'No hope' for youths

Youths had been left with no hope in the face of the "incompetent" government's 2004 budget, the Forum Zghazagh Laburisti said.

They expected that, after many years of hard measures to address the structural deficit, last Monday's budget would have been positive so that young people could put their minds at rest and benefit from the "new spring".

Unfortunately, it was a budget of "unemployment, taxes and debt", FZL said, adding that it was clear the government would be introducing more changes in the health services and pensions in the coming year.

It invited all youth organisations to condemn the government's incompetence in the way the budget has continued to burden youths.