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Tunisia

Tunisian court sentences journalist Zied El-Heni to four years, Mondher Ounissi to nine

Tunisian court sentences journalist Zied El-Heni to four years, Mondher Ounissi to nine

A Tunis court sentenced El-Heni to four years and former Ennahdha interim leader Mondher Ounissi to nine on October 27, over leaked recordings, charged among other things with contact with foreign agents under anti-terrorism law; some co-defendants received 25 years. The journalists' union SNJT said El-Heni's lawyers could not argue their case and he was barred from attending in person, calling his work verifying the recordings' authenticity legitimate journalism.

Tunisia's prime minister joins Russia-Africa summit in Moscow

Tunisia's prime minister joins Russia-Africa summit in Moscow

Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri is in Moscow from October 27 to 29 for the Russia-Africa summit, hosted by President Putin and covering trade, energy, infrastructure and health. Foreign minister Mohamed Ali Nafti is also attending, with Tunisia's delegation framing the visit around economic cooperation.

Tunisia's parliament lets owners of unauthorised farm wells pay 3,500 dinars to legalise them

Tunisia's parliament lets owners of unauthorised farm wells pay 3,500 dinars to legalise them

Lawmakers passed the bill 79 to 7 on October 27, letting owners pay 3,500 dinars to regularise wells drilled before December 2024 and giving owners until the end of 2027 to regularise them and gain access to state support. The law also requires meters and extraction monitoring, after illegal drilling pulled an estimated 827 million cubic metres of groundwater in 2024.

Shell seeks more than $680 million from Tunisia over two gas concessions

Shell seeks more than $680 million from Tunisia over two gas concessions

Shell is seeking more than $680 million, according to the law firm representing the Tunisian state; it filed the arbitration claim in April under a 1989 UK-Tunisia investment treaty after exiting the offshore Miskar and Hasdrubal gas fields; a tribunal under Belgian arbitrator Bernard Hanotiau was seated on October 20. Tunisia's state lawyers have not disclosed their defence, and no ruling has been issued.

Geopolitics

Israel's exit polls show Netanyahu and opposition tied, Arab-led parties projected record Knesset gains

Israel's exit polls show Netanyahu and opposition tied, Arab-led parties projected record Knesset gains

Exit polls after Israel's October 27 election show Prime Minister Netanyahu's bloc and Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc tied at 51 seats each, short of the 61 needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The Joint List and Ra'am are projected to win a combined 18 seats, their best result ever, after turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel reached roughly 80%. Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas said 'there is no government' with the numbers as they stand, since both main blocs campaigned against relying on Arab party support.

Egypt's parliament authorises military support for Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks

Egypt's parliament authorises military support for Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks

Egyptian lawmakers voted by the required two-thirds majority on October 27 to let President el-Sisi send forces to help defend Saudi territory if Riyadh asks, after repeated Houthi strikes on the kingdom including on Riyadh's main airport. El-Sisi said the role would be limited to defending Saudi soil and borders, explicitly ruling out any part in strikes on Yemen.

Egyptian court orders closure of independent news site Mada Masr

Egyptian court orders closure of independent news site Mada Masr

A Cairo court ordered Mada Masr's closure, a 3-million-Egyptian-pound fine and the confiscation of its equipment, citing a 2018 media law that penalises running an unlicensed news website. Editor-in-chief Lina Attalah, already sentenced in absentia in 2024 over the same site, says Mada Masr applied for a licence in 2018 and 2020 and only learned of the rejection during a later prosecution. The site has been blocked inside Egypt since 2017; this is the first of six cases against it in six years to reach trial.

Europe

Poland and the UK sign three-year defence plan on AI and drones

Poland and the UK sign three-year defence plan on AI and drones

Poland and the United Kingdom signed a three-year defence cooperation plan on October 27 covering artificial intelligence, drones, anti-drone systems and joint exercises. UK defence secretary Wes Streeting called Russian hybrid attacks on Poland 'terrorism sponsored by a state', while Polish minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Warsaw wants greater European capability, not independence from the United States.

Norway says successful cyberattacks on its organisations have tripled in six months

Norway says successful cyberattacks on its organisations have tripled in six months

Norway's National Security Authority said on October 27 that successful cyberattacks on Norwegian organisations, including defence and critical infrastructure firms, have tripled over the past six months. Director Arne Christian Haugstøyl said the agency is going public because strengthening resilience is 'absolutely necessary', and warned separately that artificial intelligence is helping attackers find vulnerabilities faster than defenders can respond.

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