Tunisia Ends Coronavirus Curfew

Tunisians walk in a street in the village of Sidi Bou Said on May 30, 2020, after shops reopened following a three-month shutdown due to COVID-19. (AFP)
Tunisians walk in a street in the village of Sidi Bou Said on May 30, 2020, after shops reopened following a three-month shutdown due to COVID-19. (AFP)
TT

Tunisia Ends Coronavirus Curfew

Tunisians walk in a street in the village of Sidi Bou Said on May 30, 2020, after shops reopened following a three-month shutdown due to COVID-19. (AFP)
Tunisians walk in a street in the village of Sidi Bou Said on May 30, 2020, after shops reopened following a three-month shutdown due to COVID-19. (AFP)

Tunisian President Kais Saied on Monday ordered an end to a curfew imposed in March to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, his office said, citing success in controlling the disease.

Tunisia has already reopened shops, businesses, mosques, cafes and hotels after locking down nearly all normal business for months.

Tunisia in March closed its international borders, stopped all movement between towns and cities, shuttered mosques, shops, schools, cafes and restaurants, imposed a nightly curfew and stopped people leaving homes at day for most reasons.

It has recorded under 1,087 cases of the coronavirus and 49 deaths, compared with nearly 10,000 cases in neighboring Algeria. The only recent cases came from people arriving into quarantine from abroad.

Schools will stay closed to most students until the start of the new academic year in September and the government still restricts social gatherings at homes and urges the wearing of masks. International borders will reopen fully in late June.

Tunisia’s government has announced compensation measures to help businesses and needy families with the economic effects of the lockdown and has agreed a package of financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund.



Biden Says he Does Not Believe There Will be 'All-out war' in Middle East

President Joe Biden walks from Marine One as he arrives on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, after tours of areas impacted by Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
President Joe Biden walks from Marine One as he arrives on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, after tours of areas impacted by Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
TT

Biden Says he Does Not Believe There Will be 'All-out war' in Middle East

President Joe Biden walks from Marine One as he arrives on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, after tours of areas impacted by Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
President Joe Biden walks from Marine One as he arrives on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, after tours of areas impacted by Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

President Joe Biden said on Thursday he did not believe there is going to be an "all-out war" in the Middle East, a region that has been on edge amid Israel's assaults in Gaza and Lebanon and escalation of the US ally's tensions with Iran, Reuters reported.
The president said that such a war can be avoided but more needed to be done to ensure that.
KEY QUOTES
Asked how confident he was that such a war can be averted, he paused and told reporters: "How confident are you it's not going to rain? Look, I don't believe there is going to be an all-out war. I think we can avoid it."
He added: "But there is a lot to do yet, a lot to do yet."
When asked if he would send American troops to help Israel, he responded: "We have already helped Israel. We are going to protect Israel."
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
Tensions between Iran and Israel have been high as Israel has been weighing options to respond to Tehran's ballistic missile attack on Tuesday, which Iran had carried out in response to Israel's military action in Lebanon.
CONTEXT
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered by Palestinian Hamas militants' Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200, with about 250 taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health ministry, and displaced nearly Gaza's entire population, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations that Israel denies.
Israel's recent military action in Lebanon has killed hundreds, wounded thousands and displaced a million. Israel says it is targeting Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.