BASRA: Saudi Arabia will ship fuel to city of Basra to help Iraq through its electricity crisis and to keep its suspended power lines in operation, according to reports on Saudi Arabian state TV.
Al-Ekhabriya reports said Saudi Arabia is shipping the fuel to ease the electricity crisis in the country which has resulted in power shortages in parts of Iraq.
Talks between Iraq and Saudi Arabia have led to “positive results” in collaborating in the fields of fuel and energy.
The report said large amounts of fuel will be transported to Iraq from the port of Dammam in Saudi Arabia, and fuel will also be transported to the Al-Qasr port in Basra in the coming days.
Power cuts started last week across Iraq after Iran cut electricity and fuel supplies to the country over payment disputes.
Protests continue across the country as a result of the electricity crisis.
Saudi Arabia supplying fuel to help Basra as Iraq electricity protests continue
Saudi Arabia supplying fuel to help Basra as Iraq electricity protests continue
- Talks between Iraq and Saudi Arabia have led to “positive results” in collaborating in the fields of fuel and energy
- Saudi Arabia will ship fuel to city of Basra to help Iraq through its electricity crisis and to keep its suspended power lines in operation
Tunisian police arrest member of parliament who mocked president
- Ahmed Saidani mocked the president in a Facebook post, describing him as the “supreme commander of sewage and rainwater drainage”
TUNIS: Tunisian police arrested lawmaker Ahmed Saidani on Wednesday, two of his colleagues said, in what appeared to be part of an escalating crackdown on critics of President Kais Saied.
Saidani has recently become known for his fierce criticism of Saied. On Tuesday, he mocked the president in a Facebook post, describing him as the “supreme commander of sewage and rainwater drainage,” blasting what he said was the absence of any achievements by Saied.
Saidani was elected as a lawmaker at the end of 2022 in a parliamentary election with very low voter turnout, following Saied’s dissolution of the previous parliament and dismissal of the government in 2021.
Saied has since ruled by decree, moves the opposition has described as a coup.
Most opposition leaders, some journalists and critics of Saied, have been imprisoned since he seized control of most powers in 2021.
Activists and human rights groups say Saied has cemented his one-man rule and turned Tunisia into an “open-air prison” in an effort to suppress his opponents. Saied denies being a dictator, saying he is enforcing the law and seeking to “cleanse” the country.
Once a supporter of Saied’s policies against political opponents, Saidani has become a vocal critic in recent months, accusing the president of seeking to monopolize all decision-making while avoiding responsibility, leaving others to bear the blame for problems.
Last week, Saidani also mocked the president for “taking up the hobby of taking photos with the poor and destitute,” sarcastically adding that Saied not only has solutions for Tunisia but claims to have global approaches capable of saving humanity.
Under Tunisian law, lawmakers enjoy parliamentary immunity and cannot be arrested for carrying out their duties, although detention is allowed if they are caught committing a crime.
