tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97461262012-01-06T16:45:19.452ZComments and thoughts about daily events in Morocco and the Worldsaadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.comBlogger1421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-27062563663186648422007-11-13T15:33:00.000Z2007-11-13T15:34:08.172Z

According to a recent survey of Member States' statistics, the money sent by migrants to their former country of residence, usually referred to as workers' remittances, from the EU27 Member States amounted to €26 bn in 2006, compared with €23 bn in 2005. These figures include both intra-EU27 and extra-EU27 flows.Flows to other Member States accounted for a much lower share than flows to countries

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-13750867804057217922007-11-06T13:25:00.000Z2007-11-06T13:29:35.533Z

Morocco's trade deficit grew 27 percent in the first nine months of the year as grain imports surged to make up for a poor domestic harvest and export growth lagged, figures from the government's Exchange Office showed.However, increases in remittances from Moroccans abroad and growing tourism revenue boosted the central bank's net foreign assets to 186.3 billion Moroccan dirhams, up 7 percent

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-90325103370563858342007-11-04T13:33:00.000Z2007-11-04T13:37:09.216Z

A rising number of dual infections with HIV and tuberculosis has created a co-epidemic spreading throughout sub-Saharan Africa, researchers say.Local health systems are unable to contain the co-epidemic, the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research says.The situation is made more urgent by increasing rates of drug-resistant TB in areas with a high prevalence of HIV.Half of all new TB cases in

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-52748146473012551052007-11-02T09:47:00.000Z2007-11-02T10:16:00.874Z

Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón has ordered the opening of an inquiry into allegations of genocide in the Moroccan-administered territory of Western Sahara.The Western Saharan plaintiffs are also looking for accountability for the 542 Sahrawis that Morocco made "disappear" during the war with the Sahrawi pro-independence movement Polisario Front from 1975-1991, according to the group "Sahrawi

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-55851136357968751392007-11-02T09:44:00.000Z2007-11-02T09:46:56.405Z

A human rights group, Migreurop Network, on Tuesday denounced the arrest of asylum seekers from sub-Saharan Africa in Morocco and called for their immediate release.In a release issued in Paris, Migreurop Network said on 26 October, 2007 at least 100 people were arrested by Moroccan police and transported to Rabat and Oujda.It said among those arrested were refugees and asylum seekers who had

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-66186714651085094912007-10-31T08:56:00.000Z2007-10-31T09:00:49.268Z

Rahma Bourqia, president of Hassan II University-Mohammedia, is the inaugural recipient of the Indiana State University Presidential Medal for International Service.ISU President Lloyd W. Benjamin III presented the medal to Bourqia on Oct. 26 in Rabat, Morocco in recognition of her role in a five-year-old partnership between the two universities and for dedicating her career to advancing

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-91925417184413399212007-10-31T08:48:00.000Z2007-10-31T08:51:26.590Z

Senegal will take a majority 75 percent stake in its national flag carrier Air Senegal International (ASI) at the expense of its previously controlling partner Morocco's Royal Air Maroc (RAM), it said on Tuesday."(With) the management support by RAM having shown its limitations, Senegal has decided to re-take Air Senegal International," the transport ministry said in a statement after the company

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-64915551504411155302007-10-31T08:47:00.000Z2007-10-31T08:48:00.307Z

Moroccan judicial authorities are considering the extradition to Mauritania of the son of ex-President Khouna Ould Haidalla, who is wanted by Interpol over alleged drug trafficking.Morocco's Supreme Court is expected to rule on the extradition request Wednesday, judicial sources said here Monday.Mohammed Ould Haidalla was arrested last July in the Moroccan southern city of Agadir with 18 kg of

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-20205467234026875982007-10-30T10:54:00.000Z2007-10-30T10:57:25.209Z

More than 400 Islamist detainees have ended a hunger strike that for some lasted more than a month, when authorities agreed to negotiate on their prison conditions, an association backing them announced.The strike came to an end after delegates from the government’s Consultative Council on Human Rights visited one prison at Sale on Friday and agreed to submit their grievances to the

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-9711472326220850712007-10-29T09:35:00.000Z2007-10-29T09:42:10.370Z

Nearly 18 months on, the Tamounte project to plant and educate Sousse residents about the argan tree continues to show promise. Organisers hope the oil's growing popularity on the international market and better conservation efforts will contribute to the tree's sustainable cultivation.A forestation project for the argan tree which began in March 2006 is being assessed for a report due to come

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-3151504451320473342007-10-26T09:56:00.000Z2007-10-26T10:03:24.134Z

Rescuers have found the bodies of seven African migrants in a boat adrift in the Atlantic Ocean, while almost 50 others are missing from the vessel trying to reach Spain's Canary Islands, Spanish authorities said Thursday."It was a Dantesque scene," said Jose Maria Abreu, the captain of a Spanish fishing boat that found the bodies."There was an exhausted man who was waving and seven bodies. There

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-66792373440484201402007-10-26T09:52:00.000Z2007-10-26T09:54:55.448Z

Vivendi said it is raising its stake in Maroc Telecom to 53 pct from 51 pct as part of a share exchange deal with Morocco's Caisse de Depot et de Gestion, confirming an earlier report in Les Echos.Morocco's CDG will become a 0.6 pct shareholder in Vivendi as part of the deal, while Vivendi is buying an extra 2 pct in the African telephone operator.Institutional investor CDG 'intends to become a

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-89262815625735656672007-10-25T09:48:00.000Z2007-10-25T09:51:08.361Z

Morocco is determined to amend the Press Code and to gather the legal texts governing this field into one Act, Prime Minister, Abbas El Fassi assured Wednesday before the House of Representatives.The government, he said in the statement of the new government's program, will see to the practice of the freedom of the press - within the total respect of the law - and introduce new mechanisms, such

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-20779640318390540672007-10-24T09:25:00.000Z2007-10-24T09:27:32.680Z

Sixty six African migrants are dead or missing after being forced overboard by people traffickers off the coast of Yemen, the UN refugee agency says.The incident involved two smugglers' boats that left the Somali coastal town of Bossaso on Saturday with 244 people aboard, mostly Somalis and Ethiopians.Survivors say the victims drowned when they were forced into deep water after reaching the Yemen

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-80357110747786357252007-10-23T09:32:00.000Z2007-10-23T09:34:41.257Z

French engineering consultancy Systra announced that its Moroccan subsidiary had been awarded a contract by ONCF to develop plans for a dedicated passenger line between Settat and Marrakech.Systra Morocco will be working with local consultants CID, Team Maroc and APTE on the 18-month study, which follows on from a feasibility study for the Casablanca - Marrakech high speed line completed in 2006.

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-47846364024391858092007-10-23T09:27:00.000Z2007-10-23T09:31:34.141Z

THE DREAM of high speed trains in North Africa moved a step closer on October 22, when Alstom Transport announced that it had been selected to supply a fleet of 18 TGV Duplex trainsets to Moroccan National Railway (ONCF). Subject to final negotiations, the order is due to be placed early next year.The 320 km/h high-capacity double-deck sets would initially be used on the coastal corridor linking

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-78557597615118253092007-10-20T20:11:00.000Z2007-10-20T20:17:04.080Z

The amount of carbon dioxide being absorbed by the world's oceans has reduced, scientists have said.University of East Anglia researchers gauged CO2 absorption through more than 90,000 measurements from merchant ships equipped with automatic instruments.Results of their 10-year study in the North Atlantic show CO2 uptake halved between the mid-90s and 2000 to 2005.Scientists believe global

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1213790569351311322007-10-18T23:33:00.000Z2007-10-18T23:46:51.676Z

Record high wheat prices globally are forcing consumers in Southern Africa to dig deeper into their pockets: the price of bread has almost doubled since the beginning of the year, and according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), have already caused food riots in some parts of the world.Wheat and maize prices have been at their highest in the past few months: the price of yellow

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-20043439852898030582007-10-17T22:39:00.000Z2007-10-17T22:40:58.039Z

Leader of the National Rally of Independents party RNI, Mustapha El Mansouri, was elected speaker of the House of Representatives at a plenary session on Tuesday (October 16th). The former Minister of Employment and Vocational Training was elected 172-58 against the Justice and Development Party's Abdellah Baha.

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-3357064583073702062007-10-17T11:23:00.000Z2007-10-17T11:26:19.706Z

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new blood test that could potentially be used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease.The test shows promise in predicting which patients with mild memory loss are at high risk of developing the disease, which at this point can be diagnosed only by ruling out other possible causes.The Stanford team, led by neuroscientist Tony Wyss-Coray, announced its

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-25847186846839165522007-10-17T09:09:00.000Z2007-10-17T09:14:59.358Z

More than a third of patients on HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa die or discontinue their treatment within two years of starting it, a survey shows.The study found that many were too late taking up anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs, while for some it was impractical to travel to distant clinics.The US researchers also found evidence that in cases where patients had to pay for ARVs, some stopped

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-90094467568371954482007-10-15T21:46:00.000Z2007-10-15T21:59:36.749Z

King Mohammed VI on Monday appointed the new Government upon proposal from Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi whose conservative Istiqlal Party won the September 7 legislative elections.The thirty-four member Government (including the Prime minsiter, 22 Ministers, 4 Delegate Ministers and 7 Secretaries of State) were sworn in.The new Government is made up of a coalition of four parties, the Istiqlal (

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-44424531660035087812007-10-14T18:13:00.000Z2007-10-14T18:43:36.774Z

A Moroccan tender and positioning ahead of a government crop report are expected to support U.S. wheat futures at the start of Thursday's day session, traders said.Wheat futures are called to open 8-11 cents per bushel higher. In e-cbot overnight trading, Chicago Board of Trade December wheat climbed 11 1/2 cents to $8.64 1/2.Morocco's state wheat buyer, the Office National Interprofessional des

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-80205868306142063212007-10-10T20:52:00.000Z2007-10-10T20:59:10.668Z

How close is the film Rendition to the reality of CIA activities? Very, says this civil rights lawyerA Hollywood production that confronts a difficult political issue is rare. Gavin Hood (whose film Tsotsi won the Best Foreign-Language Oscar in 2005) has delivered such a movie in Rendition.The term “rendition” means taking a suspect prisoner and transferring him to another country, often to face

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-22850512180815310192007-10-04T21:27:00.000Z2007-10-04T21:38:18.259Z

Morocco, under pressure from Europe to crack down on illegal migration, has begun repatriating 345 Senegalese and Gambians it caught trying to reach Spain's Canary Islands.Moroccan authorities picked up the migrants in Atlantic waters off the Sahara and held them in the southern port of Dakhla. A first group of 120 was sent home early on Thursday and 225 more will leave by Saturday."These

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1608703222486522172007-10-03T21:32:00.000Z2007-10-03T21:34:00.433Z

A freeze on the settlement of refugees from Africa - including those from Sudan's Darfur region - has been announced by the Australian government.Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said the refugees had trouble integrating, and other parts of the world such as Iraq and Burma were greater priorities.The freeze will last until mid-2008, and there are no guarantees that Africans will be admitted

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-40420757463665468282007-10-03T21:27:00.000Z2007-10-03T21:28:16.529Z

Scientists and campaigners warn stocks of the Atlantic bluefin tuna are dangerously close to collapse after a decade of overfishing, triggered by growing Asian demand for sushi.Here are five facts about the Atlantic bluefin tuna:* Despite weighing up to half a tonne, the bluefin (Thunnus thynnus) can swim in excess of 70 km (43 miles) an hour thanks to its stiff, aerodynamic body and warm-blooded

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-87538941764765133642007-10-03T21:09:00.000Z2007-10-03T21:12:15.128Z

Casablanca, Oct. 3 - Anti-breast cancer association Coeurs de femmes (Women's hearts) said about twelve thousand cases of breast cancer are detected in Morocco each year, and that the diseases kill 19% of its patients.The association is launching the second one-month national campaign to raise the awareness of the women and the public opinion as to the importance of the early and regular

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1168299065369646822007-01-08T23:30:00.000Z2007-01-08T23:31:05.393Z

Moroccan police have violently rounded up more than 430 sub-Saharan migrants since late December and tried to force them over the Algerian border, rights campaigners and support associations said on Monday.The migrants, including women who were pregnant or with small children, were grabbed in raids in the capital Rabat, Laayoune in Western Sahara and in the northern town of Nador, the groups said

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1164238205774104422006-11-22T23:18:00.000Z2006-11-22T23:30:05.793Z

For west Africans dreaming of reaching the European "El Dorado", a new "Libyan route" has replaced the once-favored and more direct path through Morocco, after the government stepped up controls to stem this human tide north.Ibrahim Diarra, a migrant biding time in the north Malian city of Gao, a key transit point for Europe-bound migrants at the edge of the desert, said: "It is practically

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1163582544941099132006-11-15T09:19:00.000Z2006-11-15T09:22:24.956Z

"Pedophilia must be treated like terrorism on the judicial level," said Najia Adib, head of Don't Touch my Children, one of 25 nongovernmental groups belonging to the new umbrella organization "No child is safe."Those found guilty of rape or attempted rape of a minor face up to five years in prison under Moroccan law - and up to 10 to 20 years in prison, if violence is used, or a handicapped

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1163516579091546862006-11-14T14:58:00.000Z2006-11-14T15:02:59.113Z

The Moroccan news agency MAP reported Friday that a criminal court in Salé, has sentenced three former Guantanamo Bay detainees to prison for their involvement in terror activities. Mohamed Slimani was sentenced to five years in prison for his alleged role in creating and participation in a "criminal gang, practice of activities in a non-recognized association and organization of un-authorized

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1163114358357595582006-11-09T23:15:00.000Z2006-11-09T23:19:18.370Z

Ambiguity among key cabinet members about capital punishment has emboldened the interior minister to crack down on abolitionist demonstrations and quashed for now chances of a repeal of Morocco's death penalty laws.Still, human rights groups say that while their dream of abolishing the death penalty must be put on hold for now, they are convinced police actions paradoxically will serve the

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1163027343328429292006-11-08T23:03:00.000Z2006-11-08T23:09:03.363Z

Reporters Without Borders has said Moroccan gendarmes have been harassing the family of cartoonist Khalid Gueddar, who currently lives in France. Gendarmes visited his family in Ain Aouda (near Rabat) five times on 2 November 2006, requesting information about his activities.Gueddar draws cartoons for such media as the Madrid-based "El Mundo" newspaper and the satirical website http://

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1162939492663811482006-11-07T22:30:00.000Z2006-11-07T22:44:52.740Z

As the clinical trial activities continue to flock towards emerging countries such as India, Morocco wants its share. It has been making efforts to make itself attractive to international trial sponsors.Until 2000 Morocco was virtually inactive in the clinical trials arena, delegates heard at the recent Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) conference in Brussels.“The problem with

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1162775259892203902006-11-06T01:05:00.000Z2006-11-06T01:07:39.913Z

The number of active micro-finance clients in the Mena region increased tenfold between 1999 and 2006 and the outstanding micro-finance portfolio now stands at $349 million, officials told a seminar yesterday.Planet Finance, a non-profit organization and the organizers of Dubai's first micro-finance conference, said the number of active micro-finance clients in the Middle East and North Africa

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1162732599693601412006-11-05T13:15:00.000Z2006-11-05T13:16:39.706Z

Morocco aims to triple telecoms and information technology sector growth to 18 per cent per year through a program of state support, subsidies and training, the head of the industry group told Reuters."The goals of this plan for the 2006 to 2012 period are ambitious but realistic," Jamal Benhamou, chief executive of Morocco's Federation for Information Technology, Telecoms and Offshoring, said in

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1162546023514189532006-11-03T09:24:00.000Z2006-11-03T09:27:03.523Z

A Morocco-born computer virus that crashed the Department of Homeland Security's US-VISIT border screening system last year first passed though the backbone network of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement bureau, according to newly released documents on the incident.The documents were released by court order, following a yearlong battle by Wired News to obtain the pages under the Freedom of

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1162499495636496732006-11-02T20:30:00.000Z2006-11-02T20:31:35.646Z

Telvent GIT S.A. (NASDAQ: TLVT), the Global RealTime IT Company, today announced it has signed a contract for more than 1.7 million Euros with the National Meteorological Institute of Morocco (NMI) to upgrade its radar weather observation systems.Telvent will supply and install data acquisition and management systems for five meteorological radars that the NMI uses for weather observation in

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1162143816445527772006-10-29T17:39:00.000Z2006-10-29T17:43:36.526Z

Morocco has the political will to abolish the death penalty, which has not been applied since 1994, the country’s justice minister told a newspaper yesterday."We are ready to implement the change especially since the trend, at the international level, is towards abolition," Mohamed Bouzoubaa told the pro-government newspaper Al Ittihad Al Ichtiraki.He said there were two choices: "to cut

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1162042257637472142006-10-28T13:27:00.000Z2006-10-28T13:30:57.646Z

The CIA has allegedly tried to persuade Germany to quell opposition of the European Union over the CIA’s secret torture flights.The Guardian newspaper wrote that the CIA offered to allow Germany access to one of its citizens, an al-Qaeda suspect kept in Morocco, in return for easing pressure from the European Union against CIA human rights abuses.The intelligence report revealed by the Guardian

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1161646014678769862006-10-23T23:25:00.000Z2006-10-23T23:26:54.680Z

Spain and Morocco have commissioned a new study on building a tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar -- which separates the two countries -- according to two experts quoted by El Pais newspaper.Spanish public company SECEG and Moroccan counterpart SNED tasked a four-company consortium in September with drawing up plans for an undersea rail link between the two countries across the Strait.Swiss

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1161636567193535372006-10-23T20:42:00.000Z2006-10-23T20:49:27.263Z

U.S. authorities have returned a Moroccan detainee from Guantanamo Bay to his home country, but his whereabouts remain unknown, a Moroccan human rights group said Monday. The tenth Moroccan detainee to be returned to home soil was released on Oct. 12, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Commander Chito Peppler said. The Moroccan Association of Human Rights identified the detainee as Younes Chekouri. It

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1151073223927713642006-06-23T14:32:00.000Z2006-06-23T14:33:43.950Z

Thousands of Africans try to reach Europe's southern shores each year, crossing the sea in rickety boats. Human rights groups say thousands have died trying. Here are some key facts on immigration from Africa:Why do people leave?Africa's population is rising sharply and economic growth has not kept pace. From a population of 221 million in 1950, there are now around 800 million, or 13.5 per cent

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1150576734108178072006-06-17T20:36:00.000Z2006-06-17T20:38:54.120Z

The 3rd Trans-Sahara film festival will raise curtains on June 21 in the southern city of Zagora.The four day festival which will last till June 24 is not a competition event, but offers a bouquet of international movies that revolve around the theme of Sahara.Local movie-goers can savor open-air screenings of movies from various countries, notably india`s "Paheli", China`s "Sky and Earth

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1150502826794229542006-06-17T00:04:00.000Z2006-06-17T00:07:06.806Z

The Moroccan security authorities have prevented families of detainees of al-Salafiya al-Jihadiya group from organising a sit-in in front of the headquarters of the Moroccan justice ministry in Rabat.The families were planning to submit a letter of complaint to the justice minister to draw his attention to what they said was the miserable condition of prisoners at the Sala detention centre who

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1150408128551524922006-06-15T21:47:00.000Z2006-06-15T21:48:48.566Z

Spanish authorities expect 2.7 million Moroccan expatriates living in Europe and some 700.000 cars to cross their country and the Strait of Gibraltar on their way to native country, Morocco, for summer holidays.Supervised by both countries' authorities, this year's Transit Operation started on June 15 and will last till September.Moroccan expatriates' remittances for the first quarter of 2006

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1150237462397872472006-06-13T22:21:00.000Z2006-06-13T22:30:00.956Z

Scientists have authenticated the tiny skull discovered last July by a young amateur palaeontologist close to the town of Erfoud (South East) in a site known for its Orthoceras and Goniatite fossils.Dr Alaoui Abdelkader, radiologist and Director of Moulay Ali Cherif Hospital, affirmed that the skull is authentic in regards to the results of the x-ray scanning performed.The apple sized skull was

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1150057814535711112006-06-11T20:21:00.000Z2006-06-11T20:30:14.556Z

Three prisoners, all held without charges, are found hanging in their cells. Human rights advocates urge an immediate shutdown.Three Middle Eastern detainees being held without charges at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay hanged themselves, military officials said Saturday, becoming the first captives to take their own lives at the prison and prompting new calls for an immediate

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1149972374786123862006-06-10T20:32:00.000Z2006-06-10T20:46:14.810Z

Morocco's Foreign Minister Mohamed Benaissa is in Moscow for a two day visit. The highlights of Benaissa’s meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov will be stepping up military and technical cooperation. According to analysts, Rabat may need Russian weapons to pre-emt further separatist pretension in Morocco-controlled Western Sahara and to solve the conflict there for its own

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1149631113780324802006-06-06T21:57:00.000Z2006-06-06T21:58:33.816Z

The Population Commission of the United Nations concluded its session with a five-page report on international migration and immigration issues. The resolution (document E/CN.9/2007/L.5) was unanimously adopted and the report transmitted to the UN Council.Its mission was to identify appropriate ways and means of maximizing development benefits and minimizing negative impacts of the migration of

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1149342323805271732006-06-03T13:37:00.000Z2006-06-03T13:45:23.836Z

The advent of no-frills flights to Morocco could spoil the very thing that draws visitors to the country, an environmental group said this week. Justin Francis, co-founder of Responsible Travel, a leading promoter of eco-tourism, said the Moroccan government was expanding its tourist industry without regard for traditional attractions."There is something unique about Morocco - it may be only a

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1149289155655079552006-06-02T22:58:00.000Z2006-06-02T22:59:15.676Z

They left Africa on Christmas Eve seeking a better life in Europe. Instead, the immigrants' rusty boat drifted and carried them to their deaths as it crossed the Atlantic Ocean and wound up near the Caribbean islands of Barbados.By the time a fisherman found the boat on April 30, the bodies of 11 young men were virtually mummified by the sun and salt spray. One had written a farewell note to his

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1149259063593794562006-06-02T14:36:00.000Z2006-06-02T14:37:43.610Z

Moroccan authorities have detained 102 people, including 12 women and four children, trying to cross into Europe illegally, state news agency MAP reported on Friday, quoting police.The arrests of 68 sub-Saharan Africans and 34 Moroccans were made late on Thursday in the northern coastal region of Nador.That brought to at least 5,600 the number of people arrested in Morocco in the first six months

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1149116900839284162006-05-31T22:51:00.000Z2006-05-31T23:08:20.856Z

They get rich luring the young with tales of a promised land, they impoverish families with huge fees and up to a fifth of their clients end up dead.But for poor Moroccans desperate for a new start in life, immigrant trafficking gangs are modern-day Robin Hoods who risk jail to spirit their clients into fortress Europe.Belgacem Abdelilah was looking after himself and his widowed mother by hawking

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1149029553460102752006-05-30T22:47:00.000Z2006-05-30T23:20:22.793Z

Many of the 700 Islamic militants sentenced to jail terms following the 2003 terrorist attacks in Casablanca are on hunger strike, the director of the Moroccan prisons department Mohammed Abdenabaoui said. "Approximatly 300 Islamic inmates are on hunger strike in seven different prisons," he was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. The inmates are demanding new trials and to be set free.The

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1148685309920941492006-05-26T23:08:00.000Z2006-05-26T23:15:53.090Z

Moroccan authorities briefly detained 330 activists from the main Islamist opposition group and sealed its office amid fears that the unauthorised group was plotting an uprising this year.Officials from the group Al-Adl wa al-Ihsane (Justice and Charity) said one of its leaders, Mohammed Abdelali, and 181 other members were arrested.The arrests took place in Oujda, 541km east of the capital Rabat

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1148592423936172372006-05-25T21:22:00.000Z2006-05-25T21:27:03.950Z

Ryanair inks five-year deal for flights to Morocco, bringing more rivalry on flights between Europe and Morocco. Ryanair, Europe’s leading low fares airline, announced Thursday that it had signed a five-year agreement with the Moroccan government to fly to the North African country after six months of negotiations with Rabat.The deal will allow the Irish carrier to develop low-cost air access and

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1148513497254531512006-05-24T23:26:00.000Z2006-05-24T23:31:37.270Z

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is extremely worried about a cluster of recent human deaths from the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu.Seven people from the same family in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, died from the disease earlier this month.WHO spokesman Peter Cordingley said there was no sign of diseased poultry in the immediate area.Investigators are looking into the possibility

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1148340356330459552006-05-22T23:21:00.000Z2006-05-22T23:25:56.353Z

The French Algerian filmmaker, Rachid Bouchareb, whose film is contesting for the Golden Palm in Cannes Festival, affirmed that Morocco supported him while he was shooting his film “Indigènes”.The director said “I have been provided with all the means the country could provide me with, including limitless human resources.”In an interview published by the French paper “Journal du Dimanche” ,

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1148078586976684262006-05-19T22:30:00.000Z2006-05-19T22:43:06.993Z

An anti-cancer sensitization campaign was launched on Wednesday in CasablancaThe 30-day campaign aims to sensitize people on the disease and the importance of early screening and appropriate treatment, said the Moroccan first channel "TVM."The campaign provides a toll-free number to listen to citizens' inquiries about the disease that touches some 40,000 persons in Morocco, including over 1,000

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1147991823096419142006-05-18T22:24:00.000Z2006-05-18T22:37:03.116Z

About 1 million km square of sedimentary basin in Morocco are under-tapped, said Energy and Mining Minister, Mohamed Boutaleb, calling on international oil companies to benefit from this potentia"Despite our satisfaction with the large cooperation with international oil companies operating in Morocco, our subsoil is still under-developed," the minister stressed at the opening of the 4th "Maghreb

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1147905925234597682006-05-17T22:44:00.000Z2006-05-17T22:45:25.256Z

A delegation of the UN High Commissioner for Human rights has started a visit to the Moroccan southern city of Laayoune to enquire about human rights in the southern provinces of the north African kingdom.Delegation members, namely Christophe Giraud, Ms Rouieda Al Haj and Ms Karine Lick, arrived here on Tuesday after talks with several Moroccan officials in Rabat on the achievements made in

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1147821210753871102006-05-16T23:09:00.000Z2006-05-16T23:13:30.790Z

A delayed European fishing agreement with Morocco is set to go ahead next month after the European Union shelved a dispute over its implications for the long-standing conflict in the Western Sahara. The four-year agreement will see the EU pay Morocco €144m ($186m, £98m) in return for giving European fishing vessels (mainly Spanish and Portuguese) the right to trawl Morocco’s Atlantic coastal

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1147736390984063192006-05-15T23:38:00.000Z2006-05-15T23:39:51.013Z

The security services of the port of the northern town of Tangier, Morocco, has seized over four tons of hashish concealed in a TIR truck.The vehicle, registered in Spain, was transporting vegetables from the Moroccan southern city of Agadir to Algesiras, southern Spain, but the port authorities found out the tachogram disk indicated a much longer distance than what should normally have been

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1147647596084008902006-05-14T22:56:00.000Z2006-05-14T22:59:56.106Z

Spanish police and rescue vessels Saturday intercepted six boats carrying 456 illegal migrants off the coast of the Canary Island of Tenerife.Saturday's figures elevate the total number of illegal immigrant arrivals to the Canary Islands this year to 5,984, the Interior Ministry said.Thousands of people try to reach Europe through Spain each year, an increasing number of them setting off from

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1147526615525359962006-05-13T13:17:00.000Z2006-05-13T13:23:35.570Z

An American perspective on offshoring and outsourcing practices at the Offshoring Conference in Cairo in June."Companies across North America and Europe should waste no time in investigating offshore opportunities in Africa & the Middle East," says Datamonitor’s Peter Ryan. "There’s treasure to be mined and some of the world’s biggest names are already down there and digging."Microsoft, Oracle,

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1147475015223502372006-05-12T23:00:00.000Z2006-05-12T23:03:35.236Z

The agreement was signed at an international conference on date growing organized by the 'Peres Center for Peace'.Representatives of Israel, Egypt and Morocco have signed a regional agreement to develop the global date market at a conference on date growing held under the auspices of the Agritech 2006 16th International Agricultural Exhibition in Tel Aviv. The Peres Center for Peace organized the

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1147380300808633502006-05-11T20:40:00.000Z2006-05-11T20:45:00.856Z

Recent official statistics show that Morocco counts over 600,000 children under 15 in the job market, that is 11% of the country's 5.5 million children.The Moroccan government has embarked on a national program called "Inqad" to fight employment of little girls as maids and help them better their lives. The program, which was presented Tuesday, provides for an array of measures and calls for

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1147300206603419322006-05-10T22:20:00.000Z2006-05-10T22:30:06.623Z

"This is Omar Maarouf calling from Kenitra Central Prison," said the dejected voice on the other end of the line.The bizarre phone call was the second in two days from a prisoner inside the high-walled Kenitra prison, one of Morocco's most notorious lockups. It holds several death row inmates like Maarouf, who the government links to violent Islamic groups.Fellow prisoner Abdelkebir Goumarra,

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1147210296534349822006-05-09T21:26:00.000Z2006-05-09T21:31:36.546Z

European intelligence services have warned Morocco that terrorists are planning attacks on political, business and tourist targets in the North African country, the Al Ahdath Al Maghribia newspaper said on Tuesday."Moroccan security authorities received a message from their European counterparts warning of [potential] attacks targeting administrative, financial and tourist spots, as well as

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1147129378855987602006-05-08T22:59:00.000Z2006-05-08T23:02:58.883Z

Morocco is expecting cereals output to come in 75 per cent higher this year versus 2005 on better weather that spurred farmers to sow larger acreages, a government forecasts body said.The Finance Ministry's Studies and Financial Forecasts Directory cited in a report published on Monday good conditions and expanded sowed areas among the factors behind the expected bumper cereals crop.It said well

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1147034112840425002006-05-07T20:33:00.000Z2006-05-07T20:35:12.856Z

The Casablanca-based French Institute (IFC) will screen on May 11 a series of documentaries, commemorating the bravery of Moroccan goumiers.For this occasion, a Yann Barte's film entitled “Oulad l'Viet Nam”, and co-produced by Ali'N Prod and ONA Foundation will be screened.The film tells the story of Moroccan former soldiers in the French army, who went to Viet Nam after the exile of late

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1146869036108612312006-05-05T22:40:00.000Z2006-05-05T22:43:56.133Z

The Moroccan government is rescinding entry visas for a Hamas delegation, which planned to participate in a conference in Casablanca, according to the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi.The delegation included Mousa Abu Marzouq and Muhammad Nazzal, both of whom belong to what is known as the political bureau of Hamas in Damascus, and the movement's representative in Lebanon, Usama Hamdan. Sources

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1146772980425032202006-05-04T20:01:00.000Z2006-05-04T20:03:01.423Z

Non-schooling and early drop out cost Morocco 1% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), revealed a study published by the Moroccan Secretariat of State in charge of literacy and informal education. Carried out in conjunction with the UNICEF, the document pointed out that "every extra primary school year is likely to increase one's salary by 12.7% compared to 10.4% for a secondary school year."

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1146699068567216272006-05-03T23:28:00.000Z2006-05-03T23:31:08.583Z

The Moroccan Press Union (SNMP) has called for the removal of all criminal sanctions and of the imprisonment of journalists provided for by the Press Code, deeming it a pre-requisite for the success of the democratic process in Morocco. A press release of the Union on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day (May 3) also underlined the need to make of justice a "fundamental tool to disseminate

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1146601762464030912006-05-02T20:25:00.000Z2006-05-02T20:29:22.486Z

Special Assistant to the Nigerian President on Migration and Humanitarian Affairs, Mrs Moremi Soyinka-Onijala has disclosed that about 10,000 Nigerians are currently stranded in Morocco, following their inability to migrate to Spain and other parts of Europe through North African routes.Soyinka-Onijala spoke to THIS DAY (nigerian magazine), during the on going conference on internally displaced

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1134427575763628422005-12-12T22:44:00.000Z2005-12-12T22:46:15.763Z

Close to MAD 20.5 million, more than US$ 2.5 million, were raised on Friday during the "Sidaction 2005" hosted by the 2M TV channel part of the December 2-16 campaign to fight AIDS and help people affected by the disease.The « Association de lutte contre le Sida » (ALCS), that sponsored the fund-raising show held under the Patronage of King Mohammed VI, said the figure could be revised up and

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1134426946212312602005-12-12T22:34:00.000Z2005-12-12T22:38:10.863Z

Bribery in Morocco has caused a major concern after the country ranked 78th this year from its earlier listing of 45 in 1999, according to an anti-bribery international organisation.Eiz Eldin Aqasbi, secretary-general of Transparency International, Morocco branch, said on the sidelines of an international symposium held in Rabat as part of the second international day for combating bribery that “

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1133972973759831802005-12-07T16:17:00.000Z2005-12-07T16:29:33.780Z

Following the uproar in Europe over the alleged torture of CIA prisoners in prisons on European soil, Washington is reported to have moved the prisoners to "somewhere in North Africa" well ahead of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's trip to Berlin and Brussels. While no concrete country is named, it expected that the CIA torture victims are now held in Egypt and/or Morocco.Ms Rice is

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1133650965103714942005-12-03T22:59:00.000Z2005-12-03T23:02:45.123Z

Hurricane Epsilon, the 14th hurricane of a record-breaking Atlantic storm season, defied expectations it would weaken over cool Atlantic waters and strengthened on Saturday as it churned slowly eastward.Epsilon's maximum sustained winds reached 80 mph (130 kph) by 4 p.m. (2100 GMT), comfortably over the threshold for a tropical storm to be categorized as a hurricane, and it was about 930 miles

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1133564730262821762005-12-02T23:01:00.000Z2005-12-02T23:05:30.263Z

“AIDS cases in Morocco are increasing year after year,” confirmed Wednesday the President of the Pan-African Organisation against AIDS, Nadia Bezad.In an interview published by the French-speaking daily Aujourd'hui le Maroc, Bezad said that in 2005, over 17,719 people are HIV-positive in Morocco including 1,839 full-blown AIDS cases.She stressed that heterosexual relations are the main cause of

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1133564347382528012005-12-02T22:54:00.000Z2005-12-02T22:59:07.396Z

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the censorship of many websites supporting the Polisario Front’s struggle for Sahrawi independence, such as Arso.org, which have been made inaccessible within Morocco.Calling on the Moroccan authorities to stop blocking access to sites dealing with the Sahara, the organisation said : “It should not be possible to take a decision to filter a website

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1133476522928782572005-12-01T22:34:00.000Z2005-12-01T22:35:22.940Z

The second Moroccan national channel 2M has produced ‘one thousand and one cave' documentary serial, to inform viewers about caves in Morocco, said a release of the channel.The documentary aims at highlighting Morocco's richness in terms of nature and geography, answering the demands of the channel's viewers, who are keen on discovering the thousands facets of the country.The Moroccan

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1133391780522686262005-11-30T23:00:00.000Z2005-11-30T23:03:00.536Z

Morocco on Tuesday inaugurated at the haematology and paediatric oncology section of the "20 August" hospital in Casablanca its first marrow-transplant for both children and adults.This four-bed capacity unit, which can handle 15 transplants per year, requires highly trained personnel and costs between 50,000 and 200,000 euros in Europe, depending on the nature of the surgery.Morocco`s Health

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1133303564492264862005-11-29T22:30:00.000Z2005-11-29T22:32:44.513Z

A tropical storm has lashed the Canary Islands, killing at least seven people and leaving a trail of destruction.Many people are still without electricity, while some roads have been blocked by fallen trees and landslides.At least six African migrants drowned when waves engulfed their makeshift boat. A man also died after being blown off his roof on Fuerteventura.Twelve people on the same vessel

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1133218217147409892005-11-28T22:49:00.000Z2005-11-28T22:50:17.160Z

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said Delta is expected to reach the Moroccan coast and the Spanish-controlled Canary Islands late Monday or early Tuesday.Delta is the 25th named storm of the record-breaking six-month Atlantic hurricane season, which started on June 1 and officially ends on Wednesday. But forecasters warn that tropical storms and hurricanes can still develop in

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1133122936805661342005-11-27T20:16:00.000Z2005-11-27T20:22:16.820Z

A French magistrate looking into the disappearance in Paris 40 years ago of Moroccan opposition leader Mehdi Ben Barka arrived in Rabat Sunday, the interior ministry said.Patrick Ramael was originally due in Morocco at the end of October but postponed his visit at the request of the authorities until after the end of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.He is due to go to Casablanca to meet Moroccan

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1133121484417465492005-11-27T19:57:00.000Z2005-11-27T19:58:04.436Z

As many as 22 Africans are feared dead off Spain's southern coast in the latest tragedy involving refugees trying to reach Spain by boat.The victims were tossed into rough seas during a storm, according to coast guards who found the boat off the coast of Almeria province, Spanish radio reported.Two maritime rescue ships were searching for missing passengers today, although the chances of survival

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1132872425990930492005-11-24T22:36:00.000Z2005-11-24T22:47:06.003Z

The 9043 kilometre 2006 Dakar Rally route has been unveiled in Paris. The 28th running of the desert classic starts on December 31, 2005 in Lisbon, Portugal and after a 16-day trek finishes in the Senegalese capital Dakar on January 15, 2006.The 508 competitors expect 15 demanding stages through Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea and Senegal. A total of 4813 kilometres must be

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1132867996114449962005-11-24T21:24:00.000Z2005-11-24T22:33:20.493Z

Since May 2005, the Sahara, particularly the town of Laayoune, has been rocked by a series of demonstrations. In many of them, Sahrawi demonstrators have expressed their support for the Polisario Front or called for independence from Morocco. These views are anathema to the Moroccan authorities, which have not only responded in a heavy-handed manner to the protests, thereby exacerbating tensions,

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1132622526089737692005-11-22T01:20:00.000Z2005-11-22T01:22:06.103Z

Levels of HIV infection in the Middle East and North Africa are increasing and better education and prevention are urgently needed, a new UN report says.Some 510,000 people are now infected, with 67,000 new infections and 57,000 deaths, UNAids regional figures show. Worldwide 40.3m people are infected.Sudan is the worst-hit, and two thirds of women there were unaware of condoms.The report reveals

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1132494440359335942005-11-20T13:37:00.000Z2005-11-20T13:47:20.396Z

It's a place that's softened around the edges, but thankfully, the air of mystery remains.By Susan Spano, The Los Angeles TimesSOMEONE must have rubbed a brass lamp and let a genie out of a bottle. That's the only conclusion I can draw, given the changes to Marrakech since my last visit a decade ago.In those days, the low, burnt-umber-colored city on the Haouz Plain in southern Morocco had the

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1132442491279391052005-11-19T23:20:00.000Z2005-11-19T23:30:36.666Z

London, Nov. 19 - A study on the degree of political and civic freedoms, carried out by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in 20 countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region ranks Morocco third most democratic countries in the region. The study places Israel first with 8.20 points, followed by Lebanon with 6.55 points, while Morocco got 5.20. Countries were marked

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1132357188720831682005-11-18T23:35:00.000Z2005-11-18T23:39:48.733Z

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced Friday that stranded Pakistani irregular migrants voluntarily returned home Thursday with IOM assistance from the Moroccan town of Casablanca. According to IOM spokesperson Jeremy Pandaya the migrants, all men aged between 18 and 37, said they paid up to USD 13,000 to smugglers to travel by air from Karachi to Bamako in Mali, then by

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1132015039944722342005-11-15T00:09:00.000Z2005-11-15T00:39:21.800Z

This book review for "Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits" by Laila Lalami appeared recently on the Oregonian. Laila Lalami is a Moroccan living in Portland Oregon. Her latest book is a collection of short stories on Moroccans' migration to Europe. Through the lives of a series of different characters, she depicts the root causes of this 'Moroccan Exodus'. Laila Lalami also maintains a blog

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1132008809729087032005-11-14T22:51:00.000Z2005-11-14T22:53:54.790Z

Martin Scorsese has returned to Morocco to repay a debt by attending the opening of the fifth Marrakech International Film Festival, where he is the star attraction.The festival is honoring Scorsese with a retrospective of his work, including the two films he shot on location in the Arab kingdom: "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "Kundun.""I owe a great deal to Morocco, which left a lasting

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1131813809326199092005-11-12T16:30:00.000Z2005-11-12T16:43:29.343Z

I just came across this article in the Lebanese daily The Daily Star. It talks about the growing influence of the internet in Moroccan Society as a way to spread information. Especially in cases where the authorities in Morocco have tried to silence opponents to the regime. In Morocco the Internet is putting the censors under greater duressBy Mohammad IbahrineCommentary byMonday, September 26,

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1131578099031309792005-11-09T23:13:00.000Z2005-11-09T23:14:59.046Z

The United Nations refugee agency has been given access to more than 40 sub-Saharans in Morocco with agency documentation and hopes to interview others later this week, an agency spokesperson said today.The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) last month sent a three-member team to Morocco to interview dozens of sub-Saharan Africans with agency documentation reportedly being held in various

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9746126.post-1131498693373323812005-11-09T01:09:00.000Z2005-11-09T01:11:33.386Z

Morocco will join the European Union's Galileo satellite navigation programme, becoming the first African nation to participate in the project that will rival the US GPS system."The agreement reached today lays the basis for Morocco's active participation" in the 3.6 billion euros ($4.3 billion) programme, the European Commission said in a statement on Tuesday."It also represents a great

saadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13170288360093743968noreply@blogger.com0