A recent report by the chemical weapons watchdog, OPCW, has caused a flurry of activity among defenders of the Assad regime who claim chemical attacks in Syria have been faked or staged by rebels.
The obvious conclusion to be drawn from the OPCW report was that two cylinders of chlorine gas...
Blog archive: All
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17th March 2019
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13th March 2019Protesters returned to the streets of Algeria with renewed anger on Tuesday, accusing President Bouteflika of trickery. For a brief moment on Monday night it seemed that their key demand had been granted, and that the 82-year-old president, who is in poor health, would not after...
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12th March 2019The strikes and street protests seen in Algeria over the last couple of weeks bore fruit on Monday with the announcement that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who is 82 and in poor health, will not be seeking a fifth term in office after all. At first sight, this is a significant victory for the...
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11th March 2019President Abdelaziz Bouteflika returned to Algeria on Sunday after two weeks at a hospital in Switzerland for what were described as routine medical tests. His plane arrived at a secluded military airfield outside the capital where there was no official welcoming ceremony. He was then whisked...
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4th March 2019Algeria's 82-year-old president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, was formally nominated yesterday for a fifth term in office, even though the current constitution says he is limited to two terms. Bouteflika, who is in poor health and uses a wheelchair, is reported to be in Switzerland for medical...
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2nd March 2019On Friday the OPCW's fact-finding mission issued its final report on alleged chemical attacks in the rebel-held Syrian town of Douma last April. Dozens of people were reportedly killed by a release of toxic chemicals and the US, Britain and France responded shortly afterwards with...
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1st March 2019When the Arab Spring uprisings broke out in 2011 there were riots in Algeria, as elsewhere in the region. But while the leaders of three neighbouring countries – Tunisia, Egypt and Libya – were toppled the regime of Abdelaziz Bouteflika survived relatively unscathed. Although Algeria...
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26th February 2019Large-scale protests are continuing in Algeria against President Bouteflika. Now aged 81 and in poor health, he has been president since 1999 is seeking re-election for a fifth term in office (see previous blog post). Today student demonstrations are being organised though there are reports of...
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25th February 2019In many parts of the world whether you believe in God or not, whether you practise a religion or not, is seen as a personal choice – and a choice that everyone is free to make. This basic principle is set out in article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which says everyone has...
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24th February 2019Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been president of Algeria since 1999. Now aged 81 and in poor health, he is seeking a fifth term in office. The ruling FLN party has already adopted him as its candidate for the election in April and other sections of the political establishment have declared their...
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20th February 2019A 20-year-old student has been detained in Algeria, accused of murdering a fellow student in an apparent homophobic attack. The suspect, who has not been named, appeared briefly in court on Monday and was remanded in custody awaiting trial. If convicted, he could face the death penalty...
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13th February 2019Last December Egypt's minister of culture, Ines Abdel-Dayem, went into battle against sectarianism – armed with a flute. The minister, who is a former director of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra and a former chair of the Cairo Opera House, played her favourite instrument at a concert in Minya...