Magharebia

Improved Algerian-American relations are helping to attract American businessmen to the Algerian housing sector.

Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian researchers are joining together in a project seeking better management of the date palm's genetic resources as part of a regional project financed by international funds.

For lovers of Algerian popular music, Amar Ezzahi is a living legend. Despite his status as the undisputed master of the genre, he remains far from the limelight by not making public appearances and refusing to make himself available to the media.

Algerian importers have been ordered to observe new regulations as part of a ruling that dictates that certain import activities may only be conducted by companies with capital of at least $285,000.

Morocco recently kicked off a new toll-free telephone service to help girls and women who have suffered violence, hoping this will bring about a real change in the situation of women and thus in society as a whole.

Algerian company Sonatrach has signed a number of deals with international companies to further Algeria's natural gas, oil and power sectors.

In developing their businesses, women in the MENA region face the same obstacles as their male counterparts, plus some additional ones based on gender. Professor Nada Kobeissi points to Islamic women evolving model of entrepreneurship, which began with Khadija, the Prophet's wife and a successful entrepreneur.

In an interview with Magharebia, new national technical director for Moroccan football Fathi Jamal talks about his assignment.

"Environment law, good governance and sustainable development: opportunities and prospects" was the theme of an international symposium last week in Tunis. The gathering was organized by Tunisia's Environment and Sustainable Development Ministry and the German Technical Co-operation Agency (GTZ).

Nokia, the Finnish leader in mobile telephones, has decided to restructure its presence in North Africa and the Middle East and set up maintenance centres in the face of strong market growth in the region.

Cheikha Rimitti has just recorded a new album, 51 years after her first record came out in 1954. The 82-year-old is called the "mother of rai".

Algerian paper and packaging giant Tonic Emballage opened its first tissue paper production facility equipped with ultra-sophisticated technology to meet the needs of fast-moving modern industry on 13 December. The opening is arousing a great deal of joy among thousands of young unemployed Algerians. The plant will create about 2,000 jobs direct jobs and perhaps another 10,000 indirect ones.

Launched barely a month ago, the Ousratic initiative, which will bring a personal computer (PC) to every Algerian family, has seen some success, though delays caused by credit request handling at banks are continuing to slow the process. At present, businesses have been best able to acquire the indispensable tool.

The crisis in Algerian football -- which has threatened the Algerian Football Federation's suspension from international competitions -- has been alleviated. FIFA has accepted the postponement of the federation's general election assembly until 23 January.

Algeria has launched a programme for the construction of 51 new prisons to solve the problems caused by outdated facilities. The initiative is an aspect of judicial reforms that started in 2000.

Algeria joined the space club three years ago by producing its first remote sensing micro-satellite with British co-operation, which was then orbited by a Russian rocket. Today, the country is arousing international interest by planning a second more powerful satellite and a satellite assembly unit.

How do you pay for your new car, which you bought on credit, without bleeding yourself dry by the end of each month? Since banks launched the hire-purchase formula, car dealers have not been short of customers and they are rubbing their hands with even more glee now with the recent ban on import of cheap vehicles.

Morocco is launching a national public awareness campaign on the use of bank cards. The aim is to promote good practice and prevent fraud as the Arab Maghreb region moves forward in developing e-commerce and electronic payment processing.

Algiers is hosting a meeting of the ministers of defence of the "5+5" countries this week. Security in the Eastern Mediterranean will be the main topic of debate, as the threat of terrorism preoccupies all heads of state.

Officials from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco spent two days in Algiers discussing corruption at a gathering organised by the German Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung Foundation in collaboration with NGO Transparency International to coincide with the International Day Against Corruption on 9 December.

Arabsat is planning to launch two new fourth-generation satellites. The first will be launched in the second week of February, with the second planned for the summer.

African public works officials have been poring over the question of road project finance, especially structural projects, since Tuesday (6 December). In the first conference of its kind, Africans strove to unify their efforts to better communicate their concerns about roads, with the first World Roads summit planned for Paris in 2007.

The French National Assembly's refusal to repeal Article four of the 23 February law vindicating colonialism continues to be a stumbling block in relations between France and Algeria.

African countries should change their approach to trade negotiations to reflect new trends, an IMF researcher argues in a recent report.

JS Kabylia, which triumphed over CABBA at the Tizi-Ouzou 1 November stadium, regained the top spot on the 12th match day of the Algerian Division I football championship on Thursday. The Canaries made the most of the loss by rival ASO Chlef to Paradou AC.

A long time forgotten -- even in Algeria -- Ahallil has been added to the UN Education, Science and Cultural Organisation list of Oral and Intangible Masterpieces. This represents a lifeline for this Algerian form of the blues, which has spawned many musical genres, like rai, whose main hits and tunes it inspired.

Frenchman Philippe Troussier, general manager and selector of the Moroccan national side, is busily evaluating the football skills of professional and local players in the run-up to African Nations Cup (ANC 2006).

The International Atomic Energy Agency has determined Sidi Boulbra is suitable to become the site of the first Moroccan nuclear power plant. The plant will have an estimated output of 700 megawatts to 1,000 megawatts.