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• British American Tobacco to move from Morocco to Algeria 

Well informed sources told El Khabar that the international tobacco group British American Tobacco, BAT is closely following the privatization file of the state owned sulphur and tobacco company, SNTA.

Meanwhile, it has started transferring its activities based in Morocco to Algeria in order to back up its position in the local market.

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• Morocco hears cigarette butt caused blaze that left 55 dead 

Casablanca's chief prosecutor said Tuesday that the weekend fire at a mattress factory which killed at least 55 people was started by a discarded cigarette butt, state media said.

"It was a case of human error after a cigarette end fell on inflammable materials," the prosecutor said in a statement.

An individual suspected of throwing the lit cigarette away carelessly is accused of "involuntary" fire-starting, causing damage to buildings, contents and "causing the death of more than one person" while injuring others.

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• Activists demand implementation of Global Tobacco Treaty 

Despite of more than two years have passed by since the Government of Morocco had signed the FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) on April 16, 2004, ratification of this global tobacco treaty is still pending. The need to contain tobacco-related diseases, morbidity and mortality, has further intensified.

Tobacco companies have been aggressively promoting their brands and protecting markets, employing lifestyle and glamour imagery and surrogate advertising unabashedly. Tobacco brand placement in films have been under scanner and India's Union Health Minister Dr Ambumani Ramadoss had reaffirmed recently in an interview that “One of the easiest ways to significantly bring down the number of children and youth who get initiated to tobacco use in India, without any budgetary allocation for this public health exercise, is to remove the depiction of tobacco use in films and TV”.

This year again, tobacco control activists in different parts of the world are coming together to organise the 8th International Week of Resistance to Transnational Tobacco companies (IWR) including those in Morocco, from September 25-29, 2006.

A one-day symbolic fast shall be observed in India on Thursday September 28, 2006 at Jantar Mantar. An International release in 20 countries of the 2nd Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide, produced by Corporate Accountability International (www.stopcorporateabuse.org) with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) shall be the hallmark of this year's IWR in 20 nations across the globe.

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• Rabat hospital gets second chemotherapy facility 

Rabat's Mohammed Ben Abdellah oncology hospital has purchased a new chemotherapy facility, with financial assistance from the tobacco company Regie des Tabacs.

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• Altadis Buys Morocco Tobacco Company for $1.51 Bln (Update7) 

Altadis SA, Europe's third-largest cigarette maker, agreed to buy Regie des Tabacs Marocains, Morocco's state-owned tobacco company, for $1.51 billion, more than analysts expected, to gain the only tobacco maker in a country where consumption is rising.

Altadis, based in Madrid, bought 80 percent of Regie des Tabacs for cash, the Spanish company said in a faxed statement. Altadis will finance the purchase through a loan and by selling bonds. The price values all of Regie des Tabacs at $1.89 billion.

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• UPDATE 2-Altadis wins $1.5 bln Moroccan tobacco sale 

Franco-Spanish tobacco firm Altadis ALT.MC said on Monday it had won a tender for an 80 percent stake in Morocco's tobacco monopoly after offering around 14.08 billion dirhams ($1.5 billion).

The bid was more than twice the minimum asking price of 6.4 billion dirhams set by the Finance and Privatisation Ministry.

"Altadis has been targeting both the Moroccan and Italian tobacco markets, seen as crucial for its external development. They had to come up with an unbeatable offer," said one Casablanca-based analyst of Altadis' offer.

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