
Tunisia's winter of 2025-2026 was marked by significant climatic contrasts, including floods in January, strong winds at the end of the month, and unusually high temperatures in February, according to a bulletin published by the National Institute of Meteorology INM on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. The national average temperature for the winter was 13.7 degrees Celsius, 1.8 degrees Celsius above the seasonal normal, with all regions recording higher-than-average temperatures. February 2026 was the warmest February recorded in Tunisia since 1950, with monthly average temperatures exceeding climatological normals across all 26 national stations. This unusual warmth was accompanied by low precipitation, creating exceptionally hot and dry conditions for a winter period. In contrast, January 2026 was exceptionally rainy, with national rainfall totals reaching 2,453.4 millimeters, more than double the usual values of 1,118.1 millimeters. Major rainfall events occurred on January 19 and 20, 2026, with several stations recording daily records, including 84 millimeters in Tunis and 143.6 millimeters in Monastir on January 19. New monthly records were also set in January, such as 299.1 millimeters in Nabeul and 254.8 millimeters in Tunis. While northern and coastal cities experienced abundant rainfall, southern and southeastern regions faced a pronounced rainfall deficit. Additionally, an intense windy episode occurred between January 28 and 31, 2026, with gusts reaching 129.6 km/h in Ka
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Must ReadA widely shared post on X claiming to rank Africa's largest electricity producers, with Egypt at 62,700 megawatts and South Africa at 61,200 megawatts, followed by Algeria, Nigeria, Morocco, Libya, Ethiopia, Angola, Tunisia, and Ghana, has been found to be misleading. The post conflates installed capacity, measured in megawatts, with actual electricity production, measured in kilowatt-hours or gigawatt-hours per year. Installed capacity refers to the theoretical maximum power plants can generate, while actual production depends on factors like infrastructure availability, fuel access, and demand. Public data on annual electricity production indicates that South Africa generally leads the continent in volume, ahead of Egypt, contradicting the viral post's ranking. While Egypt and South Africa do dominate the continent's electricity sector, and their installed capacities are reportedly close to 50,000 MW, the specific figures of 62,700 MW for Egypt and 61,200 MW for South Africa cited in the viral post are not consistently confirmed by official, dated sources. The inclusion of countries like Tunisia, Ghana, or Angola in the top 10 for installed capacity may be plausible depending on the period and data considered, but the viral post lacks specific references, year of data, or methodology. For example, Tunisia's official data shows an installed capacity of approximately 5,944 MW across about twenty power plants, primarily natural gas thermal, with the Tunisian Electricity and Ga

Tunisia's food trade balance recorded a surplus of 798.3 million dinars by the end of March 2026, a 29.65% increase compared to the same period in the previous year, according to the National Observatory of Agriculture Onagri. The coverage rate improved from 134.8% to 139.6%. This surplus was driven by a 17.9% rise in food exports, notably olive oil exports which increased by 38.1%, despite a 13.9% increase in food imports, including a 7.7% rise in cereal imports. Export prices for olive oil, tomatoes, and citrus fruits decreased by 3.6%, 18.3%, and 6.7% respectively, while prices for fishery products and dates increased by 6.6% and 3.2%. Import prices for durum wheat, soft wheat, and corn decreased by 15.6%, 9.9%, and 7.8% respectively, though barley prices rose by 3.4%. Sugar prices increased by 30.4%, while vegetable oil prices fell by 1% and milk and dairy product prices decreased by 7.8%. The food trade surplus helped mitigate the overall trade deficit, which worsened by 3.62% to -5.23 billion dinars by the end of March 2026, as reported by the National Institute of Statistics INS. Food imports constituted 9.4% of total imports, and food exports accounted for 17.3% of total exports. Onagri highlighted that the food trade surplus contributed 15.3% to offsetting the overall trade deficit.
Must ReadThe Médenine Court of First Instance sentenced human rights activist Abdallah Saïd, president of the "Enfants de la Lune" association, to one year in prison on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. This decision followed his second hearing, with the public prosecutor immediately appealing the verdict. Saïd has been in pre-trial detention since November 12, 2024, for over a year, in connection with his association's humanitarian activities in Médenine, which include social and health support for vulnerable groups. The court had previously rejected his request for release during the first hearing in February 2026. The case was initially directed to the judicial counter-terrorism unit but was later reclassified after the unit concluded there was no terrorist dimension. Accusations of undermining state security and money laundering were also dropped. Currently, only a financial charge remains under investigation, which his defense argues is insufficient to justify his prolonged detention. Civil society organizations, including the collective against the criminalization of humanitarian action, have consistently supported Saïd, denouncing his detention as arbitrary. They highlight his 30-year career as a doctor and civil servant at the Ministry of Health, and his dedication to vulnerable individuals, including people with disabilities, migrant and refugee children, and women and minors who have dropped out of school. His role in establishing the Dar Al-Jam'iyyat space in Médenine, which hosted

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni responded on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, to statements made by American President Donald Trump. Speaking on the sidelines of her visit to the Milan Furniture Fair, Meloni stated she was not affected by Trump's comments, emphasizing her belief in a demanding concept of political and personal relationships. She asserted that courage involves expressing one's thoughts, even when there is disagreement, and that disagreement should not lead to self-censorship or weaken relations between allies. Meloni stressed that these differences of opinion do not undermine the historical relations between Rome and Washington, noting that strong alliances allow for expressing disagreements without jeopardizing cooperation. She believes that friends help each other, especially by voicing their disagreements, advocating for diplomatic frankness in international relations. This comes amidst ongoing transatlantic disagreements and an incident involving Pope Leo XIV. The Pope's call against "the idolatry of self and money" and leaders' displays of force, perceived as a critique of US policy in the Middle East, drew a strong reaction from Trump, who publicly called the Pope "weak" and criticized his stance on Iran. Initially, Meloni offered a measured response, praising the Pope's peace efforts without directly mentioning Trump. However, facing internal criticism, she later deemed Trump's comments about the Pope "unacceptable." Tensions further escalated over Italy'