The evening of May 21 witnessed a vast loss of life as Algeria was struck by way of a mighty earthquake in which at least 2276 the public were killed between the capital and the epicentre.

The evening of May 21 witnessed a vast loss of life as Algeria was struck by way of a mighty earthquake in which at least 2276 the public were killed between the capital and the epicentre, 60km east of Algiers. In the aftermath of the country's worst earthquake since 1980 President Bouteflika has been briskly criticised by both the tribe and the press.

The unpopularity of the government's privatisation policies, a succession of financial scandals and the failure to enjoin an end to the country's civil war against Islamist rebels all mean that President Bouteflika is in a less degree than great pressure in the