Tunisian President Kais Saied has ordered the country's justice minister to slash the wages of judges who began a week-long strike on Monday.
Last week, Mr Saied last dismissed 57 judges by presidential decree, accusing them of corruption and protecting terrorists — a move that extended his reach within the judiciary.
Four judges' unions pushed back against the sackings, which they consider to be "interference" in the judiciary.
Tunisia has been reeling from political turmoil after Mr Saied's decision to dissolve parliament last year — a move that the opposition said is an attempt by the president to seize power.
In February, Mr Saied also dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council which is responsible for appointing judges independently.
“Issuing a decision without questioning or any internal disciplinary action leads to the creation of a fragile judiciary which only benefits the president,” Afif Jaibi, a judge at the Court of Cassation, told The National earlier.
Another judge, Ahmed Abidi, who specialises in family cases, said he learned of his dismissal after reading about it in the newspaper.
“I was not even informed of the decision. I only read it in media … I don’t even deal with major cases; I was shocked,” he told The National.
The country is also in the middle of a constitutional re-write, which will reportedly not contain any references to Islam, Tunisia's official religion.
The constitution adopted three years after its 2011 revolution describes Tunisia as "a free, independent and sovereign state, Islam is its religion and Arabic is its language".
But Sadeq Belaid, the legal expert appointed last month to lead the committee drafting the new constitution, told AFP that "80 per cent of Tunisians are against extremism and against the use of religion for political ends".
"That's exactly what we want to do, simply by erasing Article 1 in its current form," he said.
Mr Belaid confirmed to AFP that there would be no reference to Islam in the draft, which will be presented to Mr Saied before a planned July 25 referendum on the new constitution.
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Kill%20
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Bullet%20Train
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Company%C2%A0profile
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Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)
Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)
Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30:
- UAE bt Nepal by 78 runs
- Hong Kong bt Singapore by 5 wickets
- Oman bt Malaysia by 2 wickets
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
