- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
Tunisian president dissolves top judicial watchdog, alleging bias
Tunisian President Kais Saied on Sunday dissolved a top independent judicial watchdog, accusing it of bias in his latest controversial move since he sacked the government last year.
Saied has broadened his grip on power since July 25, when he ousted the prime minister and froze parliament before later moving to rule by decree in Tunisia -- the cradle of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings that ousted a series of autocratic leaders.
Many in the North African nation welcomed his moves against a political system described as corrupt and ineffective, in the only democracy to have emerged from the revolts.
But political figures and rights groups have warned of a slide towards authoritarianism, and world leaders have expressed deep concern.
In a move sparking further unease, Saied announced he was dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council (CSM), which he accused of serving political interests.
The council "is a thing of the past", he said according to video footage released by the Tunisian presidency.
The CSM rejected the move in a statement Sunday, citing the "absence of a legal and constitutional framework" authorising Saied to dissolve it.
CSM members vowed to continue holding their seats on the independent constitutional body set up in 2016 to guarantee the judiciary's good functioning and independence.
But Saied accused it of corruption on a grand scale, saying: "In this council, positions and appointments are sold and made according to affiliations."
"You cannot imagine the money that certain judges have been able to receive, billions and billions," the head of state added.
- 'Illegal and unconstitutional' -
Analysts and political opponents say the government is seeking to clamp down on the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, which has controlled parliament and the various governments since the 2011 revolution toppled veteran leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
The Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists said the president's corruption accusations were "unfounded".
The CSM "has defended the independence of the judiciary" and "any decree to dissolve it is illegal and unconstitutional," and dissolution "would mean the end of the separation of powers."
Ennahdha spokesman Imed Khemiri denounced the decision, which he said "touches on the independence of the judiciary".
It is "a grave precedent that Tunisia never had to submit to, even in the time of the dictator" Ben Ali, Khemiri told AFP.
The president also accused the CSM of delaying politically sensitive investigations into the assassinations of left-wing opposition figures Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi.
The Islamic State group claimed both killings, while Ennahdha, which denounced Saied's power grab as a "coup", has been accused by many of blocking the investigations.
Belaid was shot three times outside his home in February 2013, and Brahmi was killed in similar circumstances in July the same year.
The "July 25 movement" -- composed of Saied supporters -- on Saturday had called on the president to dissolve the CSM in order to "purge" the judiciary of "corrupt magistrates".
The CSM has 45 members, two thirds of whom are judges elected by parliament. They, in turn, choose the remaining third.
Saied last month stripped its members of transport and living allowances.
- 'Not capable' of reform -
Saied has also already called for a July referendum on constitutional reforms. On Sunday he said he was working "on a provisional decree" to reorganise the judicial watchdog.
The judiciary "which has not been capable of reforming itself or of deciding major cases provided an ideal occasion" for Saied to again bang his fist on the table, analyst Abdellatif Hannachi said.
Rallies on Sunday in the capital Tunis commemorated the ninth anniversary of Belaid's assassination. Hundreds of protesters demanding "fair and independent justice" chanted slogans backing the president.
Ibrahim Bouderbala, president of the National Bar Association, attended the demonstration and expressed support for the president's move.
Belaid's brother Abdelmajid also backed Saied, accusing Ennahdha of having "manipulated and slowed down" the case.
"Until we have dissolved the CSM we will never have the truth," he said.
O.M.Souza--AMWN