Magharebia

The visit by Middle Eastern and North African journalists was a unique opportunity to present a positive image of the regulations and laws which direct American life and to affirm that interaction and co-existence is possible between Arab-Islamic and American culture.

Mauritania and Spain concluded an agreement on 16 March to work together to combat illegal immigration at the end of a visit by the Spanish Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs and Security to Mauritania. Mauritania has agreed to set up transit centres on its own soil to house immigrants before their repatriation to their country of origin.

After taken over Banque du Sud in Tunisia in 2005, the Moroccan Attijariwafa Bank group is pursuing expansion into the Maghreb by lodging an application to open a subsidiary in Algeria and by looking into the opportunities to set up in Mauritania and Libya.

Meeting recently in Errachidia, Moroccan government officials were unanimous about the urgent need to save oases.

Beginning in April, invitations will be sent to recruit foreign commercial banks and consultancy firms to assist in 2006-2007 with marketing shares of several major Algerian companies the government has thus far withheld privatising because of concerns over tensions in industrial relations.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will soon start an expert survey to assess the vulnerability of old buildings in Algiers, Annaba, Constantine and Oran. Many buildings in these cities are on the brink of ruin because of their age.

As part of a Moroccan-American partnership, a number of top young Moroccan businessmen working in high technology in the United States travelled to their home country to take part in a seminar organised in Casablanca on 14 March.

An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale struck during the early evening of 20 March in the area around Laâlam -- causing four deaths, injuring 77 people, leaving 140 family homeless, and causing around 30 houses to collapse, according to early estimates.

At the beginning of April, Algiers will host an African meeting to discuss the problem of migration to Europe. The meeting should provide an opportunity for African leaders to formulate an action plan, which will then be discussed with their European counterparts with a view to finding solutions to the problem.

Moroccan Prime Minister Driss Jettou recently travelled to the United States to defend his country's track record with regard to the Millennium Challenge Account.

Major international banks, both Arab and European, will start operations in Algeria this year.

According to a survey by the Foreign Exchange Bureau, the main items of expenditure for Moroccan families are tuition fees and holidays. Pilgrimages account for 12.9 per cent of travel expenditure.

Islamist leaders who benefited from provisions of the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation are demanding further concessions from the government, including the ability to become actively involved in politics. The charter prohibits that for leaders who called for, encouraged or directed terrorist activities.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch discussed regional and international issues, as well as co-operation in the global fight against terrorism, with several Algerian and Tunisian officials.

With the completion of the tram and underground -- each able to carry 150,000 passengers -- the Algerian government has made a bid for Algiers to be one of the best metropolises in Africa.

The 2006 International Magic Festival in Marrakech will feature 26 magicians from ten countries. One popular magician who features parrots in his show will not perform due to bird flu concerns.

Cisco Systems, a world leader in information technology networks for business, has just set up 33 professional training academies in Algeria.

Algerian telecom providers have seen their turnover reach 228 billion dirhams, according to statistics released by Mustapha Belfodil, chairman of the Algerian Post and Telecommunications Authority (ARPT), and teledensity has reached nearly 50 per cent. The boom has been made possible by the opening of the market to private initiative and foreign capital.

Marking the occasion of International Women's Day, a number of women's groups in Morocco underscored the need to promote women's rights.

Some say dialogue between management and labour is the only way to guarantee economic development. Delegates to the 33rd session of the Conference of the Arab Labour Organisation, which closed Wednesday (1 March) in Rabat, declared member states' wish to promote dialogue between managers and labour as a means of guaranteeing economic efficiency.

Dubbed the "route du coeur" (road of the heart), the Morocco Classic Rally is a competition that has traditionally been reserved for legendary car models.

Violence against women is no longer a taboo subject in Algeria. Recent studies suggest this phenomenon has grown and requires a serious response.

The law to implement the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation came into force on Thursday (2 March), following its publication in the official journal. The law was passed by the Council of Ministers late last month.

The Témara women's run, planned for 12 March at the initiative of former world 400 metres hurdles champion Nezha Bidouane, is a first for Morocco. Bidouane spoke to Magharebia about the event and the importance of women's sports in Morocco.

The recently formed Moroccan National Institute for Youth and Democracy aims to equip political parties with a tool for training young people in the values of democracy.

A recent survey by the National Office for Statistics has revealed that nearly half of the Algerian working population has not subscribed to a social insurance fund.

An inspection of a poultry farm in the Kénitra region, an area situated between two large wetland areas that are visited by many migrating birds, has confirmed no bird flu exists in Morocco.