Fighters with the Al Qaeda-linked group Ansar Dine stand guard in Timbuktu, Mali. AP
Fighters with the Al Qaeda-linked group Ansar Dine stand guard in Timbuktu, Mali. AP
Fighters with the Al Qaeda-linked group Ansar Dine stand guard in Timbuktu, Mali. AP
Fighters with the Al Qaeda-linked group Ansar Dine stand guard in Timbuktu, Mali. AP

US defence chief's rare Algeria visit points to Sahel region threats


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US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper made a rare visit to Algeria on Thursday for talks with the president on Libya and the troubled Sahel region.

Both countries are alarmed by the threat posed by extremist groups in North Africa and the Sahel, and Algeria is considering a more active military role outside its borders.

Mr Esper and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune "agreed to maintain co-operation and co-ordination", Algeria's presidency said.

The Pentagon said Mr Esper voiced support for expanding military relations with Algeria.

"The two leaders discussed security throughout North Africa and the Sahel and ways to advance our strategic military and diplomatic partnership," it said.

Mr Esper's visit is the first by a US defence secretary to Algeria since Donald Rumsfeld's in 2006 and he is also the most senior American official yet to meet Mr Tebboune.

The Algerian president took office in December after mass protests last year led the army to push his predecessor Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down after 20 years in power.

The new president has proposed changes to the constitution aimed at pacifying the opposition protest movement, but the reforms would also give the army new powers to intervene in neighbouring states.

"Mark Esper wants to discuss the Algerian army's possible role in the region once the new constitution is passed, as it allows peace-keeping operations overseas," a western diplomat in Algeria told Reuters.

The US Secretary of Defence also visited Tunisia. AP
The US Secretary of Defence also visited Tunisia. AP

An Algerian source said the talks were expected to focus on Libya, where nine years of chaos after the overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi have created space for militants, and Mali, where French troops are trying to help quell an insurgency.

"Algeria has an influence in Mali. It showed it can help," an Algerian security source said.

"The Americans understood that French military intervention did not curb terrorism.

"As for Libya, it is well known that Algeria maintains good ties with all the players including tribes and personalities."

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Director: ​Yeon Sang-ho

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Starring: Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Jamie Bell

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France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.

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Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BULKWHIZ PROFILE

Date started: February 2017

Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce 

Size: 50 employees

Funding: approximately $6m

Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait

Brief scoreline:

Liverpool 5

Keita 1', Mane 23', 66', Salah 45' 1, 83'

Huddersfield 0

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent