Tebboune Vows Better Living Conditions for Algerians

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (AFP)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (AFP)
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Tebboune Vows Better Living Conditions for Algerians

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (AFP)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (AFP)

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune pledged on Thursday to enhance the country’s returns and improve the living conditions of Algerians, indicating a 47 percent increase in salaries early next year, the German News Agency said.

He said that 2023 will see "better achievements and the improvement of living conditions.” His remarks came during the opening of the 5th province governors' meeting in Algiers.

Tebboune said his country’s economic growth is projected to reach 5 percent in 2023 after it amounted to 4.1 percent in 2022.

He also revealed that the current foreign exchange reserves had increased to over $60 billion, while the import bill has decreased to $36 billion after it reached an annual average of $63 billion in the past years.

“The economy is now based on production, not on imports. Algeria is witnessing a clear social and economic dynamics,” Tebboune affirmed, noting that 2023 is "the year of efficiency, raising the standard of living, increasing the purchasing power of the citizen, and of reducing inflation.”

He also said that the State is trying to fight corruption and protect citizens from the consequences of global economic fluctuations.

He indicated that several decisions taken by local governors helped build between 600 and 700 micro, small, medium and large economic units, and create 52,000 jobs at a time when the world is witnessing an economic downturn.

He also revealed that an Algerian factory will be launched this year to produce sugar which will be sold directly to consumers, in addition to the production of olive oil.

The President then called on Algerians saving money outside banks to deposit them back in the country’s banks. He pledged a thousand guarantees to protect citizens and the national economy, saying there are banks that deal in Islamic banking.

Addressing the file of recovering the looted funds, the President said Algerians followed the scary numbers of looted money, and that huge amounts of funds were found with one single family.

The President added, “We insist on fighting corruption and corruptors, Algeria will remain a state of justice and law,” stressing that the country “will not collapse despite enemy plots."



Israel Says Its Forces Will Remain in 5 Lebanon Locations after Tuesday’s Withdrawal Deadline

 A Lebanese army convoy enters Houla village in south Lebanon, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025 to evacuate people and the body of a girl who get shot on Sunday by Israeli forces. (AP)
A Lebanese army convoy enters Houla village in south Lebanon, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025 to evacuate people and the body of a girl who get shot on Sunday by Israeli forces. (AP)
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Israel Says Its Forces Will Remain in 5 Lebanon Locations after Tuesday’s Withdrawal Deadline

 A Lebanese army convoy enters Houla village in south Lebanon, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025 to evacuate people and the body of a girl who get shot on Sunday by Israeli forces. (AP)
A Lebanese army convoy enters Houla village in south Lebanon, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025 to evacuate people and the body of a girl who get shot on Sunday by Israeli forces. (AP)

Israel's military says its forces will remain in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon after Tuesday's deadline for their withdrawal under a ceasefire with the Hezbollah group, as Lebanon’s government expressed frustration over another delay.

A separate ceasefire in Gaza was also in doubt as the region marked 500 days of Israel's war with Hamas, while Israel and the United States send conflicting signals over whether they want the truce to continue. Talks on the ceasefire's second phase are yet to start.

Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said the five locations in Lebanon provide vantage points or are located across from communities in northern Israel, where about 60,000 Israelis are still displaced. He said the “temporary measure” was approved by the US-led body monitoring the truce, which earlier was extended by three weeks.

Under the agreement, Israeli forces should withdraw from a buffer zone in southern Lebanon that would be patrolled by the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers. The ceasefire has held since taking effect in November.

Israel is committed to a withdrawal in “the right way, in a gradual way, and in a way that the security of our civilians is kept,” Shoshani told reporters.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told reporters the ceasefire “must be respected,” saying “the Israeli enemy cannot be trusted.” He said Lebanese officials were working diplomatically to achieve the Israeli withdrawal, “and I will not accept that a single Israeli remains on Lebanese territory.”

Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict boiled over into all-out war in September as Israel carried out massive waves of airstrikes and killed most of the Iran-backed group’s senior leaders.

Earlier on Monday, an Israeli drone targeted a car in Lebanon’s southern port city of Sidon, the deepest strike inside Lebanese territory since the ceasefire took effect. Israel said it targeted Mohammad Shaheen, the head of Hamas’ operations in Lebanon. AP video there showed a charred vehicle.

“Now the fear has come back to people," said Ahmed Sleim, a Sidon resident, who worried about a return to war.