Page 10 - aruba-today-20190424

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 24 april 2019
Wit and grit: Algeria's sizeable youth lead fight for change

Associated Press "I came to protest against
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — this power structure be-
They're on the peaceful cause we, the young peo-
front line of the protest ple, we are the main vic-
movement that toppled Al- tims," said Belkacem Can-
geria's longtime ruler, fac- na, who just turned 30, and
ing down water cannons works for the local water
with attitude, memes — company on what he de-
and fearless calls for sham- scribed as a miserable sal-
poo. ary. "We get diplomas but
Oil-rich Algeria is one of the can't get jobs."
most youthful countries in For two decades, Algeria
the world with two-thirds of has been ruled by Boute-
the population under 30. flika and other survivors of
They are politically en- the 1954-1962 War of Inde-
gaged, educated, on so- pendence against colonial
cial media and funny. And power France.
they initiated nationwide "Algeria's leaders have one
protests in mid-February foot in the War of Indepen-
that toppled the only lead- dence and the other foot
er they've ever known — in the post-colonial period.
former President Abdelaziz This is a generational prob-
Bouteflika, in power since In this Friday, April 12, 2019 photo, young Algerians who are part of soccer fan groups chant songs lem. Algeria is a gerontoc-
1999. and slogans during a demonstration against the country's leadership in Algiers, Algeria. racy that can't represent
"Only Chanel does No. Associated Press the country's majority," said
5," read the placard of a Rachid Tlemcani, political
young Algerian protest- other, featuring the "Ghost- lice unfurl the water can- 30s are out of work, creat- scientist at Algiers Univer-
ing against Bouteflika's busters" movie poster, was nons, they start to sing in ing a deep well of frustra- sity.
failed bid for a fifth term. a humorous rebuke to the rhyming Arabic: "Bring me tion against the North Afri- Bouteflika had for years
"Love the Way You Lie," infirm 82-year-old who's some shampoo and I'll feel can country's veteran rulers used Algeria's oil and gas
read another, referencing rarely been seen since a good!" and the policies that have wealth to fund affordable
Rihanna's hit song. Yet an- 2013 stroke. And when po- A quarter of these under- left them behind. homes and handouts. q

Iranian parliament labels entire US military as terrorist

By NASSER KARIMI Persian Gulf through which
Associated Press about a third of all oil trad-
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Irani- ed at sea passes. The U.S.
an lawmakers on Tuesday Navy has in the past ac-
overwhelmingly approved cused Iranian patrol boats
a bill that labels all U.S. mili- of harassing American war-
tary forces as terrorist, state ships in the waterway.
TV reported, a day after Iran's Foreign Ministry
Washington ratcheted up promptly brushed off
pressure on Tehran by an- Trump's move to stop the oil
nouncing that no country waivers, saying the Islamic
would any longer be ex- Republic "basically has not
empt from U.S. sanctions if it seen and does not see any
continues to buy Iranian oil. worth and validity for the
The bill is a step further from waivers."
the one last week, when But on Tuesday, 173 out of
lawmakers approved la- 215 lawmakers at the par-
belling just U.S. troops in liament session in Tehran
the Middle East as terrorist, voted for the new bill. Only
in response to the U.S. ter- four voted against while
rorism designation for Iran's the rest abstained; the
Revolutionary Guard earlier chamber has 290 seats.
this month. In this picture released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme The bill confirms Iran's ear-
The Trump administration Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Tehran, Iran, lier label of the U.S. Cen-
re-imposed sanctions on Monday, April 22, 2019. tral Command, also known
Iran, including on its energy Associated Press as CENTCOM, and all its
sector, last November, af- forces as terrorist. Any mili-
ter pulling America out of other government — add- Donald Trump decided to tivity throughout the Mid- tary and non-military help,
the landmark 2015 nuclear ed another layer of sanc- do away with waivers as east and beyond. including logistics support,
deal between Iran and tions to the powerful para- part of the administration's Hours before Trump's an- to CENTCOM that can be
world powers. military force, making it a "maximum pressure" cam- nouncement, Iran reiter- detrimental to the Revolu-
The U.S. designation crime under U.S. jurisdiction paign on Iran that aims to ated its long-running threat tionary Guard will be con-
against Iran's Revolution- to provide the guard with eliminate all of its revenue to close the Strait of Hormuz sidered a terrorist action,
ary Guard — the first-ever material support. from oil exports that the U.S. if it's prevented from using the semi-official ISNA news
for an entire division of an- On Monday, President says funds destabilizing ac- the crucial waterway in the agency said.q