Tunisia News

Divers discover French WWI submarine off Tunisia

By AFP

La Marsa - Tunisian divers have discovered a French submarine wreck from World War I, the Ariane, which was sunk by a German submarine in 1917.

Tunisian officer stabbed to death, 3 'terrorists' killed in firefight

By AFP

Sousse - Attackers with knives killed a Tunisian National Guard officer and wounded another Sunday before three assailants were shot dead in a firefight, the security force said, labelling it a "terrorist" act.

Tunisia lawmakers approve new government

By AFP

Tunis - Tunisia's parliament approved the country's third government in less than a year on Wednesday, overcoming discontent among lawmakers incensed by how the administration was formed and averting the threat of disruptive early elections.

Italy's Lampedusa new target of far-right anger over migrants

By AFP

Lampedusa - Out in the Mediterranean, under a baking sun, fisherman Ezio Billeci comes across a boat of vulnerable migrants and calls for help, but for hours the only response he gets from Italian authorities is to "stand by".

Passion for purple revives ancient dye in Tunisia

By AFP

Tunis - A Tunisian man has pieced together bits of a local secret linked to ancient emperors: how to make a prized purple dye using the guts of a sea snail.

Tunisia interior minister named new PM

By AFP

Tunis - Tunisia's interior minister Hichem Mechichi has been appointed to form the next government, the president's office said, amid political tensions among major parties in the North African country.

Identifying migrants who died at sea meticulous work for Tunisia

By AFP

Sfax - 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.

Political stagnation and virus galvanise Maghreb migrants

By AFP

Alger - "Here, I don't exist -- I die little by little," said Hamid, a young Algerian, his gaze fixed on Mediterranean waters he sees as his route to a better future."My only hope is to leave for Europe.

Morocco artisans fear 'knockout punch' from virus

By AFP

Rabat - Pottery, basketwork and wrought-iron furniture pile up in the deserted stalls of the Oulja arts and crafts complex in Sale near the Moroccan capital Rabat.Artisans have been starved of income for almost three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A World Redrawn: Re-think gender roles, says Tunisian feminist Bochra Belhaj Hmida

By AFP

Tunis - During Tunisia's coronavirus lockdown, feminist activist and former lawmaker Bochra Belhaj Hmida has been worrying about family violence, rethinking gender roles -- and crocheting.

Young Tunisians eat in secret despite Ramadan and lockdown

By AFP

Nicosia - Hiding snacks under their beds or behind piles of clothes, young Tunisians are finding ways to subvert the Ramadan fast -- despite being locked down with their Muslim conservative parents.

Coronavirus crisis punctures Tunisia tourism rebound

By AFP

Tunis - 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.

Tunisia hopes novel methods will aid virus fight

By AFP

Tunis - The feared impact of coronavirus on Tunisia's fragile public health system has provoked a flurry of innovation from robotics to digitalisation efforts to bolster the North African country's pandemic response.

Pandemic worsens plight of Middle East prisoners

By AFP

Apo - As governments in the Middle East isolate their populations to prevent the spread of coronavirus, attention is turning to the region's jails, where detainees face a more punishing form of lockdown.

Tunisian handed ten years for ricin bomb plot in Germany

By AFP

Berlin - A German court sentenced a 31-year-old Tunisian to ten years in prison Thursday for planning a foiled biological bomb attack with the deadly poison ricin.Islamic State sympathiser Sief Allah H.

Suicide attackers hit outside US embassy in Tunis

By AFP

Tunis - Suicide attackers struck outside the US embassy in the Tunisian capital on Friday, killing a police officer, wounding six other people and once again shaking a city repeatedly hit by jihadist violence.

Suicide attackers strike outside US embassy in Tunis

By AFP

Tunis - A double suicide attack shook the Tunisian capital on Friday as assailants wounded six people including police guarding the US embassy, authorities said.

Tunisian parliament rejects government of Habib Jemli

By AFP

Tunis - Tunisia's parliament Friday rejected the government proposed by Prime Minister-designate Habib Jemli after months of negotiations between political parties to fill positions.

Tunisians march against violence towards women

By AFP

Tunis - Several hundred mostly women protesters rallied in the Tunisian capital on Saturday against violence targeting women, urging authorities to act to ensure their rights.

Triggered by MP's disgrace, Tunisia's #MeToo breaks taboos

By AFP

Tunis - Viral images of a Tunisian lawmaker allegedly masturbating outside a high school have sparked the country's own #MeToo moment, with sex abuse victims breaking taboos under the hashtag #EnaZeda.

Newly sworn-in Tunisia president pledges to heal divisions

By AFP

Tunis - Tunisia's new President Kais Saied vowed Wednesday to defend women's rights, reunite the country and restore trust in its leaders as the political outsider outlined his agenda following a surprise election victory.

What next for Tunisia's new president?

By AFP

Tunis - Tunisia's president-elect Kais Saied has won a clear mandate to fight corruption and promote social justice, even though his role focuses on security and diplomacy.

Official results set to seal outsider's victory in Tunisia polls

By AFP

Tunis - Tunisia's electoral commission was expected to confirm Monday that voters gave conservative political outsider Kais Saied a sweeping mandate to be the next president, thanks largely to young people who flocked to his side.

Media mogul, academic face off as Tunisians choose president

By AFP

Tunis - Tunisians voted on Sunday in a presidential runoff pitting a conservative academic against a media magnate fresh out of jail, reflecting a shift in the country's post-revolution political landscape.

Jailed Tunisia presidential candidate Karoui to go free: lawyer

By AFP

Tunis - Tunisia's jailed presidential candidate Nabil Karoui is expected to walk free later Wednesday, his lawyer said, just days ahead of a runoff vote.

Anti-establishment parties battle political elite in Tunisia election

By AFP

Tunis - Tunisians headed to the polls Sunday for the third round of legislative elections since the country's 2011 revolution, weeks after a presidential vote swept aside the post-Arab Spring political establishment.

Tunisians spoilt for choice in Sunday's parliamentary vote

By AFP

Tunis - Just weeks after Tunisians rejected ruling political parties in the first round of presidential polls, voters are set to return to the ballot box on Sunday to elect a new parliament.

Anti-party Aich Tounsi shakes up Tunisian election

By AFP

Ariana - With punching bags for "beating corruption" and clowns to yellow-card the system, an independent Tunisian "anti-party" has launched an unusual campaign to win over voters fed up with political elites.

After Thomas Cook fallout, Tunisia looks beyond seaside packages

By AFP

Tunis - British tour operator Thomas Cook going bankrupt may not spell the end of tourism in Tunisia, but it highlights the need to diversify the key sector beyond all-inclusive beach holidays.

Tunisia turns the page on Ben Ali

By AFP

Tunis - With the burial in Saudi exile Saturday of former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia is turning the page on more than two decades of nepotism and repression with a large dose of indifference.