Egypt, Algeria in a growing diplomatic row caused by their bitter soccer rivalry

Egypt, Algeria soccer tiff grows

CAIRO — Egypt has recalled its ambassador to Algeria for consultations as part of a growing diplomatic row caused by a bitter soccer rivalry between the two Arab nations.

Italy’s top security official: Algerian cell financing terror smashed with 17 arrests

Italy: 17 Algerians arrested in terrorism probe

10 suspected militants, 3 soldiers killed in Algerian desert gunbattle

ALGIERS, Algeria — Ten suspected Islamists and three soldiers were killed in a fierce gunbattle in the Sahara Desert when a convoy of heavily armed militants was attacked by the Algerian army, officials said Saturday.

French police arrest physicist at Europe’s Big Bang laboratory for suspected al-Qaida link

GENEVA — A physicist working at the world’s largest atom smasher has been arrested on suspicion of links to al-Qaida, adding to the woes of the $10 billion project that ceased operation a year ago — just days after its celebrated start up.

Al-Qaida offshoot claims it killed, injured dozens of government forces in Algeria

ALGIERS, Algeria — Al-Qaida’s North African offshoot claimed it killed or injured dozens of Algerian security forces in 29 separate attacks and bombings over the past two months, despite the intense military pressure that appears to have seriously limited the militants’ scope.

Bars, discos steadily closing in Algeria as Islamic rules tighten

ALGIERS, Algeria —All through the 1990s, when Islamic militants waged a ferocious war on the Algerian state and nightlife died in the city that once called itself “The Paris of Africa,” the Hanani bar and restaurant stayed open. It was “an act of resistance,” says owner Achour Ait Oussaid.

Algerian army kills 18 suspected terrorists

ALGERIA/PARIS - At least 18 suspected terrorists were killed during Algerian Army operations in the eastern part of the country, media reports said Sunday.

UN allows gay, lesbian organization to participate in formal meetings; bans Arab group

GENEVA — The United Nations granted official status to a gay and lesbian organization from Brazil on Monday, allowing it to participate in U.N. meetings ranging from health to human rights.

Algeria shifts weekend dates again in hope of boosting productivity

ALGIERS, Algeria — The Algerian government has issued a decree shifting the dates of the weekend to Friday and Saturday in a move viewed as a boost the North African nation’s faltering economy.

Chinese embassy in Algeria warns of reprisals against workers after unrest in Muslim west

URUMQI, China — China’s embassy in Algeria has warned Chinese companies and workers to be on guard for attacks after an Islamist Web site called for retaliation for Beijing’s response to unrest in its predominantly Muslim western province.

8,000 African artists celebrate continent’s culture and reflect on 40 rocky years of freedom

ALGIERS, Algeria — From superstars to tribal dancers, thousands of African artists are celebrating their troubled continent’s culture and potential in an epic festival — and looking back at what they’ve accomplished and squandered in four decades of freedom from colonial rule.

GdF Suez to develop $2.3 billion gas field in Sahara with Algeria’s Sonatrach

PARIS — GdF Suez SA said Tuesday it is forging ahead with plans to develop a $2.3 billion gas project in the Sahara Desert that will be the French gas and electric giant’s first gas production site in Algeria.

Al-Qaida-linked militants kill at least 19 Algerian police and civilians

ALGIERS, Algeria — Al-Qaida-linked militants ambushed a convoy of Algerian police escorting Chinese construction workers near a highway building site, killing at least 19 people and wounding several others, a local official and Algerian newspapers said Thursday.

Al-Qaida-linked militants kill at least 21 Algerian police escorting Chinese workers

ALGIERS, Algeria — Al-Qaida-linked militants ambushed a convoy of Algerian police escorting Chinese construction workers near a highway building site, killing at least 21 officers and wounding several others, a local official and Algerian newspapers said Thursday.

Algeria’s al-Qaida offshoot claims ambush that killed 10

ALGERIA, Algiers — Al-Qaida-linked militants in Algeria have claimed responsibility for an ambush that killed 10 people this week but denied they deliberately targeted the two teachers who were among the victims.

AP IMPACT: Al-Qaida in North Africa: A franchise for terrorism strikes far

DRAA BEN KHEDDA, Algeria — Deep in the Sahara Desert, along the remote southern borders of Algeria, lies an immense no man’s land where militants roam.

British PM Brown says al-Qaida have likely executed UK hostage in Mali

LONDON — Al-Qaida terrorists have killed a Briton taken hostage in Mali, the British prime minister said Wednesday. The fate of a Swiss hostage taken at the same time was unknown.

Jazz: a “soft power” that rocks Algerian hearts as America tries to mend bridges in Arab world

CONSTANTINE, Algeria — Young people climbed up the old marble columns of the hall for a better look at the band. The audience — including girls in headscarves — danced around the gilded balconies to oriental, hip-hop and jazz moves.

Algerian militants kill 2 teachers, 8 police in ambush after exams near the capital

ALGIERS, Algeria — Al-Qaida-linked militants killed two teachers and eight police escorts as they brought copies of tests back from an examination center near the Algerian capital, a local official and Algerian media said Wednesday.

OPEC head warns $50 per barrel insufficient for investment, urges $70

ALGIERS, Algeria — OPEC Secretary General Abdalla el-Badri has warned that oil prices of $50 per barrel are “insufficient for continued investment” and urged a $70 barrel.