Magharebia

With new reports showing that drug use is on the rise among Algerian youth, particularly among women, activists and doctors met last week to raise awareness about the troubling trend.

Woodwork designs and high-quality pottery lure Mauritanians to the Second Annual Exhibition for Maghreb Crafts in Nouakchott this month.

Many Moroccans want greater respect for the country's Amazigh heritage, but not everyone agrees there is a problem.

Government investments and increased competition may drive further growth in Morocco's mobile phone sector in 2010.

Deadly weather that devastated Algeria has sparked new schemes to head off further floods.

Warnings from imams and the Algerian government are not enough to deter many parents from buying their children potentially perilous fireworks.

A ceiling will be imposed on the price of essential foodstuffs like lentils and flour in order to maximise Algerians' purchasing power.

Participants in a recent Tunis conference urged Maghreb states to take a new look at trade barriers and other obstacles to economic development.

Prominent Islamic thinker believes the two al-Qaeda leaders initiated attacks and left the fighting to others.

The spectre of a lost year looms over students as the protracted dispute between unions and the government goes unresolved.

In the wake of the lethal collapse of a centuries-old minaret, Meknes residents are questioning the Moroccan government's maintenance of historical sites.

Bamako's recent freeing of four imprisoned al-Qaeda members has prompted Mauritania to recall its ambassador for consultations.

The race for glory in the Tunisian Premier League heated up during Day 16 matches.

Day 4 of Mauritanian league play saw ACS Ksar replace ASAC Concorde at the top of the table.

Victims of domestic violence in the Maghreb region often have nowhere to go when shelters are full, local and international experts said at a Tunis conference.

The Maghreb's promising technology and communications sectors are catching the eye of US companies.

Trade levels between member nations of the Agadir Free Trade Agreement can improve with more private-sector participation, ministers say.

The annual Algerian film festival rolled out in Tunis to celebrate fifty years of bilateral co-operation in the arts.

Imams looking to fill mosque vacancies must satisfy new education requirements and be younger than 45 years of age.

A meeting between Swiss and Libyan diplomats is in the works to smooth over a recent quarrel over travel restrictions.

The African Development Bank holds that a strengthened Libyan trading position will boost the entire Maghreb region.

Physicians in Algeria's public health system are demanding a revision of their salary-related '"special status".

As questions swirl about AFRICOM's intentions in Africa, Magharebia talks with officials and locals to get answers and reactions.

New practices of openly celebrating romance are clashing with older Algerian traditions on Valentine's Day.

Unofficial negotiations on the fate of the resource-rich Western Sahara have so far yielded few results.

Wydad Casablanca are still on top of the Moroccan Premier League after their Day 18 draw against AS Salé.

JS Kabylie beat Gambian Armed Forces to open the CAF Champions League, as JSM Bejaia ascended the tables in the Algerian league.

Premier League President Mohamed Salem Ould Boukhreiss insists his leadership has improved Mauritanian football, despite scandals and a precipitous drop in FIFA rankings.

The repentant prisoners include three al-Qaeda linked suspected murderers of a tourist family near Aleg in 2007.

After a January attack on a Protestant church, Algerian religious dignitaries and ministries met to discuss how religious freedom can be best protected.

Algeria aims to reduce the number of traffic fatalities by severely punishing pedestrians for jaywalking and other offences.

Participants in a recent symposium in Tunisia praised music's singular ability to cut through "ideological, ethnic and religious differences".

Supporters of Tunisia's digital TV conversion tout new television channels and sceptics question whether the new technology will make any difference in programme quality.

A joint Maghreb market would "reduce cost and unify [drug] manufacturing as well," a health ministry official said at a recent conference in Tunis.

A wave of scandals involving huge government contracts seems poised to scuttle the careers of many Algerian officials.

The government is working to spread the use of solar power, which can enable consumers to save up to 70% on their hot water bills.

Domestic and international condemnation has followed the Mauritanian courts' most recent sentencing of editor Hanefi Ould Dehah.

The race continues as MC Alger and JS Kabylie vie for the top spot in Algeria's premier football league.

FC T. Zeina's recent loss to ASAC Concorde is widely considered a likely cause for a major shake-up within the team.

The flood-ravaged area will receive government assistance to help farmers recover from the latest round of torrential rain.

Morocco is planning a high-speed rail project costing 20 billion dirhams, but some argue that the money should be spent on higher-priority needs like education.

Research on Tunisians' reading habits reveals that making time for books is not a priority for many.

MPs say the sessions shown on TV – replete with empty seats – do not show the true picture of their work. Convincing the Moroccan public is another story.

"A great sport song isn't tied to a particular time or place. It becomes a point of reference for a very long time," said Sadek Djemâaoui of the group El Bahara.

"The photos are beautiful, and truly expressive," one visitor said of a new photo exhibit in Tunis Science City. "They make you look at the issue of children's rights in a different way."

Job creation continues to be a challenge for the Maghreb, and female workers and young people suffer the most from joblessness.

Concerns over alleged press spin on a UN official's visit to Tunisia, along with worries about the closing of the Free University of Tunis (ULT), prompted bloggers to respond.

The proposed programme would filter university graduates into public administration departments related to their education as a way to cut unemployment rates.

Focusing on vulnerable areas and improving interaction among UN agencies will boost Africa's security climate, said participants in a recent symposium in Marrakech.

Global criminal networks can spy on 7 million computers worldwide, which means the Arab world must step up its defences, said participants in a recent Tunis conference.

An international watchdog group's recent report, which concludes that civil liberties have taken a hit in Morocco, has provoked reactions from the government and civil society.

Nearly losing to 16th-ranked USM Blida on January 30th was a harsh reality check for MC Algiers, who nevertheless stumbled to a draw that keeps them in the league's top spot.

Difaa El Jadida still own the Moroccan Premier League after round 16, but third-ranked Raja Casablanca, trailing their cross-town rivals Wydad Casablanca, are scrambling to move up.