Both countries have expelled each other’s diplomats as the latest diplomatic row, triggered by the arrest and indictment of an Algerian consular officer in France earlier this month, continues to escalate.

The UN environment panel has warned that the Mediterranean region is warming faster than the global average and will witness more heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and other climate-related catastrophes in the coming days

Tabbou, like most other leaders of Algeria’s pro-reform Hirak protests (2019-20), has been consistently harassed and persecuted by the state with arrests and jail terms

Israel was approved as a member of the advisory group for combating terrorism last month during the IPU’s general assembly in Bahrain. Algeria cited its longstanding and firm support for the Palestinian cause as the reason behind the withdrawal

Spain, a former colonial power, decided to recognize to support Morocco’s position on Western Sahara earlier this year going against its long-held stance of backing a UN-led referendum to decide the status of the territory

The workers will protest the rising prices of essential goods and commodities, as well as the gradually deteriorating economic and social situation in the country

According to media reports, the clemency orders issued on Sunday included the Hirak activists released from pre-trial detention last week on a provisional basis

Several commentators and social media users in Algeria have noted that the release coincides with the visit of a high-ranking US official and likely took placedue to politically motivated reasons

Ghares was convicted on charges of insulting the president and harming national unity. He was sentenced to two years in prison in January

The independent journalist was arrested in March 2020 and charged with various serious offenses while he was covering the anti-establishment Hirak protests in Algeria

Ghares was arrested and placed in pre-trial detention last year in July after police raided and searched his home

The decision by Algeria has worsened the already fraught diplomatic relations between the two countries. It also raises concerns about gas shortage and energy price rise in Europe, with predictions of high demand during the cold winter months