Sustainable fishing in Tunisia

Over 100 members of the moderate Islamist Ennahda movement have stepped down due to frustration with their party's leader. Meanwhile, international rights groups have slammed a "power grab" by President Kais Saied.

The actions of President Kais Saied continue to divide Tunisia. Former allies have decried his most recent moves, but it's still impossible to know how the majority of Tunisians feel about him.

An ongoing battle between fishermen from the UK and France has enraged Paris as tiny Jersey rejects fishing license applications. French authorities called the move "totally unacceptable," threatening retaliation.

President Kais Saied has sworn in a record number of women to Tunisia's new government. The move comes after he assumed new executive powers, with the opposition accusing him of a power grab.

Tensions over licensing rules for European Union fishing boats are rising as France has vowed to block access to its ports and the United Kingdom has threatened a "calibrated response.''

Tunisia's independent media regulator shuttered Nessma TV, owned by President Kais Saied's political rival. Quran Kareem, a religious radio station, was also closed.

The two countries have feuded intensely over fishing rights since the UK's decision to leave the EU. The move comes after France seized a British boat in French waters.

The French prosecutor says the captain of the Cornelis Gert Jan faces a possible €75,000 fine for "non-authorized fishing in French waters" by a non-EU boat. The scallop dredger was seized Thursday off Le Havre.

The French president said other nations were watching as the UK clashed with France following its departure from the EU. Tit-for-tat measures are now threatened in the row over post-Brexit access to fishing waters.

Tunisia’s lagoon farmers north of Tunis face the real-world impacts of climate change as rising sea levels, hotter weather and scant rainfall threaten to wipe out crop – and an agricultural system dating back to the 17th century.

Protesters gathered at the Agareb landfill to protest its reopening on Wednesday, a day after a demonstrator died from allegedly inhaling tear gas fired by police at a similar rally. "It is not reasonable for the army to protect a place of waste and to fire tear gas and attack the protesters," said a protester. Tunisia’s General Trade Union (UGTT) called for a general strike and a day of mourning in Agareb following the death of the 35-year-old protester.  

In tonight's edition: Tunisia's president says the democratically-elected parliament will remain suspended for at least another year. Kais Saied also announced a referendum and elections for 2022.