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Tunisia sentences four people to death for 2013 assassination of politician

Tunisia sentences four people to death for 2013 assassination of politician

A Tunisian court sentenced four people to death and two to life in prison on charges of participating in the murder of prominent political leader Chokri Belaid 11 years ago, which sparked mass protests against the then-ruling Islamists. Belaid, a leftist politician, had been a fierce critic of the Islamist Ennahda party which led the government at the time, accusing it of turning a blind eye to violence by extremists against secularists. He was shot dead in his car by gunmen on February 6, 2013, in what was viewed as the first political assassination in Tunisia in decades. Belaid's assassination…
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EU disburses 150 mln euros to Tunisia to support financial stability

EU disburses 150 mln euros to Tunisia to support financial stability

THE European Union disbursed 150 million euros to Tunisia as budget support for financial stability and economic reforms, the European Commission said, as the North African country faces a financial crisis. "The EU continues its commitment alongside Tunisia ... This is an important step as part of our agreement concluded last year and good progress in our partnership.", the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said.
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Tunisia raises drinking water prices by up to 16% due to drought

Tunisia raises drinking water prices by up to 16% due to drought

TUNISIA has raised its drinking water prices by up to 16%, the official gazette said, in response to a drought that has lasted five years. After years of drought, average rainfall has increased in recent months but government officials said this week that Tunisian dams have only reached 35% of their stock capacity. The North African country last year imposed a quota system for drinking water and a ban on its use in agriculture. Since last summer, it has been cutting off water supplies at night. The price of water will be unchanged for small consumers. Those whose consumption exceeds 40 cubic…
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Tunisia farmer turns to old wheat varieties as climate change bites

Tunisia farmer turns to old wheat varieties as climate change bites

TUNISIAN wheat farmer Hasan Chetoui is seeking inspiration from the deep past as he tries to adapt to drought caused by climate change, sowing old wheat varieties that he hopes will produce crops throughout the year. Chetoui does not believe his experiment with alternative types of wheat is likely to work everywhere, but he thinks it may help him cope after years of scant rains and heatwaves that destroyed much of his crop last year. "We obtain an old Tunisian type of wheat, cultivated in the field, capable of producing multiple times a season, providing us with strategic solutions," he…
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Tunisia opposition leader Ghannouchi begins hunger strike in prison

Tunisia opposition leader Ghannouchi begins hunger strike in prison

IMPRISONED Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi went on a hunger strike in solidarity with other anti-government figures waging a protest fast to demand their immediate release, a team of opposition lawyers said. Ghannouchi, 82, a fierce critic of President Kais Saied and head of the Ennahda main opposition party, was jailed last year on charges of incitement against police and plotting against state security. Earlier this month in a separate case a judge sentenced him to three years in prison on charges of accepting external financing. "While he is fighting the 'empty stomach' battle, Ghannouchi calls on Tunisians to adhere to a democratic Tunisia…
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Tunisian opposition leader Ghannouchi sentenced to three years in prison

Tunisian opposition leader Ghannouchi sentenced to three years in prison

A Tunisian judge sentenced opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi, a fierce critic of President Kais Saied, to three years in prison on charges of accepting external financing, his lawyer Monia Bouali told Reuters. Ghannouchi, 82, head of the Ennahda main opposition party, has been in prison since April. Last year he was sentenced to a year in prison on charges of incitement against police. Bouali added that the court also imprisoned Ghannouchi’s son-in-law Rafik Abdessalem who is a senior Ennahda official, to three years in prison in the same case, in addition to fining the Islamist party $1.1 million. Ennahda in a statement…
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Tunisia out of Africa Cup of Nations after South Africa draw

Tunisia out of Africa Cup of Nations after South Africa draw

TUNISIA limped out of the Africa Cup of Nations finals with a whimper after they were held to a 0-0 draw by South Africa in the sweltering heat of Korhogo, a result that sends their opponents into the last-16. The onus was on Tunisia to make the play as they needed a win to move off the bottom of Group E, but they created very little in the contest and failed to break down a resolute South Africa. Mali tops the pool with five points from their three games following a goalless draw with Namibia, with South Africa in second…
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Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi to travel to Africa in Jan

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi to travel to Africa in Jan

CHINA'S foreign minister Wang Yi will travel to Africa and visit Egypt, Tunisia, Togo and Cote d'Ivoire from January 13-18, China's foreign ministry said. The visit will mark the 34th consecutive year in which the foreign minister has gone to Africa for their first overseas trip of the year, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference. Wang will also visit Brazil and Jamaica from January 18-22, Mao added.
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Tunisian anti-terrorism unit arrests Al Jazeera reporter

Tunisian anti-terrorism unit arrests Al Jazeera reporter

A Tunisian anti-terrorism unit arrested Al Jazeera reporter Samir Sassi, the Tunisian journalists' union said. The unit has searched his home and seized his computer and phone, as well as those of his family members, the union said in a statement on Thursday. The union denounced the arrest as "arbitrary" and alluded to the possibility of Sassi being investigated for a suspected terrorism charge since his lawyer is not allowed to talk to him for 48 hours. Al Jazeera's Tunis bureau chief, Lotfi Hajji, said on his Facebook account that security forces did not tell Sassi's family why he was…
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Tunisian journalist detained after criticising minister

Tunisian journalist detained after criticising minister

TUNISIAN judicial authorities ordered that prominent journalist Zied El-Heni should be detained and tried on charges of defamation, days after he criticised the trade minister, his lawyer said. El-Heni will have his first court hearing on January 10 on the charge of "defaming others on social media," his lawyer Ayachi Hammami told reporters. Police first arrested him on Thursday after he made comments about the minister on local radio in an interview that was posted on Facebook, Tunisia's state news agency said. Tunisia's journalists union demanded his immediate release, calling his detention a "violation of legal provisions governing the trial…
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