Magharebia

Algerian Assia Djebar, whose literary works focus on women's emancipation, became the first Muslim inducted into the French Academy at a 22 June ceremony.

Algeria is seeking to take advantage of its mining resources by exploiting the Gara Djebilet and Mecheri Abdelaziz iron deposits, southwest of Algiers. A contract has been awarded to Brazilian firm Vale De Rio Doce, which should begin work this summer. A railway line will be built to take the ore to Tindouf, where it will be transported to ports.

General William T. Robbins, commander of US Air Forces in Europe, completed an important visit to Tunisia.

Members of the five-nation Arab Maghreb Union have recently been trying to revive the 17-year-old organisation, which has been paralysed for more than a decade because of regional tensions, especially the Western Sahara dispute between Morocco and Algeria.

In an interview with Magharebia, Moroccan actor and singer Younés Migri talks about his beginnings in the Migri Brothers group and his acting career.

As the pinnacle of the only truly global game, the World Cup offers much that the world would do well to emulate, writes UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Algeria led an operation at Arzew Bay involving Morocco, Tunisia and foreign experts to practice environmental cleaning after an offshore oil spill. The area where the simulation took place is considered vulnerable to such a disaster because of heavy shipping traffic.

Daily life in Algiers is being reorganised around football. The World Cup is bringing a nightlife atmosphere to towns and cities.

The failure of Tunisia to quality for the second round of the World Cup, players' overall performance in the three games and especially the coaching of Roger Lemeree were bemoaned and criticised by Tunisian media and fans. Many people foresaw such a result, questioning roster selections and the team's preparedness.

Tunisia was eliminated from the World Cup after a 1-0 loss to Ukraine. The North African team was undone by tight Ukrainian defence and the absence of star Francileudo Dos Santos for most of the match.

Nourreddine Ayouch is one of the most active participants in Moroccan civil society. In an interview with Magharebia, he discussed his two associations, the Zakoura Foundation and DABA 2007. These organisations aim to empower the women and youth of Morocco, whom Ayouch considers to be the country's future.

The improving economic and safety situation in Algeria has led to a surge in Algerian expatriates returning home. The infusion of money from expatriates and the increase in foreign investors in Algeria should further help the national economy.

The increasingly popular Gnaoua World Music Festival of Essaouira will include traditional Gnaoua, blues, American and European jazz, Qawwali, and electronic music in its 9th edition.

While Tunisians are disappointed about the World Cup team losing to Spain, the result was not unexpected and most point to the match with Ukraine as determining whether the team advances to the next round.

In an interview with Magharebia, singer/songwriter Malek discusses how his French and Moroccan roots, along with living in both countries, have contributed to his career. He employs numerous styles, believing that the music, words and message matter most.

Mouloudia d'Alger carried off the Cup of Algeria on Thursday after defeating USM Alger 2-1. Mouloudia has beaten USM Alger in the final three out of the five times it has won the Cup of Algeria. The match drew more than 80,000 spectators to 5 July Stadium in Algiers.

EEPAD, the top provider of high bandwidth ADSL Internet services in Algeria, is launching Assilabox, a new concept in making telephone calls over the Internet.

In an analysis called "What women want: Listening to the voices of Muslim women", the Washington-based Gallup Organisation learned about the viewpoints of women from predominantly Muslim countries.

Tunisian football fans and critics were disappointed with their national team's performance against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Some blamed the coach, while others blamed the media hype.

Tunisia tied Saudi Arabia 2-2 in its opening World Cup game. After going into the half with a 1-0 lead, the North Africans fell behind 2-1 before Rahdi Jaidi tied the game in the final moments. The team still has a shot to qualify for the second round.

Tunisian football player Haykel Guemamdia has postponed his wedding to replace the injured Francileudo Dos Santos in the World Cup games in Germany.

The Islamic world and the world of psychoanalytic theory have mutually ignored each other to this day, says Tunisian scholar Fethi Benslama. In the following excerpts from an interview with Qantara.de, he explains why he thinks Islam contradicts psychoanalysis.

US Ambassador to Tunisia William J Hudson was impressed with the work of Tunisian civil society bodies and US-Tunisian co-operation during his recent visit to seven Defence Department-funded projects throughout Tunisia. The projects include vocational centres for children with special needs and facilities devoted to helping young people cope with drug abuse and AIDS.

At 70-years-old, Behija Sadkaoui is one of Tunisia's oldest and most loyal football fans. During an interview with Magharebia, she did not hesitate to critique the recent performance of the Tunisian national team.

With each World Cup tournament, the lives of most Tunisian families are turned upside down. Jamel Arfaoui in Tunis investigates how this event will affect commerce and daily life.

According to Mostapha al-Moatassim, chairman of Morocco's moderate Islamic Civilised Alternative Party, Islamic religious scholars must work on rectifying a body of extremist teachings and opinions in order to eliminate the Zarqawi phenomenon.

The killing of terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi captured the headlines of many Tunisian newspapers the day after the news was announced.

Faced with mounting pressure by devoted World Cup fans, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has intervened and ordered a reduction in the price of subscription cards for ART, which holds the broadcasting rights for the World Cup this year.

US-led Coalition forces in Iraq and Iraqi officials confirmed on Thursday that al-Qaeda's top man in Iraq was killed in an air raid north of Baghdad. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi orchestrated a bloody campaign of terror in Iraq and the Middle East, and is wanted in Algeria for the killing of two Algerian diplomats.

As part of her "listening and learning" tour, US Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes focused her four-day visit to Morocco on social issues. She toured NGOS and centres funded by various US programmes, stressing the importance of learning and cultural exchange.

The Moroccan music festival in Fez aims to promote democracy, development and peace through art. Performers and music lovers from all over the world meet in Fez for a ten-day festival to promote cultural understanding. A theme for this year’s festival is "A soul for globalization", referring to technology that has made the world smaller, giving people access to cultures that once seemed distant.

A year before he was murdered, Samir Kassir published a short book in France under the provocative title "Thoughts on the Arab Malaise". It is written from the viewpoint of one of the shrewdest and most incisive Arab intellectuals.

A new electronic payment system will allow Algerian banks to better control the number of bounced checks.

The Higher Council of Audiovisual Communications has authorized Maroc Telecom, to provide the ADSL TV service to the Moroccan public. The new service will provide Moroccans with a vast array of channels and packages, including a World Cup package.

Over 1,100 foreign companies and 520 Algerian exhibitors are attending the 39th International Trade Fair in Algiers. France boasts the largest number of exhibitors at 325, while Tunisia is this year's guest of honour with 115 exhibitors.

A great disappointment could be in store for Algerian television viewers: They may be unable to watch the football World Cup, which begins on 9 June, televised live from Germany. Algeria’s only television channel has announced it was unable to pay the fee for the re-broadcasting rights to the Arab ART group, which holds broadcasting rights.

Algeria has begun to pay off the $8 billion in debt it owes the Paris Club. Under an agreement signed last month, the debt will be paid off in six months.

After a major earthquake rocked central Indonesia last week, countries all over the world began sending aid and medical teams. Help was slow in the first few days because earthquake-damaged runways were impeding access to the most severely hit area. But help is now steadily streaming in, and the United States is playing a prominent role in the relief effort.