President Emmanuel Macron began a three-day visit to Algeria on Thursday aimed at mending ties with the former French colony, which this year marked its 60th anniversary of independence.
Mr Macron is the first French president to be born after Algerian independence and hopes "to lay a foundation to rebuild and develop" a sometimes difficult relationship with the North African nation.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune welcomed what he called the "encouraging results" of the visit, speaking alongside Mr Macron on Thursday evening.
Hailing a "positive dynamic" in their relationship, Mr Tebboune said there were "promising prospects for improving the special partnership that binds us".
Mr Macron landed earlier at Algiers' main airport where he was warmly greeted by the president and a military band that played both national anthems.
Later, the French leader visited a monument to those who gave their lives in Algeria's war for independence, laying a wreath and observing a minute of silence.
Mr Macron announced on Thursday evening that the two countries would set up a joint commission of historians to study archives on France's 130 years of colonial rule in Algeria, including the devastating eight-year war that led to independence in 1962.
"We have a common [but] complex and painful past," he said, explaining that the researchers would have full access to the archives.
Algeria celebrates 60 years of independence from France - in pictures
Ties between Paris and Algiers have included repeated crises over the years.
They had been particularly stormy since last year when Mr Macron questioned Algeria's existence as a nation before the French occupation, and accused the government of fomenting "hatred towards France".
Mr Tebboune withdrew his country's ambassador in response and banned French military aircraft from its airspace.
But Mr Macron's office said he "regretted" the misunderstandings caused by his comments, and his aides believe both sides have moved on.
Normal diplomatic relations have resumed and French plans are allowed to fly over the country to reach army bases in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mr Macron, on his second visit to Algeria since he took power in 2017, "has chosen to direct this visit towards the future — start-ups, innovation, youth, new sectors," his office said.
Algerian media said his visit showed both countries' desire for relations built around "a new vision based on equal treatment and balance of interests".
"Given instability in the Maghreb region, conflicts in the Sahel and the war in Ukraine, improving ties between France and Algeria is a political necessity," analyst Mansour Kedidir said.
Mr Tebboune said he and Mr Macron had discussed how to bring stability to Libya and the Sahel region.
They are also expected to discuss boosting Algerian gas deliveries to Europe to fill the vast shortfall after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.
European nations want to end their dependence on Russian hydrocarbons, giving Algeria — Africa's biggest gas exporter, with direct pipelines to Spain and Italy — renewed influence.
"The French president will certainly ask Algeria to make an effort to try to increase its gas production," said Algerian economist Abderrahmane Mebtoul.
Mr Macron's office has said gas is not a major feature of the visit, although the head of French energy company Engie, Catherine MacGregor, is in his delegation.
Emmanuel Macron recognises 1962 massacre in Algeria - video
Mr Macron has long ruled out issuing an apology for the highly sensitive issue of colonialism, but he has made gestures aimed at healing past wounds.
In Algiers, few have much sympathy for the French president, who during his first election campaign described his country's colonialism as a "crime against humanity".
"Before he was president, he used nice words," said computer scientist Othmane Abdellouche, 62. "He visited, but right after he went back to France he changed
"He used a totally different discourse."
But businessman Kamel Moula, who leads the Council of Algerian Economic Renewal, told the TSA news website that he wanted to see "a new mode of co-operation" between the two countries that would allow them to "jointly conquer new markets".
French historians say half a million civilians and combatants died during Algeria's bloody war for independence, 400,000 of them Algerian.
The Algerian authorities say 1.5 million were killed.
Mr Tebboune's office said in October that more than 5.6 million Algerians were killed during the colonial period.
Algerian human rights groups have urged Mr Macron not to overlook abuses by the government that came to power after long-time leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down in 2019.
Mr Tebboune, a prime minister under Mr Bouteflika, has clamped down on the Hirak opposition movement that forced his predecessor to resign.
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
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What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
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Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Key facilities
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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TOTAL $485m
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Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
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-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
Dubai Creek Open in numbers
- The Dubai Creek Open is the 10th tournament on this year's Mena Tour
- It is the first of five events before the season-concluding Mena Tour Championship
- This week's field comprises 120 players, 21 of which are amateurs
- 15 previous Mena Tour winners are competing at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
