Tunisian singer Latifa announced that she will postpone the release of her upcoming album until the World Cup 2006 Championship is complete. The album is ready for release, but the singer feels that the championship will interfere in the success of the album, since fans across the globe are preoccupied watching the matches.

According to the Qatar based daily, Al Raya, the album features a number of songs composed by Ziad Al Rahbani from Lebanon.

Latifa sat on the panel of judges for the Seventh Omani Song Festival in Muscat, a city that has been termed the new capital of Arab culture.  The event was aired live on the Omani satellite television channel. 

Latifa was recently accused of stealing the rights of the song "Khalouni," originally released by the late Algerian singer Dahman Al Harashi. A number of music critics claim that Latifa failed to mention Dahman in her promotional campaign for the album or even to credit him on the album, instead marketing the song as ‘Khalouni- Latifa.’

Tunisian critic Abdul Majeed Al Sahli stated that Dahman had passed away in the eighties, leaving behind a number of successful songs from Northern African countries. Other singers have performed the songs of Dahman, like Rai singer Tasheed Taha, but credited him, he explained.

It is not clear if the heirs to Dahman’s estate will take legal action.

Latifa’s last album was released in 2003. A year later she released the song "Khalouni" as a single that was subsequently included in an album that featured the best of Latifa’s songs.

© 2006 Al Bawaba