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Zawya
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Tunisia: President Saied urges measures against environmental violations
Tunis – President Kais Saied on Thursday gave instructions to take urgent measures, in coordination with all relevant departments, to put an end to the ongoing and flagrant environmental violations that have persisted for years, and to protect the coastal strip across all regions of the country, pending the adoption of a new strategy aimed at definitively ending the squandering of public funds and all forms and sources of environmental pollution. During a meeting with Environment Minister Habib Abid, the President recalled that a healthy environment is a human right, as quoted as saying in a Presidency of the Republic press release. 'The State, under the Constitution, is obligated to guarantee the right to a sound and balanced environment, to contribute to climate safety, and to provide the necessary means to eliminate environmental pollution.' Saied paid an unannounced visit late Wednesday night to Monastir governorate to assess the environmental situation in the Gulf of Monastir. He visited the beach in the delegation of Ksibet El Mediouni, which recently witnessed an environmental disaster, where he spoke with several citizens who expressed their discontent over the catastrophic environmental conditions. Following that, the President went to the water pumping station in the city of Lamta, then to the city of Sayada, before heading at dawn to the wastewater discharge sites in the areas of El Amoud and M'Riguib in the delegation of Menzel Temime, and to the Ain Garnez area in the delegation of Kelibia in Nabeul governorate. MP for the delegations of Kelibia and Hammam El Ghzez Fadhel Ben Turkia told reporters on Thursday that the Head of State observed during his visit to Kelibia, specifically to Oued El Hajar, the 'catastrophic environmental situation in the wadi, which has become a dumping ground for waste, garbage, and polluted water discharged by nearby factories.' He explained that Oued El Hajar has become a serious environmental problem, particularly as its waters flow directly into the beach of Ain Grinz, 'which is likely to be declared off-limits for swimming due to its disastrous environmental condition.' He pointed out that the environmental situation now poses a real threat to the region, which is considered one of Tunisia's most beautiful tourist destinations. © Tap 2022 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Tunisia: Head of State assesses environmental situation in Monastir
Tunis – President Kaïs Saïed paid an unannounced visit at midnight on Wednesday to the governorate of Monastir, where he assessed the serious environmental situation in the Gulf of Monastir. He visited the beach of Ksibet El Mediouni, which was recently affected by an ecological disaster. On site, the President spoke with local residents, who voiced deep concern over the dire environmental conditions. He then proceeded to the "Sayada-Lamta-Bouhjar" wastewater treatment plant in the town of Lamta, before continuing his visit to the Sayada area. © Tap 2022 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Telegraph
26-06-2025
- Telegraph
A decade on from the Sousse massacre, Tunisia deserves a second chance
It was an incident, so sudden and shocking, that you can probably remember where you were when you saw or read the newsflash. June 26 2015, exactly 10 years ago today. The afternoon when death stalked the Mediterranean shore below a bright North African sky. Even if you cannot recall your exact whereabouts on that awful Friday, you will surely recall what happened. At around noon, having mingled with holidaymakers on the sand at the Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel – in the Port El Kantaoui tourist area, just outside the Tunisian city of Sousse – Seifeddine Rezgui Yacoubi pulled a concealed assault rifle from a beach umbrella, and opened fire. By the time he was himself killed by hotel security, having headed into the property on a hunt for further targets, he had murdered 38 people. The attack has a particular and lingering resonance in this country – because 30 of those 38 victims were British. Sun-seekers from Wolverhampton and Blackpool, from Wiltshire and Cornwall, from Suffolk and Leicester, from Tyne and Wear, Yorkshire and Perthshire. A decade later, its echoes continue to ring out. Take a glance at the aviation route map, and you will notice a gap – no airline, British or otherwise, currently flies directly from the UK to Monastir Habib Bourguiba International, the main airport serving the Sousse area. Tui, the tour operator with whom many of the 2015 deceased had been travelling, now suggests nine resort options in what is Tunisia's third biggest city – but none of them is the former Riu Imperial Marhaba, which changed its name to 'Kantaoui Bay' in 2017. Nor has British outbound tourism to Tunisia entirely recovered. Half a million UK holidaymakers flew to the country in 2014, before the atrocity. And while the number for 2024 was greater than the inevitable statistic of zero, tallied in the two years after the attack – when the Foreign Office had issued a strict warning against British citizens visiting Tunisia – it still amounts to barely more than half the high tide-mark recorded 11 years ago. In total, around 278,000 of us holidayed in North Africa's smallest country last year, a small rise on the 239,000 of 2023. In other words, Yacoubi's radicalised brutality, allied to the twisted vision of Islamic State, achieved some of its aims: to smear Tunisia's image as a reliable destination for Western holidaymakers, and to cause significant damage to a tourism industry which accounts for about 10 per cent of the country's GDP – as well as more than 400,000 jobs. The events of that June lunchtime were a tragedy on several levels. I have been to Tunisia twice since, and have only ever encountered a country which feels welcoming, friendly and – above all – safe. I also found – on my first trip, in the autumn of 2017, when the Foreign Office advice against visiting the country had just been lifted – a place straining under a set of debilitating after-effects. The restaurants in Sousse were all but empty in what should have been the October end-of-season rush. The vendors in the souk were desperate, starting the haggling process on any item that I examined at so meagre a figure – and so dispiritedly – that it was impossible to feel anything but pity. It is easy to absorb the horror of a terrorist attack, then swipe a black mark of damnation across the entire country (and the many people who live there) in question. Indeed, such a reaction is one of the key ambitions of such assaults. But to eliminate Tunisia from future travel plans on the basis of headlines made a decade ago is both unnecessary and unfair. There have been atrocities in several holiday hotspots since June 2015: in the Maldives, in Sri Lanka, in Kenya, in Istanbul, in Barcelona, in Paris, in London. Yes, there is good reason as to why the Sousse killings are so ingrained in the British national consciousness, but Tunisia is not a lone outlier. Of course, there are plenty of holidaymakers who have chosen to move on from that dreadful day. As stated above, there were 278,000 British holidaymakers on Tunisian soil in 2024, the majority of whom flew in for a packaged week of seafront relaxation. While Sousse remains – understandably – a tricky proposition to sell to the British market, there are several alternative possibilities along Tunisia's 713 miles of Mediterranean coastline. If all you want of a holiday is a chance to curl up with a book on a sun-lounger, the resort-hotels of Hammamet, Monastir, Skanes and Mahdia will prove a suitable context. Equally, if you want to peer beyond the beach, Tunisia rewards exploration. Its Roman sites – not least the remarkable amphitheatre of El Djem, a close cousin of the Colosseum – are among the most spectacular in North Africa. The Berber settlements of the south-east, meanwhile (including the much-cherished Star Wars filming location that is Tataouine), offer another perspective on the country – one of red desert and dusty drama. Moreover, there are quiet signs that Tunisia's tourism arc is curving gently upwards. Back in November, easyJet launched a pair of direct flights (from Luton and Manchester) to Djerba – the island which, though it is North Africa's biggest, has generally gone unnoticed by British tourists (in contrast to the French and German holidaymakers who have long appreciated its charms). There are further beach hotels here, but also kernels of local life – including the 'capital' Houmt Souk, where (as its name suggests) there are streets and passages filled with small shops, delicate trinkets, and those pleasing aromas of cardamon and cloves. A decade on from disaster, Tunisia deserves a closer inspection.
Zawya
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Tunisia: Persistent pollution in Gulf of Monastir, FTDES reiterates call for environmental state of emergency
Tunis – The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) on Thursday reiterated its call to declare a state of environmental emergency and to take urgent, medium- and long-term measures to save ecosystems and production chains in the Gulf of Monastir. Noting the persistence of domestic and industrial pollution from the wastewater treatment plants of the National Office of Sanitation (ONAS) and factories at the Sayada-Lamta-Bouhjar station, the foul odours emanating from them, the death of numerous marine species (fish, crabs, etc.) and the yellowing of the sea in this area, the FTDES called for this 'hemorrhage,' which has been going on for more than 20 years, to be stopped. The forum also recalled the ordeal of the inhabitants of the towns of the Gulf of Monastir, particularly those of Ksibet el-Médiouni, Lamta and Sayada, denouncing the authorities' laissez-faire attitude towards the pollution generated by the Sayada-Lamta-Bouhjar treatment plant, which has been out of service for many years, causing serious environmental, economic and social consequences. The FTDES further pointed out that agreements reached with civil society, notably those regarding the shutdown of the plant and its conversion into a pumping station, have not been implemented, sparking protests and widespread discontent among Gulf communities. Emphasising the right of residents to a healthy environment, the Forum urged the environmental authorities to assume their legal and moral responsibilities and to stop the pollution, demanding that all those responsible for these environmental violations be held accountable. The FTDES considered that the lack of political will to resolve the pollution problem in the Gulf of Monastir will reinforce social unrest, exacerbate feelings of injustice and exclusion, and undermine citizens' confidence in state institutions and their ability to protect fundamental rights. © Tap 2022 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
TimesLIVE
10-06-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Petro de Luanda reach BAL semis for fifth time in a row, APR also through
Thanks to Patrick Gardner's lethal plays, Petro de Luanda reached the semifinals of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) for the fifth consecutive season with their 95-84 win against US Monastir at SunBet Arena in Pretoria on Monday night. No other team in the league's history has reached such a milestone. The Angolan champions needed to bounce back from their loss in the seeding game to APR two days earlier. Beating Monastir, the Tunisian side they had lost to three times in their previous four encounters, was essential. Monastir and Petro traded blows early in the game. However, when the reigning champions used a 12-0 scoring run to close the opening quarter with a 12-point lead (28-16), there was little the 2022 BAL champions could do to retake the lead. Gardner shot 5-for-9 from the floor, including 3-for-5 from deep, to finish with 14 points. His teammate Kendrick Ray led all players in scoring with 20 points. Babacar Sané takes flight ✈️ @FlyRwandAir Dunk of the Game! #BAL5 — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) June 9, 2025 Yanick Moreira was dominant in the paint, finishing with 15 points and five rebounds, despite picking up three early fouls. This forced Petro coach Sergio Moreno to protect Moreira from an early exclusion from the game. Gardner's two consecutive three-pointers in the first quarter paved the way for Petro's control of the game. And, limiting the Tunisian giants' actions on both ends of the floor by forcing Acuil Deng, Babacar Sane and Osiris Eldridge into foul trouble early on was key for Petro. Sane caused Petro de Luanda some discomfort on offence and finished with 14 points before fouling out early in the fourth quarter. Monastir were eliminated in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season, while Petro, who they defeated in the 2022 BAL Final, remain in contention. A classy performance by Kendrick Ray ✨ @visitrwanda_now Player of the Game! #BAL5 — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) June 9, 2025 Patrick Hardy Jnr and Firas Lahyani combined for 32 points for US Monastir, but Petro's aggressiveness and sense of urgency on both ends of the floor were tough to deal with. Childe Dundao, who played only five minutes off the bench in Petro's 75-57 loss to APR, was one of three new starters, with Samkelo Cele and Patrick Gardner. Dundao shot 3-for-6, including 2-for-4 from behind the arc, and finished with 10 points and six assists. He told 'This Petro de Luanda team is a group of warriors and everyone knows our goal for this BAL season. We can't afford to get comfortable. We will keep fighting no matter the circumstances. 'We can't be judged solely on our loss in the seeding game. To bounce back, we needed to lock in defensively, which is what we did to beat Monastir.' Petro face Egyptian side Al Ittihad Alexandria in the later of the two semifinals on Wednesday (7pm). Just perfect 😮💨 Rivers Hoopers 🇳🇬 vs APR 🇷🇼 Mini-Movie! #BAL5 — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) June 9, 2025 Dundao shared his thoughts on the Egyptian champions, saying: 'Al Ittihad is a good team, but we have a goal to accomplish. We're taking it one game at a time.' For the second time in the history of the BAL, a Rwandan team has reached the semifinals, APR beating Rivers Hoopers 104—73 in Monday's earlier quarterfinal. Patriots Basketball Club was the first Rwandan team to reach the last four in the inaugural BAL season in 2021. The Rwandan champions displayed complete dominance from start to finish and never trailed, registering the largest winning margin in the 2025 playoffs. They became the second team to cross the 100-point mark after Al Ahli Tripoli outscored Kriol Star 107- 81. APR played aggressively on defence and efficiently on offence, taking a 25-point lead (57-32) at half time. The Rwandan side meet Al Ahli Tripoli in Wednesday's earlier semifinal (4pm).
