MOROCCO/POLITICS

KING MOHAMED VI FIRES DRISS BASRI
On Tuesday, King Mohamed VI fired Driss Basri from his job of Interior Minister. In Moroccan politics and certainly in regional affairs as well, the King's decision is an event of great significance. By doing so, the young King seeks to turn a page in the country's troubled history in internal security matters and possibly in regional affairs...

MOROCCO/POLITICS
WHO IS DRISS BASRI?
Born in 1938 in Settat, the main city of the Chaouia plain in southern Casablanca, Driss Basri started his career as a police commissioner in Rabat under the shadow of Ahmed Dlimi, himself a disciple of General Mohamed Oufkir who disappeared during the failed coup d'etat in Kenitra in 1972...

ALGERIA/TRADE-ECONOMY

ALGERIA RECORDS A TRADE SURPLUS AS OF SEPT'99
From January to September 1999, Algeria recorded a $1.1 billion trade surplus. This was reported by the state statistics office [Centre national de l'information et des statistiques (CNIS)] ...