Magharebia

The Moroccan government is courting unions as part of a process to pass a Highway Code that does not provoke new transit strikes.

Organisers of a ground-breaking contemporary art exhibit hope that it opens windows on the world to Algerian visitors.

With 300,000 children reportedly living without homes or parental supervision in Algeria's cities, authorities are drafting laws to better resolve legal conflicts involving minors.

Opposition parties and ordinary citizens recently took to the streets to demand that Mauritania revamp its security strategy to prevent kidnappings by terrorists.

Flooding that killed five Moroccans in the last week has farmers and factory owners worried about a repeat of last year's natural disaster.

Amidst support from the UN, Spain and the United States, both Morocco and the Polisario are offering to return to the negotiating table.

The Algeria Cup began with some upset wins by D2 and D3 league teams.

Theatre productions and art projects are a sampling of what's on offer for children at a Tunis cultural festival.

Women in Morocco can benefit from the development expertise of their sisters overseas, according to participants in a recent forum in Marrackech.

Algerians hoping to see their national side play at the African Cup of Nations in Angola wonder why the travel situation is so different than for the World Cup qualifiers.

Members of the Tunisian journalists' union recently raised concerns about an alleged decline in ethics in their field, while another group of media professionals claimed that press freedoms were under fire.

The Agadir Free Trade Agreement has spiked trade but still faces the obstacles of unresolved disputes and counterfeit goods.

Government ministers and local authorities from around Africa took part in the Africities conference in Marrakech, which wrapped up December 20th.

The possibility of mandatory quotas to give female Algerian politicians a better shot at power received wide discussion at a recent meeting of Maghreb political and legal experts.

Parents and society need better tools to shelter young people from the onslaught of violent images in video games and the new media, say children's rights advocates.

All 20,000 of Morocco's Friday-prayer leaders have pledged to fight fundamentalism, according to Islamic Affairs Minister Ahmed Toufik.

The Casablanca derby ended in a 1-1 deadlock between arch-rivals WAC and Raja.

Tunisia's CS Sfaxien faced Libya's Ahly Benghazi for the UNAF Winners' Cup final on Sunday, but neither team could score a goal.

The National Union of Public Health Practitioners plans to halt all work until the government meets its demands.

The Moroccan government's handling of the worldwide economic downturn has shown results, according to a recent assessment by a strategic monitoring committee.

Libya's human rights landscape includes "pockets of improvement", but according to a new report by Human Rights Watch, much more remains to be done.

Civil society partnerships and new specialist centres may increase school enrolment rates for disabled children.

The Algerian government plans to use the 2006 Anti-Corruption Law to stem the tide of state funds now allegedly flowing into bureaucrats' pockets.

Bloggers in Tunisia are struggling to make sense of the Swiss vote to stop minaret-building, as other writers are tackling issues much closer to home.

Maghreb audiovisual professionals and documentary film-makers received international recognition at a Mediterranean media competition in France.

A government proposal to filter Algeria's internet traffic to beat cyber-crime and online pornography is opposed by those who worry about privacy and connection speeds.

Sheikh Mohammed Fizazi, who is serving a 30-year prison term in connection with the 2003 Casablanca attacks, has gone from fiery advocacy of violence to condemning terrorism.

The Maghreb's diverse economies need to jump-start private enterprise with targeted state assistance and concerted action, according to presenters at a forum last week in Tunisia.

One year after Morocco became the only southern Mediterranean nation to receive "advanced status" with the European Union, Moroccan and EU officials touted the partnership's progress.

Women in the Arab world face violence in the home, in the community, in institutions and as a result of armed conflicts, according to activist leaders who met in Tunis this week to strategise.

Children born of terrorists living in hiding from authorities during Algeria's black decade may soon benefit from measures to give them legal identities.

Public opinion is divided on the operating budget of the Algerian Parliament for 2010, which stands at nearly 5 billion dinars for the lower chamber alone.

Small businesses in Morocco are due to receive a boost from the government, as new agreements provide greater access to capital and credit.

Representatives of cultural, financial and scientific institutions from the Maghreb and beyond met last week in Tunis to discuss the urgency of creating knowledge-based economies.

Banking and financial institution officials last week met in Tunisia to discuss far-ranging reforms and ways to foster growth once the world's economy recovers.

Talks between the government and public-sector unions following a prolonged teachers' strike have culminated in a new minimum wage and other measures.

Moroccan human rights activist Aminatou Haidar is continuing her hunger strike after being deported to Spain's Canary Islands.

"Today, we're seeing how the European cinema is converging with Maghreb cinema," European Commission representative in Tunis Adrianus Koetsenruijter said.

This year's Marrakech International Film Festival shines the limelight on climate change and offers tributes to stars and directors such as Morocco's Said Taghmaoui.

Marginalisation and poor access to education are obstacles facing blind Arab women in their attempts to integrate into society's mainstream.

Government officials are taking aim at Tunisia's high rate of unemployment, which afflicts large numbers of university graduates, with 304 million dinars worth of allocations in the 2010 budget.

The government should reconsider strict laws against abortion, according to many Moroccan women's rights advocates and their allies in Parliament.

Algeria's small but growing list of swine flu victims has prompted health authorities to raise the country's health alert to Level Six.

After the success of government-funded pilot projects to encourage female involvement in politics, Morocco aims to make even more progress.

Security sources believe that three Spaniards kidnapped in Mauritania last week may be in AQIM camps in northern Mali.

A mediation system adopted in April allows Algerians to bypass the courts in favour of a conflict resolution process rooted in village traditions.

Taoufik Ben Brik, a critic of the Tunisian government, is refusing to eat as a form of protest against his transfer to a new prison to serve out a six-month jail term.

The lead actress in Raja Amari's latest project discusses the film's controversial elements, and insists that art exists to challenge the audience's views.

Government measures to support divorcees "will make a big difference in the daily lives of many women and children", according to Rabat community leader Fatima Maghnaoui.