Military Cracks Down on Algeria Protest

A budding protest movement in Algiers was put down Saturday by thousands of riot police, who hemmed in demonstrators and prevented them from completing a planned march. Estimates of the size of the protest vary: Organizers say 30,000 showed up and 1,000 have been arrested, while the AP says 10,000 are marching. The state news agency reports police have stopped the protest. Opposition leaders say they aren’t trying to overthrow President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, they just want reform. A sudden increase in food prices helped spark the protests a month ago, and demonstrators are chanting "$155 Billion, and We're Still Poor," a reference to the oil-rich country’s estimated foreign-exchange reserves. Last week, Algerian authorities promised to lift a state of emergency that’s been in effect since 1992.