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Pandemic impact on Tunisia tourism ‘catastrophic’

Tunisia’s tourism sector has collapsed, officials warned on Saturday, with earnings plunging 60% and swathes of hotels at risk of closing permanently. LIVE | All the latest coronavirus and lockdown updates The sector, a major employer that accounts for 14% of the North African nation’s GDP, has been hit hard by restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. “There has been a drop in tourism activities of 60%, and we could reach 70% by the end of 2020,” Tourism Minister Habib Ammar told reporters. Tunisia’s income from tourism this year has totalled just 1.56 billion dinars ($563 million), officials statistics showed. Total bed nights – the number of nights visitors stayed in hotels – dropped by 79.5%. “The current tourism situation is very bad – if not catastrophic,” sai...

Adrien Rabiot: Juventus still on course in Serie A despite blip

Juventus are still on course for this season’s Serie A title despite a blip in form, insists Adrien Rabiot, who says no “catastrophic” damage has been done. Maurizio Sarri’s side are currently sitting top of the Italian top-flight on 77 points, five ahead of second-placed Inter having played a game less. However, the Bianconeri have been fortunate to maintain their lead after a three-match winless run, which began with a 4-2 defeat against Milan at San Siro on July 7. Juve followed up that result with draws against Atalanta and Sassuolo, but Lazio failed to capitalise, losing their last three games to slip down to fourth in the standings. The reigning Italian champions are currently preparing to come up against Lazio in a crunch encounter at the Allianz Stadium on Monday, and Rabiot is con...

19 dead as Iran warship hit by ‘friendly fire’ in tense Gulf

An Iranian warship was hit by a friendly fire missile during naval exercises, killing 19 sailors, state media and the army said Monday, amid tensions with the US in Gulf waters. The incident involving the Konarak vessel occurred on Sunday afternoon near Bandar-e Jask, off the southern coast of the Islamic republic, state television said on its website. “The vessel was hit after moving a practice target to its destination and not creating enough distance between itself and the target,” said the channel. The armed forces said in a statement that 19 crewmen were killed and 15 injured. It said the Konarak had been involved in an “accident” during the exercises, without elaborating. The vessel had been towed ashore for “technical investigations”, it added, calling on people to “avoid speculatio...

UN: Somalia faces dire threats from conflict, natural disasters, coronavirus

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees is appealing for strong International support to help millions of Somalis facing a growing number of catastrophic threats from conflict, natural disasters and the potential spread of COVID-19. More than 220,000 Somalis have fled their homes this year because of drought, heavy flooding and increased violence and atrocities by al-Shabab militants. This brings the total number of those forced from their homes in the country to 2.6 million. The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR says the conflict and natural and climate-related disasters are crippling the country’s economy and threatening the safety and welfare of the displaced Somalis. It warns impending desert locust swarms, which have been creating havoc across parts of East Africa, could destroy much of the n...