Algerian Govt Apologizes for Scarcity of Cooking Oil, Milk

An Algerian seller displays his goods (AFP)
An Algerian seller displays his goods (AFP)
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Algerian Govt Apologizes for Scarcity of Cooking Oil, Milk

An Algerian seller displays his goods (AFP)
An Algerian seller displays his goods (AFP)

Algerian Prime Minister Aimene Benabderrahmane apologized to the public for the scarcity of widely consumed goods, especially oil and milk.

Benabderrahmane apologized to every house owner and homemaker who found it difficult to obtain some goods.

During the approval of the government's policy statement, Benabderrahmane told the parliament that all foodstuffs of vast consumption are sufficiently available, with a critical strategic stock of all products and commodities.

He explained that it is impossible to address the country's economic state without delving into the purchasing power of the citizens.

The Prime Minister stressed that he does not aim to justify the situation but instead provides an explanation to prevent any malicious attempts.

He asserted that the state would confront any attempts to use the current situation to push the state to import goods, which drained the capabilities of the people and the nation, stressing that all materials are available.

Benabderrahmane is likely referring to importers who allied themselves with traders to monopolize food products to increase their prices, according to some media outlets.

They claimed the state prevented them from importing the goods to implement its national plans.

Meanwhile, the Public Prosecution announced a significant war on those suspected of speculating on the prices of food products by placing them on the list of terrorism.

Meanwhile, the Public Prosecution announced it was combating speculative business in scarce foodstuffs, describing it as "acts of terrorism and organized crime."

The Public Prosecutor at the Sidi M'hamed Court confirmed that basic materials with vast consumption are witnessing an unjustified increase in prices in a way that affects the purchasing power of the citizen.

It announced that the growing phenomenon of illegal speculation in essential and widely consumed products is a deliberate crime that requires action.

The Prosecution requested the local prosecutors to address these issues at the Department of the Fight against Terrorism and Organized Crime level.

The Public Prosecution Office will submit petitions to impose severe penalties against all persons involved in these cases under the law.

However, the statement did not mention the products that were subjected to speculation in their prices.

Algerians noticed in recent days the disappearance of cooking oil from large commercial stores and all shops selling food products.

In recent months, the market has also witnessed a lack of many goods and products due to the suspension of their import.

Amid current developments, the government seems determined to deal with traders who monopolize oil to raise its prices.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune previously encouraged judges to impose harsh penalties on speculators.



Report: France Issues New Arrest Warrant for Syria's Assad

A damaged portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hangs in the city of Qamishli, as Syrian Kurds celebrate the fall of capital Damascus to anti-government fighters on December 8, 2024. (AFP)
A damaged portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hangs in the city of Qamishli, as Syrian Kurds celebrate the fall of capital Damascus to anti-government fighters on December 8, 2024. (AFP)
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Report: France Issues New Arrest Warrant for Syria's Assad

A damaged portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hangs in the city of Qamishli, as Syrian Kurds celebrate the fall of capital Damascus to anti-government fighters on December 8, 2024. (AFP)
A damaged portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hangs in the city of Qamishli, as Syrian Kurds celebrate the fall of capital Damascus to anti-government fighters on December 8, 2024. (AFP)

Two French investigating magistrates have issued an arrest warrant against ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for suspected complicity in war crimes, the second such move by France's judicial authorities, a source said on Tuesday.

Assad, who was ousted late last year in a lightning offensive by opposition forces, is held responsible in the warrant issued on Monday as "commander-in-chief of the armed forces" for a bombing in the Syrian city of Daraa in 2017 that killed a civilian, a source close to the case, asking not to be named, told AFP.

This mandate was issued as part of an investigation into the case of Salah Abou Nabout, a 59-year-old Franco-Syrian national and former French teacher, who was killed on June 7, 2017 following the bombing of his home by Syrian army helicopters.

The French judiciary considers that Assad ordered and provided the means for this attack, according to the source.

Six senior Syrian army officials are already the target of French arrest warrants over the case in an investigation that began in 2018.

"This case represents the culmination of a long fight for justice, in which I and my family believed from the start," said Omar Abou Nabout, the victim's son, in a statement.

He expressed hope that "a trial will take place and that the perpetrators will be arrested and judged, wherever they are".

French authorities in November 2023 issued a first arrest warrant against Assad over chemical attacks in 2013 where more than a thousand people, according to American intelligence, were killed by sarin gas.

While considering Assad's participation in these attacks "likely", public prosecutors last year issued an appeal against the warrant on the grounds that Assad should have immunity as a head of state.

However, his ouster has now changed his status and potential immunity. Assad and his family fled to Russia after his fall, according to Russian authorities.