Tunisian president names one of his staunchest supporters as interior minister

Tunisian president names one of his staunchest supporters as interior minister
Tunisian President Kais Saied (AFP)
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Updated 18 March 2023

Tunisian president names one of his staunchest supporters as interior minister

Tunisian president names one of his staunchest supporters as interior minister
  • Taoufik Charfeddine, a close aide of President Kais Saied, announced Friday he had resigned to spend more time with his three children following the death of his wife last year.
  • Replacing Charfeddine as interior minister is Kamal Feki, governor of Tunis since 2021 and also part of Saied’s inner circle

TUNIS: Tunisian President Kais Saied named Kamal Feki, the former governor of Tunis, as his new interior minister on Friday, just hours after Taoufik Charfeddine resigned from the post, amid a crackdown of prominent opposition figures that has prompted international ire.
Tunisian interior minister Taoufik Charfeddine, a close aide of President Kais Saied, announced Friday he had resigned to spend more time with his three children following the death of his wife last year.
Charfeddine, 54, who had held his post since October 2021, told reporters he wished to thank the president for “his understanding and for allowing me to be relieved of my duties.”
“The time has come for me to dedicate myself to this responsibility she left me,” he said.
Replacing Charfeddine as interior minister is Kamal Feki, governor of Tunis since 2021 and also part of Saied’s inner circle.
A former lawyer, Charfeddine was a key figure in the election campaign that propelled the previously little-known Saied to the presidency in 2019.
After Saied froze parliament and sacked the then-government in a dramatic July 2021 move against the sole democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings, Charfeddine became a close adviser.
As the president pushed through sweeping changes to the country’s political system, concentrating near-total power in his office, Charfeddine was one of the most outspoken defenders of Saied’s power grab.
Saied’s office regularly released video footage of the two men’s meetings in the presidential palace.
During the wave of arrests that accompanied Saied’s power grab, Charfeddine held news conferences to defend the incarceration of opposition politicians.
When the vice president of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, the largest in parliament before its dissolution by Saied, went on hunger strike to protest his detention, Charfeddine alleged that terrorism fears had forced the security forces to respond.
“There were fears of acts of terrorism targeting the country’s security and we had to act,” the minister said last year of the arrest of Noureddine Bhiri, a former justice minister.
Last month, Charfeddine was by Saied’s side as Tunisia faced an international outcry over a tirade by the president against illegal migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.
“There is no question of allowing anyone in an illegal situation to stay in Tunisia,” the president said in one of his videotaped meetings with the minister.
“I will not allow the institutions of the state to be undermined or the demographic composition of Tunisia to be changed.”
The president’s speech two nights previously had triggered a wave of violence against African migrants and prompted several West African countries to organize repatriation flights for fearful nationals.
On March 8, more than 30 Tunisian non-governmental organizations demanded an apology from Charfeddine after he branded as “traitors” the president’s many critics in the private sector, the media and trade unions.
They accused him of using the “language of threat and intimidation” to “sow division” among Tunisians as part of a “dangerous populist discourse that foreshadows a police state” like the one overthrown in the country’s 2011 uprising.


Jordan witnessing evolution in political modernization: Hanns Seidel official

Jordan witnessing evolution in political modernization: Hanns Seidel official
Updated 31 March 2023

Jordan witnessing evolution in political modernization: Hanns Seidel official

Jordan witnessing evolution in political modernization: Hanns Seidel official
  • Modern legislation allows youngsters to participate, says regional representative Christoph Dewartz
  • Goals are in line with the objectives of the government in strengthening the role of women, youth in public work

AMMAN: Jordan is witnessing a remarkable transformation in its modernization of the political system, a Hanns Seidel Foundation official said on Friday.
Christoph Dewartz, the regional representative of the HSF’s Jordan office, said: “The country is moving toward the goals set to enhance the role of youth and women in partisan and political participation.”
He told the Jordan News Agency that the country’s legislation allowed people to participate in a way that moved civil society toward the future it wants, while giving it new impetus to face challenges.
The HSF, which is a political research foundation, has been committed to its fundamental philosophy of “serving democracy, peace and development,” since its formation in 1966.
Dewartz told Petra that the HSF and the Jordanian government both wanted to increase and strengthen the participation of women and youth in public work.
He added that this would be through programs implemented by the foundation in partnership with the government and CSOs.
He said: “[The] HSF sought to achieve the recommendations of the Royal Commission to reform the political system, since it established several programs and projects to educate Jordanians about the new partisan laws and the need to participate in decision making and policies.”
The foundation has supported the training of 4,500 public officials and youths on the subjects of good governance, integrity and combating corruption.
Dewartz added that next month the foundation will launch the She Can project, which aims to create a national pressure platform for women in remote areas of Jordan.


Scientists show Syrian rubble safe to use in new concrete buildings

Scientists show Syrian rubble safe to use in new concrete buildings
Updated 31 March 2023

Scientists show Syrian rubble safe to use in new concrete buildings

Scientists show Syrian rubble safe to use in new concrete buildings
  • Researchers from UK, Syria and Turkiye find greener way to reduce costs of rebuilding country
  • At least 130,000 buildings in Syria thought to have been destroyed by conflict, earthquakes

LONDON: Scientists in the UK, Syria and Turkiye have shown recycled concrete rubble from buildings ruined in the Syrian civil war can be safely used in new concrete construction.

It means the country, which along with Turkiye was devastated by a serious earthquake in February, can use the estimated 40 million tonnes of concrete debris at its disposal to help rebuild in an environmentally friendly, cost-effective manner.

The scientists showed that incorporating the old concrete into up to half of new concrete aggregate (small pieces of rock) mixes does not significantly weaken it.

Rubble, crushed and checked for impurities from 10 sites in northern Syria, was used in aggregate mixes tested for strength and resistance to corrosive gasses and water.

Having passed all the tests, the scientists now believe that the same standards could be applied to concrete rubble in other parts of the world.

Prof. Abdulkader Rashwani, a concrete expert from Sham University in Aleppo, was forced to flee to Gaziantep, Turkey during the civil war. He traveled back to Syria daily to conduct his research.

Forty percent of the buildings in Aleppo are thought to have been destroyed over the past decade.

“A lot of people needed our help, so we went there and forgot about all the bad consequences,” he said. “We have now started to go to some local councils and help them to put some plans in place for the future. We can at least try to make this region safer and give people some hope.”

In total, around 130,000 buildings are thought to have been destroyed across Syria, with 70 percent of them made from reinforced concrete. As well as buildings, the new findings could be used to replace and fix other infrastructure, such as damaged roads.

Dr. Theodore Hanein, of the University of Sheffield in England, said that the project had been “awesome” and could “make a difference.”

“Sadly, the war has left many buildings destroyed and now, after the devastating earthquake, even more buildings have been damaged or destroyed in northern parts of the country,” he said.

“People will want to rebuild the places destroyed. (Recycling) will save a lot of transportation from bringing in raw materials and that’s usually where you have the most cost and aggregate is becoming scarce. People (in Syria) basically have nothing at the moment.”

The research was published in the Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering.

 

 


Mohammed Bin Rashid Library launches ‘A World Reads’ initiative

Mohammed Bin Rashid Library launches ‘A World Reads’ initiative
Updated 31 March 2023

Mohammed Bin Rashid Library launches ‘A World Reads’ initiative

Mohammed Bin Rashid Library launches ‘A World Reads’ initiative
  • Project in line with MBRL’s aim to ignite passion for knowledge in future generations
  • Board member Al-Mazrooei: ‘Reading and knowledge initiatives key for individuals to improve quality of life’

DUBAI: The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library has launched the “A World Reads” initiative, in conjunction with UAE Reading Month, to support and enrich libraries, reported Emirates News Agency on Friday.
The initiative is said to have been launched in collaboration with local publishers, special-publication institutions, and a select group of authors and writers to develop school libraries, readers clubs, cafes and government departments.
“A World Reads” comes in line with MBRL’s efforts, vision, and strategy to ignite a passion for knowledge among future generations, said board member Dr. Mohamed Salem Al-Mazrooei.
“It will considerably encourage similar community initiatives and volunteers to support such endeavors, while playing a major role in strengthening partnership between donors and local partners to achieve this vision,” he said.
“Reading and knowledge initiatives are key for individuals to improve their quality of life, enhance their intellectual and learning competencies, and enable them to better communicate and interact with their communities,” added Al-Mazrooei, who stressed that such initiatives should be encouraged in appreciation of their significance as key contributors to building well-educated and developed societies.
The initiative strives to support and enrich school libraries with a valuable and diverse collection of Arabic and English books for children and adults
“A World Reads” also provides support for students participating in the Arab Reading Challenge Award, along with enriching and developing library collections in federal and local government departments, private institutions, universities and colleges.
A unique collection of books in Arabic, English and Braille will be offered to children, young people, adults, people of determination and visually impaired people integrated into education.
MBRL calls upon local publishers, relative public institutions and entities with special publications, writers, and other parties to participate in the initiative, by donating and sharing their unused publications and books.


Abraham Accords prove no such thing as ‘permanent enemies,’ says former Trump adviser Kushner

Abraham Accords prove no such thing as ‘permanent enemies,’ says former Trump adviser Kushner
Updated 31 March 2023

Abraham Accords prove no such thing as ‘permanent enemies,’ says former Trump adviser Kushner

Abraham Accords prove no such thing as ‘permanent enemies,’ says former Trump adviser Kushner
  • Historic peace deals were hugely important for Middle East stability, Jared Kushner tells FII Priority conference

MIAMI: The US-brokered Abraham Accords signed in 2020 between Israel and several Arab neighbors under then-president Donald Trump have shown that there is “no such thing as permanent enemies,” Jared Kushner said on Friday.

Speaking at the FII Priority conference in Miami, the former senior Trump adviser said the peace deals were hugely important for the stability of the Middle East.

He also said they marked a return to close ties and coexistence between Christians, Muslims and Jews in the region before the Second World War, adding: “It’s a beginning of the return to that time.”

Under the accords, Israel normalized relations with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, and has since garnered a closer human connection between their populations, with “Arabs and Muslims now able to say nice things about Israel and Jews,” according to Kushner.

He continued: “It just shows there’s no such thing as permanent enemies, and there’s no such thing as permanent alliances, and that anything is truly possible.”

Speaking about why he made sure Trump’s first foreign visit in 2017 after he became president was to the Middle East, Kushner said it made sense considering that the fight against Daesh was a pressing issue at the time and a priority for Trump.

He also highlighted the chaos in the region at the time, citing the rise of Daesh’s caliphate, Iran’s destabilizing behavior and funding of Hamas and Hezbollah, the Syrian civil war, and crises in Libya and Yemen, saying the previous George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations had “really made a big mess” in the Middle East.

“A lot of the traditional people we were working with were saying, ‘let’s go to Canada or Mexico and kiss a baby,’ and do some, you know, worthless thing,” Kushner said.

During that visit, Trump visited Saudi Arabia, and Kushner told the conference how impressed he was with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, launched under King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudi leadership was as keen as the US administration at the time to focus on shared ambitions and goals, rather than any differences, he said.

Kushner added he could see that the king and crown prince were fully focused on making “big transformations” in the Kingdom, but “traditionalist” policy-planning officials in the US told him the changes would not come to fruition.

“And me having no (political) experience, if somebody’s telling you they want to change, and if we agree with the change, let’s give them a shot to try to do it,” he said. “And so we worked very hard on the trip, and the deliverables from it were truly historic.”

Aside from important economic and security deals signed during the visit to Saudi Arabia, the opening of a center to combat extremism in the country was an outcome of which Kushner is particularly proud.

He highlighted the counterterror financing center, which gave access to US officials to the Middle East’s banking system and allowed the partners to “really fight money that was going to bad actors.”


Tunisia introduces water quota system due to severe drought

Tunisia introduces water quota system due to severe drought
Updated 31 March 2023

Tunisia introduces water quota system due to severe drought

Tunisia introduces water quota system due to severe drought
  • Tunisia recorded drop in dam capacity due to rain scarcity
  • Agriculture ministry banned use of potable water to wash cars, water green areas, clean streets and public places

TUNIS: Tunisia on Friday introduced a quota system for potable water and banned its use in agriculture until Sept. 30 in response to a severe drought that has hit the country, the agriculture ministry said.
Tunisia, which is suffering a fourth straight year of serious drought, recorded a drop in its dam capacity to around 1 billion cubic meters, or 30 percent of the maximum, due to a scarcity of rain from September 2022 to mid-March 2023, senior agriculture ministry official Hamadi Habib said.
The agriculture ministry also banned the use of potable water to wash cars, water green areas and clean streets and public places. Violators face a fine and imprisonment for a period of between six days to six months, according to the Water Law.
Residents said that Tunisian authorities have for the last two weeks been cutting off drinking water at night in some areas of the capital and other cities in a bid to cut consumption, a move that has sparked widespread anger. The government declined to comment on the claim.
The new decision threatens to fuel social tension in a country whose people suffer from poor public services, high inflation and a weak economy.
The Sidi Salem Dam in the north of the country, a key provider of drinking water to several regions, has declined to only 16 percent of its maximum capacity of 580 million cubic meters, official figures showed.
Tunisia’s grain harvest will be “disastrous,” with the drought-hit crop declining to 200,000-250,000 tons this year from 750,000 tons in 2022, senior farmers union official Mohamed Rjaibia told Reuters on Thursday.