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Tunisia: Conservative court sends Emna Charki to prison for parody linking the Koran and Covid-19
Tunis, July 14, 2020 - A young Tunisian woman was sentenced to six months in jail by a Tunis court on Tuesday over a parody posted on Facebook linking the Koran and COVID-19. Emna Charki, 27, was found guilty of offending religion and "incitement to hatred" in a May 4...
Tunisia: Government of PM Elyes Fakhfakh under pressure as country slides into political and economic chaos
Tunis, July 13, 2020 - Tunisia's Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, the largest in parliament, called Monday for consultations to appoint a new prime minister, a move opposed by President Kais Saied. Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh was sworn in in February after winning...
Tunisia: More unrest in Southern Tunisia over economic despair
Hundreds of Tunisians demonstrated in the south of the country on Saturday against unemployment and the death of a young man they say was killed by soldiers earlier this week. Protesters in the town of Remada demanded that President Kais Saied visit their region to...
New influx of migrants raises concern in Italy
The recent arrivals have sparked protests by locals in some areas, after a few dozen migrants tested positive for the coronavirus after disembarking. Italy is facing a surge in migrants, with arrivals almost one-third higher so far this year than last, interior...
Tunisia: The struggle to identify dead migrants
The identity of dozens of migrants who drowned off Tunisia last month might have been lost without a trace, like thousands of others who have disappeared on the treacherous sea route to Europe. But when authorities recovered 61 bodies near the eastern port city of...
Tunisia: Why the Tataouine region struggles with unrest
Tataouine, Tunisia, June 26, 2020 - In the southernmost Tunisian town of Tataouine, being young often means being unemployed, while even those who have a job dream of landing a "real" one in the energy sector. For weeks, protesters have blocked roads and sought to...
Tunisia: Prime Minister predicts just 7% GDP contraction
Tunis, June 25, 2020 - Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh warned Thursday that his country's economy, hit hard by the global coronavirus pandemic, would contract by around six percent this year, as public companies flounder. "All state enterprises are in...
Tunisia: Activist Tarek Haddad released as government hopes riots in Tataouine subside
Tunis, June 24, 2020 - A protest leader in southern Tunisia was released Wednesday, a lawyer said, four days after his arrest amid angry protests over unemployment in the marginalised region. Tarek Haddad is the spokesman for a growing popular mobilisation underway in...
Tunisia: Unrest continues in southern Tunisia
Tataouine, Tunisia, June 22, 2020 - Protesters demanding jobs and the release of an activist in Tunisia's marginalised south clashed Monday with security forces for a second straight day. Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters in the centre of...
Tunisia: Unrest in Tataouine over unemployment
Tataouine, Tunisia, June 21, 2020 - Protesters demanding jobs in Tunisia's energy sector blocked roads with blazing tyres on Sunday after the arrest of an activist, as security forces responded with tear gas. For weeks, demonstrators have erected a protest camp in the...
Opinion: Tunisia, A Gulf Crisis Battleground
By Giorgio Cafiero (@GulfStateAnalyt) and Aicha El Alaoui: Over the past ten years, Gulf states—chiefly Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—have at times ambitiously, boldly, and decisively intervened in the Maghreb. Since the Arab Spring...
Tunisia: Tragedy at sea as more than 50 migrants die off the coast of Sfax
Update: Tunis, June 11, 2020 - More than 50 people, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, died when a boat carrying migrants bound for Italy sank off Tunisia, a health official said Thursday in an updated toll. Another 17 bodies were recovered, raising the total to 52...
Tunisian parliament rejects motion on France apology for crimes committed during colonial era
Updated 10 June 2020: Tunisia's parliament on Wednesday rejected a motion calling on France to apologise for crimes committed during and after colonial rule, following 15 hours of debate that ran into the night. The motion had been put forward by the small...
Maghreb: Conservatives control the court systems, religion dominates over civil liberties
(Photo: rally in Tunis in support of Emna Charki) - Rabat, May 27, 2020 - A Moroccan movie star has been prosecuted over "blasphemous" remarks against Islam, a court official said, while Amnesty International called Wednesday for similar charges to be dropped against...
Tunisia announces staged reopening of economic and social activity
Tunisia will reopen places of worship, restaurants and hotels from June 4, authorities announced Thursday, more than two months after closing them over the coronavirus pandemic.The reopening could be delayed if there is a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, the ministers of...
Italy grapples with influx of immigrants
Rome, May 24, 2020 - Italian police on Sunday corrected a report that a record 400 migrants had landed on a beach in Sicily, saying the number was only around 70, the ANSA news agency reported. A single wooden fishing boat some 10 metres (35 feet) long was found on...
Tunisia: One migrant dies in failed attempted sea crossing
Tunis, May 23, 2020 - A boat carrying illegal migrants from Tunisia to Italy capsized on Saturday leaving one person dead, Tunisian authorities said, adding that six other people were missing at sea. The boat sank off the coast of Thyna near the port of Sfax in the...
Tunisia: Tourism sector loses over $2 billion with no sign of recovery
Tunis, May 18, 2020 - As the novel coronavirus pandemic wipes out a recovery from jihadist attacks in 2015, Tunisia's vital tourism sector is trying to find ways to avoid going under. "Normally, the season starts now. But there is nobody," said Mohammed Saddam, who...
Tunisia: Encouraging signs in fight against Covid-19 in Tunisia
Tunis, May 11, 2020 - Tunisia on Monday urged continued vigilance against the novel coronavirus, a day after recording no new cases for the first time since March 2 as it eases strict lockdown measures. The country's overall toll stood at 1,032 cases on Sunday, the...
Maghreb: A Ramadan unlike no other
Algiers, May 7, 2020 (By Abdelhafid Daamache) - North Africans say they are missing the taste of Ramadan, as coronavirus restrictions deprive them of traditional mealtime gatherings, evening outings and beloved sweets during the Muslim holy month. "It's not the usual...
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