Magharebia

NASA scientists will visit Tunisia during the 3 October solar eclipse as part of a broader effort to educate about the phenomena and other aspects of space.

Algerian voters have overwhelmingly supported the draft charter for national peace and reconciliation. The high level of turnout pleased the government.

Pension systems in Tunisia are under growing financial stress and urgently need reform, according to a recent meeting of experts in Tunis.

Hopes that Tamazight would become an official Algerian language were dashed by President Bouteflika, who declared last week that Arabic is the only official language.

A recent conference in Amman focused on democratic and political reforms as prerequisites for public sector and administrative reforms in the Arab world.

A media campaign by Taïb Fassi-Fihri, ministerial delegate for foreign affairs and co-operation, has put the Western Sahara question back in the forefront of Moroccan politics.

A review of cultural news from the Maghreb since 21 September.

The text of law 43-04, which criminalises torture, is receiving unanimous backing in Morocco.

The awareness-raising campaign for the referendum on Algeria's draft charter for national peace and reconciliation ends on Monday (26 September), with a meeting led by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algiers.

Ali Harb analyses the mentality of war and discusses the reasons for violence. In his new book "The World and its Dilemma", he holds the human mind responsible for the creation of an environment that frequently excludes others and refuses to follow logic.

Scientists from the US National Weather Service and the Tunisian National Institute of Meteorology are working together to modernise weather forecasting in Tunisia.

Tunisian philosopher Hicham Djait has called for humanisation of modernity, indicating technology should not lead to wars. He criticises economic development that violates territories. If globalisation does not view humanity equally, he feels it is not modernisation.

With the referendum on national reconciliation in Algeria just six days away, the campaign to raise awareness is steaming ahead. Supporters are redoubling their efforts to convince voters to back it, while opponents are having difficulty making themselves heard.

A call went out Monday (19 September) to provide educational access to more women in the Arab world and for them to be included in decision-making processes.

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has submitted its Africa Action Plan, which is intended to accelerate growth and create opportunities for poor people.

The Moroccan national football team will meet its Tunisian counterpart in Tunis on 8 October in the last qualifying game for World Cup 2006. The team needs to win to qualify for the finals in Germany. In an interview with Magharebia.com, player Jawad Zaïri acknowledges the magnitude of the mission in Tunis.

Morocco, like other countries using new information and communication technologies, is no longer safe from computer crime, as exemplified by the case of young alleged hacker Farid Essebar.

A review of cultural news from the Maghreb since 14 September.

Fierce competition in the Algerian mobile telephone market is leading to expansion well beyond the forecasts of sector leaders, who were aiming for 15m subscribers by 2010.

The killing of a young Algerian in a working-class district of Oran by an illegal immigrant provoked a hunt for others in the city. The event also sparked renewed debate about the issue of illegal immigration in the country.

Olusegan Obasanjo, chairman of the AU and president of Nigeria, called on African leaders to govern well and show positive leadership in a democratric environment to maximise African potential.

The spread of satellite television was helped by the low price of pirated access cards, but broadcasters are fighting back with costly protection measures.

Authorities in Tizi Ouzou have left nothing to chance as they prepare for the visit of Algerian President Bouteflika, who is campaigning on behalf of the draft charter for peace and reconciliation.

A Free Trade Agreement reached between Morocco and the United States in 2004 is set to start in January 2006. Economist Christophe Aubin-Nury de Malicorne is one of many analysts expecting the arrangement to be fruitful.

Algeria has embarked on two massive road projects connecting itself with the African continent, to play the role of a true regional centre.

Threatened by chronic drought due to unpredictable rainfall, Algeria is turning towards its 2500km of coastline. Seawater desalination constitutes a vital solution that could allow Algeria to entirely rethink its water policy.

Karim Bennani, an artist known for unique and imaginative paintings, discussed the motivations behind the unusual style in an interview with Magharebia.

Algeria was a sponsor of a resolution on conflict management passed by the UNSecurity Council. In a speech at the UN Summit, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika called for African representation on the Security Council and condemned all forms of terrorism.

A little more than two months ahead of Algerian local assembly elections on 24 November, preparations are progressing well and parties are already battling publicly.

Journalist Anwar Iqbal decries what he perceives to be a lack of protest in the Islamic world over the death of 1,000 Iraqi Shia pilgrims.

A review of cultural news from the Maghreb since 7 September.

With demand for energy increasing, foreign oil prices climbing and Tunisian production falling, the nation is looking to natural gas as an alternative.

Tunisia is lagging behind much of the world in the rate that electronic business is being adopted as a marketing tool or a way to purchase goods and services.

North African airlines are turning to Airbus and Boeing and smaller manufacturers to re-equip their short-haul fleets in rapidly expanding market.

The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza is expected to end early Monday (12 September). Egyptian border guards are deployed in the Philadephi buffer zone and Palestinian officials are prepared to secure Gaza and survey its infrastructure.

The current pace of global competition could take the Tunisian global system mobile (GSM) market to new heights and increase its size nine-fold by 2006.

The Arab League foreign ministerial council concluded its meeting in Cairo with an agreement to establish an office in Baghdad and to condemn terrorism, but without a date for an Arab summit.

Touaregs have been known for hundreds of years as the unquestioned masters of the Sahara.

Debate has intensified on the draft charter for peace and national reconciliation, with the referendum scheduled for 29 September.

A review of cultural news from the Maghreb since 1 September.

The draft charter for peace and reconciliation referendum on 29 September gives rise to hopes that terrorists will lay down arms and that Algerian economic development can take centre stage.

Moroccan writers talked to Al Sharq Alawsat newspaper about the relationship their children have with reading.

The end of the Cold War, rapid technological progress, the creation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and creation of the World Trade Organisation have deeply influenced Tunisia's approach to globalisation.

Born in 1941 in Birwa, near Saint-Jean-d'Acre, Mahmoud Darwish is regarded as one of the greatest contemporary Arab poets, attracting fans from Damascus to Casablanca. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has described him as "my favorite poet."

FIFA security official Adnan Elguindy oversaw a Tunisia-Kenya match in Naroibi, played without fans. The winner, Tunisia won, is now a step closer to World Cup qualification.

Israel has temporarily suspended plans to expand the West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim, Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Jerusalem Post.

Donald Kaberuka, the seventh president of the African Development Bank Group, was sworn in Thursday (1 September) at the Temporary Relocation Agency in Tunis.

A recent survey was conducted by the Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) on the issues of Arab women's contributions to decision making and Arab women and the media.

Although Tunisia failed to reach its targets for the 2004 tourism sector, the country is still aiming for 5.5m visitors in 2005, which would translate into revenue of $2.5 billion.

Bayah Mohie Eddine is an intuitive painter with an excellent style infused with childish spontaneity, according to Algerian critic Ahmed Abdelkarim.