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Algeria, US to Discuss Combating Corruption and Terrorism

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria with US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet last August (Algerian Foreign Ministry)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria with US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet last August (Algerian Foreign Ministry)
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Algeria, US to Discuss Combating Corruption and Terrorism

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria with US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet last August (Algerian Foreign Ministry)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria with US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet last August (Algerian Foreign Ministry)

US and Algerian officials have launched a "strategic dialogue" in Washington to discuss issues related to combating corruption and terrorism.

In a statement, the Algerian Foreign Ministry said that its Secretary-General, Lounes Magramane, chaired with the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Middle Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, the Sixth Session of the Algerian-US Strategic Dialogue.

The meeting is set to discuss energy, higher education, emerging companies, culture, and transportation.

The statement explained that a sizeable Algerian delegation is participating in the meeting, highlighting that the discussions will include regional and international developments and cooperation in combating terrorism.

Notably, the bilateral strategic dialogue meetings usually address many other issues, including security coordination between the two governments against money laundering and drying up the sources of terrorism.

Last August, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf held high-level meetings in Washington with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk.

The meetings addressed the crises in Libya and Mali, the military coup in Niger, the repercussions of the Sahel's problems on regional security, and jihadist groups' ability to exploit local unrest to their advantage.

Meanwhile, Algerian Prime Minister Aymen Benabderrahmane revealed that his country had sent 259 judicial letters to 31 countries since 2020 related to freezing the assets and deposits of former figures of the former regime.

Algeria believes the 31 countries are a haven for smuggled public funds, according to the General Policy Statement of the government presented on Tuesday to Parliament by Benabderrahmane.

The Prime Minister did not mention the amounts that had been allocated.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune confirmed to the press at the end of last year that his country could recover approximately $22 billion of "stolen funds."

Tebboune also confirmed the authorities' efforts to recover funds outside the country smuggled illegally during the previous regime, explaining that Algeria has negotiated with the European Union regarding recovering the stolen funds.

He also said that Spain had agreed to hand over to Algeria three luxury 5-star hotels owned by a businessman in prison without naming him.

Observes believed Tebboune was referring to tycoon Ali Haddad, convicted by the courts to imprisonment on several corruption cases.

After convicting them in absentia, the Algerian judiciary issued an international arrest warrant against former Energy Minister Chakib Khelil and his wife residing in the US.

They were found guilty of squandering public funds when concluding contracts with foreign companies, including receiving bribes and commissions worth $190 million in a fuel deal between Sonatrach and Italian Saipem in 2012.

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Arab World

Flash Floods Kill Five in Syria

A displaced Syrian girl sweeps rainwater from the floor of her family's tent following a rainstorm at the al-Talae displacement camp in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, on October 29, 2026 [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]
A displaced Syrian girl sweeps rainwater from the floor of her family's tent following a rainstorm at the al-Talae displacement camp in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, on October 29, 2026 [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]
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Flash Floods Kill Five in Syria

A displaced Syrian girl sweeps rainwater from the floor of her family's tent following a rainstorm at the al-Talae displacement camp in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, on October 29, 2026 [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]
A displaced Syrian girl sweeps rainwater from the floor of her family's tent following a rainstorm at the al-Talae displacement camp in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, on October 29, 2026 [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]

Flash flooding and heavy rains in northern and eastern Syria killed five people, including four children, authorities said Thursday.

Four children died by drowning in the governorates of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, the ministry of emergency and disaster management said in a statement.

Another man died in an accident at a bridge in Raqqa.

State news agency SANA said the heavy downpours and subsequent flooding caused a bridge to collapse in Raqqa, closing a road linking the region to neighboring Aleppo.

Five more people are missing in the storms that have been drenching the country since Wednesday, according to the ministry.

Areas across northern and eastern Syria have seen heavy rainfall and strong winds, inundating homes, displacing residents and closing roads, according to local authorities and official media.

Climate change has led to a drop in rainfall in Syria, while remaining downpours are intense, sporadic and less predictable, according to experts.

Arab World

Syrian Sentenced to 42 Months in US Prison for Pro-Assad Hacking

Reports indicated the images came from hacking attacks targeting social media accounts, as well as cases of online enticement (Reuters).
Reports indicated the images came from hacking attacks targeting social media accounts, as well as cases of online enticement (Reuters).
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Syrian Sentenced to 42 Months in US Prison for Pro-Assad Hacking

Reports indicated the images came from hacking attacks targeting social media accounts, as well as cases of online enticement (Reuters).
Reports indicated the images came from hacking attacks targeting social media accounts, as well as cases of online enticement (Reuters).

A Syrian man was sentenced to 42 months in prison on Thursday for his role in computer hacking on behalf of the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, the US Justice Department said.

Ahmad Umar Agha, 32, and co-conspirators hacked Western media outlets, businesses, non-governmental organizations and US and allied government entities "to spread the former Syrian government's propaganda," the department said in a statement.

The hacking group known as the Syrian Electronic Army was led by members of Assad's inner circle, it said.

"Agha deployed his hacking skills in the service of Assad's regime to silence reporting on the regime's atrocities, intimidate its opponents, and incite US servicemembers to refuse their orders," Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg said.

The group's most notorious hack was of a US new agency's Twitter account, resulting in a false 2013 tweet saying then-president Barack Obama had been injured after two blasts at the White House, said AFP.

"Agha's actions caused a flash crash in the US stock market, resulting in a temporary $136 billion loss in the value of stocks making up the Dow Jones Industrial Average," the Justice Department said.

Agha, also known as Th3Pro, was indicted along with an alleged co-conspirator, Firas Dardar, who remains a fugitive.

A third Syrian charged in the case, Peter Romar, was extradited to the United States and pleaded guilty in September 2016 to hacking charges.

Arab World

Dodging Fuel Price Hikes, Damascus Drivers Turn to Electric Cars

Ahmed Al-Lahham, a driver for ride-hailing application "Yalla Go!", charges his plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) in Damascus. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP
Ahmed Al-Lahham, a driver for ride-hailing application "Yalla Go!", charges his plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) in Damascus. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP
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Dodging Fuel Price Hikes, Damascus Drivers Turn to Electric Cars

Ahmed Al-Lahham, a driver for ride-hailing application "Yalla Go!", charges his plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) in Damascus. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP
Ahmed Al-Lahham, a driver for ride-hailing application "Yalla Go!", charges his plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) in Damascus. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP

Taxi driver Mohammed Kanaan drives his shiny new electric car around Damascus's rundown streets, hoping for higher profits as spiking petrol prices made his old car too expensive to run.

He is among some in the Syrian capital who are steering towards electric cars -- mostly Chinese-made -- after repeated fuel shortages during the country's civil war and petrol price hikes, most recently due to the Middle East war.

"I used to have a car that ran on petrol but lately fuel quality has been low and prices have gone up," said Kanaan, 42, who had barely been covering his operating costs.

"In the end, I decided to buy an electric car and set up a charging point," he told AFP.

Before the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad nearly two years ago, it was rare to see modern cars in Damascus, particularly after civil war erupted in 2011.

The economy tanked, and imports of new vehicles screeched to a halt due to Western sanctions, which have largely been lifted since the new authorities took power.

When the new authorities came to power and reduced tariffs, some 100,000 cars were imported, before they halted imports of used cars due to concerns over quality.

Not all Syrians can afford to make the switch to electric, with the percentage remaining negligible as most still live in poverty.