Protests broke out ahead of Sunday’s seventh anniversary of the ousting of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Emergency government meetings were held in response to protests, which have seen more than 800 people arrested.

President Beji Caid Essebsi is due to visit a district of Tunis on Sunday that has been the scene of protests.

Opposition parties have called for more demonstrations on Sunday, saying that conditions have not improved since Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was deposed as president at the start of the so-called Arab Spring uprisings.

When did the protests begin?

Demonstrations in the North African country began on 7 January after the government announced New Year tax and price increases in its 2018 budget.

Rallies took place in at least 10 different areas, including the capital, Tunis. They began peacefully but clashes broke out between protesters and police, resulting in hundreds of arrests over several days.

The government accused demonstrators of setting fire to police cars and attacking officials. Some people tried to take over shopping malls and stores, while others blocked roads.

In the town of Thala, near the Algerian border, the army was called in on Wednesday after protesters burnt down the national security offices and police were forced to retreat.

The defence ministry said the army was protecting banks, post offices and other government buildings in Tunisia’s main cities.

Demonstrators have accused police of a violent crackdown.

What caused the unrest?

Demonstrators want the government to abandon the 2018 budget, which opposition groups describe as unfair. They also want to see more welfare payments for struggling families.

The budget brought in an increase in value-added tax and social contributions along with price hikes on some goods and increased taxes on imports.

Even before the recent spate of protests there was simmering anger that life for many Tunisians had not improved since the Arab Spring.

What are the reforms being promised?

The announcement came after two hours of crisis talks at the presidential palace that included President Essebsi, political parties and trade unionists.

“We discussed the general situation in the country and the reforms, especially socio-economic, that must be adopted to overcome the current problems,” said Wided Bouchamaoui, head of the UTICA employers’ federation.

Officials said plans had been submitted to parliament to reform medical care, housing and increase aid to the poor.

Social affairs minister Mohammed Trabelsi said the government proposed increasing welfare payments to those in need by 170m dinars ($70m; £50m).

“This will affect about 250,000 families. It will help the poor and middle class,” he said.

Mr Trabelsi also alluded to plans for guaranteed medical care and housing reform, but did not give details.

MPs will also discuss an increase in the minimum wage, reports say, although nothing has been confirmed.

What is Tunisia’s economic situation?

Tunisia has been struggling economically since President Ben Ali was ousted after more than 20 years in power.

That revolution was sparked by high unemployment and worries about corruption.

However, seven years on, some of the same problems remain – not helped by terror attacks that have hit Tunisia’s vital tourism industry and foreign investment opportunities.

In December 2017, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) told Tunisia it needed to take “urgent action” and “decisive measures” to reduce its deficit. The IMF gave the country a $2.9bn (£2.2bn) loan in 2015.

What is the government reaction?

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has tried to calm the situation, assuring Tunisians that 2018 would be the country’s last “difficult” year.

President Essebsi accused foreign media of “amplifying” the unrest and damaging the country’s image with its coverage.

Interior ministry spokesman Khlifa Chibani said on Saturday that 803 people had been arrested so far on suspicion of violence, theft and looting.

He said 97 members of the security forces had been injured, but did not say how many protesters had been hurt.

The UN’s human rights office expressed concern on Friday over the large numbers being detained.

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Source: BBC

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Nigeria, who were crowned champions of Africa in 2013, will face Argentina for the fifth time in the group stages of the World Cup

They are joined in Group D by Iceland and Croatia.

Morocco who beat Ivory Coast to make it to the tournament will face a huge task of making it out of their group after they were drawn against European Champions Portugal and Spain who have won the World Cup in 2010.

Senegal were grouped with Poland, Colombia and Japan while Tunisia will be hoping they can make it out of a difficult group with Belgium, Panama and England.

Defending champions Germany will be expected to qualify from a group which has Sweden, Mexico and South Korea

Hosts Russia play Saudi Arabia in the World Cup’s opening game in Moscow on 14 June (16:00 BST).

The 2018 tournament takes place across Russia between 14 June and 15 July.

World Cup groups in full

• Group A: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay
• Group B: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran
• Group C: France, Australia, Peru, Denmark
• Group D: Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
• Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
• Group F: Germany, Sweden, Mexico, South Korea
• Group G: Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England
• Group H: Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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A spokeswoman for President Beji Caid Essebsi made the announcement and congratulated women on gaining “the freedom to choose one’s spouse”.

Until now, a non-Muslim man who wished to marry a Tunisian Muslim woman had to convert to Islam and submit a certificate of his conversion as proof.
Tunisia, which is 99% Muslim, is viewed as one of the most progressive Arab countries in terms of women’s rights.

The new law comes after President Essebsi pushed for the lifting of the marriage restriction law that was put in place in 1973.

He said in a speech last month, during celebrations of the National Women’s day, that the marriage law was “an obstacle to the freedom of choice of spouse”.

The restriction was also seen as violating Tunisia’s constitution which was adopted in 2014 in the wake of the Arab Spring revolution.

Human rights groups in Tunisia had also campaigned for the law’s abolition.

The order comes into force immediately, and couples are free to register their marriages at government offices.

The BBC’s Rana Jawad in Tunis says that many Tunisians see the removal of the marriage restriction as another landmark in guaranteeing women’s freedom in the country.

In July, the Tunisian parliament also introduced a new law that abolished a clause that allowed rapists to escape any punishment if they married their victims.

The country banned polygamy as far back as 1956, setting it part from other Muslim-majority nations.

However, women in Tunisia still face discrimination, particularly in matters of inheritance which still prioritises sons over daughters.

The Tunisian Association of Democratic Women estimates that nearly 70% of Tunisian women are victims of abuse.

Amnesty International reported last year that there were few signs to show that things had improved for women since the Arab Spring revolution in 2010.
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By: BBC

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In total, 38 people died in the hour-long gun attack near Sousse in June 2015.

But local units deliberately “slowed down” as Islamist gunman Seifeddine Rezguiopened fire, said the counsel to the inquest into the British deaths.

The attack was the deadliest on Britons since the 7 July 2005 London bombings.

A senior Foreign Office official also defended the government’s decision not to raise the level of its terror alert in Tunisia following shootings at a museum in the capital city of Tunis four months earlier.

The hearing at London’s Royal Courts of Justice – set to last for seven weeks – began with a minute’s silence and the names of all the victims being read out.

The 38 tourists who visited Tunisia for “relaxation and enjoyment” were “systematically” gunned down from around 11:30 local time on 26 June 2015, said Samantha Leek, counsel to the inquest.

She said the attack could have been stopped sooner, citing a Tunisian judge’s report into failings by local security units.

Alison and Baron Caine, who were on the beach when the attack began, told the BBC that they escaped the gunfire and barricaded themselves in their hotel room.

“We started hearing screams, people were running,” Mrs Caine said. “It was like a complete warzone.”

The couple heard a knock on their hotel room door and a man saying he had their key.

“We looked at each other and we just thought this is it, we’re going to die.”

A lone armed guard was on the beach when Rezgui opened fire. The gunman also threw a grenade and left the guard “seemingly unconscious”.

A second armed guard on duty was patrolling the nearby sea in a speedboat. He attempted to shoot Rezgui but could not work his gun.

Nearby security forces “had an ability to put an end to the attack” before the police arrived, Ms Leek said, but they “deliberately and unjustifiably slowed down to delay their arrival at the hotel”.

Meanwhile, witnesses telling of the man with the gun in the speedboat may have led to confusion over how many attackers there were, she added.

Rezgui was shot dead by police about an hour after the attack began.

The court hearing the inquest’s opening day of evidence was filled with relatives and friends of the British dead, who were aged between 19 and 80.

Three people from Ireland, two Germans, one Russian, a Belgian and a Portuguese woman were also killed.

They were all holidaymakers staying in the popular resort of Port El Kantaoui, just north of Sousse.

Three generations of a family – a young man, his uncle and grandfather – were among them.

Stepped-up security

At the time of the shootings, official travel advice from the UK Foreign Office did not specifically advise holidaymakers against going to Tunisia.

Instead the advice available on its website stated “further attacks are possible”, following the killing of 24 people at the Bardo National Museum in Tunis on 19 March 2015.

Jane Marriott, the Foreign Office’s Middle East and North Africa director, told the inquest that the level of the terror alert relating to Tunisia had not been raised, with officials deciding “we should not discourage tourism to Tunisia”.

The government did persuade Tunisian authorities to step up security in tourist areas, she said.

Ms Marriott said the UK was powerless to force Tunisia to improve its security, but “what we can and we do say is that we want to see an improvement in your security.”

Over the next seven weeks, the court will examine whether the UK government and travel firms failed in their responsibility to protect British tourists.

The coroner, Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith, will look at travel advice issued for Tunisia by the Foreign Office, as well as the security put in place at the hotel by tour operator Thomson.

The inquest was shown CCTV footage of Rezgui as he was dropped off in a white van.

Photos of the Imperial Marhaba Hotel, including its beach where the attacks started, were also shown as evidence.

Live TV feeds of the proceedings were also shown in courts in Cardiff and Stirling for survivors and relatives to watch.

‘Mastermind’ on the run

The government has applied for some details to be kept private over national security concerns.

The Islamic State militant group said it was behind the attack by the Tunisian student.

The BBC’s Panorama programme this month reported that the suspected “mastermind” behind the shootings is believed to be on the run in Libya.

Chamseddine al-Sandi recruited and directed Rezgui, according to documents obtained by Panorama.

And confessions from suspects arrested by Tunisian police state that al-Sandi ran a militant cell responsible for both shootings – the attacks at Sousse and at the Bardo National Museum.

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Source: BBC

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The Tunisian interior ministry said the three, aged between 18 and 27, were members of a “terrorist cell”, and that they were detained on Friday.

Tunisian-born Amri, 24, was shot dead by police in the Italian city of Milan in the early hours of Friday.

Monday’s lorry attack on the market left 12 people dead and 49 injured.

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Source: BBC

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The girl, named Hajar, said she had been sexually abused by three different members of her family since the age of 14.

Often crying, she also said she was eight months pregnant by one of her abusers.

It emerged during her appearance on Ala Chebbi’s show Andi Mankolek, or I’ve Got Something to Tell You, that poverty had forced her to give up school aged 14 to work on the family farm.

She also said that her father was frequently absent because of work, and that her relationship with him and her stepmother was poor.

Hajar’s elder brother, Allala, who appeared alongside her on the show earlier this month, said he had approached the show out of despair after her father, ashamed at her pregnancy, had kicked her out of the family home.

Although Tunisia is seen as relatively progressive on social matters among Muslim-majority countries, traditional attitudes are still widespread, and pregnancy before marriage is regarded by some as a matter of shame, regardless of the cause.

When Hajar’s father joined the programme, Chebbi suggested to him that “whoever did it should marry her to close the case” and “contain the situation”.

He asked Hajar who the father is, and she told him that she was not sure, but suspects the brother of her stepmother.

Told by her brother that all three alleged abusers were married, Chebbi added that “at least, he can recognise his child and give him his name”.

He then chided her for not reporting any of her abusers, and urged her to ask her father for forgiveness for being pregnant without being married. “Admit that you are at fault,” he added.

The remarks prompted an outcry on social media.

“Even though she was raped and abused by her relatives, he asks her to justify herself,” tweeted freelance cartoonist Tawfiq Omrane.

Thousands of people joined a Facebook page called “‘Marry your rapist,’ he says. ‘We will see you in court,’ we reply.”

The page uses a widely-shared photo of the show’s studio with a text overlaid that says: “Mr Ala: The punishment for rape is imprisonment, not marriage.”

It has addressed a letter to the minister for women, family and childhood, Samira Merai, calling for action to end violence against women and children.

There was also criticism of a law – Article 227 – that requires rape charges to be dropped if the perpetrator marries the victim.

The women’s ministry has drafted a bill to abolish the article, but this still needs to be ratified by parliament.

Chebbi insisted his remarks were taken out of context, telling Mosaique Radio FM he had only suggested marriage in light of what he called a lack of evidence proving that rape had taken place.

He said he believed the abusers should be punished if proven guilty of rape, but again reiterated his view that Hajar had made a mistake in remaining silent.

“This is the case of many Tunisian girls who have been raped and did not say anything,” he said. “Silence is the core of this case.”

But Tunisia’s media regulator has sided with his critics, suspending the programme for three months after finding it to have “violated human dignity”.

Radia Saidi, a spokeswoman of the Tunisian Independent High Authority for Audiovisual Communication, told the BBC’s Rana Jawad that Chebbi had judged the victim, rather than questioning her.”There was no excuse to break Tunisian laws and international laws for the protection of minors and of privacy,” she added.

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Source: BBC

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The Carthage Eagles were held in check by the visiting West Africans and had to wait for almost an hour to break the deadlock.

Central defender Abdennour headed home from Ali Maaloul’s corner on 58 minutes before German-born Ben-Hatira sealed victory with the second goal on 80 minutes. Ben-Hatira was at the receiving end of a long pass from Hamza Lahmar, and let in a spectacular shot from his left that beat Guinea goalie Naby Yattara.

Tunisia trail DR Congo who beat Libya 4-0 in the other Group A match with lesser goals despite both having three points apiece.

Elsewhere in Blida, visiting Cameroon came from behind to snatch a vital point off Algeria in their Group B fixture.

‘Les Fennecs’ took the lead after only seven minutes through El Arabi Soudani who notched home from close range.

The Indomitable Lions responded through captain Benjamin Mounkandjo on 24 minutes with a shot through the legs of Algeria goalie Rais M’Bolhi, after Edgar Salli put him through.

However, Cameroon had goalkeeper Joseph Ondoa to thank for keeping the scoreline intact after Islam Slimani early in the second half and Adlanre Guediora six minutes from time.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles sit at the top of Group B after beating Zambia 2-1 away in Ndola. Cameroon and Algeria follow in that order with a point each with Zambia at the depth with no point.

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Source: CAF

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