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UNESCO set to give Algerian Rai music and Tunisian Harissa heritage status
The French baguette, Algerian Rai music and Tunisia's harissa condiment are among this year's contenders for recognition as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, which started deliberations Monday in Morocco. The United Nations' cultural agency is examining 56...
Energy: Italian companies make new gains in Algeria’s gas infrastructure sector
Algeria's national petrochemicals firm Sonatrach said Thursday it had signed deals worth around $600 million with Italian companies to extract and transport liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Africa's biggest natural gas exporter, Algeria is seeking to fill a gap in...
Algeria continues to attack journalists and free speech
Algerian court hands over death sentence to exiled journalist for publishing “fake” and “confidential” information Attacks on journalists in Algeria have reach an alarming level. Earlier this month, a court in the capital Algiers went as far as to hand a death penalty...
Saudi crown prince MBS may not attend Arab League summit due to “ear condition”
Doctors have advised Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince not to travel to Algiers for a summit because of an ear condition, the royal court said Sunday in a statement published by state media. The statement came nearly 24 hours after the Algerian presidency issued...
Defense: Algeria-Russia start join military drills in the Mediterranean Sea, as Morocco set defense budget to US$11bil.
Algeria and Russia are to begin military maneuvers in the Mediterranean on Saturday, 22 October 2022. The drills will last four days in what appears to be a new sign of rapprochement between the two countries. In a press release, the Algerian Ministry of Defense...
Analysis: Maghreb Nations’ positions in the Russian War in Ukraine ($)
Analysis by Arezki Daoud: Have you even wondered what position smaller countries in the world have taken in regard to the Russian war in Ukraine? Let’s have a look at three of them today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022. The Maghreb’s biggest nations and regional rivals,...
Analysis: Deconstructing Algeria’s relationship with Russia: Not as rosy as you think ($)
By Arezki Daoud: The visit of President Emmanuel Macron to Algiers at the end of August shook up and challenged the Algerian authorities in their once again excellent relations with Russia. The French security and ministerial deployment that accompanied the trip of...
Algeria-France looking to elevate their economic ties
The Algerian and French prime ministers on Monday hailed a "new dynamic" as they launched a joint economic forum during a visit to Algiers by France's Elisabeth Borne. Borne's two-day trip to the former French colony and major gas exporter comes just weeks after...
Algeria wants lesser status for French language in favor of English
By Abdellah Cheballah: Algerian primary schools have scrambled to introduce English lessons, in a move critics say was rushed but others hope could be a coup de grace against the language of former occupier France. Language is a sensitive topic in the North African...
Energy: Algeria set to increase prices of natural gas delivered to Spain
Algerian state energy firm Sonatrach has agreed with Spanish buyer Naturgy to revise prices on gas deliveries through a key undersea pipeline, it said Thursday, as Europe gears up for a winter energy crunch. "Sonatrach and its partner Naturgy have agreed to revise the...
Algeria: New corruption scandal rocks Air Algerie amid leaks of confidential procurement documents ($)
Appointed on June 18, 2022 by the government as CEO of airline Air Algérie, Yacine Benslimane is now under investigation, which risks compromising his leadership position at the airline and could lead him straight to an Algerian court. On October 2, 2022, Benslimane...
Algeria orders charity group Caritas to cease after 60 years of operations
Algeria has ordered Catholic charity Caritas to cease its 60 years of operations in the North African country, a church official told AFP on Wednesday. Archbishop of Algiers Jean-Paul Vesco said that authorities have deemed Caritas "an unauthorised organisation". "A...
Algeria officially invites Morocco’s King Mohammed VI to Arab summit
Morocco said Algeria on Tuesday invited its King Mohammed VI to attend an Arab League summit in Algiers in November, at a time of tensions between the North African neighbours. The foreign ministry in Rabat said visiting Algerian Justice Minister Abderrachid Tabi had...
Podcast: Algeria-Morocco rivalry intensifies, with no end in sight
The escalating rivalry between Algeria and Morocco has had a destabilizing effect on the Maghreb region of North Africa. In fact, the entire western Mediterranean region is feeling the impact of the two countries’ strange competitive postures. Instead of cooperating...
Italian media question Algeria’s ability to supply promised natural gas, ENI on the defensive ($)
The Italian media has reported this week about the alleged difficulties faced by the Algerian state-onwed oil company Sonatrach to honor new gas commitments to Italy. Using investigative media Algeria Part as a key source, Italian publications like La Repubblica, LaPresse.it and the Italian edition of the Huffington Post, newspapers reported alleged general state of panic in Sonatrach as “Algeria is struggling to honor its new gas commitments with Italy.” Sonatrach has inked a deal to deliver gad to Italian giant ENI.
How the Western Sahara conflict has become a thorny issue for a neutral Tunisia ($)
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Western Sahara conflict worsens regional diplomatic relations, amplifies instability
By Paul Raymond A bitter showdown between Morocco and its arch-rival Algeria over the disputed Western Sahara territory is causing diplomatic rifts with other nations and even risks sparking a full-blown conflict, analysts say. "We're seeing a diplomatic war, where...
Algeria deports hundreds of migrants from Niger
More than 800 migrants expelled this week by Algeria have reached the northern Niger town of Agadez, local authorities told AFP. "In all we have 847 people, including 40 women and 74 unaccompanied children," Agadez municipal authority said late Thursday. The child...
Mali: As France pulls its forces out of Mali, Algeria seeks to fill the void in a complex environment ($)
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Algeria: Hundred Algerian troops take part to Russia’s Vostok 2022 military drills ($)
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