First Independent Mena Newspaper
Algeria’s ruling party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), was taken by surprise Saturday as the party’s Secretary Amar Sadaani announced his resignation reportedly at the demand of the party’s long-standing president Abdel Aziz Bouteflika. His resignation, according to analysts, is a clear sign of friction between a group around President Bouteflika and a group of […]
The Algerian economy has been heavily battered by the slump in oil prices evoking the catastrophic events of the late 1980s which plunged the country into a spiral of a decade of violence, said a new study entitled, The Impact of Low Oil Prices on Algeria, published by the Center on Global Energy Policy. The […]
Algeria’s responsibility in prolonging the Sahara conflict was decried by Morocco’s Representative at the UN in New York Omar Hilale, who deplored that Algiers continue to block efforts aiming at reaching a lasting political solution to the Sahara dispute. Hilale, speaking before the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee, presented arguments showing the invalidity of the […]
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has proposed to appoint former Islamist figure and aid, Abdelwahab Derbal, as the chairman of the High Independent Election Monitoring Body. In line with the new constitution adopted in February, the Algerian President appoints the chairman of the body, which will replace the much criticized “National Commission of election Supervision” and “National […]
A coalition of opposition parties Monday judged the future legislative elections in Algeria “useless” as they cannot change the dire conditions and the acute economic and social crisis gripping the country. United under the Forum for Consultation and Monitoring of the Opposition (ICSO), leaders of several political and opposition groups argued that given the current […]
Italy’s energy company Eni and Algeria’s state-owned hydrocarbons firm, Sonatrach, inked an agreement to build a solar plant to help the north African country reduce its dependency on gas. In addition to meeting local electricity demand, the plant would also free up more gas for the export market, local media said. The 10MW plant will […]
Algerian space scientists Monday launched three satellites from India’s PSLV C-35 satellite launch vehicle, reports say. A total of eight satellites, including the three Algerian satellites, were successfully launched from India’s space site of Satish Dhawan, situated in the South-East of the country. The three Algerian satellites, namely Alsat-1B, Alsat-2B and Alsat-1N according to the […]
State-owned banks in Algeria will soon be allowed to list in the stock exchange as Algiers continues to stumble in the aftermath of the plummeting oil prices. The privatization of the state-owned banks is an attempt by the Algerian government to promote its underdeveloped banking sector and diversify sources of revenue after the drop in […]
Hundreds of Sahrawis sequestered in Tindouf Camps (Southern Algeria) have staged Thursday a demonstration to voice their anger at the Polisario new chief Brahim Ghali and express their frustration over status quo, deteriorating living conditions, alienation and political exploitation. This popular uprising, which reflects the deep cracks widening between the separatists’ leadership and grassroots, comes […]
Algeria’s trade deficit slipped into 14 billion dollars in the first 8 months of 2016 because of the fall in oil revenues, propelling the government to draft an austere appropriation bill for 2017 with the introduction of new taxes in a bid to minimize losses. Algeria’s trade deficit worsened despite an 11% decline in imports […]