International
Tunisians vote in election
▪︎A ballot with the three candidates in Tunisia’s presidential election sits on a table at a polling station in Tunis on October 6, 2024. –(Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP) .
(Reuters) – Tunisians voted on Sunday in an election in which President Kais Saied is seeking a second term, with his main rival suddenly jailed last month and most opponents imprisoned or barred from running.
Sunday’s election pits Saied against two rivals: his former ally turned critic, Chaab Party leader Zouhair Maghzaoui, and Ayachi Zammel, who had been seen as posing a big threat to Saied until he was jailed last month.
Tunisia had for years been hailed as the only relative success story of the 2011 “Arab spring” uprisings for introducing a competitive, though flawed, democracy following decades of autocratic rule.
However, rights groups now say Saied, in power since 2019, has undone many of those democratic gains while removing institutional and legal checks on his power. Saied, 66, has rejected criticism of his actions, saying he is fighting a corrupt elite and traitors, and that he will not be a dictator.
Senior figures from the biggest parties, which largely oppose Saied, have been imprisoned on various charges over the past year and those parties have not publicly backed any of the three candidates on Sunday’s ballot.
Other opponents have been barred from running. “The scene is shameful. Journalists and opponents in prison, including one presidential candidate.
But I will vote for change,” said Wael, a bank employee in Tunis, who gave only his first name. The Election Commission said turnout by 1 pm was 14%. Just under 10 million Tunisians are eligible to vote. Polls close at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) and results are expected in the next two days.
International
Nestle Sacks Global CEO Over Office Romance
In a statement, Nestle said Freixe’s departure on Monday, September 1, 2025, follows an investigation overseen by Chairman Paul Bulcke and Lead Independent Director Pablo Isla into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate, which breached the company’s code of business conduct.
•Laurent Freixe
Nestlé has sacked its global Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Laurent Freixe, for an office romantic relationship with a subordinate, which breached the company’s code of business conduct.
Nestle said that it had appointed veteran insider Philipp Navratil, who had headed the Nespresso coffee unit, as Freixe’s successor with immediate effect.
In a statement, Nestle said Freixe’s departure on Monday, September 1, 2025, follows an investigation overseen by Chairman Paul Bulcke and Lead Independent Director Pablo Isla into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate, which breached the company’s code of business conduct.
“This was a necessary decision. Nestle’s values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service,” Bulcke said in a statement.
According to Reuters , the shock departure threatens more volatility for Nestle amid a tough consumer environment and the disruptive United States trade tariffs.
The Päijät-Häme district court in Finland has sentenced Simon Ekpa, pro-Biafra agitator, to six years in prison for terrorism offences.
In a ruling delivered on Monday, the court found Ekpa guilty of inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
According to a Finnish newspaper, the court said Ekpa had used his “significant social media following” to stoke tensions in Nigeria’s south-east region between August 2021 and November 2024.
In a unanimous ruling, the three-member panel of judges also stated that Ekpa was an influential member of a militant separatist movement whose goal was to actualise the carving out of a Biafra state from Nigeria.
The district court also noted that Ekpa had supplied certain groups with weapons, explosives, and ammunition “through his network of contacts in the region, and he was also found to have encouraged his followers on social media platform X to commit crimes in Nigeria”.
The court also convicted Ekpa of aggravated tax fraud and violating the provisions of the Attorneys Act.
The US Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos will be closed on Monday, September 1, 2025, in observance of the US Labour Day holiday.
The US Mission announced this in a statement on its X account on Sunday morning.
“The U.S. Embassy in Abuja and Consulate General in Lagos will be closed on Monday, September 1, 2025, in observance of the U.S. Labour Day,” the Mission said.
It noted that the closure was a tribute to the contributions of American workers, a tradition dating back to 1882 when Matthew Maguire first proposed the holiday.
While essential services will remain accessible through emergency contact channels, routine consular services will resume after the holiday.
Nigerians seeking US visas or consular assistance are advised to plan their visits accordingly.
US Labour Day is a federal holiday observed on the first Monday of September every year.
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