Algeria

07 March 2022; MEMO: Algeria has enough grain reserves to last until the end of this year, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has announced. According to the Algeria Press Service, Mohamed Abdelhafid Henni made the announcement amid fears of a crisis in supply due to the war between Russia and Ukraine.

"Algeria has taken all precautions to ensure that the national market is covered and fully satisfying all citizens' grain needs," said Henni. "The global market for this commodity is under immense pressure."

28 Feb 2022; MEMO: The Algerian Oil and Gas Group (Sonatrach) has expressed its readiness to supply Europe with additional quantities of gas through the gas pipeline linking Algeria and Italy, should Russian exports be reduced due to the war in Ukraine, the company's CEO said yesterday.

In an interview with French newspaper La Liberté, Toufik Hakkar said that Sonatrach "is a reliable gas supplier for the European market and it is ready to support its partners in the long term in case the situation deteriorates."

24 Feb 2022; MEMO: Algeria, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa last week announced the formation of Group of Four Nations (G4) aiming to deal with various issues confronting Africa.

Leaders of the four nations, who met on the sidelines of the 6th EU-AU Summit at Brussels, used the opportunity to discuss crisis areas on the continent with a view to coming up with practical and effective solutions.

23 Feb 2022; MEMO: Official Algerian media has accused Morocco and Israel of funding the French series, Secret Algeria, which discusses what is known as the Algerian "Black Decade", characterised by a civil war beginning in 1991 and ending at the beginning of the following decade in 2002, Quds Net News reported yesterday.

18 Feb 2022; MEMO: Algeria will offer youth unemployment benefits starting next month, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced on Tuesday.

People without jobs who are aged between 19-40 will receive 13,000 dinars ($92) a  month, which is equivalent to two-thirds of the minimum wage. They will also be eligible for medical benefits and tax breaks on some consumer products.

Tebboune said payments will be made "to preserve the dignity of young people".

14 Feb 2022; MEMO: A court in Algeria has sentenced the country's former Energy Minister, Chakib Khelil, to 20 years imprisonment in absentia, finding him guilty of corruption charges allegedly committed during his time in the position over a decade ago.

14 Feb 2022; MEMO: A human rights organisation that defends victims of French nuclear tests in Algeria announced that it is preparing a judicial file to be submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to France's failure to respond to the Algerians' repeated demands for compensation for the victims of nuclear explosions in the south of the country, Echorouk news site reported.

ALGIERS, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Saturday held phone talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron after months of diplomatic tension.

According to a statement issued by the Algerian presidency, the two sides "discussed bilateral cooperation and the prospects of convening the higher intergovernmental committee," which had been scheduled last April, but was postponed due to the mounting diplomatic tension between the two sides.

10 Jan 2022; MEMO: Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune warned on Sunday of "the danger of rumours of war and desperation discourse led by some parties, which aim to bring chaos and confusion" to the country. "The Algerian state is working to fulfil all demands in all sectors," he insisted.

06 Jan 2022; MEMO: Algeria announced, on Wednesday, that its ambassador to Paris will return to his post on Thursday, three months after being pulled back for "consultations", Anadolu News Agency reports.

According to an Algerian Presidency statement, "President Abdelmadjid Tebboune​​​​​​​ received Algeria's Ambassador to France, Mohamed Antar Daoud, who will resume his duties in Paris on Thursday."