 20 migrants missing after a boat sinks off Tunisia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TUNIS, April 8 (Reuters) - At least 20 African migrants were missing on Saturday after their boat sank off Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, a judicial official said, amidst a sharp rise in migrant boats from the North African country. The coast guard rescued 17 others off the southern city of Sfax from the same boat, two of whom are in critical condition, Sfax court judge Faouzi Masmousdi said. In recent weeks, dozens have gome missing and died in repeated drowning accidents off the Tunisian coast. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday that Europe risks seeing a huge wave of migrants arriving on its shores from North Africa if financial stability in Tunisia is not safeguarded. Tunisia had received equipment from Italy in the past years, but Ammar said it was outdated and not sufficient.

☆ 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".

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ Tunisian police arrest Ghazi Chaouachi, a prominent critic of president
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TUNIS, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Tunisian police on Friday arrested Ghazi Chaouachi, the prominent critic of President Kais Saied, Ghazi's son said, the latest arrest targeting the president's opponents. About 20 policemen searched the house and arrested Ghazi, his son Elyess said. The arrest comes amid a crackdown on dissent this month that has targeted more than 12 people including opposition politicians, activists, protest organisers and a media figure as well as an influential business leader and two judges. Reporting by Tarek Amara Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Powerful Tunisian trade union defies president with mass protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Supporters of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), carry flags and banners during a protest against what they say authority's attacks on freedoms and union rights, in Sfax, Tunisia February 18, 2023. REUTERS/Jihed AbidellaouiSFAX, Tunisia, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Thousands of members of Tunisia's powerful UGTT trade union took to the streets of eight cities on Saturday to protest against President Kais Saied's policies, accusing him of trying to stifle basic freedoms including union rights. In Saturday's demonstrations, thousands of protesters in the southern city of Sfax carried national flags and banners with slogans including "Stop the attack on union freedoms" and "Cowardly Saied, the union is not afraid.". Senior UGTT official Othman Jalouli told the crowd Saied's government "wants to silence the voice of the union". Addressing the Sfax protest, Esther Lynch, confederal secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, said she had come to convey a message of support from 45 million European trade unionists and called for the immediate release of detained union officials.

☆ Tunisia police arrest ex-judges sacked by president, lawyer and media say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The local Mosaique FM radio network said Akremi's arrest was linked to the investigation into the assassination a decade ago of Chokri Belaid, a political activist. Ennahda, the biggest opposition party, said the arrests were aimed at intimidating opponents of Tunisia's president. Saied's political opponents, whom he has labelled traitors, have accused him of a coup aimed at dismantling the democracy built after a 2011 revolution. The president has denied those accusations, saying his moves were lawful and necessary to save Tunisia from chaos. Over recent months, authorities have arrested or opened investigations into several of Saied's political opponents.

☆ Tunisian police detain prominent politicians and businessman
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TUNIS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Tunisian police detained politicians and a prominent, politically connected businessman on Saturday, their lawyers said, in a case that local media said was based on suspicion of conspiracy against state security. Ennahda, an Islamist party that is the biggest in the opposition, said the arrest of Turki was aimed at intimidating the president's opponents. The Salvation Front, the main opposition coalition against Saied, condemned his arrest, saying police had questioned him several times for meeting opposition figures at his home. Neither Turki nor Ltaif have been prominent critics of the president. The businessman, Ltaif, was also arrested at his home, his lawyer Redha Bel Hadj said by phone.

Click to unmute A global city needs a global soundtrack, and in New York, you can find nearly anything you want. Over the past several months, we followed several New York musical scenes that reflect the city’s creative soul, thriving in community centers, local bars and public parks. The sight of a new generation encouraged Mr. Joseph, who sees the band as preserving traditional culture in the modern city. It becomes part of you.” New York itself is as much a player as any musician, transforming traditional tunes into something new. The people who embraced Mateo and his mother when they moved from Boston to New York in 2016 now consoled her.

☆ Footage shows the moment Greenpeace activists scaled a Shell oil platform that was being transported in 'rough conditions' in the Atlantic
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Greenpeace activists used ropes to climb aboard a ship carrying a Shell oil platform. Four activists have been aboard the vessel in a protest against climate devastation for five days. Climate activists on the Shell oil platform. The company said the protest was a safety concern, given the "number of people boarding a moving vessel in rough conditions." The activists, however, are experienced climbers who have "undergone thorough training to take part in this action," a Greenpeace spokesperson said, adding they take safety "very seriously."

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