Magharebia

For Samir Azzimani, passion is not constrained by age. Dreams and hope are enough for success. He has been dreaming about skiing for more than 16 years. The third member of the Moroccan ski team spoke with Magharebia.com about his disappointments and successes, but mostly about hope.

On 29 September, Algerians will take part in a referendum on the draft charter for peace and national reconciliation. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unveiled the draft on 14 August, in a speech to the executive officers of the country.

Algerians and President Bouteflika are upset over a 23 February French law seemingly glorifying the colonialist era. While the issues may derail a friendship pact between the two countries, French President Jacques Chirac remains committed to the goal.

The Algerian economy will enter a period of uncertainty on 1 September when tariffs are removed on many agricultural and industrial products as part of a customs agreement with the EU.

Mahmoud Abbas and Efraim Sneh want to use the recent Gaza pullout to spark further peace plans. Meanwhile, Israel is evacuating Dahaniya residents for their own safety.

Working with the FBI, Moroccan authorities on Thursday (25 August) arrested a young Moroccan in Rabat suspected of designing and distributing the ZOTOB virus, which attacked many of Microsoft Windows 2000 systems. Moroccan authorities detained Farid Essebar, 18, while Turkish authorities arrested Atilla Ekici, 21, on Thursday. TEASER

With the evacuation of the last settlement, Palestinians look to the future of Gaza. Netzarim, a former settlement on the Mediterranean Sea, will be developed as a seaport, planners say.

Algerian philosopher Mohammed Arkoun seeks to revolutionise Arabic thinking in the same way that the Age of Enlightenment modernised European thought centuries ago. His goal is to move the Arab world away from the chronic crisis he says persists.

After a decade of terrorism, Algerian beaches are crowded again, with record numbers of visitors since 2000.

Tunisian authorities have finally lifted restrictions on the Arab Institute for Human Rights after a member of the board was removed.

For a long time, people have been forced to flee their homes for better places because of starvation, dire poverty and war. Migration, which knows no...

The fact that Morocco has ski resorts and an improving ski team is a surprise to many people both in and outside the country.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has a mixture of support and opposition to a 29 September referendum on offering partial amnesty to terrorists. He hopes to stem violence in his country with the initiative.

Algerian poet, critic and scholar Jamal Eddine Bencheikh died at age 75 on 10 August, without having the chance to see the publication of his lifework, the complete translation of "1,001 Nights" into French.

In November, Tunis will host the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), an opportunity to measure progress in reaching goals established during the first phase in Geneva.

A new survey shows Tunisian expatriates, 83 per cent of whom live in Europe, boost the Tunisian economy with increased remittances to families back home.

Maghreb leaders voice hope that the successful Israeli pullout from Gaza will benefit the Middle East peace process.

"This will contribute to generating a climate which will favor a dynamic for peace, which we would like to believe will be irreversible," said Mohamed Sidati, the Polisario's minister delegate for Europe.

The Polisario Front has released all 404 Moroccan prisoners on18 August. The highly significant diplomatic breakthrough will end the captivity of some Moroccans held for over 20 years.

Réseau Maillage is a network of Moroccan associations with a common goal to help young Moroccans from lower-income areas. In a recent interview with Magharebia.com, Ahmed Ghayat, president of the network, talked about his commitment, motives and goals.

For many fans, the most lasting impression of the tenth International Association of Athletics Federations World Track and Field Championships, contested 6-14 August in Helsinki, Finland, was the persistent rainy, windy and cold weather. The conditions slowed the times in many races and forced competitors to rely more on tactics.

Four years after his death in July 2001, the works and life of Moroccan writer Mohamed Zafzaf (1942-2001) continue to interest and inspire both Arabic literature students and ordinary readers.

No, Bahia Mouhtassine has not quit tennis yet, she is still here, more willing than ever to reach the goal she set ten years ago. Speaking to Magharebia.com, Mouhtassine declared, "I do not intend to quit tennis as long as my dream does not come true."