Latest news with #FrenchEmbassy
Gulf Weekly
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Weekly
Celebrating French cinema
Movie lovers are in for a treat as the third edition of the FrancoFilm Festival – Bahrain returns this month. Organised by the French Embassy and Alliance Française Bahrain, the third edition, celebrating French-language cinema will showcase films from across Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. Presented in partnership with the embassies of Armenia, Belgium, Cameroon, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Switzerland, Tunisia, and Vietnam, the festival highlights the diversity and creativity of the French-speaking world. Most films will be partially or entirely in French, with English subtitles. Screenings will take place from May 17-22 at EPIX Cinemas, Dana Mall. The schedule is set to be released today. All screenings are free of charge and open to the public on a walk-in basis, subject to seat availability. The official opening is scheduled to be held on May 18 at 7pm, with a special screening of The Count of Monte Cristo (Le Comte de Monte Cristo), directed by Alexandre de la Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte. The opening event, held under the auspices of French Ambassador Eric Giraud-Telme, is free but requires registration via the Embassy's Instagram account @francebahrein. In addition to the cinema screenings, a special off-site showing of the documentary La Ville Louvre (1990) by Nicolas Philibert will be held on May 22 at 6pm at the Bahrain National Museum, in celebration of International Museum Day. Organised in collaboration with the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, the documentary offers an insider's look at the world's most famous museum. The festival also caters to families, with a dedicated selection of animated films for children to be screened at EPIX Cinemas' Kinder auditorium.
Russia Today
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
France to expel diplomats from former colony
France will expel Algerian diplomats in response to the North African country's decision to remove more than a dozen French officials, Paris announced on Wednesday. Algerian state news agency APS reported on Sunday that a senior French embassy official had been notified by authorities of the expulsion of 15 French diplomatic staff, citing Paris' alleged failure to follow established protocols in their appointments. In response, the French Foreign Ministry said it had summoned a senior Algerian diplomat on Tuesday to protest the 'unilateral decision' by Algiers to impose new entry conditions on French officials holding diplomatic or service passports. It did not specify the number of employees facing removal from the African country. The move by the former French colony violates a 2013 bilateral agreement, the ministry claimed in a statement. 'The chargé d'affaires was informed that France will take the same measures with regard to Algeria, in strict reciprocity. France reserves the right to take additional measures as the situation develops,' it added. Already fragile relations between Algeria and France have been beset by a series of diplomatic flare-ups in recent months. In April, both countries expelled 12 diplomats in a tit-for-tat dispute triggered by the arrest of an Algerian official in France, prompting Paris to recall its ambassador. France's recent backing of Morocco's stance on the disputed Western Sahara – a territory Algeria has long supported in its push for independence – has further strained relations between Paris and Algiers. In a bid to defuse mounting tensions, French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune held a phone call in late March, pledging to keep dialogue open. Just days later, on April 6, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited Algiers for talks on improving mobility between the two countries and strengthening what Paris described as 'effective and constructive' consular cooperation. However, on Wednesday, Barrot declared that ties between the two countries were now 'totally blocked,' denouncing the latest move by the Algerian government as 'unjustified and unjustifiable.'
Russia Today
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
African state orders expulsion of French embassy staff
Algeria has ordered the immediate dismissal of a number of French diplomatic personnel who were allegedly appointed by Paris without the established protocols being followed, the North African state's press service (APS) reported on Sunday. According to the outlet, at least fifteen French employees have been assigned to diplomatic or consular positions in Algiers without France complying with the appropriate procedures, such as official notification or accreditation requests. On Sunday, Algeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned a senior French embassy official to protest 'serious and repeated' breaches of international conventions governing diplomatic appointments. 'These employees, who previously held mission passports, have been granted diplomatic passports to facilitate their entry into Algeria… The same list included two employees from the French Ministry of the Interior, who were intended to perform part of the duties of those recently declared persona non grata,' APS reported, citing sources. The alleged diplomatic breach comes as relations between the two countries remain strained on several fronts. Algeria has accused France of repeatedly denying entry to holders of Algerian diplomatic passports. The accreditation process for the former French colony's newly appointed Consuls General in Paris and Marseille, as well as seven other consular officials, has reportedly also been stalled for over five months. The latest move follows a similar expulsion in April, when Algeria ordered 12 French embassy staff to leave the country over what it described as 'hostile acts' and interference in internal affairs. The decision came shortly after the arrest of an Algerian consular official in France, who is one of three Algerians charged with kidnapping government critic Amir Boukhors in 2024. The arrest sparked outrage in Algiers, which condemned it as a violation of diplomatic immunity. Tensions have since worsened, fueled by disputes over visa policies, unresolved colonial-era grievances, and France's support for Morocco's position on the Western Sahara issue. Earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in an effort to mend fraying ties, during which both leaders agreed to maintain dialogue.
Bloomberg
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
France Vows Firm Response After Algeria Orders Embassy Staff Out
France vowed a decisive response after Algeria announced it would expel more French embassy staff, the latest escalation in a dispute pitting the North African nation against its former colonial ruler. Algeria took the step after accusing France of repeatedly failing to comply with 'established procedures' for assigning staff to its diplomatic and consular missions, its state-run APS news agency reported Sunday. It wasn't clear how many workers would be affected.
Al Arabiya
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
France vows strong response as Algeria plans more expulsions
France's foreign minister on Monday vowed an immediate and strong response from Paris after Algeria revealed plans to expel more French officials from Algerian territory after a similar move last month. Relations between Algeria and France, the former colonial power in Africa's largest nation by land area, have been beset by a series of problems in recent months despite attempts by President Emmanuel Macron to promote reconciliation. 'This is an incomprehensible and brutal decision,' French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters in Normandy. 'We will respond immediately, firmly, and in a manner proportionate to the harm it is doing to our interests.' 'It is a decision that I deplore because it is neither in the interests of Algeria nor in the interests of France,' he added. Algeria summoned the charge d'affaires of the French embassy in Algiers on Sunday to notify him of the expulsions of the French officials from Algerian territory, a French diplomatic source, asking not to be named, told AFP. The officials concerned are on temporary reinforcement missions, the source said, without specifying how many were concerned or when the expulsions would take effect. France in April ordered the expulsion of 12 Algerian diplomats and consular officials and recalled its ambassador after Algeria ordered 12 French officials to leave in response to the arrest of an Algerian official in France. Relations became strained last year when France recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, where Algeria backs the pro-independence Polisario Front. Ties soured further when Algeria arrested and jailed French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in November on national security charges. As well as contemporary problems, relations are shadowed by the 1954-1962 war that led to Algeria's independence from France and was marked by violations including arbitrary killings and detentions carried out by French forces.
