🎬Gold at last

Happy Friday! Things have been so hectic here on Earth that you might have forgotten: The two astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft are still there, with no timetable for their return due to problems with the vehicle.

The mission was supposed to last eight days. Today marks their 65th day in space. They say they’re doing great and keeping busy, but you can’t help but imagine that the conversations are getting a little stale.

“Did I ever tell you how—”

“YES, YOU DID”

— Edna Akanni, Tayo Davies.

POLITICS

Tunisian President keeps turning heads…or rolling them

A lot can be said about Tunisian President, Kais Saeid but not that he’s not into anniversaries. Yesterday, he sacked his prime minister Ahmed Hachani, after just one year in office without an official explanation. Hachani had replaced former prime minister, Najla Bouden who was also sacked barely 2 years into the job.

While President Saeid may look like he has a thing for summer clearance sales, the move is the latest in the wake of widespread discontentment and protests over continuing water and electricity shortages in the country. While his government attributes these challenges to a persistent drought, Saeid claims the water cuts are a conspiracy to deter his chances in the upcoming October 6 election.

Growing impopularity

Since being democratically elected in 2019, President Saeid has faced growing criticism from the opposition and human rights watch groups for restricting and unjustly imprisoning competitors to ease his way into a second term.

Earlier this week, Abir Moussi, a prominent opposition figure and potential presidential candidate was sentenced to 2 years in prison. He had already been in jail since October.

Six other potential candidates have also been sentenced to prison and several more have been banned from participating in the elections.

Been here before? Former President, Zine El Ben Ali ruled the country for 24 years from 1987 to 2011 on the back of several non-democratic elections where he won with enormous majorities, each time exceeding 90%. He was later sentenced to 35 years imprisonment in absentia following his escape to Saudi Arabia after month-long protests. EA.

AFRICA

Headline Quickie

• Tebogo snags gold at the 200m. Botswanian sprinter, Letsile Tebogo yesterday bagged Africa’s first gold medal at the Paris Olympics. He comfortably edged out fan favorite and current Olympic and World Champion over 100m, Noah Lyles. Lyles took home the bronze behind fellow USA sprinter Kenneth Bednarek.

• Former CAF President, Issa Hayatou dies at 77. The Cameroon-born executive passed away after a long illness at his home in Paris. He led the African Football Association for almost three decades until March 2017 during which he oversaw the expansion of the Africa Cup of Nations and the inclusion of more African teams in the FIFA World Cup.

• More lawsuits for Boeing. Families of the victims of the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash demand a record $58Bn settlement. This comes as the company faces a litany of lawsuits from victims globally following series of incidents involving its flagship model, the 737 Max as well as handling a difficult transition process for its new CEO, Kelly Ortberg.