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  1. Tunisian MP sues president for 'grabbing power'

    Ahmed Rouaba

    BBC News

    President Kais Saied
    Image caption: President Kais Saied is accused of changing the political system

    A Tunisian MP has filed a legal court against President Kais Saied for violating the constitution and suspending parliament last month.

    Bichr Chebbi, of the Ennahdha party, is accusing the president of a power grab and using the military force to shut down parliament.

    Ennahdha party, the largest party in parliament, has distanced itself from Mr Chebbi's court case.

    But it has denounced the president’s measures, which have included the sacking of the prime minister.

    The 63-year-old leader's actions have largely been welcomed by those deeply disillusioned by the performance of the country's political parties.

    Mr Saied says he wants to save the country from collapse amid economic woes and rising Covid cases.

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  2. Tunisia's Paralympic shot put champion breaks record

    Ahmed Rouaba

    BBC News

    Tunisia's Paralympic veteran Raoua Tlili has proven she reigns supreme by winning gold in the women's shot put F41 in Japan - and breaking a world record.

    She produced the 10.55m record-breaking throw in the second round.

    This is the 31-year-old's fifth Paralympic gold - following on from two at Rio in 2016, one in London in 2012 and her first Beijing in 2008.

    It is also Tunisia's first medal at the Paralympics.

    View more on twitter

    “I want to show everyone that a woman of short stature can do extraordinary performances," World Para Athletics quotes her as saying.

  3. Paralympics: First medal for Algeria with judo gold

    Ahmed Rouaba

    BBC News

    Algeria's Cherine Abdellaoui has won gold in the women's 52kg judo event at the Paralympics in Tokyo.

    The 22-year-old beat her Canadian opponent Priscilla Gagne. A perfect present on the eve of her birthday.

    Judo at the Paralympics is only open to athletes with a visual impairment.

    The official Paralympics Twitter account said it was a tough fight for Abdellaoui - who won bronze at Rio in 2016 - to win Algeria's first gold of the Games:

    View more on twitter
  4. Algeria to cut gas supplies to Morocco

    Ahmed Rouaba

    BBC News

    Workers riding bikes leaving the In Amenas gas plant, 1,300km (800 miles) south-east of Algiers, Algeria -  January 2018
    Image caption: The oil and gas sector is the backbone of Algeria's economy

    Algeria has announced it will not renew a gas-supply agreement with Morocco days after severing diplomatic relations with its North African neighbour.

    Rabat is currently taking 900,000 cubic metres per year of Algerian natural gas from the Maghreb-Europe pipeline, which runs from Algeria to Spain and Portugal through Moroccan territories.

    The contract with Morocco expires in October.

    In a meeting with the Spanish ambassador, Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab said Spain's gas would be provided in future via an alternative pipeline called Medgaz, which connects from Beni Saf in Algeria to Almeria in Spain without going through Morocco.

    It has capacity of eight billion cubic metres a year, which can be increased, according to Mr Arkab.

    On Tuesday, Algeria cut ties with Morocco, accusing Rabat of "hostile actions" for backing Tizi Ouzou separatists.

    Morocco has dismissed the accusations as "absurd".

    The two countries have long had a fractious relationship - especially over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

  5. Morocco rejects Algeria's reasons for severing ties

    Ahmed Rouaba

    BBC News

    Algeria fires
    Image caption: Algeria has accused members of the MAK separatist movement of starting forest fires

    Morocco has rejected reasons put forward by Algeria in its decision to sever diplomatic relations with its North African neighbour.

    Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra announced his country’s decision on Tuesday to cut all ties with Morocco for "hostile acts".

    Algiers accused its neighbour of providing support to members of the MAK separatist movement, which is fighting for self-determination in the Kabylie region of Algeria.

    MAK is believed to have started forest fires in Algeria, and is also accused of involvement in the killing of a man mistaken for an arsonist.

    In response, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "Morocco rejects this unjustified decision. The pretext is fallacious and absurd.

    "The Moroccan kingdom will however remain a credible and loyal to the Algerian people and will continue to act with wisdom."

    The Algerian foreign ministry had previously summoned the Moroccan ambassador over remarks the Moroccan envoy to the UN had made backing the separatist movement in Algeria.

    Rabat has not provided a response to Algiers questions. This is believed to have exacerbated the row between the two countries and led to Algeria severing all ties.

    Morocco has also been accused of using Israeli technology to spy on journalists and foreign officials, including Algerian military and political leaders. The Moroccan government denies this.

    The already fractious relations between Algeria and Morocco over Western Sahara has worsened recently with Rabat re-establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.

  6. Algeria cuts ties with Morocco over 'hostile acts'

    Ahmed Rouaba

    BBC News

    A wildfire in Algeria - August 2021
    Image caption: Morocco has been accused of backing a separatist movement that officials believe started fires in Algeria

    Algeria has severed all ties with Morocco, accusing its North African neighbour of “hostile acts”.

    The move comes a week after Algeria accused Morocco of complicity in starting recent forest fires that ravaged coastal regions.

    “We have decided to sever diplomatic relations with Morocco staring from today,” Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said at a press conference.

    "The Moroccan kingdom has never stopped its hostile actions against Algeria."

    Algeria has also been upset by recent accusations that Morocco used Israeli technology to spy on journalists and political leaders, including high-ranking Algerian political and military officials. These allegations have been denied by Rabat.

    The two countries have long had a fractious relationship - especially over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

    Morocco has annexed the region, however Algeria backs the Polisario Front, which has been fighting for independence of the former Spanish colony for the Saharawi people since the 1970s.

    The border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed since 1994.

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  7. Algeria cracks down on TV satellite stations

    Ahmed Rouaba

    BBC News

    The Algerian government has shut down two private TV channels for breaching broadcast regulations.

    El Djazairia One channel has been closed permanently and with immediate effect - though the communications ministry did not specify exactly what broadcast rules had been broken.

    But the ministry said the owners of the channel had been charged with the illegal transfer of money and money laundering.

    El Bilad TV has had its licence revoked for a week for failing to protect children by repeatedly showing pictures showing the killing of artist Djamel Ben Ismail in the recent wild fires.

    He was lynched by a crowd after being wrongly suspected of starting some forest fires, when he had come to help put them out.

    The authorities exercise broad control over the media in the North Africa nation.

    Until 2014, a state monopoly forced private satellite TVs to operate from outside Algeria.

    Less than 10 are now authorised to operate within the country.

  8. Video content

    Video caption: Leak video shows abuse inside Iran's notorious Evin prison

    Security footage released by hackers shows mistreatment inside Iran's notorious Evin prison.

  9. Egypt says Mohamed Salah call-up blocked

    BBC World Service

    Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Southampton FC at Anfield on February 01, 2020 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
    Image caption: The Liverpool forwards captains Egypt's national team

    The Egyptian Football Association says Liverpool have refused to release footballer Mohamed Salah for World Cup qualifiers next month because he would be forced into a 10-day coronavirus quarantine on his return to England.

    British media are reporting that the club will also not permit three Brazilian stars, Roberto Firmino, Allison and Fabinho, to join their national team.

    Other European clubs are understood to be considering similar action for players travelling to red list countries, putting them on a potential collision course with football's world governing body.

    Fifa last month scrapped an exemption introduced last year amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which allowed clubs to refuse to release players for international duty should travel restrictions be imposed.

  10. Tunisia president extends parliament's suspension

    handout photo made available by the Tunisian Presidency shows Tunisian President Kais Saied gesturing among supports as he walks protected by security guards in Habib Bourguiba Avenue, Tunis, Tunisia, 01 August 2021
    Image caption: The Tunisian president says he will address the nation in the coming days

    Tunisian President Kais Saied has extended the suspension of parliament and parliamentary immunity until further notice.

    He said he would address the nation in the coming days, without giving further details.

    The president assumed executive authority last month in a surprise move his opponents labelled as a coup.

    Mr Saied, 63, has defended his actions, saying the measures - which also included the sacking of the prime minister - were necessary to save the country from collapse amid economic woes and rising Covid cases.

    The president was elected in a landslide in 2019 promising to stand up against corruption.

  11. Morocco prepares Covid vaccine programme for youths

    BBC Monitoring

    The world through its media

    A Moroccan nurse fills a syringe with a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at an inoculation centre in the city of Sale on january 29, 2021

    Morocco is preparing to launch a Covid-19 vaccination campaign for those aged 12-17, according to local media.

    Said Afif, a member of the health ministry's scientific committee, told Morocco World News that various government ministries were working on the vaccine scheme for students.

    The country has succeeded in a rapid roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine, and has administered the highest number of vaccines of any African country by a significant margin.

    Currently almost half the population of 36.5 million people have received one dose of the vaccine, while 12 million have been fully jabbed, according to the health ministry.

    Morocco's success has been attributed to its early acquisition of vaccine deals, its effective deployment of healthcare staff, and the government's communications strategy with Moroccans.

    Sources told local outlet Le 360 that the Moroccan cabinet has agreed to extend a nationwide state of health emergency until 10 October.

    The country is still battling a wave of infections due to the spread of the Delta variant.

    In total, nearly 811,000 case have been recorded in Morocco since the outbreak began, along with 11,792 Covid-related deaths.