President Emmanuel Macron of France has relaxed the process for declassifying documents more than 50 years old, including those related to the Algerian War of Independence. From Wednesday, archivists can declassify documents that were kept secret on the grounds of national defence in batches. The change is expected to speed up access for researchers, and is part of moves to promote reconciliation and detoxify the legacy of France's colonial rule of Algeria. Earlier this month, Mr Macron publicly acknowledged that the Algerian independence figure, Ali Boumendjel, had been tortured and assassinated by French forces. Source: BBC WORLD NEWS, 09/03/21