Battle Of Algeria

The history of Bright Star is very rich and impressive. After Egypt signed the 1978 Camp David Accords, members of the U.S. Armed Forces began training side-by-side with their Egyptian military counterparts in the Egyptian desert. This small unit training evolved into an annual summer exercise known as Bright Star. It began in the summer of 1980 as a single service bilateral ground maneuver event, with only ground forces of the U.S. and Egyptian armies initially participating in the training. Bright Start in 1981 was a similar bilateral ground maneuver exercise, although the number of participating troops increased significantly. Due to the growing numbers of participating troops and the logistical demands, Bright Star became a biennial event starting in 1983. ... [Read More]

USIS Washington File: TEXT: U.S. GOVERNMENT FACT SHEET ON USAMA BIN LADIN

Usama Bin Ladin was born around 1955 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He is the youngest son of Muhammad Bin Ladin, a wealthy Saudi of Yemeni origin and founder of the Bin Ladin Group, a construction firm heavily involved with Saudi Government contracts. Usama Bin Ladin left Saudi Arabia to fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan in 1979. In the mid-1980s he co-founded the Maktab al-Khidamat (MAK) or Services Office, to help funnel fighters and money to the Afghan resistance in Peshawar with a Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood member named 'Abdallah 'Azzam. The MAK ultimately established recruitment centers around the world -- including in the U.S., Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan -- that enlisted, sheltered, and transported thousands of individuals from over 50 countries to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets. It also organized and funded paramilitary training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Bin Ladin imported heavy equipment to cut roads and tunnels and to build hospitals and storage d ... [Read More]

Biographies

Carpenter, David G.; Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Diplomatic Security and Director, Office of Foreign Missions ... [Read More]

Washington HyperFile - East Asia/Pacific Edition

(Bush/King Abdullah of Jordan, worker relief/economic stimulus, airline ...

(Coalition necessary for battle against terrorism, he says) (1930) ...

Department of State ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

Gillo Pontecorvo. The Battle of Algiers. Produced and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. 120 min. 1966. Videocassette. Commerce and IndustryLast Updated:  7/6/2005 7:43 AM After several years of slow growth and after 10 years of security difficulties, the Algerian economy began to grow significantly in 2001.  The engine of this growth remains the hydrocarbons sector, which has benefited from high oil prices.  Agriculture, another growth sector, has benefited in many parts of the country from expanded irrigation and higher rates of rainfall in recent years.  Construction and services are also sectors that are poised f ... [Read More]

Algeria

On June 27, the Government enacted a series of amendments to the Penal Code that give the Government authority to impose high fines and harsh jail sentences in cases in which reporters "defame insult or injure" government officials. Government officials include the President, Members of Parliament, judges, members of the military, and "any other authority of public order." Under the new law, any person found guilty of defaming the President may be sentenced to between 3 and 12 months in prison and a fine of between $649 (50,000 dinars) and $3,247 (250,000 dinars). The punishments are doubled for repeat offenders. Under the new law, publications whose employees are found guilty of an offense against the President may be fined from $6,494 (500,000 dinars) to $32,468 (2,500,000 dinars). Editors and owners of such publications may also be prosecuted. Broad provisions in the new law provide for prison terms of between 2 and 24 months and fines ranging from $129 (10,000 dinars) to $6,494 (50 ... [Read More]

Algeria

There were no credible reports during the year of disappearances in which the security forces were implicated. However, local NGOs reported a new trend of prolonged detention ranging from 8 to 18 months that was frequently reported as a disappearance until the person in question was returned to his or her family. These "new" disappearances at the hands of security forces often differed in duration and outcome from the disappearances which occurred in the country during the first half of the 1990s that remained unresolved. These incidents remained contrary to the legal procedures stipulated in the country's penal code and its Constitution. There have been credible reports of thousands of disappearances occurring over a period of several years in the mid-90s, many of which involved the security forces. A Ministry of Interior office in each district accepts cases from resident families of those reported missing. Credible sources state that the offices provided little useful i ... [Read More]

Algeria

Algeria is a multiparty republic based upon a constitution and a presidential form of government. The head of state is elected by popular, secret vote to a 5-year term. The president has the constitutional authority to appoint and dismiss cabinet members, as well as the Prime minister who acts as the head of government. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was last elected in 1999, running unopposed after the other candidates withdrew on the eve of the election citing voting fraud. Bouteflika is not formally affiliated with any political party. The next presidential elections are scheduled for April 2004. The country has a bicameral parliament consisting of the National People's Assembly (lower house) and the Council of the Nation (upper house). All members of the Assembly are elected by popular vote, while two-thirds of the Council is elected by the local (state) assemblies and the remaining one-third are appointed by the President. Elections were h ... [Read More]

V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G

Cyprus is a destination country for women trafficked from Eastern and Central Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Traffickers who forced women into prostitution continued to fraudulently recruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs on short-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employment visas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visas. There was increasing evidence of Chinese women being trafficked for sexual exploitation in Cyprus. The Government of Cyprus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Cyprus made some progress in its anti-trafficking efforts over the past year. The new police anti-trafficking unit produced successful results and showed vigilance in combating the problem. Government recognition of the problem improve ... [Read More]