Gaza police ban concerts during study period

Police in the Gaza Strip on Sunday announced a ban on public concerts and the use of street loudspeakers until the end of secondary school exams in July. The Tawjihi exam, due to take place in June, is the graduation qualification for high school students in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, the police spokesman Ayman Al-Batniji said the ban on street loudspeakers and concerts in public places was to "secure the appropriate atmosphere for high school students," according to an interior ministry statement. "The Palestinian police have succeeded over the years in securing the ongoing of exams, and prevent chaos in the schools," he added.