BBC News Middle East

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A Tunisian singer who was hailed as the voice of the country's uprising in 2011 has had a forthcoming show cancelled after performing in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Last month Emel Mathlouthi performed in Bethlehem, Ramallah and East Jerusalem to Palestinian audiences.

Following the tour she was accused by pro-Palestinian campaigners of promoting “normalisation” with Israel – and her performance at next week’s Hammamet International Festival in Tunisia has been cancelled.

Ms Mathlouthi said she had been the victim of a “big misinformation campaign” – and the move was “unjustified” because she didn’t perform in Israel.

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The lawyer for a Moroccan man accused of criticising the country's king on social media has told journalists his client has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Said Boukioud was charged with "undermining the monarchy" for comments he posted on Facebook in 2020 criticising Morocco's normalisation of ties with Israel.

He was living in Qatar at the time.

The Moroccan constitution stipulates that foreign affairs are the responsibility of King Mohammed VI and any comments that appear to question his authority are severely penalised.

Mr Boukioud's lawyer, El Hassan Essouni, described the sentence as "harsh and incomprehensible" and said his client would appeal.

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Tunisia's autocratic President Kais Saied has sacked Prime Minister Najla Bouden.

Ms Bouden - the country's first ever female prime minister - was hand-picked by President Saied to lead the government after he removed her predecessor two years ago and took control of almost all state powers.

Her late-night dismissal was followed by the immediate swearing-in of another political unknown, Ahmed Hachani, who previously worked at the Tunisian central bank.

The move comes during a deepening economic and social crisis that has seen a shortage of many key commodities.

Ms Bouden's government had supported an economic reform programme geared towards securing a $2bn (£1.6bn) IMF bailout

Congolese-born French rapper Maitre Gims has cancelled a concert in Tunisia that was scheduled for 11 August.

In an Instagram story, the rapper cited the mistreatment of migrants for the cancellation saying: “Children, women, men expelled from Tunisia to Libya, live in inhumane conditions. I cannot maintain my visit to Tunisia.”

Gims/InstagramCopyright: Gims/Instagram

Libyan guards recently rescued dozens of sub-Saharan migrants in a desert area on the border between the two countries

They said they had been dumped there from Tunisia without water, food or shelter.

Tunisia has become the main departure point for migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

In recent months, black migrants in Tunisia have faced violent attacks due to an increasingly hostile environment.

Tunisia's President Kais Saied has previously accused migrants of partaking in a "plot" to change the country's demographic profile, blaming "traitors who are working for foreign countries". He later denied being racist.

Read more on Tunisia:

• Tunisia migrant attacks: 'They held a knife to my throat'
• Tunisia's El General: The rapper who helped bring down Ben Ali

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Civil defence forces in Tunisia say wildfires which spread across five provinces for several days have now been brought under control.

More than 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of forest in the north western province of Jendouba have been destroyed, however, firefighters still remain on alert.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Countries around the Mediterranean are counting the cost of a week of fires fuelled by high temperatures.

In Greece, emergency services have tried to prevent new flare-ups in the central area of Magnesia.

Searing heat from wildfires triggered powerful explosions at an ammunition depot in the town of Nea Aghialos, prompting the Greek air force to evacuate fighter jets from their base on Thursday.

Tunisia has been battling wildfires with temperatures up to 49C (120F) recorded.

Read more:

• Tunisia fires: 'We had no water to douse the flames'