The independent Tunisian MP Yassine Ayari was expecting a visit from an old friend on the afternoon of July 30 when 10 unidentified men barged into his home, threw his children and mother to the ground, dragged him outside and forced him into an unmarked SUV.
That was just days after President Kais Saied sacked the government and sent the army to close the gates of parliament, and Tunisia was buzzing with nervous excitement as Mr Saied promised to clean house and lead the country out of its political crisis.
"I was kidnapped. Really kidnapped," he said. "They didn't tell me who they were, why they were there or where they were taking me. I was so happy when the car turned on to the road to the prison – prison is an institution; people can find me in prison."
Mr Ayari was the first of several MPs to be imprisoned for outstanding charges after President Kais Saied lifted parliamentary immunity, which he said was to battle corruption in the legislature. While some MPs, many of whom are still free, had outstanding charges for money laundering or sexual harassment, Mr Ayari's crime was of a different nature: insulting the army in a 2018 Facebook post.
It was not his first sojourn in prison. An outspoken anti-corruption activist and critic of power for more than a decade, Mr Ayari is known for pushing the limits of free speech with blunt, often pugnacious blog and Facebook posts aimed at the country's most powerful. Nine times they have landed him in front of military tribunals, despite being a civilian. Two of those trials led to prison terms.
The Presidency and Ministry of the Interior declined to comment on Mr Ayari's account of his arrest or treatment in prison.
After serving his most recent two-month sentence, much of which was spent on hunger strike to protest against what he said were violations of his rights, Mr Ayari was released last Wednesday. In an exclusive interview, he told The National about the role of independents, fighting corruption, and what it will take to turn around Tunisia's political future.
Diagnosing a sick democracy
After years blogging about the Tunisian government's failings, in 2017 Mr Ayari joined its ranks as an independent in the country's legislature. His seat on the floor of the People's Assembly gave him a new window into the sclerotic institution and its follies, which he regularly documented through Facebook posts.
Mr Ayari is clear about the failings of the legislature, which has not delivered economic stability nor reduced the inequality that sparked the revolution, but says people are wrong to cheer its dissolution. "The opposite of a broken assembly is a good assembly, not no assembly or a dictatorship," he said.
For Mr Ayari, the problem is not the institution, but who people have chosen to represent them.
"Tunisians still choose representatives by emotion. They say 'I'll vote for Abir [Moussi, head of the Free Destourian Party] because she will put the Islamists in prison' or 'I'll vote for the Islamists because they will put Abir in prison'. So we still use the democratic tools, but the mindset is totally off. We want to use democracy to break other Tunisians."
He says this short-sightedness is a hangover from the Ben Ali era, when the sole focus of political activity was to fight the regime, not to create platforms or proposals. "The mindset of politics is 'I have to find an enemy', not 'I have to find a solution'," he said.
"We need big ideas. And today political parties don't have them, and Kais Saied doesn't have them."
Although Mr Ayari holds the only seat for his Hope and Work Movement, he is supported by what he says is a small but dedicated group of young, ambitious Tunisians who help him draft proposals for laws that would create state-run cannabis farms, require MPs to disclose their cryptocurrency holdings, harness green energy sources and make a digital platform for women to register complaints of harassment.
"I'm not saying that I have the best solution in the world, but I'm trying to propose a solution," he said.
Corruption in the cross-hairs
Mr Ayari has also built a reputation for aggressively pursuing corruption in the government, bringing case files against powerful people and companies to the judiciary.
A former cyber security analyst, he used his digital sleuthing skills to bring down Mr Saied's hand-selected prime minister, Elyes Fakhfakh.
Documents brought to the judiciary by Mr Ayari indicated the former prime minister owned shares worth millions of dinars in companies with state contracts, prompting Mr Fakhfakh to resign in July 2020.
"It was just two clicks. And I found that he broke the law, one that I voted for. When you are prime minister you don't have the right to do business with the state."
Other investigations, including an ongoing case implicating current and former executives of the Danish shipping giant Maersk in having helped a client, businessman Tahar Latrous, take foreign currency out of the country illegally, took years of sifting through public records to build.
His work has not been without its failings. A file accusing Hamma Hammami, the head of the Worker's Party, of accepting a luxury vehicle as a kickback proved false and Mr Ayari was convicted of defamation.
Mr Ayari says tackling corruption has become a buzzy topic in politics, particularly after Mr Saied made it his central campaign promise. But he rejects any comparison between himself and the president, whom he says is not interested in doing the work to root out corruption, or the political alienation that can come with it.
"It's easy to say this person or that company is corrupt. It's easy, and it gets you votes. But the real work is much harder."
Indeed Mr Ayari sees the president's recent moves as a form of corruption.
"A corrupt man, in the big picture, is someone who breaks the law. Kais Saied broke the constitution. That is the biggest possible corruption."
Despite the difficulty of his most recent prison term – he claims he was denied medical care, that his letters were kept from him, and that he was video recorded at all hours in his cell – Mr Ayari has not stopped his combative approach to questioning those in power.
On Wednesday, police served him with a notice to appear before military court again, this time for Facebook posts calling Mr Saied's suspension of Parliament and dismissal of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi on July 25 a "coup". President Saied has denied his actions constitute a coup.
Mr Ayari sees these trials as part of his path, and is determined to keep pushing his country forward.
"I won't make the mistakes my fathers did. People under Ben Ali fought against the regime, but didn't create alternatives, so when they were given a platform, they had no ideas on how to make things better."
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Duminy's Test career in numbers
Tests 46; Runs 2,103; Best 166; Average 32.85; 100s 6; 50s 8; Wickets 42; Best 4-47
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Schedule:
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
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Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Teams
India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
South Africa (squad): Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The five pillars of Islam
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
