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world news Dialuna 4 OctOber 2021

Algeria blasts French leader, bans flights, recalls diplomat

(AP) — Algeria has refused Sunday’s flights will be the merable and fit the strictest
permission for France to only ones affected. definitions of genocide,” its
fly military planes in its statement alleged.
airspace and announced “We haven’t had official no-
the recall of its ambas- tification, so we will see,” he French media reported that
sador from Paris in the said. “The planners are think- Macron spoke recently about
wake of what it said were ing about how we will adapt.” Algeria’s post-colonial sys-
“inadmissible” comments tem of government and its at-
attributed to French Pres- Algeria had approved previ- titudes to France. The news-
ident Emmanuel Macron. ous French flights in recent paper Le Monde said Macron
months, he said. made the comments Thurs-
This weekend’s sharp escala- day in a meeting at the presi-
tion in tensions also follows The flight ban followed the dential palace with French
a French decision to slash immediate recall of Algeria’s and Algerian grandchildren
the number of visas issued ambassador from France of former combatants in Al-
to people in North Africa — for “consultations” — an- geria’s 1954-62 war of inde-
including Algeria — because nounced Saturday evening by pendence from France and French officials announced family or other ties in France.
governments there are refus- the Algerian presidency. people affected by the con- the number of visas given
ing to take back migrants ex- flict’s aftermath. to Algerians and Moroccans The Algerian presidency said
pelled from France. The statement said the dip- would be cut by half, and in its statement that Macron’s
lomat’s recall was motivated In its report from the meet- to Tunisians by 30%. The remarks were “an intolerable
A French request that two by recent comments about ing, Le Monde said that Ma- government said the deci- affront to the memory of the
military planes be allowed to Algeria that were attributed cron accused Algerian au- sion responded to refusals 5,630,000 valiant martyrs
fly Sunday over Algerian ter- to Macron. The comments thorities of stoking hatred for from Algeria, Morocco and who sacrificed their lives in
ritory was rejected, French amounted to “inadmissible France. The French leader Tunisia to provide consular their heroic resistance of the
military spokesman Col. Pas- interference” in Algeria’s af- also spoke about his govern- documents for their citizens French colonial invasion.”
cal Ianni said. One plane was fairs and were “an intolerable ment’s tightening of visas for who were being deported There was no explanation
meant to depart from France, affront” to Algerians who North Africans, saying the from France after arriving il- of how Algerian authorities
the other from Chad, he said. died fighting French colo- visa reduction would target legally. The three countries came up with such a large
nialism, the Algerian presi- “people in the area of gov- were part of France’s colonial number.
Ianni said it isn’t clear dency said. ernance, who had a habit of empire, and many Europe-
whether Algeria is closing asking for visas easily,” the bound migrants and other It added that “nothing and
its airspace completely to the “The crimes of colonial newspaper reported. visitors coming from those nobody can absolve the colo-
French military or whether France in Algeria are innu- North African nations have nial powers of their crimes.”

PM vows to rebuild Spanish island hit by volcanic eruption

(AP) — Spain’s prime minister “We are facing a test of resistance, be- miles) and after reaching the island’s
vowed Sunday to rebuild the is- Returning for the third time since the cause we don’t know when the vol- shore are now tumbling into the At-
land of La Palma, where a volca- volcano eruption began on Sept. 19, cano’s eruption will end,” Sánchez lantic Ocean, where a peninsula of
nic eruption has spewed molten Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez an- said in a televised press conference. more than 28 hectares (70 acres) is
lava and a thick cloud of pyro- nounced Sunday an aid package of “But citizens should know that when growing and stretching into the sea.
clastic ash for the past two weeks, 206 million euros ($238 million) for it does end, the government of Spain
destroying houses and banana the affected islanders. will be there to help with the enor- On Sunday, the Canary Islands’ vol-
crops. The eruption is giving no mous task of rebuilding La Palma and canology institute, Involcan, said the
indications it will end soon. According to Sánchez, the money offer a horizon of prosperity.” explosive activity in the vents of the
will rebuild crucial infrastructure volcano had intensified, while several
Lava flowing from vents in the Cum- for the island´s economy, mainly ir- The government already approved medium-range earthquakes were re-
bre Vieja volcano range has destroyed rigation networks for the important a separate 10.5 million euro ($12.2 corded by the country’s geographic
over 900 buildings and displaced banana export industry and other ag- million) emergency fund last month institute, IGN.
about 6,000 people so far, and new ricultural crops, as well as roads that to purchase housing and basic goods
vents opened just days ago. The is- serve the hiking trails and beaches for those who have seen their houses Despite the eruption’s spectacular
land of 85,000 people lies in Spain’s that attract tourists. The funds also buried by molten rock. images and its damage to property, no
Canary Islands archipelago in the At- aim to create jobs and cut taxes for La casualties have been reported, mainly
lantic Ocean off the northwest coast Palma residents. Rivers of lava have meandered down- due to speedy evacuations.
of Africa. hill for over 6 kilometers (nearly 4

US raises concern as China flies warplanes south of Taiwan

(AP) — The Chinese military flew 16 war- mines regional peace and stability. China has been sending military planes into the area
planes over waters south of Taiwan on Sunday south of Taiwan on a frequent basis for more than a
as the United States expressed concern about “We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, year. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said 12 fighter jets
what it called China’s “provocative military and economic pressure and coercion against Tai- and four other military aircraft entered Taiwan’s air
action” near the self-governing island that wan,” the statement said. defense identification zone on Sunday.a
China claims.
It added that the United States, Taiwan’s biggest
China sent 38 warplanes into the area on Friday supplier of arms, would continue to help the gov-
and 39 aircraft on Saturday, the most in a single day ernment maintain a sufficient self-defense capabil-
since Taiwan began releasing reports on the flights ity.
in September 2020. The flights came in daytime
and nighttime sorties, and it wasn’t clear if China China and Taiwan split in 1949 during a civil war
was planning more flights on Sunday night. in which the Communists took control of main-
land China and the rival Nationalists set up a gov-
A statement from U.S. State Department spokes- ernment on Taiwan, an island of 24 million people
person Ned Price warned that China’s military ac- about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the east coast.
tivity near Taiwan risks miscalculation and under-