ALGIERS: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune returned home Friday after a one-month stay in Germany for surgery following post-Covid-19 complications in his foot, state television said.
"The President of the Republic, Supreme Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defence, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, returned today," the state broadcaster said, but did not broadcast images of his arrival.
Tebboune, 75, had been hospitalised in Germany last year after contracting Covid-19, and stayed there for two months before returning to Algeria.
He returned to Germany on January 10, and underwent a "successful" operation on his foot 10 days later, according to the presidency.
Algeria has recorded over 110,000 cases including over 2,900 deaths from Covid-19 since the pandemic began.
On the eve of his return, Tebboune had called German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to thank him for the medical care he had received.
Among the key issues that await him include the development of the new electoral law ahead of anticipated local and legislative elections slated to be held by the end of the year.
A government reshuffle is also expected.
Tebboune won office in December 2019, eight months after the popular Hirak protest movement swept out his ailing predecessor Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
Tebboune's initial convalescence in Germany had reminded many Algerians of octogenarian Bouteflika's frequent hospitalisations abroad.
Tebboune's return comes amid tension in the North African nation ahead of the second anniversary of the launch of the Hirak protests on February 22.
Hirak protesters continued after Bouteflika's fall, demanding a full overhaul of the ruling system in place since the Algeria's 1962 independence from France.
However, social distancing rules to stem the coronavirus pandemic meant that protesters had to halt their street rallies early last year.
Algerian president returns from Germany after post-Covid surgery
https://arab.news/cuu4n
Algerian president returns from Germany after post-Covid surgery
- Tebboune flew to Germany in January to receive the treatment
- The treatment “was not medically urgent” and should have taken place during Tebboune’s last stay in Germany
Egypt’s El-Sisi, Trump discuss regional mediation efforts in phone call
The Iran-aligned Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on shipping since Israel’s war with Hamas began in late 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians. The attacks have disrupted global commerce and set the US military off on a costly campaign to intercept missiles.
Israeli airstrike kills Palestinian journalist and family in Khan Yunis, Gaza
- Mohammed Saleh Al-Bardawil was a presenter at Al-Aqsa radio station
- He is the third Palestinian journalist to be killed since Israel resumed its assault on Gaza in mid-March
LONDON: A Palestinian journalist and his entire family were killed early on Tuesday in an Israeli airstrike west of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Mohammed Saleh Al-Bardawil, a presenter at Al-Aqsa radio station, was killed with his wife and three children in their apartment in the Emirati neighborhood of Khan Yunis.
On Tuesday, an Israeli military drone struck the Al-Bardawil apartment, according to a report from the Wafa news agency.
He is the third Palestinian journalist to be killed since Israel resumed its attacks on various areas of the Gaza Strip on March 18. The Palestinian Information Center has reported the killing of at least 209 journalists in Gaza since October 2023.
Israel’s renewed attacks on Gaza in March killed at least 1,001 Palestinians and injured 2,359 others, the majority of whom are children and women. The overall death toll in Gaza has reached 50,399 since the Israeli war began on Oct. 7, 2023.
Iraq’s PM, Syria’s president stress ‘new chapter’ in countries’ relationship
- Iraq welcomed formation of Syria’s transitional government this week
- Discussions focus on enhancing border security, cooperation against drug smuggling
LONDON: President of the Syrian Arab Republic Ahmad Al-Sharaa stressed the significance of starting a new chapter in his country’s relationship with Iraq during a phone conversation with its Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.
The two leaders spoke on Tuesday, the final day of Eid Al-Fitr, which marked the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The parties discussed enhancing bilateral relations between Syria and Iraq while maintaining economic ties, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
Al-Sharaa and Al-Sudani stressed the need to begin a new chapter in their countries’ relationship, focusing in the future on collaborative efforts to address regional challenges and prevent tensions, the SANA added.
Discussions also focused on enhancing border security, cooperation against drug smuggling, and coordination to maintain stability.
Iraq welcomed the formation of Syria’s transitional government this week, reiterating its commitment to its neighbor’s security and sovereignty. Al-Sharaa emphasized his respect for Iraq’s sovereignty, pledging non-interference in its domestic affairs, the SANA said.
Amnesty International calls on Hungary to arrest Netanyahu
- Israeli PM due to fly to International Criminal Court member state this week
- Visit ‘must not become a bellwether for the future of human rights in Europe’
LONDON: Amnesty International has called on Hungary to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following reports that he will visit the EU member state on Wednesday at the invitation of his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban.
Netanyahu is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in November over Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Orban, a close ally of Netanyahu, has said he would not enforce the warrant. As a member state, Hungary is required to enforce any arrest warrant issued by the ICC.
Erika Guevara-Rosas, head of global research, advocacy and policy at Amnesty International, said Netanyahu “is an alleged war criminal, who is accused of using starvation as a method of warfare, intentionally attacking civilians and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”
As an ICC member, “Hungary must arrest him if he travels to the country and hand him over to the Court. Any trip he takes to an ICC member state that does not end in his arrest would embolden Israel to commit further crimes against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“Netanyahu’s reported visit should be seen as a cynical effort to undermine the ICC and its work, and is an insult to the victims of these crimes who are looking to the Court for justice. Hungary’s invitation shows contempt for international law and confirms that alleged war criminals wanted by the ICC are welcome on the streets of an EU member state.”
Guevara-Rosas said: “Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary must not become a bellwether for the future of human rights in Europe.
“European and global leaders must end their shameful silence and inaction, and call on Hungary to arrest Netanyahu during a visit which would make a mockery of the suffering of Palestinian victims of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, its war crimes in other parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and its entrenched system of apartheid against all Palestinians whose rights it controls.
“Amnesty International calls on the ICC Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute all Israel’s crimes.”
Guevara-Rosas added: “Hungary should equally do so by applying universal jurisdiction principles. Powerful leaders, like Netanyahu, accused by the ICC of war crimes and crimes against humanity, must no longer enjoy the prospect of perpetual impunity.”
Health ministry in Gaza says 1,042 killed since Israel resumed strikes
- After a ceasefire that lasted roughly two months, Israel relaunched its military campaign in Gaza on March 18
GAZA CITY: The health ministry in Gaza said on Tuesday that 1,042 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since Israel resumed large-scale strikes on March 18.
According to the ministry’s statement, the figure includes 41 people killed in the past 24 hours. It also reported that the overall death toll had reached 50,399 since the war began on October 7, 2023.
After a ceasefire that lasted roughly two months, Israel relaunched its military campaign in Gaza on March 18. Since then, bombardment and new ground assaults that have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry’s count does not distinguish between militants and civilians, but it says over half those killed are women and children.
