Magharebia

Tunisian film critic Hatem Bouriel says this year’s Carthage film festival chose quality over quantity.

In public remarks in Algiers this week, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika proposed limited constitutional amendments that some say would permit him to run for a third term in office. Algeria's political parties had mixed reactions to the news.

The Moroccan Fulbright Alumni Association has reopened the debate on why young people appear to be turning their backs on politics.

New school workshops will open in several Moroccan provinces, to teach young people how to integrate into the marketplace and preserve their heritage.

The National Sports Conference met in Skhirat last weekend to discuss problems facing Moroccan sports.

While Tunisia and Algeria showed improvement in press freedoms in a recent study, things have worsened in Morocco and Mauritania.

Mauritanian teachers and students are excited about the new school year. The government promised to deal with the difficulties and solve problems.

To offset the impact of the current global economic downturn on Moroccan citizens, the country plans to increase social spending in its 2009 budget, particularly for education and health.

One of the longest running film festivals in the region paid tribute to several late filmmakers, including Egyptian director Youssef Chahine dand Tunisian producer Bahaa Eddine Attia.

In Morocco, micro-credit firms provide rural women with good opportunities to earn income to support their families.

Morocco has set up the first fund in the country to support innovation in information technology, with an initial budget of 100 million dirhams. The fund is part of a plan to create more than 30,000 new direct job opportunities in ICT industries.

The fifth round in Tunisia's top football league tournament ended with Espérance holding a one-point lead over ES Sahel.

The United Nations General Assembly's Fourth Committee issued a new resolution on the outstanding Western Sahara issue between Morocco and the Polisario. Each party claims it serves their interests.

Algerians have mixed feelings about capital punishment. For some it is against the right to life, but others say the right to life of victims of terrorism should be defended first.

The sentencing of 50 defendants in the Abdelfettah Raydi terrorism case has prompted memories of bombings in Casablanca in 2003 and 2007. Many residents of the terrorists' neighbourhoods seek to dispel the negative images of their communities that are spread in the media.

Since early October, floods in Algeria claimed more than 60 lives and left hundreds more homeless. In the wake of the disaster, the government allocated compensation funds and promised to review its disaster management policy.

The murder of an Algerian university professor has created reverberations in academic circles, with many calling for improved campus security as well as dialogue between students and teachers.

A workshop in Algiers last week called for speedy demarcation of national borders in North Africa in order to improve cross-border co-operation and regional integration.

The Carthage Film Festival will offer new prizes and features this year in order to compete with higher budget cinema events.

Soccer stars and UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo will hold the annual "Match Against Poverty" next month in Fez. This is the first time the charity game will be played outside Europe.

After pursuing "advanced status" relations with the European Union for nearly 9 years, Morocco finally achieved its goal last week in Luxembourg. The EU move rewards the Kingdom for its democratic reforms.

The Second International Forum for Dialogue among Religions ended Thursday (October 9th) in Tunis. Participant Iqbal Gharbi concludes that dialogue among religions is an "urgent" need, to avoid wars and victims, and women must participate.

As part of a government effort to boost legislative representation for Moroccan women, political parties with the most female candidates in the 2009 local elections will receive financial incentives.

The Amazigh World Congress will hold its fifth meeting later this month in Meknes, Morocco. Moroccan Amazigh Democratic Party chief Ahmed Dgherni speaks to Magharebia about the Congress and about broader issues facing the Maghreb.

Tunisian bloggers hope to found a national day to defend freedom of blogging from censorship, but critics say efforts will be fruitless.

Tunisians were given a look last Saturday at the new Youth Pact that will make its official debut on November 7th. The pact incorporates the opinions of young people solicited during the government's Dialogues with Youth.

Tunisia has no reason to fear the global financial crisis, government officials say. Economic experts disagree.

On the occasion of National Women's Day in Morocco, female legislators launched a campaign to encourage wider political representation of women in the 2009 communal elections and implementation of the quota system.

Religion experts and intellectuals from several countries said in Tunis that dialogue and co-existence among religions and cultures are important to achieve peace.

As part of its counter-terrorism strategy, the Algerian government deactivated all unregistered mobile phones in the country on Friday. The plan was initially delayed to allow time for mobile phone providers to register unidentified customers.

Algeria's national football team will advance to the next round of CAN/World Cup 2010 qualifiers, thanks to the 0-0 draw Saturday against Liberia.

With the number of jobless university graduates in Tunisia nearly doubling over the course of the last decade, a high-level national conference last week focused on broad measures to solve the unemployment crisis.

Twenty years have passed since the tragic events of October 5th, 1988 precipitated significant socio-political change in Algeria. Some associations are working hard to preserve the legacy of that day.

Algerian officials say the country will not be affected by the global economic crisis due to their financial strategy, but experts fear negative effects.

The Federation of Amazigh Associations in North Africa is undecided between a Moroccan or Algerian site for its 5th World Amazigh Congress. Arguments continue as the deadline approaches.

Despite efforts by the government and banking officials to downplay the country's risk of impact from the current global economic crisis, Morocco's stock market has suffered a hit in recent weeks.

Algeria's national football team is preparing for a critical match against Liberia on Saturday in the Africa Cup of Nations and 2010 World Cup qualifiers. The greens need the three points from a win to proceed in the tournament.

A controversial new Tunisian movie calls attention to how Islamic law determines the distribution of inheritances between male and female heirs. On the eve of the film's release, the director is facing criticism for raising the question of a daughter's rights.

The 1990s security crisis that took a massive toll on the state also affected Algerian families. Many children forced to withdraw from school early will now receive government-sponsored vocational and literacy training.

Over the past decade, Mauritanians have shown an increasing interest in learning English. In acknowledgment of the trend, the government has introduced English language classes earlier in school.

The Moroccan telecommunications market continues to show strong signs of growth, with the numbers of 3G and home internet users on the rise.

A new study in Morocco found mistrust between landlords and tenants, fewer people renting houses and a lack of motivation for people to rent. The government has resolved to find a solution.

The Moroccan government announced new religious reforms to create more local religious councils, the second round of reforms since 2004.

The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a special report on press freedoms in Tunisia in which the group says the government continues to suppress opposition and objective reporting.

At a recent roundtable discussion in the Tunisian capital, experts and young people came together to discuss the factors leading the nation's youth to adopt extremist ideologies.

Moroccan radio stations must suspend broadcasting and pay fines for airing "sexually explicit" content and "clandestine advertising".