Briefly

TUNISIA

President sacks PM, suspends parliament

Tunisian President Kais Saied announced on Sunday evening that he had removed Hichem Mechichi as prime minister and suspended the legislature. Saied said he will temporarily head the government until he appoints a new prime minister. The president also announced that he annulled the immunity afforded to members of the parliament, called the Assembly of People's Representatives. Violent protests broke out on Sunday in several Tunisian provinces as protesters expressed anger at the deterioration of the North African nation's health, economic and social conditions.

AFGHANISTAN

Civilian casualties reach record high: UN report

The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan has reached a record high in first half of 2021 as the conflicts continued to escalate amid US and NATO troops' withdrawal, a report released by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan revealed on Monday. The 2021 Afghanistan Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Midyear Report found that 1,659 civilians were killed while 3,254 civilians were wounded in conflicts in the first six months of the year. The figures showed a 47-percent increase in overall civilian casualties, including deaths and injuries, during the period, compared with the same period in 2020, according to the report.

UNITED NATIONS

G20 urged to show the way on climate

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for leadership from the Group of 20 nations on action against climate change. Science shows that the world must achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, but the world is way off track, said Guterres. With fewer than 100 days left before the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, he urged all G20 and other leaders to commit to net-zero emissions by midcentury, present more ambitious 2030 national climate plans and deliver on policies aligned with a net-zero future.

Xinhua - Agencies