France hopes Algeria will release an 80-year-old French-Algerian writer as the countries resume regular relations, after a visit to Algiers by Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
Boualem Sansal last week appealed against a five-year prison sentence issued by an Algerian criminal court on March 27. He was arrested in November over national security charges, after he appeared to support Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara region in a media interview. His French lawyer has said the writer has cancer.
"In the face of Boualem Sansal's conviction, France is mobilised, determined and committed. He will never be alone," Mr Barrot wrote on X on Monday. "A gesture of humanity is necessary and expected."
Mr Barrot said his visit to Algiers on Sunday showed France's desire to "turn the page" after months of diplomatic tensions. He held talks with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for two and a half hours, as well as meeting Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf.
Mr Barrot said he held "frank" discussions on "all the topics that have preoccupied us in the past months", adding that regular relations, including intelligence sharing and judicial co-operation, have been resumed. "We are returning to normal," he added.
Mr Barrot's visit comes after months of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions that escalated last summer when President Emmanuel Macron recognised Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara region. In July, Algeria withdrew its ambassador to France in protest against the move.
Algeria's refusal to take back its citizens that are considered threats to national security in France strengthened criticism from hardliners including Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.
Tensions rose after it emerged that Algeria had repeatedly refused to take back an Algerian citizen living illegally in France, who in February was arrested over a deadly stabbing attack in the eastern city of Mulhouse.
After Mr Retailleau accused Algeria of humiliating France, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou threatened to review a 1968 agreement that laid the foundation for Algerian immigration to France.
But diplomacy appears to have eased tensions, Mr Barrot said, in apparent criticism of Mr Retailleau's aggressive anti-Algeria stance. His visit came after Mr Macron's diplomatic adviser to the Middle East and North Africa, Anne-Claire Legendre, visited Algiers three times between January and March, Le Monde reported.
Mr Barrot said he had worked with Algerian officials to follow up on a phone call between Mr Macron and Mr Tebboune on March 31 "with seriousness, discretion and efficiency." During the call, Mr Macron had expressed concern over the fate of Mr Sansal, "given his age and state of health," according to a joint statement published at the time. Mr Macron had previously criticised his Prime Minister's proposal to unilaterally put an end to the 1968 agreement.
The issue of the return of Algerian citizens will be examined in a meeting between French prefects, who oversee immigration issues at a departmental level, and Algerian consuls in France, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement. There are 20 Algerian consulates in France, which hosts an estimated four million to six million Algerians.
The statement said Mr Barrot held "in-depth" discussions on defence, security, intelligence and the judiciary. It added that intelligence sharing had resumed between France and Algeria on the Sahel region, which has been gripped by extremism. A series of coups in the region also led countries to turn away from former colonial power France.
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Visa changes give families fresh hope
Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income
Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.
Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process
In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.
In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.
To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation
