TUNIS: As day breaks over Tunis, Jamila Ghuili takes her two small children out into the streets to scavenge in waste bins for plastic bottles that she sells to buy food for her family.
Abandoned by her husband, the single mother lives in a poor part of Omrane Superieur, a neighborhood of the capital where Tunisia’s economic malaise is acutely felt.
“Everything has become expensive,” said Ghuili, as her children played next to her.
Exacerbated by the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic grievances have fueled discontent in Tunisia, leading to protests that encouraged President Kais Saied to remove the prime minister and assume governing authority last month.
Ghuili, 55, gathers a few kilograms of dirt-covered plastic each day, foraged from heaps of garbage dumped at the roadside.
The proceeds from selling the plastic, combined with limited financial assistance from the government, amount to 190 Tunisian dinars ($69) a month, around half her monthly rent.
Hamza Ayari, who buys the bottles and re-sells them to factories, says many people are doing the same. “They don’t have any other job, they are poor people,” he said.
Desperate for better lives, some of Omrane Superieur’s residents are hopeful about Saied’s move.
“I salute the people who voted for him, he is a good person,” said Fakhreddine Wannas, 56, a resident. “I hope he can take us out of the dark and into the light.”
It echoes sentiment expressed by other Tunisians who are fed up with political bickering and want to see an improvement in the economy — which shrank by 8.8 percent last year — and more effective action against COVID-19.
Saied, who was elected in 2019, says he will not become a dictator and that the actions he took on July 25, including the 30-day suspension of parliament, were constitutional. He has yet to set out next steps.
Soumaya, who paints henna tattoos for a living, expressed relief about the situation, saying that for a long time Tunisians did not know where they were heading. “Now we are all happy,” said Soumaya, as she painted a child’s hand.
Tunisians hope for better times ahead
https://arab.news/6k3xa
Tunisians hope for better times ahead
- The proceeds from selling the plastic, combined with limited financial assistance from the government
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 10,947
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Thursday, losing 208.20 points, or 1.87 percent, to close at 10,947.25.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.80 billion ($1.28 billion), as 14 of the listed stocks advanced, while 253 retreated.
The MSCI Tadawul Index decreased, down 25.35 points, or 1.69 percent, to close at 1,477.71.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 217.90 points, or 0.92 percent, to close at 23,404.75. This came as 24 of the listed stocks advanced, while 43 retreated.
The best-performing stock was Musharaka REIT Fund, with its share price up 2.12 percent to SR4.34.
Other top performers included Al Hassan Ghazi Ibrahim Shaker Co., which saw its share price rise by 1.18 percent to SR17.20, and Saudi Industrial Export Co., which saw a 0.8 percent increase to SR2.51.
On the downside, Abdullah Saad Mohammed Abo Moati for Bookstores Co. was among the day’s biggest decliners, with its share price falling 9.3 percent to SR39.
National Medical Care Co. fell 8.98 percent to SR128.80, while National Co. for Learning and Education declined 6.35 percent to SR116.50.
On the announcements front, Red Sea International said its subsidiary, the Fundamental Installation for Electric Work Co., has entered into a framework agreement with King Salman International Airport Development Co.
In a Tadawul statement, the company noted that the agreement establishes the general terms and conditions for the execution of enabling works at the King Salman International Airport project in Riyadh.
Under the 48-month contract, the scope of work includes the supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
Utilizing a re-measurement model, specific work orders will be issued on a call-off basis, with the final contract value to be determined upon the completion and measurement of actual quantities executed.
The financial impact of this collaboration is expected to begin reflecting on the company’s statements starting in the first quarter of 2026, the statement said.
The company’s share price reached SR23.05, marking a 2.45 percent decrease on the main market.
