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Algerian Former PM Placed in Custody in Corruption Probe

Algerian former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia. (Reuters)
Algerian former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia. (Reuters)
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Algerian Former PM Placed in Custody in Corruption Probe

Algerian former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia. (Reuters)
Algerian former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia. (Reuters)

Algerian former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia has been ordered by the Supreme Court on Wednesday to be placed in custody after he faced a judge in connection with a corruption investigation, state television reported.

Ouyahia, who left the government in March as part of a cabinet reshuffle, is under investigation over cases including “awarding illegal privileges”, state TV said, without giving details.

He is the leader of Algeria’s second largest party, the Democratic National Rally (RND).

Ouyahia is the most senior politician to be detained since mass protests broke out earlier this year demanding the removal of the ruling elite and the prosecution of people demonstrators see as corrupt.

Hundreds of people celebrated the decision outside a prison where prominent businessmen are also being held over corruption allegations, private television channels showed.

His former transport minister, Abdelghani Zaalane, later also appeared before the court in connection with a corruption investigation. The Supreme Court later placed him in custody.

Neither men’s lawyers could be reached by phone for comment.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down on April 2 under pressure from the army and protests that broke out on February 22. Zaalane had been named campaign manager for Bouteflika for an April 18 presidential election, which was cancelled.

The army is now the most powerful institution in Algeria and its chief Ahmed Gaed Salah has urged the judiciary to investigate all people suspected of being involved in corruption.

Several senior figures including another former prime minister, Abdelmalek Sellal, and eight former ministers appeared last month in a court in Algiers on suspicion of corruption.

Bouteflika’s youngest brother, Said, and two former intelligence chiefs have been placed in custody by a military judge for “harming the army’s authority and plotting against state authority”.

Several prominent businessmen, some of them close to Bouteflika, have been detained pending trial.

Protesters are now seeking the departure of interim President Abdelkader Bensalah and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, both seen as part of the elite that has ruled the North African country since independence from France in 1962.

Ouyahia’s RND supports the interim government, but is not part of it.

Authorities have postponed a presidential election previously planned for July 4, citing a lack of candidates. No new date has been set for the vote.

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Arab World

Witkoff, Kushner Brief EU Foreign Ministers on Gaza via Video Conference, EU Official Says 

Seen from a building heavily damaged during the Israeli air and ground operations, tents fill a makeshift camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP)
Seen from a building heavily damaged during the Israeli air and ground operations, tents fill a makeshift camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP)
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Witkoff, Kushner Brief EU Foreign Ministers on Gaza via Video Conference, EU Official Says 

Seen from a building heavily damaged during the Israeli air and ground operations, tents fill a makeshift camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP)
Seen from a building heavily damaged during the Israeli air and ground operations, tents fill a makeshift camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP)

US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner on Monday briefed EU foreign ministers on Trump's Gaza peace plan via video conference, an EU official said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier on Monday that he had suggested to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas that Kushner and Witkoff provide an update on the implementation of the plan to the foreign ministers during their meeting in Brussels.

Arab World

Egypt Pushes for Deeper Economic Ties with Qatar

Photo from  the Egyptian–Qatari Business Forum in Cairo on Sunday (Egyptian Ministry of Investment) 
Photo from  the Egyptian–Qatari Business Forum in Cairo on Sunday (Egyptian Ministry of Investment) 
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Egypt Pushes for Deeper Economic Ties with Qatar

Photo from  the Egyptian–Qatari Business Forum in Cairo on Sunday (Egyptian Ministry of Investment) 
Photo from  the Egyptian–Qatari Business Forum in Cairo on Sunday (Egyptian Ministry of Investment) 

Egypt has signaled a new push to deepen economic cooperation with Qatar, announcing a set of investment facilitation measures aimed at boosting bilateral trade and attracting Qatari capital. The announcement came during the Egyptian–Qatari Business Forum held in Cairo on Sunday.

Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Hassan ElKhatib, said that a specialized committee would be established to streamline investment and trade procedures between the two countries. Experts view the move as a clear indication of the evolving economic partnership between Cairo and Doha.

ElKhatib inaugurated the forum alongside Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade, with wide participation from business leaders and private-sector representatives from both countries.

Bilateral relations have gained renewed strength following President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s visit to Doha in April, during which Qatar announced a $7.5 billion package of direct investments to support its economic partnership with Egypt.

According to ElKhatib, Qatari investments in Egypt currently stand at around $3.2 billion, distributed across more than 266 companies operating in sectors including finance, industry, and tourism. He added that bilateral trade reached $143 million during the first ten months of the current year, up from $80 million in 2023 — an increase of nearly 80 percent.

The minister said relations with Qatar received a significant boost following Al-Sisi’s visit, which paved the way for new investment projects, led by developments on Egypt’s northwestern Mediterranean coast.

To further support Qatari investors, El-Khatib announced the creation of the specialized facilitation committee to help remove obstacles facing companies and enhance overall economic cooperation, underscoring Egypt’s intent to elevate ties with Qatar to a more strategic level.

Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade emphasized the importance of strengthening economic partnerships with Cairo, highlighting the private sector’s role in driving growth and creating new investment opportunities. He noted that sustained cooperation between companies in both countries enhances knowledge exchange and enables high-quality investments that support sustainable development.

Former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Youssef El-Sharkawy said Egyptian–Qatari relations have entered a new phase of political and economic cooperation. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that economic collaboration has become the main engine of strategic partnership, particularly through investments in the North Coast, the Suez Canal Economic Zone, and key sectors such as tourism, industry, and real estate.

Economist Walid Gaballah, a member of the Egyptian Association for Economy and Legislation, said the forum serves as a practical mechanism for activating Qatar’s investment commitments in Egypt, especially in tourism, agriculture, technology, and industry. He added that improved investment conditions have already contributed to rising trade volumes.

According to Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, bilateral trade between Egypt and Qatar totaled $128.4 million last year. Observers noted that the deepening economic relationship coincides with closer regional coordination between Cairo and Doha, including joint efforts to promote de-escalation and stability in the region.

 

 

Arab World

Political Tensions between Lebanon and Iran Reach New Heights

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (center), Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi (left) and Iranian FM Abbas Araqchi meet in Lebanon in June. (Lebanese Presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (center), Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi (left) and Iranian FM Abbas Araqchi meet in Lebanon in June. (Lebanese Presidency)
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Political Tensions between Lebanon and Iran Reach New Heights

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (center), Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi (left) and Iranian FM Abbas Araqchi meet in Lebanon in June. (Lebanese Presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (center), Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi (left) and Iranian FM Abbas Araqchi meet in Lebanon in June. (Lebanese Presidency)

Tensions between Lebanon and Iran have reached unprecedented levels, reflecting a shift in how Beirut views its ties with Tehran, especially when it comes to Hezbollah’s arsenal and Iranian meddling in Lebanese internal affairs.

The tensions are not just playing out in the media, but in official positions taken by Lebanon’s top officials.

The latest example was Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi’s announcement last week that he was declining an invitation by his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi to visit Tehran. He instead proposed meeting in a neutral country.

An official Lebanese source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Raggi’s position does not stem from his personal views, but from a “clear political stance that Lebanese-Iranian relations cannot go back on track if they are not based on equality.

Iran must only limit its dealings in Lebanon to the state and no other party, namely Hezbollah, it added.

The root of the crisis lies in Iran’s absolute support for Hezbollah and how Tehran views it as an extension of its Revolutionary Guards Corps, an entity that exists parallel to the Lebanese state and even violates its jurisdiction in taking decisions of war and peace.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source warned that Iran maintaining this position towards Lebanon, “complicates the situation inside Lebanon and exposes the country to a new war with Israel.”

Lebanon cannot withstand such a new conflict, it added.

Araqchi on Thursday said he would visit Lebanon after Raggi issued a formal invitation.

Raggi was not the only senior Lebanese official to take issue with Iran. Earlier this year, President Joseph Aoun refused to meet with Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani while he was visiting Beirut.

The source said the refusal was a “direct message that the Lebanese state no longer tolerates parallel channels or relations that go beyond formal and constitutional levels.”

“This is the Lebanese state’s official position,” it stressed. “Iran will be welcomed if its changes the way it approaches Lebanon, whereby relations should be between official and constitutional institutions. Both countries should be equals, not with one being subordinate to the other.”

Earlier in 2025, Aoun received Iranian Speaker of the Shura Council Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, informing him that Lebanon has “grown weary” of other countries “waging their wars on its territory.”

“It is about time that the Lebanese people are relieved of wars and tragedies,” he said, referring to the “support war” Hezbollah had launched in 2023 in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza with Iran’s backing.

On Sunday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei renewed Tehran’s call on Beirut to hold dialogue.

“Iran would rather avoid making statements that would distract Lebanon from focusing on its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The real danger against Lebanon’s sovereignty and dignity are Israel’s ambitions and hegemony,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ali Akbar Velayati, declared that Tehran will continue to support Hezbollah.

Meeting with Hezbollah representative in Tehran, Abdullah Safieddine, he described the party as one of “the most important pillars of the Resistance Axis.”

Hezbollah is playing a “fundamental role in confronting Zionism,” he added.

Such statements demonstrate how Iran views Hezbollah’s arsenal as part of Tehran's regional security system, not as an issue related to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

The Lebanese government earlier this year took a landmark decision to impose state monopoly over arms, which effectively calls on Hezbollah to lay down its weapons.

Another adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Shamkhani, had previously openly declared that efforts to disarm Hezbollah “will fail.”

“These arms are those of the Lebanese people to defend their territory against Israel,” he added, rejecting any discussions about handing them over to the Lebanese state.

The official Lebanese source stressed that “there can be no going back” from the decision to impose state monopoly over arms.

“The internal and external objections will not change the state’s policy that has taken the decision to impose its authority throughout Lebanon,” it continued.