Algeria’s culture minister resigns after deadly concert stampede

ALGIERS: Algeria’s Culture Minister Meriem Merdaci resigned Saturday, following the deaths of five young music fans in a stampede at a packed concert by rapper Soolking in the capital, the president’s office announced.

It said Merdaci handed her resignation to interim president Abdelkader Bensalah ‘who accepted it’.

On Friday, prime minister Noureddine Bedoui fired the head of ONDA ( the National Office of Copyright and Neighbouring Rights), the public authority in charge of organising concerts.

An investigation has been opened amid charges on social media of security failings.

Thursday night’s stampede that killed five people aged between 13 and 22 came as fans thronged an entrance of the August-20 Stadium in Algiers where France-based Soolking was performing.

The president’s office later Saturday also announced the dismissal of Algeria’s police chief, Abdelkader Kara Bouhadba, who was only appointed in February.

No official reason was given for his replacement by Kalifa Ounissi but a security source said it was likewise ‘linked to the Soolking concert’.

Soolking, 29, is a major star in the North African country. — AFP GUADALAJARA, Mexico: Nearly 900 people twirled and stamped their feet to mariachi music in the Mexican city of Guadalajara to set a Guinness record for the world’s biggest folk dance.

Searing heat failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the 882 men and women, who turned up Saturday in traditional costumes featuring vivid embroidery and bright colors to break the previous record, also set in Guadalajara in 2011 with 457 participants.

“This new record shows that our traditions are continuing to spread among young people,” Xavier Orendain, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Guadalajara and the event’s organizer, told reporters.

Dancers were required to perform a choreographed routine for at least five minutes without interruption in order to qualify for the record, said Guinness judge Carlos Tapia.

Their outfits were also rated, he added, with male dancers wearing traditional “charro” suits featuring hats and neckties, while the women wore vibrant dresses, bold jewelry and ribbons in their hair.

The dancers, who mostly belonged to folk ballet schools, moved to a mix of mariachi standards, dazzling audiences.

“It is impressive to see so much coordination and such a full expression of Mexican culture, it is the best,” spectator Karla Gallardo, 24, told AFP.

“Yes, we can!” participants screamed with joy when the Guinness record was announced. — AFP