Magharebia

A strike by dozens of transportation unions looms in Morocco, unless the government agrees to modify the new Highway Code.

The nationality of Morocco's future coach and the unusual recess taken by the premier league captivated players and managers this week.

A new report from UN Special Rapporteur Martin Scheinin details troubling contradictions in Tunisia's anti-terror legislation.

Ministry of Culture data show that Moroccans read only 2.5 books per year, while 1 in 10 don't read books at all.

The announcement by Somalia’s al-Shabab movement that it is prepared to send fighters to help al-Qaeda in Yemen sheds light on the expansion of a movement viewed as an agent of al-Qaeda in the Horn of Africa.

The Mediterranean basin faces new dangers arising from poverty, underdevelopment, human rights violations and unemployment, according to a high-ranking Moroccan diplomat.

A high-ranking US official visited Algiers this week to discuss Washington's decision to place Algeria on a list of countries whose nationals face stricter border controls.

Morocco is carrying out a nation-wide consultation aimed at getting feedback on its environmental charter, which is still a work in progress.

A new regional radio station will both train young journalists and improve cultural dialogue across the Mediterranean basin.

The thriving informal economy drains Morocco of millions of dirhams a year in taxes and economic development.

The belief that the H1N1 vaccine could have negative health consequences appears to be keeping large numbers of Algerians out of vaccination centres.

Increasing hotel capacity and improving their facilities are key to an Algerian plan to boost tourism announced this week.

The stunning Friouato Cave owes its upkeep to a band of locals determined to preserve its beauty.

The imzad, an ancient instrument, "is to the Touareg what the spirit is to the body".

Rome's recent appeal to confront terrorism "confirms that the dangers of al-Qaeda's expansion in the region have become even greater", a Tunisian MP said this week.

A debate held this week between moderate religious experts and extremist inmates in Nouakchott's main prison aimed to "achieve civil peace".

Many are finding it hard to secure the competitive hotel prices offered under Morocco's domestic tourism promotion, Kounouz Biladi.

The deadline is approaching for Morocco's elected officials to submit declarations of assets to the government in order to comply with a 2008 law.

Improving co-operation and dialogue were among the concerns of those present in Tunis for last week's international conference on youth issues.

Morocco's Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH) says the country has made headway in revealing the truth about disappearances during the "Years of Lead".

Hanefi Ould Dehah, editor of the opposition newspaper Taqadoumy, remains in prison despite having fulfilled his sentence.

New recommendations from a government committee may launch another wave of anti-corruption measures.

To prevent more deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning, civil defence workers are educating Algerians on how use heating equipment safely.

Old justifications for female genital mutilation, which persists in Mauritania, suffered a blow this week with the issuance of a fatwa prohibiting the custom.

Securing home or auto loans is now easier for Moroccans who prefer sharia banking practices.

Parents who refuse to send school-age children to classes, as is required by law, will face fines from the Algerian Ministry of Education.

The 2006 Algiers Accord must be implemented fully in order to rid northern Mali of terrorist factions, according to the country's Touareg leaders.

The Mauritanian government has acquired new legal authority to combat terrorism, but opposition groups are warning against unchecked state power.

Many Algerians would like to see the Amazigh New Year, Yennayer, made into a paid holiday.

Members of a Moroccan terrorist cell with ties to al-Qaeda will be spending years behind bars following last week's sentencing.

The new television channel for Morocco's Amazigh audience "will strengthen our national identity", one viewer says.

Imprisoned Salafists were so excited by a Mauritanian seminar on religion held in the capital last week that they recorded the radio broadcasts of the presentations.

In protest of alleged prisoner neglect, the family of jailed Tunisian journalist Taoufik Ben Brik began an open-ended hunger strike.

Excitement is building for Algerian football fans as the African Cup of Nations approaches.

A new law will tighten Morocco's rules of the road and impose higher penalties on drivers who break the law.

Recent Mali arrests are raising Maghreb concerns over a profit-driven partnership between terrorists and drug traffickers.

Europe may soon look to the Maghreb and other countries of the South to shore up its declining workforce, according to the World Bank.

"It's a rare opportunity to have all these eminent religious scholars convene … to discuss violence and extremism from the Islamic perspective", said one participant.

The new ministers are to "move forward with far-reaching reforms" to the legal system and help with the regionalisation programme.

Unions in Morocco are insisting that agreements on wages and bonuses must be implemented before talks with the government can proceed.

All but one of 28 accused terrorists held at Morocco's Okasha Prison have stopped a hunger strike aimed at protesting conditions and regaining privileges.

Supporters of a recently announced plan to give Morocco's regional governments more control over their future say such moves will boost sustainable development.

Everyone from organised labour to political parties wants to help unemployed Tunisians — but questions remain about who should foot the bill for a proposed assistance fund.

The 2010 Finance Bill may include incentives designed to speed up construction of homes that are within the grasp of low-income Moroccans.

Long-running efforts to bring Moroccans television programmes in Tachelhit, Tarifit and Tamazight are once again hitting obstacles.

"Language studies have become a must, a requirement of globalisation," Mariam Bent Ainien, a civil servant enrolled in French classes, told Magharebia.

Members of the winning 1998 French national team will accompany star Zinedine Zidane to Algiers in March for a futsal match in honour of Algeria's qualification to the 2010 World Cup finals.