The French government has issued visas to Algerian imams for the period of Ramadan, despite a diplomatic tit-for-tat between Paris and Algiers triggered by a series of controversies that have dominated the political debate.
The announcement came in the same week the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot sought retaliatory visa bans at a European level for senior Algerian officials after a deadly knife attack in which the main suspect is a man of Algerian origin. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has threatened to cancel a longstanding agreement with Algeria on free movement.
Every year, the Interior Ministry issues temporary visas to foreign imams due to shortages during Ramadan celebrations. With an estimated six million worshippers, Islam is the second biggest religion in France.
After coming under fire from the far right for supposedly lying about his tough stance towards Algeria, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau argued that it would be unfair to hinder religious practice in France as a result of a diplomatic row with Algiers. Ramadan is scheduled to start later this week.
"Being firm with migration does not mean one can say anything," Mr Retailleau said. "Hindering freedom of religion would vindicate extremists and cause despair among sincere Muslim patriots." France and Algeria have had difficult relations since Algeria gained independence from France in 1956 after a bloody war, but diplomatic ties have reached new lows in the past months.
Last week, an undocumented Algerian-born man killed one person and wounded several others in a knife attack in the eastern city of Mulhouse. France had tried to expel him 10 times before the attack but Algeria had refused to co-operate, French officials said. The foreign affairs ministry said it would restrict visa deliveries to a number of Algerian officials, prompting outrage in Algiers.
Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Barrot said that he would seek support from the European Union to co-ordinate visa restrictions for maximum impact. "If a country does not co-operate with the French authorities, I will propose that all European countries restrict the issuing of visas at the same time," Mr Barrot told broadcaster France 2. "When we do it on a national level it doesn't work, unfortunately," he added.
More broadly, French authorities are seeking to tighten immigration policies and border controls, in a move emblematic of the rightward shift in French politics. France has also criticised the imprisonment of 75-year old French-Algerian writer Boualem Sensal, known for his heavy criticism of the Algerian government.
Mr Sensal was arrested during a visit to Algiers in November, and accused of "undermining national unity". The accusation is believed to be linked to his public support for Morocco's claim that it lost territory to Algeria during French colonisation. In January the French President Emmanuel Macron said Algeria was "dishonouring itself" by keeping Mr Sensal, who suffers from health problems, in prison.
Mr Macron prompted a diplomatic crisis with Algeria last summer when he recognised Morocco's territorial claim to Western Sahara, which is disputed by Algeria. Opponents of the Algerian government say Mr Macron's policy shift was followed by an increase in hate speech online. In recent months there have been a string of arrests across France of Algerian nationals accused of publishing videos insulting France and calling for the murder of critics of the Algerian government.
But France's attempt to clamp down on such hate speech has further heightened tensions with Algeria. Last month, Mr Retailleau accused Algeria of "humiliating" France after it sent back an Algerian national – a TikTok influencer named Doualemn – following his expulsion to Algeria. On Tuesday a French judge requested a six-month suspended sentence for Doualemn, who told the court that he regretted his actions.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
How to help
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
