France arrests new Algerian influencer as tensions soar

France arrests new Algerian influencer as tensions soar
Boualem Naman's French lawyer Marie David-Bellouard holds a press conference in Paris on January 20, 2025 (AFP)
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Updated 22 January 2025
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France arrests new Algerian influencer as tensions soar

France arrests new Algerian influencer as tensions soar
  • The influencer is one of half a dozen Algerians arrested in France over the last month on accusations of calling for violence on French territory

PARIS: French authorities Wednesday arrested another Algerian social media influencer as tensions soar between Paris and its North African former colony, the interior minister announced.
Rafik M. had “called on Tiktok for the carrying out of violent acts on French territory,” said Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on social media, without saying where he had been arrested.
The influencer is one of half a dozen Algerians arrested in France over the last month on accusations of calling for violence on French territory.
One of them, known as “Doualemn,” was deported to Algeria where the authorities promptly sent him back to France in a move that incensed Retailleau.
Tensions have surged between France and Algeria after President Emmanuel Macron renewed French support for Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara during a visit to the kingdom last year.
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is mostly under the de facto control of Morocco. But it is claimed by the Algiers-backed Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, who want a self-determination referendum.
Algeria meanwhile has been holding French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal on national security charges. Sansal, who was arrested at Algiers airport in November, is a major figure in modern francophone literature.
Retailleau, a hard-line rightwinger, has repeatedly accused Algeria of “seeking to humiliate France.”
The far-right in France is urging the government to take tough measures against Algiers, including canceling aid, cooperation agreements and delivering visas.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier this month France would have “no option but to retaliate” if “the Algerians continue to escalate” the row.
But Algeria has rejected France’s accusation of escalation, denouncing a “campaign of disinformation” by Paris.
Retailleau’s hard-line stance on a diplomatic issue has not met with universal approval in France, with influential former foreign minister and prime minister Dominique de Villepin accusing hin of “escalation” and giving into “the temptation of settling scores.”
Defense minister Sebastien Lecornu called on Tuesday for “rebuilding the relationship” between Algeria and France, while expressing regret over “the current excesses of the Algerian government.”
Retailleau himself said in an interview published Tuesday that “we now need to normalize our diplomatic relations with Algeria,” adding that “the time has come to turn the page.”
Algeria won independence from France in 1962 after a ferocious over seven year war and the scars from that conflict have never fully healed.


Russia claims east Ukraine village near strategic town

Russia claims east Ukraine village near strategic town
Updated 24 sec ago
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Russia claims east Ukraine village near strategic town

Russia claims east Ukraine village near strategic town
  • Trump says he held talks with Putin to end the war

MOSCOW: Russia said Sunday that its forces had captured the eastern Ukrainian village of Orikhovo-Vasylivka, near the strategic military hub of Chasiv Yar that Moscow is attempting to seize.

There is intensive fighting in the frontline town of Chasiv Yar, one of the last remaining urban areas blocking Russia from advancing further into the region, according to Russian military bloggers.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily briefing that “as a result of decisive attack actions, the South group of troops liberated the settlement of Orekhovo-Vasilevka in the Donetsk region,” using the Russian name for the village.
Orikhovo-Vasylivka is located around 10 kilometers north of Chasiv Yar and near the road to the Ukraine-held city of Sloviansk.
The latest advance comes as Russian troops are pushing further into the Donetsk region. They claimed the key mining town of Toretsk on Friday, while Ukraine denies Moscow troops are in full control there. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone about ending the war in Ukraine, the New York Post reported, the first known direct conversation between Putin and a US president since early 2022.
Trump, who has promised to end the war in Ukraine but not yet set out in public how he would do so, said last week that the war was a bloodbath and that his team had had “some very good talks.”
In an interview aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump told the New York Post that he had “better not say,” when asked how many times he and Putin had spoken.
“He (Putin) wants to see people stop dying,” Trump told the New York Post.  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS state news agency that “many different communications are emerging.”
“These communications are conducted through different channels,” Peskov said when asked by TASS to comment directly on the New York Post report. “I personally may not know something, be unaware of something. Therefore, in this case, I can neither confirm nor deny it.”

 


US President Trump expects Elon Musk to find billions in Pentagon waste

US President Trump expects Elon Musk to find billions in Pentagon waste
Updated 09 February 2025
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US President Trump expects Elon Musk to find billions in Pentagon waste

US President Trump expects Elon Musk to find billions in Pentagon waste
  • Elon Musk is a special government employee
  • President Trump tasked him to slash the size of the US federal workforce

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he expects Elon Musk to find billions of dollars of fraud and abuse at the Pentagon during an audit that the billionaire will lead.
“I’m going to tell him very soon, like maybe in 24 hours, to go check the Department of Education. ... Then I’m going to go, go to the military. Let’s check the military,” Trump said in a Super Bowl interview with Fox News’ Brett Baier, an excerpt of which was aired on Sunday morning.
“We’re going to find billions, hundreds of millions of dollars of fraud and abuse,” Trump said of the largest federal department.
The Pentagon’s budget is approaching $1 trillion per year. In December, then-President Joe Biden signed a bill authorizing $895 billion in defense spending for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.
Musk, who the White House says is a special government employee, has been tasked by Trump to lead an effort to slash the size of the US federal workforce. As part of that initiative, Musk aides have sought access to confidential information in computer systems at various government agencies.
Critics say the efforts are likely illegal, risk exposing classified information and in practice are gutting entire agencies without congressional approval.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz suggested in a separate interview on Sunday that the Pentagon’s shipbuilding processes could be an area of particular interest for the Department of Government Efficiency, and he characterized the Pentagon in general as full of unnecessary bloat.
“Everything there seems to cost too much, take too long and deliver too little to the soldiers... We do need business leaders to go in there and absolutely reform the Pentagon’s acquisition process,” Waltz said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“There is plenty to look into in shipbuilding, which is an absolute mess,” Waltz added.
Leaders from across the political spectrum have long criticized waste and inefficiency at the Pentagon. But Democrats and civil service unions say Musk’ Department of Government Efficiency lacks the expertise to restructure the Pentagon, and their efforts risk exposing classified programs.
Musk’s companies also hold major contracts with the Pentagon, which has raised significant conflict of interest concerns.


Bangladesh’s air force chief seeks stronger defense ties with Saudi Arabia, UAE

Bangladesh’s air force chief seeks stronger defense ties with Saudi Arabia, UAE
Updated 09 February 2025
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Bangladesh’s air force chief seeks stronger defense ties with Saudi Arabia, UAE

Bangladesh’s air force chief seeks stronger defense ties with Saudi Arabia, UAE
  • Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan will be in the Kingdom until Feb. 13
  • Dhaka seeks to take defense relations to ‘next level’ with the Gulf trip

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Air Force chief began a multi-day visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE on Sunday, a trip expected to strengthen Dhaka’s defense ties with the Gulf states.

Air Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan arrived in Riyadh on Sunday, where he is due to hold talks with top officials at the Royal Saudi Air Force, including his counterpart, Lt. Gen. Turki bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz.

Khan will also visit RSAF’s bases and establishments as part of his trip to the Kingdom, according to the public relations division of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, ISPR.

“The visit of our air chief marshal will strengthen defense cooperation between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia,” ISPR Director Lt. Col. Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury told Arab News.

“Khan will discuss opportunities for increasing collaboration in the area of joint exercise and training. The visit will definitely pave the way for closer cooperation between the two air forces in the coming days.”

Dhaka and Riyadh signed in 2019 an agreement to further their military cooperation, which has served as a basis for their collaborations in the field.

From Saudi Arabia, Khan will continue his Gulf trip to the UAE on Feb. 14 to meet his Emirati counterpart, Maj. Gen. Staff Pilot Ibrahim Nasser Mohamed Al-Alawi, and discuss “various bilateral issues of mutual interest.”

Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are “very important countries” in the Gulf region, Chowdhury said.

“We have been enjoying excellent relationships with both countries. With this visit, we can say our defense cooperation will be further enhanced.”


31 Maoists, two Indian soldiers killed in gunfight— police 

31 Maoists, two Indian soldiers killed in gunfight— police 
Updated 09 February 2025
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31 Maoists, two Indian soldiers killed in gunfight— police 

31 Maoists, two Indian soldiers killed in gunfight— police 
  • Over 10,000 have been killed in decades-long insurgency waged by rebels
  • Maoists demand land, jobs and share of central India’s natural resources for locals 

New Delhi: At least 31 Maoist rebels and two Indian commandos were killed in a gunfight in the dense jungles of central India Sunday, as security forces ramp up efforts to crush the long-running insurgency.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the decades-long insurgency waged by the rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of marginalized Indigenous people.

“31 rebels and two security personnel are dead and two other security personnel are injured,” senior police officer Sundarraj P. told AFP.

The official said the toll could be even higher as the police continue to carry out search operations in the area.

“Additional forces have been rushed to the encounter site,” he said.

Police have recovered automatic weapons and grenade launchers from the scene, a police statement said.

The gunfight broke in the forested areas of Bijapur district in the state of Chhattisgarh, considered the heartland of the insurgency.

“This is a big success in the direction of achieving a Naxal-free India,” said Amit Shah, India’s home minister, who last year said the government expected to crush the rebellion by 2026.

A crackdown by security forces has killed some 287 rebels in the past year, an overwhelming majority in Chhattisgarh, according to government data.

The Maoists demand land, jobs and a share of the region’s immense natural resources for local residents.

They made inroads in a number of remote communities across India’s east and south, and the movement gained in strength and numbers until the early 2000s.

New Delhi then deployed tens of thousands of troops in a stretch of territory known as the “Red Corridor.”

The conflict has also seen a number of deadly attacks on government forces. A roadside bomb killed at least nine Indian troops last month.
 


Trump says he has spoken to Putin about ending the Ukraine war

Trump says he has spoken to Putin about ending the Ukraine war
Updated 09 February 2025
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Trump says he has spoken to Putin about ending the Ukraine war

Trump says he has spoken to Putin about ending the Ukraine war
  • Trump said last week that the war was a bloodbath and that his team had had ‘some very good talks’
  • US president has repeatedly said he wants to end the war and that he will meet Putin to discuss it

MOSCOW: US President Donald Trump said he has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone about ending the war in Ukraine, the New York Post reported, the first known direct conversation between Putin and a USpresident since early 2022.

Trump, who has promised to end the war in Ukraine but not yet set out in public how he would do so, said last week that the war was a bloodbath and that his team had had “some very good talks.”

In an interview aboard Air Force One on Friday Trump told the New York Post that he had “better not say,” when asked how many times he and Putin had spoken.

“He (Putin) wants to see people stop dying,” Trump told the New York Post. The White House did not respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS state news agency that “many different communications are emerging.”

“These communications are conducted through different channels,” Peskov said when asked by TASS to comment directly on the New York Post report. “I personally may not know something, be unaware of something. Therefore, in this case, I can neither confirm nor deny it.”

The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed separatist forces fighting Ukraine’s armed forces.

Putin sent thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022, calling it a “special military operation” to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine and counter what he said was a grave threat to Russia from potential Ukrainian membership of NATO.

Ukraine and its Western backers, led by the United States, said the invasion was an imperial style land grab and vowed to defeat Russian forces.

Moscow controls a chunk of Ukraine about the size of the American state of Virginia and is advancing at the fastest pace since the early days of the 2022 invasion.

Trump-Putin summit?

Trump, author of the 1987 book “Trump: the Art of the Deal,” has repeatedly said he wants to end the war and that he will meet Putin to discuss it, though the date or venue for a summit is still not publicly known.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seen by Russia as possible venues for a summit, Reuters reported earlier this month.

On June 14, Putin set out his opening terms for an immediate end to the war: Ukraine must drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed and mostly controlled by Russia.

Reuters reported in November that Putin is open to discussing a Ukraine peace deal with Trump but rules out making any major territorial concessions and insists Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO.

The Kremlin has repeatedly urged caution over speculation about contacts with the Trump team over a possible peace deal.

Leonid Slutsky, head of the Russian parliament’s international affairs committee, was cited by the state RIA news agency on Thursday as saying that preparations for such a meeting were at “an advanced stage” and that it could take place in February or March.

Putin last spoke to former US President Joe Biden in February 2022, shortly before Putin ordered thousands of troops into Ukraine. The two leaders spoke for about an hour then, the Kremlin said.

Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, in his 2024 book “War,” reported that Trump had direct conversations as many as seven times with Putin after he left the White House in 2021.

Asked if that were true in an interview to Bloomberg last year, Trump said: “If I did, it’s a smart thing.” The Kremlin denied Woodward’s report.

On Friday, Trump said he would probably meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky next week to discuss ending the war.

Trump told the New York Post that he has “always had a good relationship with Putin” and that he has a concrete plan to end the war. But he did not disclose further details.

“I hope it’s fast,” Trump said. “Every day people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing.”