Tunisia Takes Measures to Avoid Same Fate of Beirut Port

A view shows damages at the site of the blast in Beirut's port area, Lebanon. Reuters
A view shows damages at the site of the blast in Beirut's port area, Lebanon. Reuters
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Tunisia Takes Measures to Avoid Same Fate of Beirut Port

A view shows damages at the site of the blast in Beirut's port area, Lebanon. Reuters
A view shows damages at the site of the blast in Beirut's port area, Lebanon. Reuters

The Tunisian government announced it was taking precautionary measures in transporting and storing dangerous materials to limit the risk of an explosion similar to the Beirut port blast a week ago.

The government called for utmost vigilance and caution during the storage, disposal and transportation of dangerous materials.

On August 4, an unsecured stock of ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut’s port killing more than 160 people and injuring 6,000 more. The blast demolished entire neighborhoods of Lebanon’s capital in seconds.

In a statement carried by the German News Agency, the Tunisian government stressed vigilance in law enforcement, while monitoring standards in granting licenses for transportation and storage of dangerous materials.

The cabinet also announced the formation of a national committee in charge of transport and storage of dangerous chemical products.

The committee, which will include representatives from various relevant sectors, was tasked with delivering a report within three weeks.

The cabinet meeting decided to activate the joint local committees so as to control the transport and storage of the dangerous products.

Comparisons between the two countries have been drawn due to heavy bureaucracy and the disruption of services at ports, which increased fears of an explosion in Tunisia similar to the Beirut blast.



Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
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Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)

Dozens of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants will hand over their weapons in a ceremony in northern Iraq on Friday, marking a symbolic but significant first step toward ending a decades-long insurgency with Türkiye.

The PKK, locked in conflict with the Turkish state and outlawed since 1984, decided in May to disband, disarm and end its armed struggle after a public call to do so from its long-imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, Reuters said.

After a series of failed peace efforts, the new initiative could pave the way for Ankara to end an insurgency that has killed over 40,000 people, burdened the economy and wrought deep social and political divisions in Türkiye and the wider region.

Around 40 PKK militants and one commander were expected to hand over their weapons at the ceremony in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, people familiar with the plan said. The PKK is based in northern Iraq after being pushed well beyond Türkiye’s frontier in recent years.

The arms are to be destroyed later in another ceremony attended by Turkish and Iraqi intelligence figures, officials of Iraq's Kurdistan regional government, and senior members of Türkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM party - which also played a key role in facilitating the PKK's disarmament decision.

The PKK, DEM and Ocalan have all called on Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's government to address Kurdish political demands. In a rare online video published on Wednesday, Ocalan also urged Türkiye's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage the broader peace process.

Ankara has taken steps toward forming the commission, while the DEM and Ocalan have said that legal assurances and certain mechanisms were needed to smooth the PKK's transition into democratic politics.

Erdogan has said his government would not allow any attempts to sabotage the disarmament process, adding he would give people "historic good news".

Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan's AK Party, said the disarmament process should not be allowed to drag on longer than a few months to avoid it becoming subject to provocations.