Algeria's new prime minister, Noureddine Bedoui, said on Thursday he would form an inclusive and technocratic government that involved young Algerians who have been staging protests to push for quick political changes.

His promise at a news conference in Algiers comes after ailing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/algerias-president-bouteflika-abandons-re-election-bid-after-weeks-of-protest-202747">President Abdelaziz Bouteflika</a> decided not to run for a fifth term in the face of mass demonstrations. Bedoui was appointed premier on Monday after Ahmed Ouyahia resigned.

The prime minister urged the opposition to accept dialogue. But lawyers and activists who protesters have chosen to lead the drive for reforms are in no mood to compromise and say they will not negotiate, at least for now.

Bouteflika, who has been in power for 20 years and has rarely appeared in public since a stroke in 2013, has promised to work for a new era that would cater to all Algerians.

His offer came after tens of thousands of Algerians staged weeks of protests demanding an overhaul of a stagnant political system dominated by veterans of the 1954-62 war of independence.

Algeria's new prime minister, Noureddine Bedoui, said on Thursday he would form an inclusive and technocratic government that involved young Algerians who have been staging protests to push for quick political changes.

Algeria's new prime minister, Noureddine Bedoui, said on Thursday he would form an inclusive and technocratic government that involved young Algerians who have been staging protests to push for quick political changes. His promise at a news conference in Algiers comes after ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika decided not to run for a fifth term in the face of mass demonstrations. Bedoui was appointed premier on Monday after Ahmed Ouyahia resigned. The prime minister urged the opposition to accept dialogue. But lawyers and activists who protesters have chosen to lead the drive for reforms are in no mood to compromise and say they will not negotiate, at least for now. Bouteflika, who has been in power for 20 years and has rarely appeared in public since a stroke in 2013, has promised to work for a new era that would cater to all Algerians. His offer came after tens of thousands of Algerians staged weeks of protests demanding an overhaul of a stagnant political system dominated by veterans of the 1954-62 war of independence.

Algeria PM Noureddine Bedoui says new government will be 'technocratic'

Lakhdar Brahimi, the veteran diplomat who is expected to steer Algeria`s political transition after mass protests, has won respect from foreign leaders and his country`s political elite during his long career.

But his appointment may not go down well with protesters demanding rapid change. At 85, he is three years older than President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and from the same generation that has presided over Algerian politics since the 1954-62 war of independence against France.&nbsp;

Bouteflika yielded to the protests on Monday by postponing elections and dropping plans to stand for a fifth term. Brahimi is now likely to chair a conference planning Algeria`s future, a government source said.

A former foreign minister, Brahimi has carried out troubleshooting missions for the United Nations across several regions and mediated on some of the Middle East`s thorniest conflicts.&nbsp;

Though not directly or publicly involved in national politics, he is a heavyweight of Algeria`s establishment, long viewed as a possible presidential candidate. He is close to Bouteflika.&nbsp;

"The voice of the people has been heard," Brahimi said on state television after Bouteflika`s announcement that he would not seek a new term.

"Young people who took to the streets acted responsibly and gave a good image of the country. We must turn this crisis into a constructive process."

Bouteflika has said his own final act will be to usher in a new system that will be in "the hands of a new generation of Algerians".&nbsp;

The "inclusive and independent" national conference that Brahimi is expected to head is tasked with drafting a new constitution and setting a date for elections by the end of 2019.

It is likely to include prominent war veterans as well as representatives of the protest movement which has brought tens of thousands of people on to the streets since last month, political sources said.

The plan may struggle to win support, however. Large crowds turned out again in cities across Algeria on Tuesday, protesting against the extension of Bouteflika`s term and calling for faster change.&nbsp;

"GREAT FRIENDSHIP FOR" BOUTEFLIKA

Educated in Algeria and France, Brahimi launched his career during the independence war, representing the National Liberation Front (FLN) in Southeast Asia while Bouteflika and other future leaders joined the FLN on the home front.&nbsp;

A career in the foreign service followed, including ambassadorial roles in the 1960s and 70s during Algeria`s post-independence diplomatic heyday, when a youthful Bouteflika was foreign minister.&nbsp;

Brahimi was foreign minister himself from 1991 to 1993, as Algeria slid into a civil conflict.&nbsp;

In an interview published in 2010, he said elections that were cancelled by the army, with the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) poised to win, should never have been held, given the Islamists` strength.&nbsp;

But he said that once the first round was held in December 1991, the second round should have gone ahead too "because what followed could not have been worse".

Fighting that pitted security forces against an Islamist insurgency eventually killed as many as 200,000 people, with Bouteflika overseeing amnesties that drew the conflict towards a close after he became president in 1999.&nbsp;

From the 1980s, Brahimi served in multinational bodies, helping mediate an end to Lebanon`s civil war for the Arab League in 1989-91, an experience he described as formative.&nbsp;

He spent six months heading the UN observer mission to South Africa before Nelson Mandela`s election as president in 1994, and served twice as U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan, before and after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. In 2004, he was special envoy to Iraq.&nbsp;

In what was expected to be his final high-level mission, in 2012 he was named UN special envoy for Syria as the war there worsened, leading negotiations between President Bashar al-Assad`s government and rebels in Switzerland.

Brahimi quit two years later, unable to break intra-Syrian and international deadlocks. He told the UN Security Council: "I go with a heavy heart because so little was achieved."

In December 2018 Brahimi told Jeune Afrique magazine that he did not foresee a domestic crisis in Algeria.

"Recently I travelled a little in the interior of the country and I have the impression that Algeria is doing quite well," he said, citing infrastructure development in his home region south of Algiers.&nbsp;

He said he did not believe Bouteflika was widely contested, and that he did not have an opinion on whether the president should stand again.&nbsp;

"I have great confidence in him and great friendship for him," he said.&nbsp;

Lakhdar Brahimi, the veteran diplomat who is expected to steer Algeria`s political transition after mass protests, has won respect from foreign leaders and his country`s political elite during his long career.

Lakhdar Brahimi, the veteran diplomat who is expected to steer Algeria`s political transition after mass protests, has won respect from foreign leaders and his country`s political elite during his long career. But his appointment may not go down well with protesters demanding rapid change. At 85, he is three years older than President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and from the same generation that has presided over Algerian politics since the 1954-62 war of independence against France. Bouteflika yielded to the protests on Monday by postponing elections and dropping plans to stand for a fifth term. Brahimi is now likely to chair a conference planning Algeria`s future, a government source said. A former foreign minister, Brahimi has carried out troubleshooting missions for the United Nations across several regions and mediated on some of the Middle East`s thorniest conflicts. Though not directly or publicly involved in national politics, he is a heavyweight of Algeria`s establishment, long viewed as a possible presidential candidate. He is close to Bouteflika. "The voice of the people has been heard," Brahimi said on state television after Bouteflika`s announcement that he would not seek a new term. "Young people who took to the streets acted responsibly and gave a good image of the country. We must turn this crisis into a constructive process." Bouteflika has said his own final act will be to usher in a new system that will be in "the hands of a new generation of Algerians". The "inclusive and independent" national conference that Brahimi is expected to head is tasked with drafting a new constitution and setting a date for elections by the end of 2019. It is likely to include prominent war veterans as well as representatives of the protest movement which has brought tens of thousands of people on to the streets since last month, political sources said. The plan may struggle to win support, however. Large crowds turned out again in cities across Algeria on Tuesday, protesting against the extension of Bouteflika`s term and calling for faster change. "GREAT FRIENDSHIP FOR" BOUTEFLIKA Educated in Algeria and France, Brahimi launched his career during the independence war, representing the National Liberation Front (FLN) in Southeast Asia while Bouteflika and other future leaders joined the FLN on the home front. A career in the foreign service followed, including ambassadorial roles in the 1960s and 70s during Algeria`s post-independence diplomatic heyday, when a youthful Bouteflika was foreign minister. Brahimi was foreign minister himself from 1991 to 1993, as Algeria slid into a civil conflict. In an interview published in 2010, he said elections that were cancelled by the army, with the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) poised to win, should never have been held, given the Islamists` strength. But he said that once the first round was held in December 1991, the second round should have gone ahead too "because what followed could not have been worse". Fighting that pitted security forces against an Islamist insurgency eventually killed as many as 200,000 people, with Bouteflika overseeing amnesties that drew the conflict towards a close after he became president in 1999. From the 1980s, Brahimi served in multinational bodies, helping mediate an end to Lebanon`s civil war for the Arab League in 1989-91, an experience he described as formative. He spent six months heading the UN observer mission to South Africa before Nelson Mandela`s election as president in 1994, and served twice as U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan, before and after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. In 2004, he was special envoy to Iraq. In what was expected to be his final high-level mission, in 2012 he was named UN special envoy for Syria as the war there worsened, leading negotiations between President Bashar al-Assad`s government and rebels in Switzerland. Brahimi quit two years later, unable to break intra-Syrian and international deadlocks. He told the UN Security Council: "I go with a heavy heart because so little was achieved." In December 2018 Brahimi told Jeune Afrique magazine that he did not foresee a domestic crisis in Algeria. "Recently I travelled a little in the interior of the country and I have the impression that Algeria is doing quite well," he said, citing infrastructure development in his home region south of Algiers. He said he did not believe Bouteflika was widely contested, and that he did not have an opinion on whether the president should stand again. "I have great confidence in him and great friendship for him," he said.

Veteran diplomat set to guide Algeria's transition after protests

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/do-not-give-economic-lifeline-for-maduro-regime-in-venezuela-pompeo-to-indian-foreign-secretary-vijay-gokhale-202737">Do not give economic lifeline for Maduro regime in Venezuela: Pompeo to Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale</a>

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Monday expressed hope that India will supports its efforts in Venezuela by not purchasing oil from the "authoritarian" Maduro regime. The issue was discussed in a meeting with the visiting&nbsp;Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale, Pompeo told reporters at a news conference here, without providing insight into it.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/boeing-to-upgrade-software-in-737-max-8-fleet-in-weeks-202738">Will upgrade software in 737 MAX 8 fleet in coming weeks: Boeing</a>

Boeing&nbsp;Co confirmed late on Monday it will deploy a software upgrade to the 737 MAX 8, a few hours after the Federal Aviation Administration said it would mandate "design changes" in the aircraft by April.

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British Prime Minister Theresa May's government on Monday secured a three-part package of changes from the EU to the&nbsp;terms of its withdrawal deal, hoping to win over&nbsp;sceptical MPs.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/algerias-president-bouteflika-abandons-re-election-bid-after-weeks-of-protest-202747">Algeria's President Bouteflika abandons re-election bid after weeks of protest</a>

Algerian&nbsp;President Abdelaziz Bouteflika&nbsp;abandoned his bid for a fifth term in power on Monday, bowing to weeks of mass demonstrations against his 20-year rule by people demanding a new era of politics in a country dominated by an old guard.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/venezuela-congress-declares-state-of-alarm-over-blackout-202729">Venezuela congress declares 'state of alarm' over </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/venezuela-congress-declares-state-of-alarm-over-blackout-202729">blackout</a>

Venezuela's opposition-run congress on Monday declared a "state of alarm" over a&nbsp;five-day power blackout&nbsp;that has crippled the OPEC member&nbsp;country's oil exports&nbsp;and left millions of citizens scrambling to find food and water.&nbsp;

Do not give economic lifeline for Maduro regime in Venezuela: Pompeo to Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Monday expressed hope that India will supports its efforts in Venezuela by not purchasing oil from the "authoritarian" Maduro regime.

Do not give economic lifeline for Maduro regime in Venezuela: Pompeo to Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Monday expressed hope that India will supports its efforts in Venezuela by not purchasing oil from the "authoritarian" Maduro regime. The issue was discussed in a meeting with the visiting Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale, Pompeo told reporters at a news conference here, without providing insight into it. Will upgrade software in 737 MAX 8 fleet in coming weeks: Boeing Boeing Co confirmed late on Monday it will deploy a software upgrade to the 737 MAX 8, a few hours after the Federal Aviation Administration said it would mandate "design changes" in the aircraft by April. UK, EU agree three-part deal on Brexit deal British Prime Minister Theresa May's government on Monday secured a three-part package of changes from the EU to the terms of its withdrawal deal, hoping to win over sceptical MPs. Algeria's President Bouteflika abandons re-election bid after weeks of protest Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika abandoned his bid for a fifth term in power on Monday, bowing to weeks of mass demonstrations against his 20-year rule by people demanding a new era of politics in a country dominated by an old guard. Venezuela congress declares 'state of alarm' over blackout Venezuela's opposition-run congress on Monday declared a "state of alarm" over a five-day power blackout that has crippled the OPEC member country's oil exports and left millions of citizens scrambling to find food and water.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Algerian <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/president-abdelaziz-bouteflika-returns-to-algeria-amid-protests-202495">President Abdelaziz Bouteflika</a> abandoned his bid for a fifth term in power on Monday, bowing to weeks of mass demonstrations against his 20-year rule by people demanding a new era of politics in a country dominated by an old guard.

The veteran revolutionary also postponed an election that had been set for April, and promised social and economic reform.

Bouteflika's announcement brought crowds back onto the streets in celebration on Monday evening. Hundreds of people, young and old, some draped in the national flag, jumped up and down with excitement. Cars beeped their horns in approval.

"Our protests have borne fruit! We defeated the supporters of the fifth term!" said taxi-driver Mohamed Kaci, 50.

However, Bouteflika stopped short of immediately stepping down and will remain in power for some time yet, pending a national conference on political change.

Tens of thousands of people from all social classes had demonstrated almost daily against his plan to run for re-election, rejecting a political system dominated for nearly 60 years by veterans of the independence war against France.

Bouteflika, 82, has ruled for 20 years but has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.

His <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/algeria-opposition-figure-arrested-at-bouteflikas-hospital-202084">opponents</a> said they did not believe he was in a fit state to run the country, an OPEC oil producer, and suspected he was being kept in place to protect the grip of the military and business elite.

In a series of announcements on Monday evening, the presidency said the election, previously set for April, would be postponed. A new constitution would be submitted to the public for a referendum.

Bouteflika said his last duty would be to contribute to the founding of a new system that will be in "the hands of a new generation of Algerians".

An "inclusive and independent" national conference will oversee the transition, drafting a new constitution and setting the date for elections.

The conference should finish its work by the end of 2019, with elections to follow, he said in a statement. The conference will be headed by an "independent, consensual and experienced national figure".

Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia resigned and Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui, not known as a member of Bouteflika's inner circle, replaced him. Ramtane Lamamra, a diplomatic advisor to Bouteflika, was named deputy prime minister.

Bouteflika met Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gaed Salah and veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, the kind of widely respected figure the military might look to as a guarantor of stability.

"The voice of the people has been heard," Brahimi, a former foreign minister and UN special envoy, said on state television after meeting Bouteflika.

"Young people who took to the streets acted responsibly and gave a good image of the country. We must turn this crisis into a constructive process."

Political sources said the military would almost certainly play a leading role in the transition process, and was assessing three or four civilians who could be eligible to become leaders.

The army will likely rely on respected figures like Brahimi, and old friend of Bouteflika, to mediate.

The protests have mostly been peaceful and Bouteflika's announcement should defuse the potential for a bloody showdown with security forces, as has been the case in several other Arab nations facing political upheaval in recent years.

Former colonial ruler France welcomed Bouteflika's decision.

"France expresses its hope that a new dynamic that responds to the aspirations of the Algerian people can get under way quickly," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

INERTIA SHATTERED

"We have won the battle. This will be a sleepless night," said 25-year-old Abdelghani Hachi. Nearby, other young Algerians made V-for-victory signs.

Some of those celebrating on the streets struck a note of caution, saying they wanted a complete overhaul of the leadership which has offered few opportunities to young Algerians. More than a quarter of Algerians under 30 are unemployed.

Bouteflika, who returned to Algeria on Sunday after medical treatment in Switzerland, has watched one long-time ally after another join the demonstrations calling on him to step down.

More than 1,000 judges said on Monday they would refuse to oversee the election if Bouteflika stood. Clerics said they would not accept government orders about what to preach.

The protests have shattered years of political inertia and unsettled Algeria's opaque but powerful security establishment.

The demonstrations have been the biggest in Algeria since an election was annulled by the military in 1991, triggering a decade of civil war against Islamists in which 200,000 people were killed.

Bouteflika oversaw the end of the conflict but under his rule power was concentrated in the hands of a secretive military-based establishment known to Algerians as "le pouvoir" -- the powers-that-be.

The security forces have been mostly restrained during the demonstrations, a signal of the establishment's eroding willingness to keep the president in power through force.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika abandoned his bid for a fifth term in power on Monday, bowing to weeks of mass demonstrations against his 20-year rule by people demanding a new era of politics in a country dominated by an old guard.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika abandoned his bid for a fifth term in power on Monday, bowing to weeks of mass demonstrations against his 20-year rule by people demanding a new era of politics in a country dominated by an old guard. The veteran revolutionary also postponed an election that had been set for April, and promised social and economic reform. Bouteflika's announcement brought crowds back onto the streets in celebration on Monday evening. Hundreds of people, young and old, some draped in the national flag, jumped up and down with excitement. Cars beeped their horns in approval. "Our protests have borne fruit! We defeated the supporters of the fifth term!" said taxi-driver Mohamed Kaci, 50. However, Bouteflika stopped short of immediately stepping down and will remain in power for some time yet, pending a national conference on political change. Tens of thousands of people from all social classes had demonstrated almost daily against his plan to run for re-election, rejecting a political system dominated for nearly 60 years by veterans of the independence war against France. Bouteflika, 82, has ruled for 20 years but has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. His opponents said they did not believe he was in a fit state to run the country, an OPEC oil producer, and suspected he was being kept in place to protect the grip of the military and business elite. In a series of announcements on Monday evening, the presidency said the election, previously set for April, would be postponed. A new constitution would be submitted to the public for a referendum. Bouteflika said his last duty would be to contribute to the founding of a new system that will be in "the hands of a new generation of Algerians". An "inclusive and independent" national conference will oversee the transition, drafting a new constitution and setting the date for elections. The conference should finish its work by the end of 2019, with elections to follow, he said in a statement. The conference will be headed by an "independent, consensual and experienced national figure". Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia resigned and Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui, not known as a member of Bouteflika's inner circle, replaced him. Ramtane Lamamra, a diplomatic advisor to Bouteflika, was named deputy prime minister. Bouteflika met Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gaed Salah and veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, the kind of widely respected figure the military might look to as a guarantor of stability. "The voice of the people has been heard," Brahimi, a former foreign minister and UN special envoy, said on state television after meeting Bouteflika. "Young people who took to the streets acted responsibly and gave a good image of the country. We must turn this crisis into a constructive process." Political sources said the military would almost certainly play a leading role in the transition process, and was assessing three or four civilians who could be eligible to become leaders. The army will likely rely on respected figures like Brahimi, and old friend of Bouteflika, to mediate. The protests have mostly been peaceful and Bouteflika's announcement should defuse the potential for a bloody showdown with security forces, as has been the case in several other Arab nations facing political upheaval in recent years. Former colonial ruler France welcomed Bouteflika's decision. "France expresses its hope that a new dynamic that responds to the aspirations of the Algerian people can get under way quickly," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. INERTIA SHATTERED "We have won the battle. This will be a sleepless night," said 25-year-old Abdelghani Hachi. Nearby, other young Algerians made V-for-victory signs. Some of those celebrating on the streets struck a note of caution, saying they wanted a complete overhaul of the leadership which has offered few opportunities to young Algerians. More than a quarter of Algerians under 30 are unemployed. Bouteflika, who returned to Algeria on Sunday after medical treatment in Switzerland, has watched one long-time ally after another join the demonstrations calling on him to step down. More than 1,000 judges said on Monday they would refuse to oversee the election if Bouteflika stood. Clerics said they would not accept government orders about what to preach. The protests have shattered years of political inertia and unsettled Algeria's opaque but powerful security establishment. The demonstrations have been the biggest in Algeria since an election was annulled by the military in 1991, triggering a decade of civil war against Islamists in which 200,000 people were killed. Bouteflika oversaw the end of the conflict but under his rule power was concentrated in the hands of a secretive military-based establishment known to Algerians as "le pouvoir" -- the powers-that-be. The security forces have been mostly restrained during the demonstrations, a signal of the establishment's eroding willingness to keep the president in power through force.

Algeria's President Bouteflika abandons re-election bid after weeks of protest

The week that was, in pictures

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is expected to return to Algeria on Sunday after two weeks in a Swiss hospital as he faces mass protests that pose the biggest threat to his 20-year rule.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters Bouteflika would return on Sunday and Ennahar TV said he was expected to land around noon (1100 GMT).

An Algerian government plane landed at Geneva's Cointrin airport earlier on Sunday. A Reuters witness saw the Gulfstream executive jet, the one which had taken Bouteflika to Geneva on February 24, touch down at the airport amid a heavy police presence.

There was no immediate sign of any ambulance or motorcade carrying the 82-year-old Bouteflika. The ailing president has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.

Tens of thousands of people of all social classes have protested over the past three weeks over his decision to stand in April's election. Algerians show no sign of backing down despite Bouteflika's offer to limit his term after the election.

Algeria's ruling FLN party called on Sunday on all sides to work together to end the political crisis, Ennahar TV said. It wants national reconciliation and to preserve security and stability, the station said.

Hundreds of students took to the streets of the capital chanting "Bouteflika, there will be no fifth term" on Sunday. Many shops in Algiers are closed.

It is not just young Algerians desperate for jobs and angry at unemployment, corruption and an elderly elite who are protesting. Older Algerians haunted by a civil war in the 1990s have tolerated crackdowns on dissent in exchange for stability. Some of them are now appearing at rallies.

"We need a new generation to govern us and secure a better future for our children," said pensioner Ahmed, 63.

For years, rumours have swirled about potential successors to Bouteflika, but no one credible has emerged who has the backing of the army and elite and is not in their 70s or 80s.

The military has stayed in barracks.

Several public figures, including members of Bouteflika's FLN party and lawmakers, have resigned to join the rallies against a political system dominated by war veterans since independence from France in 1962.

Two branches of the powerful Algerian labour union UGTA, representing tens of thousands of workers, also opposed the re-election plan. Lawyers have also joined rallies.

Algerians packed central Algiers to capacity on Friday in the biggest protests in the capital in 28 years. Security forces detained 195 people, state television said, citing offences such as looting.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is expected to return to Algeria on Sunday after two weeks in a Swiss hospital as he faces mass protests that pose the biggest threat to his 20-year rule.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is expected to return to Algeria on Sunday after two weeks in a Swiss hospital as he faces mass protests that pose the biggest threat to his 20-year rule. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters Bouteflika would return on Sunday and Ennahar TV said he was expected to land around noon (1100 GMT). An Algerian government plane landed at Geneva's Cointrin airport earlier on Sunday. A Reuters witness saw the Gulfstream executive jet, the one which had taken Bouteflika to Geneva on February 24, touch down at the airport amid a heavy police presence. There was no immediate sign of any ambulance or motorcade carrying the 82-year-old Bouteflika. The ailing president has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. Tens of thousands of people of all social classes have protested over the past three weeks over his decision to stand in April's election. Algerians show no sign of backing down despite Bouteflika's offer to limit his term after the election. Algeria's ruling FLN party called on Sunday on all sides to work together to end the political crisis, Ennahar TV said. It wants national reconciliation and to preserve security and stability, the station said. Hundreds of students took to the streets of the capital chanting "Bouteflika, there will be no fifth term" on Sunday. Many shops in Algiers are closed. It is not just young Algerians desperate for jobs and angry at unemployment, corruption and an elderly elite who are protesting. Older Algerians haunted by a civil war in the 1990s have tolerated crackdowns on dissent in exchange for stability. Some of them are now appearing at rallies. "We need a new generation to govern us and secure a better future for our children," said pensioner Ahmed, 63. For years, rumours have swirled about potential successors to Bouteflika, but no one credible has emerged who has the backing of the army and elite and is not in their 70s or 80s. The military has stayed in barracks. Several public figures, including members of Bouteflika's FLN party and lawmakers, have resigned to join the rallies against a political system dominated by war veterans since independence from France in 1962. Two branches of the powerful Algerian labour union UGTA, representing tens of thousands of workers, also opposed the re-election plan. Lawyers have also joined rallies. Algerians packed central Algiers to capacity on Friday in the biggest protests in the capital in 28 years. Security forces detained 195 people, state television said, citing offences such as looting.

President Bouteflika to return to Algeria today

Clashes erupted between protesters and police in the Algerian capital on Friday&nbsp;as tens of thousands of Algerians packed central Algiers to capacity to challenge President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's 20-year-old rule in the biggest protests in the capital in 28 years.

The demonstrations, the latest in two weeks of rallies across the country against the veteran leader, were mostly peaceful, but police in the evening stepped up their use of tear gas to block the road to the presidential palace. They also used it in several other areas of the capital.

Security forces detained 195 people, state television said, citing offences such as looting. It added 112 policemen had been injured. Unidentified people broke into a primary school and the nearby national museum, stealing some ancient items and burning parts of the building, state TV and Ennahar TV said.

Algerians desperate for jobs and angry at unemployment, corruption and an elderly elite seen as out of touch with the young have taken to the streets since Feb. 22 to protest against the 82-year-old's plans to remain in office.

The demonstrations, the largest since 1991 when the army cancelled elections Islamists were poised to win, pose the most substantial threat ever faced by the president, who is standing for re-election on April 18.

There were no official estimates of the size of the crowds. But Algiers' El Watan newspaper estimated more than a million Algerians demonstrated in the capital.

Clashes erupted between protesters and police in the Algerian capital on Friday as tens of thousands of Algerians packed central Algiers to capacity to challenge President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's 20-year-old rule in the biggest protests in the capital in 28 years.

Clashes erupted between protesters and police in the Algerian capital on Friday as tens of thousands of Algerians packed central Algiers to capacity to challenge President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's 20-year-old rule in the biggest protests in the capital in 28 years. The demonstrations, the latest in two weeks of rallies across the country against the veteran leader, were mostly peaceful, but police in the evening stepped up their use of tear gas to block the road to the presidential palace. They also used it in several other areas of the capital. Security forces detained 195 people, state television said, citing offences such as looting. It added 112 policemen had been injured. Unidentified people broke into a primary school and the nearby national museum, stealing some ancient items and burning parts of the building, state TV and Ennahar TV said. Algerians desperate for jobs and angry at unemployment, corruption and an elderly elite seen as out of touch with the young have taken to the streets since Feb. 22 to protest against the 82-year-old's plans to remain in office. The demonstrations, the largest since 1991 when the army cancelled elections Islamists were poised to win, pose the most substantial threat ever faced by the president, who is standing for re-election on April 18. There were no official estimates of the size of the crowds. But Algiers' El Watan newspaper estimated more than a million Algerians demonstrated in the capital.

Clashes erupt at anti-Bouteflika protest in Algerian capital

Algerian businessman Rachid Nekkaz was arrested at a hospital in Geneva on Friday where President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is being treated, Swiss police said.&nbsp;

Nekkaz, who had sought to run against Bouteflika in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/train-and-metro-services-halted-in-algerian-capital-ahead-of-protests-202015">Algeria</a>'s upcoming elections, was arrested inside the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), police spokeswoman Joanna Matta said.&nbsp;

She said the hospital had filed a complaint against him for trespassing.&nbsp;

Earlier, Nekkaz said he had come to the hospital seeking answers about the condition of Bouteflika, whose bid to secure another term at the April 18 election has sparked waves of protests.&nbsp;

"There are 40 million Algerians who want to know where the president is," Nekkaz told the crowd of a few dozen people that had assembled outside HUG.&nbsp;

Bouteflika, 82, has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.

He has been at HUG for nearly two weeks receiving what his office has called routine medical checkups.&nbsp;

Nekkaz has in recent weeks travelled around Algeria to gather the necessary 60,000 voter signatures to join the race for the presidency.

But despite renouncing his French citizenship, Nekkaz appears to have fallen foul of a law which bans candidates who have ever possessed a nationality other than Algerian.

Nekkaz tried to stand in Algeria's last presidential election in 2014, but said the 62,000 signatures gathered were stolen from within the Constitutional Council. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Algerian businessman Rachid Nekkaz was arrested at a hospital in Geneva on Friday where President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is being treated, Swiss police said. Nekkaz, who had sought to run against Bouteflika in Algeria's upcoming elections, was arrested inside the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), police spokeswoman Joanna Matta said.

Algerian businessman Rachid Nekkaz was arrested at a hospital in Geneva on Friday where President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is being treated, Swiss police said. Nekkaz, who had sought to run against Bouteflika in Algeria's upcoming elections, was arrested inside the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), police spokeswoman Joanna Matta said. She said the hospital had filed a complaint against him for trespassing. Earlier, Nekkaz said he had come to the hospital seeking answers about the condition of Bouteflika, whose bid to secure another term at the April 18 election has sparked waves of protests. "There are 40 million Algerians who want to know where the president is," Nekkaz told the crowd of a few dozen people that had assembled outside HUG. Bouteflika, 82, has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. He has been at HUG for nearly two weeks receiving what his office has called routine medical checkups. Nekkaz has in recent weeks travelled around Algeria to gather the necessary 60,000 voter signatures to join the race for the presidency. But despite renouncing his French citizenship, Nekkaz appears to have fallen foul of a law which bans candidates who have ever possessed a nationality other than Algerian. Nekkaz tried to stand in Algeria's last presidential election in 2014, but said the 62,000 signatures gathered were stolen from within the Constitutional Council.

Algeria: Opposition figure arrested at hospital where President Bouteflika is being treated

Algerian authorities halted train and metro services in the capital Algiers on Friday amid heavy security ahead of expected protests against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Mass demonstrations now entering their third week have posed the biggest challenge to the ailing 82-year-old president, who has ruled for 20 years and is standing for re-election on April 18.

Tens of thousands of Algerians, tired of the dominance of elderly veterans of the 1954-1962 war of independence against France, have been demanding that Bouteflika step down, but despite ill health, he has submitted his candidacy papers.

Mass protests are expected to start in the afternoon.

On Thursday, Bouteflika issued his first warning to protesters, saying the unrest -- the biggest since the 2011 "Arab Spring" -- could destabilise Algeria, a major oil and gas producer.

The president has not spoken in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, and is currently in hospital in Geneva.

Algerians have been urged to stage a "March of 20 Million" by an anonymous party on social media, and hundreds of protesters gathered in Algiers ahead of what could be the biggest demonstrations yet in the capital and other cities.&nbsp;

Riot police have been deployed in growing numbers in recent days, but the military has so far stayed in its barracks.

"Today will be a decisive day," said Mohamed, a teacher in Algiers.

Algerian authorities halted train and metro services in the capital Algiers on Friday amid heavy security ahead of expected protests against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Algerian authorities halted train and metro services in the capital Algiers on Friday amid heavy security ahead of expected protests against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Mass demonstrations now entering their third week have posed the biggest challenge to the ailing 82-year-old president, who has ruled for 20 years and is standing for re-election on April 18. Tens of thousands of Algerians, tired of the dominance of elderly veterans of the 1954-1962 war of independence against France, have been demanding that Bouteflika step down, but despite ill health, he has submitted his candidacy papers. Mass protests are expected to start in the afternoon. On Thursday, Bouteflika issued his first warning to protesters, saying the unrest -- the biggest since the 2011 "Arab Spring" -- could destabilise Algeria, a major oil and gas producer. The president has not spoken in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, and is currently in hospital in Geneva. Algerians have been urged to stage a "March of 20 Million" by an anonymous party on social media, and hundreds of protesters gathered in Algiers ahead of what could be the biggest demonstrations yet in the capital and other cities. Riot police have been deployed in growing numbers in recent days, but the military has so far stayed in its barracks. "Today will be a decisive day," said Mohamed, a teacher in Algiers.

Train and metro services halted in Algerian capital ahead of protests

Algeria's army chief on Tuesday pledged to guarantee the country's security following mass demonstrations against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term in office.

General Ahmed Gaid Salah also criticised those who he said want to return to the "painful years" of the 1992-2002 civil war "during which the Algerian people experienced all forms of suffering and paid a heavy price."

The armed forces chief of staff said in a speech at a military academy outside Algiers that the country's success "in eradicating terrorism... has displeased some parties who are upset to see Algeria stable and safe."

The people will continue to enjoy "security and stability" of which the army "will remain the guarantor", the general, who is close to Bouteflika and considered one of Algeria's most powerful figures, said according to an official transcript.

The army chief, who is deputy defence minister, urged Algerians to be ready to "erect a rampart against anything that could expose Algeria to unpredictable threats".

Protests have seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets of the North African country since last month demanding the 82-year-old president resign.

Thousands of students marched in the capital and other cities on Tuesday in the latest display of public anger.

Bouteflika, who suffered a stroke in 2013 and is rarely seen in public, promised on Sunday that if he wins elections in April he will organise a "national conference" to set a date for further polls which he would not contest.

His pledge, made in a letter read out on state television, has been dismissed as an insult by Algerians weary of his two-decade-old rule.

Bouteflika has been in Switzerland since February 24 for what the presidency has described as "routine medical tests".

Algeria's army chief on Tuesday pledged to guarantee the country's security following mass demonstrations against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term in office.

Algeria's army chief on Tuesday pledged to guarantee the country's security following mass demonstrations against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term in office. General Ahmed Gaid Salah also criticised those who he said want to return to the "painful years" of the 1992-2002 civil war "during which the Algerian people experienced all forms of suffering and paid a heavy price." The armed forces chief of staff said in a speech at a military academy outside Algiers that the country's success "in eradicating terrorism... has displeased some parties who are upset to see Algeria stable and safe." The people will continue to enjoy "security and stability" of which the army "will remain the guarantor", the general, who is close to Bouteflika and considered one of Algeria's most powerful figures, said according to an official transcript. The army chief, who is deputy defence minister, urged Algerians to be ready to "erect a rampart against anything that could expose Algeria to unpredictable threats". Protests have seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets of the North African country since last month demanding the 82-year-old president resign. Thousands of students marched in the capital and other cities on Tuesday in the latest display of public anger. Bouteflika, who suffered a stroke in 2013 and is rarely seen in public, promised on Sunday that if he wins elections in April he will organise a "national conference" to set a date for further polls which he would not contest. His pledge, made in a letter read out on state television, has been dismissed as an insult by Algerians weary of his two-decade-old rule. Bouteflika has been in Switzerland since February 24 for what the presidency has described as "routine medical tests".

Algerian army chief vows to secure protest-hit country

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, facing mass protests over his 20 years in power, will run in April's elections, his campaign manager said on Sunday, with Ennahar TV saying he had offered to step down after a year if re-elected.

The announcement read out by Abdelghani Zaalane on Bouteflika's behalf said the president pledged to organise an early election, with Ennahar TV saying that would be held within a year.

The comments are likely to be viewed as an attempt to appease those who had taken to the streets for 10 days to protest against the 82-year-old's plans to remain in office and to allow him an exit on his own terms.

But hours after his comments, new anti-government protests broke out late at night in the capital and other cities drawing in thousands, according to witnesses and TV footage.

Several hundreds of mainly young men marched through Algiers' centre where riot police were blocking some roads. The protests appeared to be mostly peaceful.

Bouteflika's statement was his first since protests broke out 10 days ago, the biggest in Algeria since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings that unseated rulers in neighbouring countries.

In a sign of a disconnect from the mostly young population, almost 70 percent of whom are aged below 30, he communicated via letter, as he has since suffering a stroke in 2013.

Tens of thousands of protesters had been rallying throughout the day in cities around Algeria, calling on Bouteflika not to submit election papers for the April 18 polls, the deadline for which was Sunday.

Zaalane arrived to submit the documents on Sunday evening, but there was no sign of Bouteflika, who Swiss television said remained at a hospital in Geneva.

"I listened and heard the passionate call from the protesters, especially the thousands of young people," Bouteflika wrote, repeating a pledge to hold a referendum on constitutional reform.

There was no immediate response from protesters, who had dispersed by the time the letter was published in the evening.

Just before Bouteflika's announcement, the head of the election commission, Abdelwahab Derbal, said all candidates must submit their candidacy papers in person. If applied, that would mean Bouteflika could not run.

Bouteflika's opponents say he is no longer fit to lead, citing his health and what they call chronic corruption and a lack of economic reforms to tackle high unemployment, which exceeds 25 percent among people under 30.

Analysts say the protesters lack leadership and organisation in a country still dominated by veterans of the 1954-1962 independence war against France, including Bouteflika.

But traditionally weak and divided opposition and civic groups have called for protests to go on should Bouteflika continue to pursue re-election.

The government has played on fears among many Algerians of a return of bloodshed seen in the 1990s, when an estimated 200,000 people were killed after Islamists took up arms when the military cancelled elections they were poised to win.

But the new series of protests has been generally peaceful, apart from scuffles with police on Friday, leaving 183 people injured.

Students gathered in their thousands on Sunday at university faculties, one of them near the Constitutional Council. Students chanted: "No to a fifth term!"

NIGHT PROTESTS

Thousands later marched through the city centre. A diplomatic source estimated that as many as 70,000 people had massed in Algiers, including a rally at Bab Ezzouar university, the country's biggest.

"We will not stop until we get rid of this system," said Aicha, a 23-year-old student, who declined to give her full name.

There were also protests in cities such as Oran, Constantine and Skikda during the day, some cities of which saw new demonstrations at night. Some 6,000 also protested in Paris, where many Algerians live.

By Sunday evening, seven candidates had registered to run against Bouteflika. Opposition groups failed to agree on one candidate, making any campaign an uphill challenge in a country dominated by one party - the FLN - since independence.

Many Algerians eschewed public political activity for years, for fear of trouble from the pervasive security apparatus or out of disillusionment with the lack of change in the leadership.

After the decade-long Islamist insurgency that Bouteflika crushed early in his rule, Algerians generally tolerated a political system leaving little room for dissent as a price to pay for relative peace and stability.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, facing mass protests over his 20 years in power, will run in April's elections, his campaign manager said on Sunday, with Ennahar TV saying he had offered to step down after a year if re-elected.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, facing mass protests over his 20 years in power, will run in April's elections, his campaign manager said on Sunday, with Ennahar TV saying he had offered to step down after a year if re-elected. The announcement read out by Abdelghani Zaalane on Bouteflika's behalf said the president pledged to organise an early election, with Ennahar TV saying that would be held within a year. The comments are likely to be viewed as an attempt to appease those who had taken to the streets for 10 days to protest against the 82-year-old's plans to remain in office and to allow him an exit on his own terms. But hours after his comments, new anti-government protests broke out late at night in the capital and other cities drawing in thousands, according to witnesses and TV footage. Several hundreds of mainly young men marched through Algiers' centre where riot police were blocking some roads. The protests appeared to be mostly peaceful. Bouteflika's statement was his first since protests broke out 10 days ago, the biggest in Algeria since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings that unseated rulers in neighbouring countries. In a sign of a disconnect from the mostly young population, almost 70 percent of whom are aged below 30, he communicated via letter, as he has since suffering a stroke in 2013. Tens of thousands of protesters had been rallying throughout the day in cities around Algeria, calling on Bouteflika not to submit election papers for the April 18 polls, the deadline for which was Sunday. Zaalane arrived to submit the documents on Sunday evening, but there was no sign of Bouteflika, who Swiss television said remained at a hospital in Geneva. "I listened and heard the passionate call from the protesters, especially the thousands of young people," Bouteflika wrote, repeating a pledge to hold a referendum on constitutional reform. There was no immediate response from protesters, who had dispersed by the time the letter was published in the evening. Just before Bouteflika's announcement, the head of the election commission, Abdelwahab Derbal, said all candidates must submit their candidacy papers in person. If applied, that would mean Bouteflika could not run. Bouteflika's opponents say he is no longer fit to lead, citing his health and what they call chronic corruption and a lack of economic reforms to tackle high unemployment, which exceeds 25 percent among people under 30. Analysts say the protesters lack leadership and organisation in a country still dominated by veterans of the 1954-1962 independence war against France, including Bouteflika. But traditionally weak and divided opposition and civic groups have called for protests to go on should Bouteflika continue to pursue re-election. The government has played on fears among many Algerians of a return of bloodshed seen in the 1990s, when an estimated 200,000 people were killed after Islamists took up arms when the military cancelled elections they were poised to win. But the new series of protests has been generally peaceful, apart from scuffles with police on Friday, leaving 183 people injured. Students gathered in their thousands on Sunday at university faculties, one of them near the Constitutional Council. Students chanted: "No to a fifth term!" NIGHT PROTESTS Thousands later marched through the city centre. A diplomatic source estimated that as many as 70,000 people had massed in Algiers, including a rally at Bab Ezzouar university, the country's biggest. "We will not stop until we get rid of this system," said Aicha, a 23-year-old student, who declined to give her full name. There were also protests in cities such as Oran, Constantine and Skikda during the day, some cities of which saw new demonstrations at night. Some 6,000 also protested in Paris, where many Algerians live. By Sunday evening, seven candidates had registered to run against Bouteflika. Opposition groups failed to agree on one candidate, making any campaign an uphill challenge in a country dominated by one party - the FLN - since independence. Many Algerians eschewed public political activity for years, for fear of trouble from the pervasive security apparatus or out of disillusionment with the lack of change in the leadership. After the decade-long Islamist insurgency that Bouteflika crushed early in his rule, Algerians generally tolerated a political system leaving little room for dissent as a price to pay for relative peace and stability.

Algerian President Bouteflika offers to leave within one year if re-elected: Report

At least 2,000 demonstrators Sunday gathered in Paris and other French cities to protest Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid to stand for a fifth term in office.

The demonstrations coincide with large-scale rallies in Algeria to denounce the ailing president's bid to hang on to power.

Bouteflika, 82, who uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, flew to Switzerland a week ago for what his office described as "routine medical checks".

An AFP journalist said hundreds of demonstrators from Algeria's large diaspora were gathered in the Place de la Republique, in central Paris, as they waved their national flag, many shouting, "out, out".&nbsp;

"No to the mandate of shame, 20 years is enough," proclaimed one placard speaking to Bouteflika's intention of standing in the April 18 elections after 20 years in power.

Since gaining independence from France in 1962, "Algeria has been run by the same group of men, the same system," 62-year-old Abderrahmane Hamirouche told AFP.

"Algeria is ruined while it's a country that potentially could be rich. What is there left for future generations?" the IT specialist asked.

Nadia Tamzali, a 62-year-old Franco-Algerian doctor, criticised the country's lack of free speech and dominance by the military.

"They have killed our culture -- nearly all the cinemas have disappeared," she said.

In the southern port city of Marseille, home to large numbers of Algerian immigrants, about 1,000 turned out, many wearing the Algerian flag over their shoulders, an AFP journalist reported.&nbsp;

In the southwestern city of Toulouse, about 100 people carrying placards saying "No to a fifth term" gathered in the centre of town.

"We want the 40 thieves to go. They have gone too far," said a 54-year-old Algerian who gave his name as Asri.

"We aren't opposed to the president, but he is unconscious, he doesn't exist anymore, his generals and those close to him are doing what they will behind his back," said Asri, who has lived in France for 31 years.

At least 2,000 demonstrators Sunday gathered in Paris and other French cities to protest Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid to stand for a fifth term in office.

At least 2,000 demonstrators Sunday gathered in Paris and other French cities to protest Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid to stand for a fifth term in office. The demonstrations coincide with large-scale rallies in Algeria to denounce the ailing president's bid to hang on to power. Bouteflika, 82, who uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, flew to Switzerland a week ago for what his office described as "routine medical checks". An AFP journalist said hundreds of demonstrators from Algeria's large diaspora were gathered in the Place de la Republique, in central Paris, as they waved their national flag, many shouting, "out, out". "No to the mandate of shame, 20 years is enough," proclaimed one placard speaking to Bouteflika's intention of standing in the April 18 elections after 20 years in power. Since gaining independence from France in 1962, "Algeria has been run by the same group of men, the same system," 62-year-old Abderrahmane Hamirouche told AFP. "Algeria is ruined while it's a country that potentially could be rich. What is there left for future generations?" the IT specialist asked. Nadia Tamzali, a 62-year-old Franco-Algerian doctor, criticised the country's lack of free speech and dominance by the military. "They have killed our culture -- nearly all the cinemas have disappeared," she said. In the southern port city of Marseille, home to large numbers of Algerian immigrants, about 1,000 turned out, many wearing the Algerian flag over their shoulders, an AFP journalist reported. In the southwestern city of Toulouse, about 100 people carrying placards saying "No to a fifth term" gathered in the centre of town. "We want the 40 thieves to go. They have gone too far," said a 54-year-old Algerian who gave his name as Asri. "We aren't opposed to the president, but he is unconscious, he doesn't exist anymore, his generals and those close to him are doing what they will behind his back," said Asri, who has lived in France for 31 years.

At least 2,000 protest Algerian president in France

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika sacked his veteran campaign manager Saturday, state media reported, following mass protests against the ailing leader's decision to stand for a fifth term in office.

Former premier Abdelmalek Sellal -- who oversaw Bouteflika's past three successful re-election bids -- was removed just hours ahead of a deadline for election hopefuls to formally submit their candidacy.

Sellal was replaced as campaign manager by Abdelghani Zaalene, the transport minister, APS news agency said, citing Bouteflika's campaign team.

While no reason was given for the decision, it comes after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-183-injured-in-algeria-protests-against-president-state-media-200776">tens of thousands of Algerians protested</a> Friday against the 82-year-old president standing for re-election.

Bouteflika, rarely seen in public since a 2013 stroke, has been in Switzerland for nearly a week for "routine medical checks" according to his office.

There is no legal requirement for election contenders to be in the country on Sunday to meet the midnight deadline to submit their candidacy for the April 18 vote.

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika sacked his veteran campaign manager Saturday, state media reported, following mass protests against the ailing leader's decision to stand for a fifth term in office.

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika sacked his veteran campaign manager Saturday, state media reported, following mass protests against the ailing leader's decision to stand for a fifth term in office. Former premier Abdelmalek Sellal -- who oversaw Bouteflika's past three successful re-election bids -- was removed just hours ahead of a deadline for election hopefuls to formally submit their candidacy. Sellal was replaced as campaign manager by Abdelghani Zaalene, the transport minister, APS news agency said, citing Bouteflika's campaign team. While no reason was given for the decision, it comes after tens of thousands of Algerians protested Friday against the 82-year-old president standing for re-election. Bouteflika, rarely seen in public since a 2013 stroke, has been in Switzerland for nearly a week for "routine medical checks" according to his office. There is no legal requirement for election contenders to be in the country on Sunday to meet the midnight deadline to submit their candidacy for the April 18 vote.

Algeria's Bouteflika sacks campaign manager: State media

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - 2nd March, 2019

A total of 183 people were injured during protests across Algeria on Friday against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for election to a fifth term, the state news agency APS said on Saturday, citing the health ministry.

One person died of a heart attack, officials said earlier.

Tens of thousands of protesters called on the ailing, 82-year-old Bouteflika to abandon plans to seek re-election in an April presidential vote - Algeria's biggest anti-government rallies since the Arab Spring eight years ago.

The protests were mostly peaceful but scuffles between police and protesters broke out late on Friday near the presidential place in the capital Algiers.

Algiers was quiet on Saturday.

Large-scale demonstrations - rarely seen in Algeria with its ubiquitous security services - against Bouteflika's re-election move began a week ago, but Friday saw the biggest turnout yet.

Bouteflika suffered a stroke in 2013 and has been seen in public only a few times since. His re-election bid stoked resentment among Algerians who believe he is not fit to run the major oil- and gas-producing country.

Bouteflika's campaign manager had said on Tuesday he would submit his official application on Sunday, the deadline for candidates. Bouteflika, who turned 82 on Saturday, has not directly addressed the protests.

Authorities said last week he would travel to Geneva for unspecified medical checks. Swiss television said on Friday Bouteflika was at Geneva University Hospital. There was no official confirmation that Bouteflika was in the Swiss city.

Many Algerians for years avoided politics in public, fearing trouble from the security services or disillusioned as the country has been run by the same group of veterans since the 1954-1962 independence war with France.

Bouteflika has ruled since 1999 and stamped out a decade-long Islamist insurgency early in his rule. Algerians have long tolerated a political system with little space for dissent as a price to pay for peace and stability.

A weak and divided opposition faces high hurdles in mounting an electoral challenge. Since the long-ruling FLN party again picked Bouteflika as its presidential candidate, several parties, trade unions and business groups have endorsed him.

A total of 183 people were injured during protests across Algeria on Friday against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for election to a fifth term, the state news agency APS said on Saturday, citing the health ministry.

A total of 183 people were injured during protests across Algeria on Friday against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for election to a fifth term, the state news agency APS said on Saturday, citing the health ministry. One person died of a heart attack, officials said earlier. Tens of thousands of protesters called on the ailing, 82-year-old Bouteflika to abandon plans to seek re-election in an April presidential vote - Algeria's biggest anti-government rallies since the Arab Spring eight years ago. The protests were mostly peaceful but scuffles between police and protesters broke out late on Friday near the presidential place in the capital Algiers. Algiers was quiet on Saturday. Large-scale demonstrations - rarely seen in Algeria with its ubiquitous security services - against Bouteflika's re-election move began a week ago, but Friday saw the biggest turnout yet. Bouteflika suffered a stroke in 2013 and has been seen in public only a few times since. His re-election bid stoked resentment among Algerians who believe he is not fit to run the major oil- and gas-producing country. Bouteflika's campaign manager had said on Tuesday he would submit his official application on Sunday, the deadline for candidates. Bouteflika, who turned 82 on Saturday, has not directly addressed the protests. Authorities said last week he would travel to Geneva for unspecified medical checks. Swiss television said on Friday Bouteflika was at Geneva University Hospital. There was no official confirmation that Bouteflika was in the Swiss city. Many Algerians for years avoided politics in public, fearing trouble from the security services or disillusioned as the country has been run by the same group of veterans since the 1954-1962 independence war with France. Bouteflika has ruled since 1999 and stamped out a decade-long Islamist insurgency early in his rule. Algerians have long tolerated a political system with little space for dissent as a price to pay for peace and stability. A weak and divided opposition faces high hurdles in mounting an electoral challenge. Since the long-ruling FLN party again picked Bouteflika as its presidential candidate, several parties, trade unions and business groups have endorsed him.

At least 183 injured in Algeria protests against president: State media

Thousands of people in cities across Algeria called on President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to leave office on Friday in the country's biggest anti-government demonstrations since the Arab Spring eight years ago.

The protests were mostly peaceful but scuffles broke out in the capital Algiers between police and protesters near the presidential palace, witnesses said.

One person died, according to a local official. Local media said it was a 60-year-old man who suffered a heart attack.

Several protesters and policemen were wounded during clashes in Algiers, state television said. News website TSA put the number of wounded at 63, citing official figures. It said 45 people were detained.

Large scale demonstrations - rarely seen in Algeria - against plans for Bouteflika to seek a fifth term in power in April elections began a week ago, but Friday saw the biggest turnout yet.

The 81-year-old suffered a stroke in 2013 and has been seen in public only a few times since. His re-election bid stoked resentment among Algerians who believe he is not fit to lead.

Bouteflika, who will turn 82 on Saturday, has not directly addressed the protests. The authorities said last week he would travel to Geneva for unspecified medical checks, although there was no official confirmation he had travelled.

Thousands of people in cities across Algeria called on President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to leave office on Friday in the country's biggest anti-government demonstrations since the Arab Spring eight years ago.

Thousands of people in cities across Algeria called on President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to leave office on Friday in the country's biggest anti-government demonstrations since the Arab Spring eight years ago. The protests were mostly peaceful but scuffles broke out in the capital Algiers between police and protesters near the presidential palace, witnesses said. One person died, according to a local official. Local media said it was a 60-year-old man who suffered a heart attack. Several protesters and policemen were wounded during clashes in Algiers, state television said. News website TSA put the number of wounded at 63, citing official figures. It said 45 people were detained. Large scale demonstrations - rarely seen in Algeria - against plans for Bouteflika to seek a fifth term in power in April elections began a week ago, but Friday saw the biggest turnout yet. The 81-year-old suffered a stroke in 2013 and has been seen in public only a few times since. His re-election bid stoked resentment among Algerians who believe he is not fit to lead. Bouteflika, who will turn 82 on Saturday, has not directly addressed the protests. The authorities said last week he would travel to Geneva for unspecified medical checks, although there was no official confirmation he had travelled.

One dead as protesting Algerians call on President Bouteflika to step down

Algeria's ruling coalition on Saturday named President Abdelaziz Bouteflika as its candidate for April polls, although the ailing incumbent has yet to officially confirm he will run.

"The parties of the presidential coalition nominate Abdelaziz Bouteflika for the upcoming presidential elections," the four coalition partners said in a statement.&nbsp;

The meeting was attended by Mouad Bouchareb, speaker of the lower house of parliament and coordinator of Bouteflika's National Liberation Front, as well as by Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, head of the National Rally for Democracy.

The leader of the Rally for Hope in Algeria party Amar Ghoul and Amara Benyounes, who heads the Popular Algerian Movement, also attended.&nbsp;

In power since 1999, 81-year-old Bouteflika uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since a stroke in 2013.&nbsp;

For the last presidential election in 2014, Bouteflika only declared his intention to run a few days ahead of the deadline.

Prime Minister Ouyahia has said "there is no doubt" the president will seek a fifth term on April 18.&nbsp;

Ouyahia said earlier this week that Bouteflika's health was not "an obstacle" to performing his duties as president. &nbsp;

Presidential candidates have until March 3 at midnight (2300 GMT) to submit their applications.&nbsp;

Retired general Ali Ghediri, 64, was the first to announce his candidacy after the presidency set the election date.

Algeria's main Islamist party, the Movement for the Society of Peace, will also take part in the poll, backing its candidate Dr Abderrazak Makri.

The country's oldest opposition party, the Front of Socialist Forces, announced on January 25 that it would not field a candidate and called for an "active, intensive and peaceful boycott" of the ballot.

On Friday, the secular Rally for Culture and Democracy party said it would also boycott due to its objection to a fifth term for the ailing Bouteflika.

Algeria's ruling coalition on Saturday named President Abdelaziz Bouteflika as its candidate for April polls, although the ailing incumbent has yet to officially confirm he will run.

Algeria's ruling coalition on Saturday named President Abdelaziz Bouteflika as its candidate for April polls, although the ailing incumbent has yet to officially confirm he will run. "The parties of the presidential coalition nominate Abdelaziz Bouteflika for the upcoming presidential elections," the four coalition partners said in a statement. The meeting was attended by Mouad Bouchareb, speaker of the lower house of parliament and coordinator of Bouteflika's National Liberation Front, as well as by Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, head of the National Rally for Democracy. The leader of the Rally for Hope in Algeria party Amar Ghoul and Amara Benyounes, who heads the Popular Algerian Movement, also attended. In power since 1999, 81-year-old Bouteflika uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since a stroke in 2013. For the last presidential election in 2014, Bouteflika only declared his intention to run a few days ahead of the deadline. Prime Minister Ouyahia has said "there is no doubt" the president will seek a fifth term on April 18. Ouyahia said earlier this week that Bouteflika's health was not "an obstacle" to performing his duties as president. Presidential candidates have until March 3 at midnight (2300 GMT) to submit their applications. Retired general Ali Ghediri, 64, was the first to announce his candidacy after the presidency set the election date. Algeria's main Islamist party, the Movement for the Society of Peace, will also take part in the poll, backing its candidate Dr Abderrazak Makri. The country's oldest opposition party, the Front of Socialist Forces, announced on January 25 that it would not field a candidate and called for an "active, intensive and peaceful boycott" of the ballot. On Friday, the secular Rally for Culture and Democracy party said it would also boycott due to its objection to a fifth term for the ailing Bouteflika.

Algeria ruling coalition backs Bouteflika for April poll

An Algerian television producer died from severe burns Thursday more than two weeks after setting himself on fire over unpaid wages, his son told AFP.

Youcef Goucem, 61, doused himself in flammable liquid and lit it in the offices of private channel Dzair TV on January 7 after claiming he had not been paid for work on a soap opera in 2017.

His desperate act stirred emotions in Algeria, with a hundred professionals working in television and cinema decrying the 'anxiety' they face on the job.

Dzair TV said it regretted "a commercial dispute that had unfortunately turned into a drama" in a statement after Goucem set himself ablaze.

The channel said Goucem had been reassured by the outlet's new boss that his claim was being processed. 
&nbsp;

An Algerian television producer died from severe burns Thursday more than two weeks after setting himself on fire over unpaid wages, his son told AFP. Youcef Goucem, 61, doused himself in flammable liquid and lit it in the offices of private channel Dzair TV on January 7 after claiming he had not been paid for work on a soap opera in 2017.

An Algerian television producer died from severe burns Thursday more than two weeks after setting himself on fire over unpaid wages, his son told AFP. Youcef Goucem, 61, doused himself in flammable liquid and lit it in the offices of private channel Dzair TV on January 7 after claiming he had not been paid for work on a soap opera in 2017. His desperate act stirred emotions in Algeria, with a hundred professionals working in television and cinema decrying the 'anxiety' they face on the job. Dzair TV said it regretted "a commercial dispute that had unfortunately turned into a drama" in a statement after Goucem set himself ablaze. The channel said Goucem had been reassured by the outlet's new boss that his claim was being processed.

Algerian TV producer dies after setting himself ablaze

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika issued a decree on Friday calling a much anticipated presidential <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ec-may-announce-lok-sabha-poll-schedule-in-march-first-week-sources-191262&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjNu7-Br_ffAhWFq48KHceqDfcQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw3V_tomT07Q_rRCQIialXWv">election</a> for April 18 but without saying whether he will seek a new term.

The ailing 81-year-old, who uses a wheelchair and is rarely seen in public, completes a fourth term of office on April 28.

Despite his advanced age and poor health, there have been calls from his supporters for him to stand for a fifth term but he has yet to make his intentions clear.

By law, would-be candidates now have until March 4 to register with the constitutional court.

Uncertainty over whether Bouteflika will stand for re-election has frozen Algerian politics for months.

No candidate of note has thrown his or her hat into the ring while the president's intentions remain in doubt.

For the last presidential election in 2014, Bouteflika left it until just days before the deadline to register.

Algerian politics is notoriously opaque with the winner of every multiparty presidential election pre-selected by a shadowy elite, beginning in 1995 with a victory by retired General Liamine Zeroual.&nbsp;

For this year's election, the membership of the kingmaking elite has changed.

During his fourth term, Bouteflika finally made good on a longstanding pledge to reduce the power of the traditional powerbrokers by disbanding the DRS intelligence agency in 2016.

But under his watch, business networks have become increasingly entwined with the political structure, leaving it difficult to judge with confidence who will be put to voters as the regime's anointed candidate. &nbsp;

The president's brother and special adviser Said have been widely seen as Algeria's de facto ruler since Abdelaziz suffered a stroke in 2013 that severely impaired his speech.

But many believe Said will wish to remain in the shadows behind the throne, rather than be the public candidate.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika issued a decree on Friday calling a much anticipated presidential election for April 18 but without saying whether he will seek a new term.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika issued a decree on Friday calling a much anticipated presidential election for April 18 but without saying whether he will seek a new term. The ailing 81-year-old, who uses a wheelchair and is rarely seen in public, completes a fourth term of office on April 28. Despite his advanced age and poor health, there have been calls from his supporters for him to stand for a fifth term but he has yet to make his intentions clear. By law, would-be candidates now have until March 4 to register with the constitutional court. Uncertainty over whether Bouteflika will stand for re-election has frozen Algerian politics for months. No candidate of note has thrown his or her hat into the ring while the president's intentions remain in doubt. For the last presidential election in 2014, Bouteflika left it until just days before the deadline to register. Algerian politics is notoriously opaque with the winner of every multiparty presidential election pre-selected by a shadowy elite, beginning in 1995 with a victory by retired General Liamine Zeroual. For this year's election, the membership of the kingmaking elite has changed. During his fourth term, Bouteflika finally made good on a longstanding pledge to reduce the power of the traditional powerbrokers by disbanding the DRS intelligence agency in 2016. But under his watch, business networks have become increasingly entwined with the political structure, leaving it difficult to judge with confidence who will be put to voters as the regime's anointed candidate. The president's brother and special adviser Said have been widely seen as Algeria's de facto ruler since Abdelaziz suffered a stroke in 2013 that severely impaired his speech. But many believe Said will wish to remain in the shadows behind the throne, rather than be the public candidate.

Algeria calls April election with incumbent's plans unclear

Portugal registered a 3-0 victory over Algeria in their final World Cup friendly, making a perfect return for Cristiano Ronaldo to the national squad after a two-game absence.

The Madrid forward took a break after the Blancos’ victory over Liverpool in the May 26 Champions League final.

During the game, Portugal forward Goncalo Guedes made the score 1-0 when he scored in the area off a headed pass by Bernardo Silva, who had received a long ball from William Carvalho.

The game also marked Ronaldo’s 150th appearance for his nation. The 5-time Ballon’Dor winner has scored 81 goals and provided 28 assists for his country.

As it stands, Ronaldo is the highest international goalscorer in football history, followed by rival Lionel Messi and Indian international Sunil Chhetri at 3rd.

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Highlights from Portugal's 3-0 win over Algeria this evening: <a href="https://t.co/6AgnhduDcR">pic.twitter.com/6AgnhduDcR</a>
— Marino Peixoto (@Marinovpeixoto) <a href="https://twitter.com/Marinovpeixoto/status/1004876737543659520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Earlier, Portugal stumbled to a 2-2 tie against Tunisia and a scoreless draw versus Belgium without the Real Madrid forward. &nbsp

The country's defence which looked ponderous in the previous matches coped well with Algeria's attack and goalkeeper Rui Patricio had to make only one save, from substitute Baghdad Bounedjah.

The Madrid forward took a break after the Blancos’ victory over Liverpool

Portugal registered a 3-0 victory over Algeria in their final World Cup friendly, making a perfect return for Cristiano Ronaldo to the national squad after a two-game absence. The Madrid forward took a break after the Blancos’ victory over Liverpool in the May 26 Champions League final. During the game, Portugal forward Goncalo Guedes made the score 1-0 when he scored in the area off a headed pass by Bernardo Silva, who had received a long ball from William Carvalho. The game also marked Ronaldo’s 150th appearance for his nation. The 5-time Ballon’Dor winner has scored 81 goals and provided 28 assists for his country. As it stands, Ronaldo is the highest international goalscorer in football history, followed by rival Lionel Messi and Indian international Sunil Chhetri at 3rd. Highlights from Portugal's 3-0 win over Algeria this evening: pic.twitter.com/6AgnhduDcR — Marino Peixoto (@Marinovpeixoto) June 8, 2018 × Earlier, Portugal stumbled to a 2-2 tie against Tunisia and a scoreless draw versus Belgium without the Real Madrid forward. The country's defence which looked ponderous in the previous matches coped well with Algeria's attack and goalkeeper Rui Patricio had to make only one save, from substitute Baghdad Bounedjah.

World Cup friendly: Portugal routs Algeria as Cristiano Ronaldo returns

A controversy in Algeria over the growing popularity of Saudi-inspired Salafi scholars spotlights the risk governments run in a region in which they strive to control religion in a bid to counter militant strands of Islam, often by touting apolitical, ultra-conservative trends. &nbspThese efforts are proving difficult to contain within the limits of the government’s agenda.

The controversy over Saudi support of Salafi scholars highlights how state control, frequently exercised through degrees of micro-management of weekly Friday prayer sermons, and/or putting clerics on the government payroll as well as supervision of mosques and school textbooks, often backfires. &nbspFor one, the credibility of government-sponsored Islamic scholars is undermined as they become increasingly viewed as functionaries and parrots of regimes.

It also thrusts into the limelight the slippery slope on which governments play politics with conservative and ultra-conservative religion for opportunistic reasons or as in the case of Turkey in a bid to establish state-controlled Turkish Islam as a global force.

Ultra-conservatism’s increasing attractiveness is magnified by the inability of governments to comprehensively police alternative expressions of religion on the Internet and social media as well as halt the popping up of unlicensed mosques and informal study groups.

As a result, Saudi-inspired ultra-conservative, as well as militant strands of Islam, emerge as the only alternative release valve, particularly in countries that restrict freedom of expression, the media, and religion and have failed in their delivery of public goods and services

“Whatever the state does to control the religious realm, it cannot oblige or guarantee that people will rely on official bodies and individuals for their religious guidance. In fact, Algerian youths, in particular, are disillusioned and have lost confidence in their religious institutions. As such, they may be attracted to other religious voices, especially those offering ‘grab and go’ solutions to complex issues or a Manichean view of the world,” said Algeria scholar Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck.

The controversy in Algeria further raises questions about definitions of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s declared effort to return the kingdom to what he termed ‘moderate Islam’ given that Saudi Arabia played a key role in globally promoting Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism for almost half a century.

In Saudi Arabia, the jury is still out on Prince Mohammed’s approach to moderation. In an ultra-conservative country in which religious leaders were not only popular but government employees who shared power with the ruling Al Saud family, Prince Mohammed has whipped the religious establishment into subservience and kowtowing to his reforms with little indication that they have had a true change of heart.

Algeria has long seen Saudi-inspired quietist strands of Salafism that preach unreserved obedience to a Muslim ruler as a way of countering expressions of popular discontent and more militant strands of Islam.

“The onset of the 2011 Arab uprisings only increased the utility of quietist Salafists to the state. All the main quietist figures issued calls for Algerians to resist the wave of political contestation rocking the Arab world… This drove a wedge between rulers and ruled, exacerbating social divisions, which would inevitably lead to a rise in insecurity and worsening corruption,” said international relations scholar Anouar Boukhars.

A recent study showed that many Algerians were turning on social media to Saudi and Egyptian rather than Algerian religious scholars.

Some Saudi scholars like Sheikh Mohamed al-Arefe, a controversial ultra-conservative, known for his misogynist and anti-Shiite tirades, who ranks among the top 100 global and top 10 Arab social media personalities with 21.6 million followers on Twitter and 24.3 million on Facebook boast a larger following in Algeria than in the kingdom itself.

The study concluded that Mr. Al-Arefe had two million Algerian followers as opposed to 1.3 million Saudis.

Algerian media reports, echoing secular concerns, detailed earlier this year Saudi propagation of a quietist, apolitical yet supremacist and anti-pluralistic form of Islam in the North African country. The media published a letter by a prominent Saudi scholar that appointed three ultra-conservative Algerian clerics as representatives of Salafism.

“While Saudi Arabia tries to promote the image of a country that is ridding itself of its fanatics, it sends to other countries the most radical of its doctrines,” asserted independent Algerian newspaper El Watan.

El Watan and other media reproduced a letter written by Saudi Sheikh Hadi Ben Ali Al-Madkhali, a scion of Sheikh Rabia Al-Madkhali, the intellectual father of what French Islam scholar Stephane Lacroix terms a loyalist strand of Salafism that projects the kingdom as the ideal place for those who seek a pure Islam that has not been compromised by non-Muslim cultural practices and secularism.

The letter appoints three prominent Algerian scholars, including Mohamed Ali Ferkous, widely viewed as the spiritual guide of Algerian Madkhalists, as Salafism’s representatives in Algeria.

“Madkhalism…(is) perhaps Saudi Arabia’s own Trojan Horse,” quipped North Africa scholar George Joffe. “State-approved imams in Algeria now find themselves under considerable pressure, in mosques that have been targeted, to adapt their teachings and doctrines to Salafi precept, even if this challenges the authority of the ministry of religious affairs,” Mr. Joffe added.

The mixed results of the Algerian government’s effort to control and use religion are replicated across the Muslim world.

Pakistan, a country in which ultra-conservatism and militancy has over decades been woven into the fabric of the state and society and that is struggling with political violence against the state as well as minorities, serves as an example of the risks involved in playing politics with religion and state support for non-pluralistic, intolerant and supremacist interpretations of Islam.

Attempting to rollback the fallout of such policies is proving to be a gargantuan task. The Pakistani government earlier this year launched a pilot project in Islamabad to regulate Friday prayer sermons. The problem is that it controls a mere 86 of the city’s 1,003 mosques.

Some critics warn that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be taking his country down a road like that of Pakistan. They compare the Turkish leader to former Pakistani ruler General Zia ul-Haq who in the 1980s accelerated Islamisation of Pakistani society.

Former Pakistani ambassador to the United States and director of South and Central Asia for the Washington-based Hudson Institute Husain Haqqani asserted that Mr. Erdogan was adopting the “Pakistani formula of mixing hard-line nationalism with religiosity” and pouring money into Islamic schools.

"Erdogan has taken the Pakistani formula of mixing hard-line nationalism with religiosity. Zia imposed Islamic laws by decree, amended the constitution, marginalised secular scholars and leaders, and created institutions for Islamisation that have outlasted him. Erdogan is trying to do the same in Turkey," Mr. Haqqani told journalist and columnist Eli Lake.

Mr. Lake argued that Turkey, despite having tacitly supported the Islamic State at one point during the Syrian civil war, Turkey had not yet “sunk” to Pakistan’s level of cooperation with Islamic militants in its dispute with India and manoeuvring in Afghanistan.

However, suggesting that Turkey risked becoming another Pakistan, Mr. Lake quoted former US ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman as saying: "Turkey is not Pakistan yet, but if it continues the trajectory that Erdogan has put it on, there is a prospect it could become like Pakistan.”

At the other extreme, Chinese authorities in the north-western province of Xinjiang, home to China’s Uyghur Muslim minority, were several months ago shutting down some 100 illegal, underground religious seminaries a month despite creating in the region the world’s most repressive surveillance state, according to a Chinese communist party official.

The crackdown involves the banning of religious practices and the teaching of the Uyghur language in schools and the detention of thousands in political re-education camps.

The controversy in Algeria, Mr. Erdogan’s embrace of Islam, Pakistan’s struggle to come to grips with the fallout of ultra-conservatism, China’s efforts to crackdown on religion, anti-government and anti-clergy protests in Iran earlier this year, and examples of societies elsewhere in Asia turning towards intolerance and conservatism as governments employ or repress religion for opportunistic political purposes, suggest that political leaders have learnt little, if anything.

Yet, the lesson is that government control and/or playing with religion seldom produces sustainable results. The lesson is also that repression, including restricting freedoms of expression, media and religion, aggravates problems and benefits ultra-conservatives and militants.

Finally, the lesson is that the solution likely lies in inclusive rather than exclusionary policies and transparent and accountable governments capable of delivering pubic goods and services that ensure that all segments of the population have a stake in society. That lesson is one that governments in Algeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and China seemingly prefer to overlook.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Algeria has long seen Saudi-inspired quietist strands of Salafism that preach unreserved obedience to a Muslim ruler as a way of countering expressions of popular discontent and more militant strands of Islam

A controversy in Algeria over the growing popularity of Saudi-inspired Salafi scholars spotlights the risk governments run in a region in which they strive to control religion in a bid to counter militant strands of Islam, often by touting apolitical, ultra-conservative trends. &nbspThese efforts are proving difficult to contain within the limits of the government’s agenda. The controversy over Saudi support of Salafi scholars highlights how state control, frequently exercised through degrees of micro-management of weekly Friday prayer sermons, and/or putting clerics on the government payroll as well as supervision of mosques and school textbooks, often backfires. &nbspFor one, the credibility of government-sponsored Islamic scholars is undermined as they become increasingly viewed as functionaries and parrots of regimes. It also thrusts into the limelight the slippery slope on which governments play politics with conservative and ultra-conservative religion for opportunistic reasons or as in the case of Turkey in a bid to establish state-controlled Turkish Islam as a global force. Ultra-conservatism’s increasing attractiveness is magnified by the inability of governments to comprehensively police alternative expressions of religion on the Internet and social media as well as halt the popping up of unlicensed mosques and informal study groups. As a result, Saudi-inspired ultra-conservative, as well as militant strands of Islam, emerge as the only alternative release valve, particularly in countries that restrict freedom of expression, the media, and religion and have failed in their delivery of public goods and services “Whatever the state does to control the religious realm, it cannot oblige or guarantee that people will rely on official bodies and individuals for their religious guidance. In fact, Algerian youths, in particular, are disillusioned and have lost confidence in their religious institutions. As such, they may be attracted to other religious voices, especially those offering ‘grab and go’ solutions to complex issues or a Manichean view of the world,” said Algeria scholar Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck. The controversy in Algeria further raises questions about definitions of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s declared effort to return the kingdom to what he termed ‘moderate Islam’ given that Saudi Arabia played a key role in globally promoting Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism for almost half a century. In Saudi Arabia, the jury is still out on Prince Mohammed’s approach to moderation. In an ultra-conservative country in which religious leaders were not only popular but government employees who shared power with the ruling Al Saud family, Prince Mohammed has whipped the religious establishment into subservience and kowtowing to his reforms with little indication that they have had a true change of heart. Algeria has long seen Saudi-inspired quietist strands of Salafism that preach unreserved obedience to a Muslim ruler as a way of countering expressions of popular discontent and more militant strands of Islam. “The onset of the 2011 Arab uprisings only increased the utility of quietist Salafists to the state. All the main quietist figures issued calls for Algerians to resist the wave of political contestation rocking the Arab world… This drove a wedge between rulers and ruled, exacerbating social divisions, which would inevitably lead to a rise in insecurity and worsening corruption,” said international relations scholar Anouar Boukhars. A recent study showed that many Algerians were turning on social media to Saudi and Egyptian rather than Algerian religious scholars. Some Saudi scholars like Sheikh Mohamed al-Arefe, a controversial ultra-conservative, known for his misogynist and anti-Shiite tirades, who ranks among the top 100 global and top 10 Arab social media personalities with 21.6 million followers on Twitter and 24.3 million on Facebook boast a larger following in Algeria than in the kingdom itself. The study concluded that Mr. Al-Arefe had two million Algerian followers as opposed to 1.3 million Saudis. Algerian media reports, echoing secular concerns, detailed earlier this year Saudi propagation of a quietist, apolitical yet supremacist and anti-pluralistic form of Islam in the North African country. The media published a letter by a prominent Saudi scholar that appointed three ultra-conservative Algerian clerics as representatives of Salafism. “While Saudi Arabia tries to promote the image of a country that is ridding itself of its fanatics, it sends to other countries the most radical of its doctrines,” asserted independent Algerian newspaper El Watan. El Watan and other media reproduced a letter written by Saudi Sheikh Hadi Ben Ali Al-Madkhali, a scion of Sheikh Rabia Al-Madkhali, the intellectual father of what French Islam scholar Stephane Lacroix terms a loyalist strand of Salafism that projects the kingdom as the ideal place for those who seek a pure Islam that has not been compromised by non-Muslim cultural practices and secularism. The letter appoints three prominent Algerian scholars, including Mohamed Ali Ferkous, widely viewed as the spiritual guide of Algerian Madkhalists, as Salafism’s representatives in Algeria. “Madkhalism…(is) perhaps Saudi Arabia’s own Trojan Horse,” quipped North Africa scholar George Joffe. “State-approved imams in Algeria now find themselves under considerable pressure, in mosques that have been targeted, to adapt their teachings and doctrines to Salafi precept, even if this challenges the authority of the ministry of religious affairs,” Mr. Joffe added. The mixed results of the Algerian government’s effort to control and use religion are replicated across the Muslim world. Pakistan, a country in which ultra-conservatism and militancy has over decades been woven into the fabric of the state and society and that is struggling with political violence against the state as well as minorities, serves as an example of the risks involved in playing politics with religion and state support for non-pluralistic, intolerant and supremacist interpretations of Islam. Attempting to rollback the fallout of such policies is proving to be a gargantuan task. The Pakistani government earlier this year launched a pilot project in Islamabad to regulate Friday prayer sermons. The problem is that it controls a mere 86 of the city’s 1,003 mosques. Some critics warn that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be taking his country down a road like that of Pakistan. They compare the Turkish leader to former Pakistani ruler General Zia ul-Haq who in the 1980s accelerated Islamisation of Pakistani society. Former Pakistani ambassador to the United States and director of South and Central Asia for the Washington-based Hudson Institute Husain Haqqani asserted that Mr. Erdogan was adopting the “Pakistani formula of mixing hard-line nationalism with religiosity” and pouring money into Islamic schools. "Erdogan has taken the Pakistani formula of mixing hard-line nationalism with religiosity. Zia imposed Islamic laws by decree, amended the constitution, marginalised secular scholars and leaders, and created institutions for Islamisation that have outlasted him. Erdogan is trying to do the same in Turkey," Mr. Haqqani told journalist and columnist Eli Lake. Mr. Lake argued that Turkey, despite having tacitly supported the Islamic State at one point during the Syrian civil war, Turkey had not yet “sunk” to Pakistan’s level of cooperation with Islamic militants in its dispute with India and manoeuvring in Afghanistan. However, suggesting that Turkey risked becoming another Pakistan, Mr. Lake quoted former US ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman as saying: "Turkey is not Pakistan yet, but if it continues the trajectory that Erdogan has put it on, there is a prospect it could become like Pakistan.” At the other extreme, Chinese authorities in the north-western province of Xinjiang, home to China’s Uyghur Muslim minority, were several months ago shutting down some 100 illegal, underground religious seminaries a month despite creating in the region the world’s most repressive surveillance state, according to a Chinese communist party official. The crackdown involves the banning of religious practices and the teaching of the Uyghur language in schools and the detention of thousands in political re-education camps. The controversy in Algeria, Mr. Erdogan’s embrace of Islam, Pakistan’s struggle to come to grips with the fallout of ultra-conservatism, China’s efforts to crackdown on religion, anti-government and anti-clergy protests in Iran earlier this year, and examples of societies elsewhere in Asia turning towards intolerance and conservatism as governments employ or repress religion for opportunistic political purposes, suggest that political leaders have learnt little, if anything. Yet, the lesson is that government control and/or playing with religion seldom produces sustainable results. The lesson is also that repression, including restricting freedoms of expression, media and religion, aggravates problems and benefits ultra-conservatives and militants. Finally, the lesson is that the solution likely lies in inclusive rather than exclusionary policies and transparent and accountable governments capable of delivering pubic goods and services that ensure that all segments of the population have a stake in society. That lesson is one that governments in Algeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and China seemingly prefer to overlook. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Algerian controversy over Salafism puts government control of religion on the spot

An Algerian military plane crashed on Wednesday with around&nbsp; 257&nbsp;people, mostly military personnel, on board.

A military source told media that there were no survivors.

The plane, an Ilyushin Il-76,&nbsp;was carrying scores of military troops, according to the reports.

Earlier Algerian state radio reported&nbsp;that at least 100 passengers were killed in the crash.&nbsp;

Twenty-six members of Polisario Front, supported by Algeria and seeking independence from Morocco for Western Sahara, are said to be among the dead.

The incident happened shortly after the plane took off from Boufarik military airport near the capital Algiers, but reasons for the crash remain unclear.

The crash occurred in Boufarik, a town in Blida Province, approximately 30 km from the capital Algiers.

A statement from the defence ministry confirming the crash gave no casualty toll.

Russian-made military plane crashes shortly after takeoff from Boufarik airbase outside the capital, Algiers.

An Algerian military plane crashed on Wednesday with around 257 people, mostly military personnel, on board. A military source told media that there were no survivors. The plane, an Ilyushin Il-76, was carrying scores of military troops, according to the reports. Earlier Algerian state radio reported that at least 100 passengers were killed in the crash. Twenty-six members of Polisario Front, supported by Algeria and seeking independence from Morocco for Western Sahara, are said to be among the dead. The incident happened shortly after the plane took off from Boufarik military airport near the capital Algiers, but reasons for the crash remain unclear. The crash occurred in Boufarik, a town in Blida Province, approximately 30 km from the capital Algiers. A statement from the defence ministry confirming the crash gave no casualty toll.

Video: 257 dead in Algeria military plane crash, says official

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's five-hour-long testimony before US lawmakers had him grilled to his core, but one question that had the Facebook chief foxed out of his wits was when Senator Richard J. Durbin asked him to share the details of his hotel stay from the previous night.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/aap-to-contest-rajasthan-assembly-polls-removes-kumar-vishwas-as-state-unit-incharge-129837">AAP removes Kumar Vishwas as Rajasthan in-charge, says will contest assembly polls</a>

Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has removed Kumar Vishwas as party's Rajasthan unit in-charge. Deepak Bajpai will now take over Vishwas's office. Kumar Vishwas was appointed as Rajasthan unit's in-charge last year in May.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-south-indian-film-casting-couch-telugu-actress-sri-reddy-says-producers-son-forced-her-to-have-sex-129867">Telugu actress Sri Reddy </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-south-indian-film-casting-couch-telugu-actress-sri-reddy-says-producers-son-forced-her-to-have-sex-129867">strips,</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-south-indian-film-casting-couch-telugu-actress-sri-reddy-says-producers-son-forced-her-to-have-sex-129867"> alleges Rana Daggubati's brother forced her to have sex with him</a>

Telugu actress Sri Reddy revealed last night, what could be the biggest casting couch scandal of South Indian cinema. Leaking intimate pictures of herself engaged with top South Indian film producer Abhiram Daggubati -- she claims that the latter forced her to perform sex with him in lieu of casting her in films.&nbsp;

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After Cauvery protests, all IPL matches shifted out of Chennai: Sources After days of uncertainty, Indian Premier League matches to be held in Chennai has now been shifted to another venue due to the ongoing Cauvery protest. People are protesting against the Centre's negligence for the formation of Cauvery Management Board (CMB). 257 dead in Algeria military plane crash, says official An Algerian military plane crashed on Wednesday with around 257 people, mostly military personnel, on board. A military source told media that there were no survivors. US senator asks for personal details, Facebook's Zuckerberg won't give them Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's five-hour-long testimony before US lawmakers had him grilled to his core, but one question that had the Facebook chief foxed out of his wits was when Senator Richard J. Durbin asked him to share the details of his hotel stay from the previous night. AAP removes Kumar Vishwas as Rajasthan in-charge, says will contest assembly polls Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has removed Kumar Vishwas as party's Rajasthan unit in-charge. Deepak Bajpai will now take over Vishwas's office. Kumar Vishwas was appointed as Rajasthan unit's in-charge last year in May. Telugu actress Sri Reddy strips, alleges Rana Daggubati's brother forced her to have sex with him Telugu actress Sri Reddy revealed last night, what could be the biggest casting couch scandal of South Indian cinema. Leaking intimate pictures of herself engaged with top South Indian film producer Abhiram Daggubati -- she claims that the latter forced her to perform sex with him in lieu of casting her in films.

An&nbspAlgerian military plane crashed on Wednesday near Boufarik airport near the capital Algiers, killing several people, local media and a witness said.

The plane was carrying more than 100 military personnel, a local TV station said.

Further details awaited.&nbsp

An&nbspAlgerian military plane crashed on Wednesday near Boufarik airport near the capital Algiers, killing several people, local media and a witness said. The plane was carrying more than 100 military personnel, a local TV station said. Further details awaited.

Algerian military plane with over 100 on board crashes, several dead

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