Antiwar coalition fined by US government

A US antiwar organization says it has been targeted by the government because it wants US troops to immediately return from Afghanistan and Iraq.

The ANSWER Coalition, which stands for "Act Now to Stop War and End Racism," has been a staunch critic of the Bush and Obama administrations for their role in the Iraqi and Afghan war.

"The government is increasingly trying to limit or eviscerate or criminalize grassroots organizing itself", said Brian Becker from the ANSWER Coalition, Reported Press TV's Colin Campbell.

ANSWER members say they have been hit with $7,500 worth of fines for putting up anti-war posters like "US Out of Afghanistan and Iraq Now!" across Washington DC.

"We put up posters and we hand out leaflets and that is why thousands of people hear the call," said Becker.

The Department of Public Works says it levied the fines on ANSWER demanding that members of the organization "remove all posted signs" around the district.

"Starting 18 months ago, these targeting events began. There is now 70,000…80,000 in fines and it is growing," said Becker.

The ANSWER Coalition has planned a march on the nation's capital over the weekend to protest against the US-led wars overseas.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend.

"We will not be leaving Iraq and Afghanistan unless enough people in this country stand up," said Mike Ferner, President of Veterans for Peace.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=121213§ionid=3510203.

Israeli aircraft violate Hungary airspace

Two Israeli military aircraft have been sighted flying at a low altitude over the Hungarian capital unbeknown to the country's defense ministry and the civilian and military secret services.

Hungarian Defense Minister Imre Szekeres on Friday urged follow-up action on the Wednesday flight over Budapest's international airport which was reported by the Magyar Nemzet newspaper, the German Press Agency DPA reported.

He said it is imperative by the regulations that the ministry be notified of such practices.

Reacting to the issue, Szekeres is to ask the central government to revive a Military Aviation Authority.

Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai has also demanded an immediate investigation into the matter.

The Israeli ambassador to Budapest Aliza Bin-Noun, though, claimed that the flight had been a "routine" one for which the National Transport Authority had issued the relevant permission.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=121221§ionid=351020605.

Algeria to build 500 new schools

2010-03-19

Algeria plans to construct 500 new secondary schools nationwide over the next four years, APS reported on Thursday (March 18th). According to Education Minister Boubekeur Benbouzid, the new facilities will permit an average of 25 pupils per classroom.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/03/19/newsbrief-03.

King Mohammed VI welcomes UN Western Sahara envoy

2010-03-19

King Mohammed VI met with UN Special Envoy for Western Sahara Christopher Ross in Tetouan on Thursday (March 18th). According to state-run news agency MAP, he told Ross that Morocco's autonomy initiative for Western Sahara aligns with UN Security Council Resolution 1871. Ross' 9-day Maghreb tour, aimed at arranging another round of formal Western Sahara talks, will include visits to Algeria, Mauritania and the Sahrawi camps in Tindouf.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/03/19/newsbrief-02.

After Egypt, Algerians see CAN Morocco match as battle between brothers

"Moroccans are our brothers. We love them because they rejoice in our football victories and achievements, unlike the Egyptians," said business-owner Nabil Abdellaoui.

By Abdou Tajj El-Din in Algiers for Magharebia – 18/03/10

When Algeria and Morocco face off in the 2012 African Cup of Nations (CAN) qualifiers, it won't be the first time that the neighbors battle on the pitch. But after all the drama the Greens had with Egypt before winning their World Cup ticket, Algerians see the upcoming CAN Group 4 fight as a friendly contest among brothers.

CAF drew for the CAN qualifiers late last month in DR Congo. Out of the 44 national teams organized into 11 groups, Algeria and Morocco ended up together, along with Tanzania and Central African Republic.

Sports fans on the streets of the capital were eager to discuss the surprising draw results. The mere mention of an Algeria-Morocco game was enough to bring smiles to faces that used to scowl during the Egypt-Algeria World Cup and 2010 CAN chase.

For many Algeria supporters, Morocco playing in the Greens' group is like having two chances at winning the title.

"Moroccans are our brothers. We love them because they rejoice in our football victories and achievements, unlike the Egyptians," said Nabil Abdellaoui, owner of a perfume shop in Mohamadeya.

"Frankly, I wish we didn’t have to be in the same group in any qualifiers. But the 2012 CAN draw decided otherwise. I can only hope that Algeria win the title," the merchant said.

Kamel Laabadi, a civil servant in Chevalley, Algiers, said, "I still recall the 1986 World Cup when Algeria and Morocco qualified for Africa. We were delighted that Morocco made it to second place for the first time in the history of African football."

"Nowadays, Morocco never make it to the CAN finals, despite the talented players they have." He added, "I wish the Atlas Lions all the best."

Even those too young to remember what happened in 1986 see Morocco in a positive light.

"I was a kid in the late eighties," said Lina Malik, a university student from Ain Benian. "But when it comes to football, things are very different with Morocco than they are with Egypt. I wish we didn’t have to be the same group."

Algerian-Moroccan football encounters are always a thrill. The two teams have met on 23 different occasions through friendly and official matches. Their first game, on November 1st, 1965 in Algeria, ended in a goalless draw. Their most recent match was in January 2004, when Morocco beat Algeria at the CAN quarter-finals in Tunisia.

"When we got disqualified in Tunisia, I was sorry. But I was not sad, because a brotherly football team showed superior performance," said Amine Andaloussi, a sports journalist at Le Soir d’Algerie.

"Algeria and Morocco played some unforgettable games," agreed civil servant Samir Ouradi. "Even though we could not defeat the Moroccans for years, Algeria-Morocco games are always a thrill, and never yield any animosity."

"We hope that sports clears the airs between Algeria and Morocco," Ouradi said.

Magharebia also asked Algerian football players and coaches about the unexpected CAN qualifier draw.

Veteran Algerian coach Abdelhamid Kermali had hoped to avoid playing in the same group, so as to boost Maghreb chances at the biggest continental event. "However, the draw thought otherwise," he said. "I am certain our game with Morocco is going to be amicable and brotherly, nothing more, nothing less."

"The better team will win eventually," Kermali told Magharebia.

Former Greens footballer Lakhdar Belloumi also thinks the Algeria-Morocco qualifier will be a game among brothers.

"I played against the Moroccan team. I know that all our games with them are marked by excitement and honest competition. Never did any of our games violate the ethics of sportsmanship. I hope that will continue to be the hallmark of our next encounter with them," Belloumi said.

Algeria national coach Rabah Saadane has personal experience with Moroccan football. The Batna-born trainer, now in his 5th turn at the helm of his country's team, was with legendary Moroccan club Raja Casablanca when they won their first Botola in 1988 and the African Champions League title a year later.

"I never wanted to play against the Moroccan squad. I wanted to avoid such matches," he told Magharebia. "I was saddened by the fact that Morocco did not take part in the previous CAN. I am hoping they can make a strong comeback and represent Maghreb and Arab football in all continental and international tournaments."

"True, we did qualify for the World Cup, but that does not mean our job will be any easier in the CAN qualifiers, especially playing against Morocco who, I assume, will be doing their absolute best to make it to the tournament," the Greens' coach said.

"I am certain the game is going to be a tough one," Saadane added. "May the better team represent the Arab Maghreb in CAN."

Karim Ziani, the lead striker for the Greens, thinks the Algerian-Moroccan encounter will be one big football festival.

"We are sick and tired of playing against the Egyptians. That caused us a lot of trouble, which we need not mention here," Ziani told Magharebia.

"Our game against the Moroccans is going to be very different. They play fair and their fans love football away from any fanaticism," he stressed.

Ziani added, "I have come to know many Moroccan players, playing in France. I am on good terms with them, such as the brilliant forward Marouane Chamakh. I am truly excited about our upcoming game."

For his part, former Morocco coach (2002-2005) and current WAC manager Badou Zaki thinks that despite drawing with Algeria, the current crop of Atlas Lions can still make it to the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

"Morocco remain one of the greats of Africa and I can even assert that the national team will have its word to say in Group 7. The group includes Algeria, who are coming back strong on the African scene, but they remain within the grasp of the Atlas Lions," he told Arryadhia on March 17th.

Algerian sportswriter Amine Andaloussi shares Zaki's optimism.

"Moroccan football boasts prominent stars and is capable of begetting even more brilliant ones. They're only going through a temporary phase. With a player like Marouane Chamakh and others, they can still be a world-class team," Andaloussi said.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/reportage/2010/03/19/reportage-01.

Women demand expanded rights in Algeria, Morocco

Algerian activists want the current Family Code to be scrapped and begun anew, while critics of Morocco's Moudawana point to its uneven application.

By Mouna Sadek in Algiers and Siham Ali in Rabat for Magharebia– 19/03/10

Women's groups throughout the Maghreb are pushing to change national Family Codes, rejecting current legislation as insufficient and demanding greater freedom and protection for females across the board.

In Algeria, a number of women's organizations are leading the fight to change Algeria's two-decades-old Family Code. Activists have criticized the code's restrictions on divorce and its guardianship rules for women who want to marry.

"Girls whose mothers were dead have had great difficulty marrying because their fathers do not wish to recognize them. There have been numerous cases and this situation is unacceptable," Women's rights activist Cherifa Kheddar said.

Kheddar has launched a nation-wide campaign called Kif kif devant la loi ("All the same in the eyes of the law") to educate rural women on their rights under the Algerian constitution.

Also in the current code, abusive husbands may have to pay if their wives choose to leave under khol'e rules. Ferroudja Moussaoui, a member of the women's group Amusnaw, criticized other aspects of the code.

"Polygamy is still legal where a marriage has been consummated. The marriage of minors is indirectly legalized," she said.

Activists dismissed the 2005 amendments to the Family Code, saying government officials chose to pander to the more conservative elements of society at the expense of an improved legal status for women.

The main advance of the 2005 reforms was the secularization of the Family Code by removing all mention of sharia from the text, Moussaoui said.

"Previously we didn't have the right to talk about the Family Code, on the grounds that we were touching something sacred," said Moussaoui, adding that the Family Code does nothing to protect the dignity of Algerian women.

Louisa Hanoune, the first-ever female president of the Workers' Party (PT), called Saturday (March 13th) for the Family Code to be repealed.

Solutions are needed that can "help women overcome the barriers that are imposed on them in all domains" so they can exercise their rights as full citizens, Hanoune said.

Meanwhile, neighboring Morocco just celebrated the sixth anniversary of its landmark Moudawana law, which marked a sweeping expansion of women's rights.

Several provisions in Morocco's Family Code have yet to be adopted on a wide scale, however.

One reform enacted by the law introduced pre-nuptial agreements for couples preparing to marry. Spouses are entitled to sign a document detailing the property they own and how it should be divided should the couple divorce, according to Article 49 of the Moroccan Moudawana.

Notaries public, or adouls, are also required to advise both parties of the provisions at the time that the marriage is solemnized.

Activists say that local notaries are ignoring the new laws.

"Adouls are not advising new couples of these provisions," said Fatima Maghnaoui, an advocate of women's rights. "When a woman does ask for this document to be signed, a dim view is taken of her."

According to statistics from the Ministry of Justice, only 15.5% of couples who married in 2009 signed the documents, a drop of 22.2% from the number of documents signed in 2008.

As it stands, Maghnaoui said, ignorance of the law means women do not stand up for their rights while men now hesitate to marry for fear of losing their property.

Fatima Moustaghfir, who serves as both a lawyer and MP, believes the law is necessary to further entrench women's rights in Moroccan society.

"Women must have recourse to the courts, even those who do not work, to assert their rights," she told Magharebia.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/03/19/feature-03.

Moroccan women's group to host int'l forum

Women's Tribune, an organization that encourages the discussion of gender equality throughout the Mediterranean basin, will convene an international forum in March.

By Imane Belhaj for Magharebia in Casablanca – 19/03/10

Women's rights activists will meet in Essaouira on March 27th for a forum hosted by Women's Tribune, the organization's leader said in a press conference on Tuesday (March 16th).

Fathia Bennis said the two-day event would welcome key activists from countries around the region, under the banner of "Women and Authority: From Saying to Doing". Participants from Algeria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, France, Italy and Spain will discuss the role of women in politics, mass media and the marketplace.

Women still face many obstacles to achieving total gender equality, Bennis told reporters. "We're not victims. We have responsibilities that we want to live up to, until the end. Our liberation means liberation for men, too," Bennis said.

Women's Tribune was founded last year to promote discussion about gender equality around the Mediterranean basin, and the organization actively recruits the participation of both men and women.

The forum will focus on the realization of two key projects: establishing a nursery in every Moroccan workplace, and creating a national observatory to monitor and follow up on gains in women's rights, Bennis said. The new observatory will also be charged with studying new project recommendations to submit to the government.

In line with the first project, Bennis plans to use the upcoming conference to spotlight Morocco's first company boasting a nursery on its premises. She praised Webhelp Maroc for taking its employees' concerns into consideration, especially in terms of childcare.

"It boosts the productivity of enterprises, as employees will feel more comfortable working in close proximity to their children," Bennis said.

Salwa Karkri, an MP and active member of Women's Tribune, said the forum's discussions would be inclusive, with the opinions of both men and women solicited and debated.

Karkri added that gender equality was critical to Morocco's economic development.

The "advanced status" granted to Morocco by the EU makes it necessary for the country "to engage women in all development initiatives", Karkri said, adding: "Countries that assume a good position in terms of equality are also those that are advanced in terms of development."

Participants in last year's conference raised 400,000 dirhams to donate to the Zakoura Education Foundation, which works to provide access to schooling for girls in low-income and rural areas.

Youssef Saibi, a Women's Tribune member who attended the March 16th press conference, said he believes women's rights have come a long way in Morocco. Saibi said recent elections had resulted in many women taking positions of power.

"When women are determined to undertake a social, economic or political job, nothing stops them," he told Magharebia.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/03/19/feature-02.