Thursday, February 21, 2013

Maroc Telecoms Posts Poor Year-End Accounts


Maroc Telecom’s (Maroc) revenues sagged 3.2 percent in 2012 to MAD 29.85 billion ($3.5 billion), battered by mobile price cuts at its home market, Morocco’s biggest telecoms company said on Thursday.

But group customer base rose by 13.5 percent over 2012 to 33 million customers, led by the international customer base, up 30 percent to 13.1 million customers.

The telecoms operator – which is 53 percent owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA and 30 percent owned by the Moroccan government – said reduced termination rates in its home market were only partially compensated by a 17 percent rise in international revenue.

Group revenues in the fourth quarter declined by 3.9 percent from the previous year to MAD 7.33 billion ($868 million), it said in a statement.

Net earnings in 2012 fell by 17 percent to MAD 6.71 billion ($795 million), impacted by restructuring charges and a one-time contribution of MAD 204 million ($24 million) to the Moroccan solidarity fund.

For 2013, Maroc said it aims to maintain its EBITDA margin at around 56 percent and show slight growth in operating cash flow (EBITDA – capex). In 2012, cash flow rose 8.5 percent last year to MAD 12.6 billion ($1.5 billion), while capex fell 7.0 percent to MAD 5.4 billion ($639 million).

Maroc recently said it would invest 10 billion Moroccan dirhams ($1.1 billion) to upgrade the country’s broadband network, Morocco’s biggest telecoms company said on Wednesday.

Maroc said it would invest this money between 2013 and 2015 financial years. The company will also invest 4 billion dirhams in other African countries where it has operations. These countries include Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Mali over the same period.

Maroc had already invested 25 billion dirhams ($3 billion) in Morocco, it said in a statement to the French securities exchange.

The company made this announcement at the time when Etisalat ETEL.AD, the United Arab Emirates’ largest telecommunications operator, said it is interested in buying Vivendi’s 53 percent stake in Morocco’s Maroc Telecom.

|ventures-africa.com

Soultana: ‘The Voice of Women’ Raps in Morocco


Soultana and her band won Morocco’s biggest amateur music competition a few years back and promptly became the most recognized female rap group in Africa.

Soultana’s hit single “The Voice of Women” is her anthem.

“She gave him money, love and life,” Soultana raps. “He gave her lies and violence. This is the Moroccan woman. This is one of a million.”

Soultana raps about the challenges facing women in this North African country: illiteracy, poverty, domestic violence, and daily harassment on the street.

Soultana’s real name is Youssra Oukaf and she’s 27. She walks a fine line, calling for change in Morocco without criticizing the King.
Other Moroccan rappers have ended up in jail for crossing the line but Soultana says she loves the King.


She implores him to improve life for his people—especially young people like her.

“We need jobs, we need education, we need health, we need a lot of things. We sing that we need change. I want to see all of my brothers and my sisters in Morocco working, have jobs,” she says.

Shalea Harris and Ouiame Mitali contributed reporting to this story. It was produced in association with Round Earth Media and SIT Study Abroad’s Morocco journalism program.

|Theworld.org

Two years too long – repression of protests must end

Dozens of activists affiliated with the 20 February movement are reported to be detained
Two years after thousands of people took to the streets of Rabat, Casablanca and other cities in Morocco calling for reform, repression of protests in Morocco remains routine, said Amnesty International.

To this day, dozens of activists affiliated with the 20 February movement are reported to be detained for peacefully expressing their views. Some have said they were tortured and ill-treated in custody.

The 20 February movement, which was formed in the wave of popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa region, demands greater respect for human rights and democracy, better economic conditions and an end to corruption.

“It is unfathomable that the authorities continue to violently suppress critics in blatant disregard of the new constitution adopted in July 2011, which guarantees the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful demonstration and association,” said Ann Harrison, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa programme.

“Ostensible reforms launched by the Moroccan authorities appear to be designed to shake off criticism from international partners while the authorities continue to suppress protests.”

One the members of the 20 February movement, Youssef Oubella, 24, was arrested at a demonstration in July 2012 in Casablanca. He told Amnesty International that police officers had beaten, insulted and tortured him during his arrest and in police custody. He said he had been forced to sign a statement declaring he had hit a police officer.

In September 2012, Oubella and five other members of the movement were sentenced to up to 10 months imprisonment for insults and violence against police officers. All said they had been tortured or otherwise ill-treated. They were released in January 2013.

Mohamed Messaoudi, a lawyer who has worked on many cases of activists linked to 20 February movement, said he had recently noticed increased state repression of the group’s demonstrations. He told Amnesty International that the authorities routinely charged those arrested with offences such as insults and/or violence against police officers, drug trafficking and participating in an unauthorized demonstration.

Mohamed Messaoudi said the ill-treatment of activists during and following their arrest is widespread, and that the torture Youssef Oubella described is far from being an isolated case.

Rap singer, Mouad Belghouat – another member of the 20 February movement – was arrested in March 2012 and charged with insulting the police after a video of a policeman wearing a donkey head was posted on the internet to one of his songs denouncing police corruption.

He was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment, a sentence upheld by the Casablanca Court of Appeal in July 2012. He has been on hunger strike at least twice to protest against his detention conditions. He remains in Oukacha prison in Casablanca.

“So far, the Moroccan authorities have acted against – not for – the rights of people. Peaceful protests must be allowed to take place without harassment or repression, and in no event must protesters or others be arrested and detained arbitrarily. Any allegations of ill-treatment or intimidation must immediately be investigated and anyone found responsible brought to justice,” Said Harrison.

“It is also crucial that those arrested have immediate access to a lawyer, as they are at particular risk of torture and other ill-treatment in the first hours following their arrest.”

Following his visit to Morocco and Western Sahara in September 2012, Juan Méndez, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, stated that although the Code of Criminal Procedure guarantees access to a lawyer, “…that guarantee is neither fully respected in law nor in practice. The detainee only has access to a lawyer of his choice 24 hours after arrest, for 30 minutes in the presence of an investigator.”

Amnesty International is calling on Morocco to amend its laws to ensure that detainees have effective access to a lawyer of their choice from the outset of and throughout their detention, and that they can consult their lawyer in private.

|amnesty.org

On the Road to a More Progressive Morocco

Morocco's King Mohammed VI
I just returned from a trip to Morocco sponsored by the State Department and Legacy International. No, this is not a travelogue. And I didn't ride on camels or play tourist.

My Republican colleague, Rich Galen and I met with political leaders, new women members of parliament, young activists and social service organizers. We had a wonderful dinner with Sam and Sylvia Kaplan at the ambassador's residence in Rabat and met with embassy staff and the Consul General in Casablanca. We met with business leaders, went to a shelter for unwed mothers, and visited new business startups.

In our 10 days we came away with a myriad of impressions. But, first and foremost, it is hard to escape how important a developing and evolving political system is to a successful future in North Africa and throughout the Middle East.

If there is a testament to the main thesis in the important book, Why Nations Fail, it is that continued political progress, ownership, and transparency will have serious positive repercussions. A nation's success is due less to their climate, inherent wealth of natural resources, access to ports or even leaders but, rather, the stability, openness, and democratic nature of their political system.

On the positive side, King Mohammed VI moved very quickly after the Arab Spring exploded in 2011. He gave a strong address to the nation in March, announced a new constitution and new elections. Morocco was already making progress, encouraging more participation by women and young people. In the 2009 local elections 3,400 women were elected, about 12 percent. In the November 2011 elections a quota system was instituted for women and they now hold 67 seats out of 395 in Parliament. Although the voter turnout was about 45 percent and the rate of illiteracy exceeds 50 percent, progress was made.

The key, of course, is to ensure that the legislative, judicial, and executive branches have real power to impact the nation. This is an ongoing process, combining the concern for stability as well as change, maintaining a growing economy, and improving the lives of the people.

Rich and I spoke at the new Mundiapolis University just outside Casablanca to several hundred students and faculty. We had a several hour discussion with a very impressive group who were pushing for greater power and responsibility, more involvement in decision-making, and a jump-start to education, insuring a more civil society.

The king is popular and the strong Muslim bond has been a key to a stable nation. But there is no question that change is sweeping across these countries and the continued progress with government, from local to national, will be critical.

Involvement by others from around the world to encourage further democratic reforms will continue to sow the seeds of responsible change. It was a pleasure and honor to be a part of the program.

|PETER FENN: usnews.com

Friday, February 15, 2013

European Film Festival comes back to Morocco


Morocco will host the 22nd edition of the European Film Weeks from 4 to 12 March in Rabat and from 6 to 14 March in Casablanca, with 8 European art films. The event will open with 'Reality', by Italian director Matteo Garrone (Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012).

According to the Enpi website (www.enpi-info.eu), by choosing to show demanding, personal and high-quality movies, the European Film Weeks have imposed themselves over the years as an event with a rigorous editorial line, which is appreciated by a great number of Morocco film-lovers.

The European film weeks, one of the most tangible cultural symbols of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership in Morocco, has been organized in Morocco every year since 1991 by the Delegation of the European Union, in collaboration with the embassies and cultural institutes of the EU member states, under the aegis of the Ministry of Communication and in partnership with the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre.

The EU also funds a regional programme, Euromed Audiovisual, which aims to contribute to intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity through support to building cinematographic and audiovisual capacity in the region.

|ansamed.info

South Korea and Morocco cooperate on thin-film solar research


The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Morocco’s Research Institute of Solar Energy and New Energy (IRESEN) have announced a collaboration on thin-film research.

Managed by Morocco’s Ministry of Energy Mines, Water and Environment, Korea will send academics to Morocco to train researchers and engineers in order to complete IRESEN’s goal of setting up a national research, development and innovation laboratory for thin-film technology.

The research centre will be located in Benguerir, north of Marrakesh, next to the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.

|pv-tech.org

Azerbaijan to implement charter flight to Morocco


In connection with Novruz Holiday, Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) will implement charter flights to Morocco’s Agadir city.

The charter flight will be implemented to Agadir on March 18 and in the opposite direction –on March 25: “Minimum price of tour package is AZN 1,350. The tour package includes ticket, one-week accommodation, transfer from airport to hotel and in the opposite direction, insurance and vise fee”.

|apa.az

Meteorites slam into Russia


A meteor streaked across the sky above Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday morning, causing sharp explosions and injuring more than 500 people, many of them hurt by broken glass.

Fragments of the meteor fell in a thinly populated area of the Chelyabinsk region, the Emergency Ministry said in a statement. About 6,000 square feet of a roof at a zinc factory collapsed, but it was unclear whether that was caused by meteor fragments impacting the building, or by a shock wave from a nearby impact.



"There was panic. People had no idea what was happening. Everyone was going around to people's houses to check if they were OK," said Sergey Hametov, a resident of Chelyabinsk, about 930 miles east of Moscow, the biggest city in the affected region...

|cbsnews.com

Thursday, February 14, 2013

We're not the Brotherhood: Morocco's Islamist PM


Morocco's Islamist premier, Abdelilah Benkirane, denied links with the Muslim Brotherhood, Arab press reported on Tuesday.

Benkirane, head of the ruling Islamist Justice and Development party, emphasised that Islamist movements have "their own political thought".

"People voted for us as a political party as Moroccans are Muslims by nature; the government does not plan to Islamise society or interfere in people's personal lives," he said.

Benkirane expressed firm rejection of the so-called committees for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice that have arisen in the North African kingdom, stating that only governments are entitled to impose law and order.

When asked about the appointment of only a single female minister, he argued that women's political empowerment in Morocco could not be compared to standards in France, as it had started only recently.

"Gradual participation is the best solution for such an issue," he said.

Benkirane's arguably-moderate party won historic elections in November 2011, following constitutional change introduced by King Mohamed VI to curb his near-absolute authorities.

Benkirane was appointed to head Morocco's government in January 2012, but it remains unclear how much real power he holds. The amended constitution gives parliament a greater role in the legislative process and strengthens the role of the prime minister.

The election move came in response to the king's bid to end Arab Spring-inspired protests, led by the pro-reform February 20 movement.

The February 20 movement, which called for a boycott on the referendum on the constitutional changes, argues the reforms do not go far enough and that the election will only give credibility to an undemocratic regime.

However, Benkirane insisted that democracy in Morocco was moving, "slowly but surely" during an interview with France 24 TV channel last October.

"We are in the process of taking small... but decisive steps," Benkirane told the French television channel on the sidelines of the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg.

The Arab Spring "set the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt on fire, and ours was scalded. It was because of that that we had a new constitution, that we had elections and that a party once harassed and marginalised" was voted to power, he said.

|ahram.org.eg

Morocco: can the amended law change the society?

марокко касабланка город вид
Moroccan society was shattered by the shocking suicide of 16-year-old Amina Filali, who was raped by a criminal and then forced to marry her rapist.

Rights activists, feminists and bloggers have launched a campaign to sign an online petition addressed to the government demanding that the Criminal Code be amended to prevent rapists' escape from punishment if they marry their victim.

A Facebook account was set up called We Are All Amina Filali. The internet is filled with outrage on the subject. The following message by Abadila Maelainin, a civil rights activist, became very popular, “Amina was raped three times – by the rapist himself, by the tradition and by Article 475 of Morocco’s Criminal Code”. Protests to abolish the controversial article took place not only in the capital and the victim’s hometown, but also in many cities throughout the country.

Meanwhile, relatives of rape victims not only in Morocco, but also in other Islamic states often agree to such marriages in order to avoid disgracing their entire family, as they believe. According to the girl's father, that was specifically the reason why he agreed to have his beloved daughter marry the rapist.

The Arab mass media infuriatingly tell of how the rapist-husband regularly beat and starved his young wife that married him against her will, which apparently became another reason for her suicide. Obviously, that man had a criminal nature and was prone to violence. That was the original reason for his crime. And by forcing his former victim to marry him, she was punished additionally.

At the end of January, the Moroccan Minister of Justice announced that the possibility of scraping that article of the Criminal Code, that allows a man accused of kidnapping or raping an underage girl to escape from punishment if he married the victim, could be reviewed. What changes are proposed to amend article 475 of the Moroccan Criminal Code? A journalist from Morocco Radvan al-Balyadi tells the Voice of Russia about that:

- The Ministry of Justice of the kingdom is reviewing three amendments to the Criminal Code, all of which concern the protection of underage girls from rape. According to the amendments, a man can be sentenced to a prison term of ten years for the kidnapping of an underage girl and sexual relations with her even with her consent. For rape the punishment would be 20 years in prison, for kidnapping and rape – up to 30 years of imprisonment.

The Moroccan civil rights activists support the proposal of Mustafa Ramid, the kingdom's Minister of Justice, to amend the law. It took the Moroccan authorities ten months and a tragic story that ended fatally to risk taking such steps and to hear the rights activists.

Moroccan society along with the rest of the Arab world has many unresolved issues. One of the main issues is that in the Arab world the man undoubtedly receives the dominating role, while women's rights remain in the background or are totally absent, states Radvan al-Balyadi, a journalist from Morocco, in his interview to the Voice of Russia.

- This problem is primarily a social one. Such a decision needs to coincide with the changes within the views of the society itself, in all of its spheres, so that the rights of women are no longer suppressed. Women are half of the society. It is not only the state that needs to look for the solution, but the society itself needs to move forward so that women have a the place in society they deserve.

|ruvr.ru

Louvre to run Ryad Mogador hotel chain in Morocco


Louvre Hotels Group has signed a partnership agreement with Ynna Holding to rebrand 12 Ryad Mogador hotels, totalling 3000 rooms, as "Mogador Hotels by" Tulip Inn, Golden Tulip or Royal Tulip depending on the type of property.

The agreement, running for a renewable eight-year period, covers the management, operation and marketing of the Ryad Mogador Hotels chain and will reportedly make Louvre Hotels Group one of the largest hotel groups in Morocco with nearly 4600 rooms open and 1600 rooms under construction.

“Our partnership with Ynna Holding is an unparalleled opportunity for the development of Golden Tulip hotels in Morocco. Following the opening up of the Algerian market in 2012, this new partnership reflects the growing importance of North Africa in Louvre Hotels Group’s international development strategy. It forms part of the more general approach of strengthening the Group’s position in this region,” said Louvre Hotels Group Chairman and CEO Pierre-Frédéric Roulot.

Ryad Mogador Hotels currently has 10 hotels in operation, including a mixture of three-, four- and five-star hotels in Marrakech, Essaouira, Agadir and Tangiers, with a further two hotels due to open in Casablanca.

|hoteliermiddleeast.com

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Morocco Boasts 'Spiritual Diversity' at Synagogue Renewal


King Mohammed hailed the "spiritual wealth and diversity" of Morocco at a ceremony on Wednesday to mark the end of the restoration of a 17th century synagogue in the city of Fez.

The ceremony was held in the medina, old city of Fez, a UNESCO world heritage site, before more than 200 people including the country's Islamist prime minister and German parliament speaker Norbert Lammert, whose country part-financed the work.

The two-year restoration of Slat Alfassiyine synagogue bore "eloquent testimony to the spiritual wealth and diversity of the Kingdom of Morocco and its heritage," Mohammed said in a message read by Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane.



"The secular traditions of Moroccan civilization drew their essence from the fact that Moroccans are deeply ingrained with the values of coexistence, tolerance and harmony between the different components of the nation," the king said.

The new constitution adopted in 2011 against the background of the Arab Spring, recognized its Jewish heritage as part of Morocco's national identity, he said, calling for the renovation of all Jewish place of worship in the country.

Among other speakers was Serge Berdugo, a Jewish former Moroccan minister.

Morocco historically had a vibrant Jewish population and 1,200 of the faith's pious ancestors are buried in cemeteries across the North African country, which was home to a community of almost 250,000 in the first half of the 20th century.

The Jews of Morocco are now estimated to number less than 3,000.

In 1900, Fez, then the imperial capital, had 10,000 Jews out of a population of 100,000 and 20 synagogues, according to Simon Levy, a specialist on Judaism in Morocco. The city lies 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Rabat.

|afp

“Soul of Morocco”, a new album by the Moroccan singer Oum


The Moroccan Sahrawi singer Oum announced the release of her new album entitled “Soul of Morocco” in France.

With the variety of music styles incorporated in her new album, including Hassany langauge, African beats, Jazz, Soul, Amazigh and Sufi music, Oum sung all her songs in Moroccan dialect with delicateness and artistic talent.

Produced by Lof Music and recorded at the famous Parisian studio Davout, the Moroccan singer with her bewitching voice will release her new third album entitled “Soul of Morocco,” on April 28 in France.

“Morocco is a country where there has been a cultural, ethnic and linguistic intermingling that I want to show through this album,” Oum said.

“Recorded in Paris, “soul of Morocco” is my third album, but it will be my first international album,” added the singer.



“Taragalte” is a tribute song to the city of M’hamid El Ghizlane, formerly known as Taragalte, a rural commune of the province of Zagora in the far south-east of Morocco. Oum was the godmother of the fourth edition of Taragalte Festival of Music in M’hamid El Cgizlane, which was organized on November 9-11, 2012 on the theme: “Women of the desert.”

Oum EL Ghait, which literally means “Mother of relief “, is the first name that Morocco’s Sahrawian nomads give to baby girls born on a rainy day, thinking it’s the luck of the new born that brings with it water and relief.

|moroccoworldnews.com

Moroccan Councillor undresses after debate with the prime minister


The Moroccan Councillor Idriss Radi from the Constitutional Union Party, undressed Tuesday Feb 12,2013 at the upper house of the Parliament of Morocco ''House of Councillors'', to Protest against the prime minster Abdelilah Benkiran who described him as a ''Corrupt person'.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Goodbye Morocco: The Movie


Inspired by real events, this multi-layered suspense thriller is part murder mystery, part film noir and part dysfunctional love triangle. Set in contemporary Tangiers and Casablanca, it subtly interweaves a broad cast of characters from different ethnic, cultural and class backgrounds. Written and directed by the French-Algerian Nadir Moknèche, this Franco-Belgian co-production earned a special mention from the jury following its world premiere at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival earlier this week. Solid festival fare, it also has potential for crossover appeal in wider global markets among fans of cosmopolitan, socially conscious drama.

Lubna Azabal anchors a busy tangle of subplots as Dounia, a Moroccan woman who is supervising the building of a beachside villa with her Balkans-born Spanish lover Dimitri (Rasha Bukvic). When their excavations uncover an ancient Christian fresco, Dounia spots the chance to make an instant fortune with an illicit act of art smuggling, which would allow her to kidnap her young son from her estranged husband and flee Morocco for good. However, her plan are threatened by the ominous disappearance of one of her illegal West African workers, Gabriel (Ralph Amoussou), as well as the thwarted romantic urges of her former childhood friend turned faithful employee Ali (Faouzi Bensaïdi).



Goodbye Morocco unravels in a non-linear style, a narrative striptease which gradually exposes the grim truth behind Gabriel’s fate and the complicity of the other characters in it. Along the way there is sexual intrigue, casual racism, bitter betrayal, a wry homage to Pedro Almodovar and a droll subplot about Nigerian workers exploiting European notions of African superstition to hike up their wages. The dramatic material remains plausible and naturalistic until the final act, which is slightly marred by a vengeful crime of passion with a high body count. Even Almodovar would not risk such a jarring gear-change into dark melodrama.

But for all its bumpy tonal shifts, Goodbye Morocco is a generally classy and timely piece of work. Studiously avoiding worthy culture-clash clichés, Moknèche’s polished thriller offers a sophisticated 21st century take on the enduring love-hate tensions between post-colonial Europe, Africa and the Arab world.

|hollywoodreporter.com

Moody's changes outlook on Morocco's Ba1 rating from stable to negative


Moody's Investors Service has changed the outlook on Morocco's Ba1 government bond rating to negative from stable. The Ba1 rating itself remains unchanged.

The key drivers of the decision to change the outlook to negative are as follows:

The significant deterioration in the government's fiscal metrics, as reflected in rising budget deficits since 2011. This is due to the country's decision to increase public-sector wages and let the subsidy bill rise in response to rising oil prices so as to maintain social peace. Moody's expects the deficit to have remained significant in 2012. As a consequence, the public debt ratio, which had been on a declining path until 2009, is now increasing again.

Very large external deficits and high external funding requirements. Moody's estimates that the current account deficit amounted to close to 10% of GDP in 2012 and also is likely to remain at an elevated level in 2013, compared with a broadly balanced current account as recently as 2007. While the Precautionary and Liquidity Line -- granted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in July 2012 -- provides some comfort as it can contribute a substantial share of the required external financing, Morocco's external funding requirements are large at around 10% of GDP.

Moody's has also lowered Morocco's local-currency bond and deposit ceiling to Baa1 from A3. The foreign-currency bond and deposit ceilings remain unchanged at Baa2/P-2 and Ba2/NP, respectively.

|moodys.com

Morocco to host next Nations Cup in 2015


MOROCCO accepted a symbolic flag from South Africa to signify the handover of the hosting of the African Nations Cup, but with two years to go there are few details of their plans for the 2015 tournament.

Officials have confirmed they will use four venues and are considering choosing to play outside both the capital Rabat and the main commercial centre Casablanca.

Morocco, like South Africa, has no infrastructure issues, with its stadiums ready built.

The North African country continued to construct and upgrade even after losing the 2010 World Cup race to South Africa, and can host without major new investment.

The change of the hosting of the tournament from every even to odd year is still a decision that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) finds hard to justify and presents challenges for the qualifying competition. CAF has revealed that it plans to ram the qualifiers for the 2015 finals into an intense three-month spell late next year, after the completion of the World Cup in Brazil.

The draw for the preliminaries will be made some time this year but it is not certain when.

Traditionally the qualifying draw for the next tournament is concluded the day before the final of the preceding event. However, this did not happen in Johannesburg this time because CAF is still trying to fine-tune the full preliminary programme.

General secretary Hicham El Amrani says there will be group qualification played on double dates in September, October and November next year, a guaranteed six games for all countries.

That would mean matches on a weekend and the following Tuesday or Wednesday, with enormous logistical challenges for many countries.

It would also mean the draw for the 2015 finals will have to be hastily arranged thereafter, leaving the finalists with little time to digest their pairings before the finals are played in January 2015.

"We have an agreement with Fifa that we played the finals in the period of January 15 to February 15. We are allowed to change it a little on either side," El Amrani said.

Next month CAF will also begin the process of deciding the 2017 finals. Libya is supposed to host the event but the security situation there remains tenuous and infrastructure damage must still be assessed.

A delegation will travel from Cairo to check facilities in Libya, ostensibly to see whether they will allow Libyan club sides to host home matches in the upcoming African Champions League and African Confederation Cup ties.

|bdlive.co.za

Morocco oil explorers could see step up in farm-outs and possibly M&A - Citi


Morocco’s emerging oil industry could see a step-up in corporate activity, according to investment banking heavyweight Citi.

In a note today Citi said it sees the potential for an increase in farm-outs with new entrants buying interests in projects and possibly in smaller companies as well.

Analyst Michael Alsford describes Morocco as an ‘under-explored hydrocarbon province’ and he says it offers ‘high-impact exploration opportunities across multiple play-types’.

Additionally he points out that there is now limited unlicensed acreage available and that may be a factor leading to an increase in corporate transactions.

“The material resource potential coupled with attractive fiscal terms has seen a recent pick-up in corporate activity in the region with larger independents (Genel Energy and Cairn Energy) and IOCs (Chevron, Total and Galp) securing offshore acreage,” Alsford said.

The analyst adds: “We expect that farm-out (and possibly M&A) activity is likely to increase as we move closer to drilling activity, which is planned from the fourth quarter of 2013 in the offshore.

“Smaller independents are also likely to seek to reduce their current equity interests and obtain a partial carry on their share of drilling costs. We estimate the well cost will range from US$60-100m depending on water depth.”

Alford also explains that there will be a notable increase in drilling with 10 wells planned, starting in the fourth quarter this year, through 2014. This compares with just 50 wells drilled, mostly onshore, in the country since 2000.

The likes of Cairn, Genel, Kosmos and Chevron will take the lead offshore. And juniors Fastnet, Pura Vida and Tangiers Petroleum have exposure to some of these projects.

Meanwhile, onshore Gulfsands Petroleum, Circle Oil and Longreach Oil & Gas are among those with drilling plans.

|proactiveinvestors.com.au

Ten Documentary Projects Selected For DOCmed 2013 in Morocco and Neighbours

DOCmed is a workshop for documentary filmmakers, now in its 3rd year.

The program's goal is to assist producers and director-producers from Arabic-speaking countries in the South Mediterranean region, to develop their documentary projects, with aim towards putting each project in a position to attract international co-production/financing.

DOCmed holds sessions in documentary production, creation, financing, and exploiting latest technologies.

This year, 10 projects from Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria and Libya were chosen from 61 documentary projects submitted for consideration.

They follow below - titles, directors and producers. I plan to research these with the intent being to return and highlight some of them.

Here are the complete 10:

Drifa and the lonely whales, directed by Drifa Mezenner and produced by Boualem Ziani (Algeria)

Little Eagles, directed by Mohamed Rashad and produced by Hala Lotfy (Egypt)

Une place sous le soleil (lit. “A place under the sun”), directed and produced by Karim Aitouna (Morocco)

Baba and the Colonel, directed and produced by Khalid Shamis (Libya)

Freedom (Horya), directed and produced by Alaa Mosbah (Egypt)

The sky above Alexandria, directed and produced by Ahmed Rashwan (Egypt)

I have a Picture, directed by Mohamed Zedan and produced by Mark Lotfy (Egypt)

Rue Al Amine (lit. “El Amine Street”), directed and produced by Maya Mounayar (Syria)

In Grey Depth, directed and produced by Mona Lotfy (Egypt)

Chez Wéki, directed by Walid Tayaa and produced by Asma Chibour (Tunisia)

This program is an initiative of Beirut DC (Lebanon), Eurodoc (France) and Doc à Tunis (Tunisia). It is co-financed by Euromed Audiovisual, in association with Arte (France), and has the support of Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC).

|indiewire.com

Monday, February 11, 2013

Morocco’s Eminent Return to the African Union Should be A Priority


Morocco was one of the first African states that have contributed to the establishment of the Organization of African Unity. However Morocco pulled out of the then Organization of African Unity in 1984 to protest against the admission of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic within the continental body. Since then, there have been increasing calls for Morocco to return to its natural place in the Union.

Recently a group of African intellectuals issued a communiqué urgin Morocco to reconsider its decision. The communiqué stated that “We are calling on Senegal’s head of state to work with his counterparts towards bringing back Morocco to the African Union. We think abnormal the absence of Morocco in the pan-African institution,” Senegalese film-maker, Cheikh Ngaido Ba who is a member of that group.

“We have already gathered 61 signatures as a sign of support for our call and made several trips in that regard, Mr. Ba added, describing as “unfair” Morocco’s absence in the AU. “The signatories of the appeal including intellectuals and African men and women of culture are relying on African political leaders to find a way to bring back Morocco, a country whose contribution to the emergence of the much-longed for United States of Africa is so valuable to the African Union,” a communiqué issued by the group has indicated.

In fact, Morocco’s membership in the African Union will also benefit regional and continental security. Currently, the regionis facing the threat of terrorism. With Morocco’s accession to the African Union, Maghreb and African countries would have at their disposal a trained army capable of fighting terrorism and the criminal trafficking of arms and drugs. Such a force could prevent terrorists from finding a safe haven in Africa.

With the return of Morocco to the he AU, the African organization will gain more weight. Attitudes towards AU will change and it will become more rigorous. The Organization will gain a lot from Morocco’s strategic partnership eithe with EU or the United States. Now Morocco has launched key political, economic and social reforms that can benefit the whole African continent.

The expertise and the know how can be at the disposal of African governments, private enterprises and leading NGOs. Morocco is determined to promote openness and democrac and to bring about peace and security to the whole continent. Therefore, the natural place for Morocco now and within this current context of terrorist threat and econolic challenges facing the continent is the African Union. Now the ball is in the AU field.

|indepthafrica.com

Bombardier Starts Production in Morocco

Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier has started production of its components in Morocco at a temporary facility without waiting for the completion of construction works of its principal plant.
Hence, the first Bombardier components made in Morocco started coming out from the transitional manufacturing site operating with a small local group of aircraft assemblers trained at the nearby Institut des Métiers de l’Aéronautique (IMA).

“This is a very exciting milestone for us as we start to see our operation in Morocco take form,” said Hugo Brouillard, General Manager, Bombardier Aerospace, Morocco. “With 18 new local employees fully engaged and trained in the Bombardier manufacturing process and philosophy, this is the first step towards a long future of quality component manufacturing at another world-class Bombardier facility.”, he added.

In 2011, Bombardier announced its intention to build a manufacturing facility in Morocco. The Canadian company will inject about $200 million over eight years in this project expected to employ 850 workers by the end of 2020.

In order to maintain the timeline for production Bombardier has set up operations in a temporary site located near Mohammed V International Airport in Nouaceur (about 30 km from Casablanca city, Morocco’s economic capital), near its future permanent facility.

Bombardier transitional manufacturing facility in Morocco is currently producing simple structures including flight controls for the CRJ Series aircraft. By year-end, the facility is expected to employ approximately 100 fully trained aircraft assemblers.

According to some aviation analysts, Bombardier seeks to cut production costs through setting up a facility in Morocco wherein the Canadian company will pay no taxes for five years, 8.75% for another 20 years and 17.5% thereafter. The North African nation offers investors stimulus package including ready-to-use facilities and skilled workers paid lower than average wages in Tunisia and Turkey, 10 times lower than Spain and a quarter of what’s earned in South Africa.

Bombardier has recently started beefing up its presence in emerging markets such as India and China, as Europe and the United States are hit by economic turbulence.

|me-confidential.com

Air France sued after pilot ‘insults’ king of Morocco


A group of Moroccan passengers are taking Air France to court after a pilot joked that 'His Majesty the King of Morocco' was delaying their flight from Casablanca.

An Air France pilot has landed the company in hot water after joking about the king of Morocco while waiting to take off at Casablanca airport.

Passengers complained after the pilot announced that the presence of the king’s personal jet on the runway was delaying the flight.

“The control tower won’t let me take off until 'His Majesty the King of Morocco' has finished relaxing in the VIP lounge,” he said, according to the E-Marrakech news site.

“Those passengers who want to complain and get their tickets reimbursed can do so by writing to King Mohammed VI, the Royal Palace, Rabat.”

Some passengers were not amused, including Abderrahmane, who told Yabiladi News that the pilot had the temerity to repeat the slur in English.

‘Disgraceful’

A group of the Moroccan travellers made an official complaint to Air France, the national carrier of the African country’s former colonial ruler.

The announcement, they said, was “the most disgraceful example of a certain superiority complex” inherited from that era.

Air France CEO Alexandre de Juniac sent a letter to the group apologising for the December 5 incident, adding that the pilot in question “would be sanctioned” for the offence.

Unfortunately for Air France, the letter has not closed the book on the story, and the passengers have decided to take their complaint to court and to ask for the airline to hand over the cockpit recording of the incident.

|AFP

Pope Benedict XVI To Resign at End of Month


Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he would resign on Feb. 28 because he was simply too infirm to carry on — the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years. The decision sets the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope before the end of March.

The 85-year-old pope announced his decision in Latin during a meeting of Vatican cardinals on Monday morning.

He emphasized that carrying out the duties of being pope — the leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics worldwide — requires “both strength of mind and body.”

“After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths due to an advanced age are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry,” he told the cardinals. “I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only by words and deeds but no less with prayer and suffering.

“However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of St. Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary — strengths which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”

The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants.

|TIME

GDF Suez to build Africa's largest wind park in Morocco


French utility GDF Suez has announced the construction of the 300MW Tarfaya wind farm in Morocco, which will be the largest wind project in Africa. The project is owned in partnership with Nareva Holding, a Moroccan energy company.

The Tarfaya plant has been contracted to supply electricity to the Moroccan state utility Office National de l’Electricité et de l’Eau Potable (ONEE) under a 20-year long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) on a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis. Full commissioning of the wind farm is anticipated at the end of 2014.

Gérard Mestrallet, Chairman and CEO of GDF SUEZ commented: “The Tarfaya project is in line with the Group’s development strategy in fast growing markets. We are pleased to support Morocco’s ambitions to increase its renewable energy sources with this project, which will almost double the country’s wind capacity. As the largest wind farm ever constructed by GDF SUEZ, it also demonstrates our commitment to investing in renewables as well as delivering essential energy infrastructure to Africa.”

Tarfaya is a coastal desert location in southern Morocco with optimal wind conditions. When fully operational, the 300MW wind project is expected to yield a high load factor of 45%, which makes it a competitive renewable energy source that will save 900,000 tons of CO2 per year. The wind farm will represent around 40% of the country’s total wind capacity at commercial operation date.

In Morocco electricity demand growth has averaged 6% per year since 1998 and will continue to grow in the next 20 years. In this context, the Tarfaya project marks a milestone in Morocco’s energy strategy, which aims to achieve 42% of installed generation capacity from renewable energy by 2020.

This project illustrates GDF SUEZ’s commitment to wind generation and follows the selection of GDF SUEZ as preferred bidder for West Coast 1, a 94MW wind project in South Africa, in 2012. GDF SUEZ has a 3,907MW wind generation capacity worldwide. The project achieved financial close on 26 December 2012.

It will be financed through a blend of equity and local debt financing, with the equity shared 50% GDF SUEZ and 50% Nareva. The debt financing of 4 billion dirham (€360 million) will be provided by a consortium of three Moroccan banks: Attijariwafa Bank, Banque Centrale Populaire and Banque Marocaine du Commerce Extérieur.

|Reuters

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Rihanna to perform at Mawazine Festival in Rabat, Morocco


Mawazine Festival’s has confirmed that Rihanna will perform at this year’s festival as part of her Diamonds World Tour. The festival will take place in Rabat and Rihanna will be the main attraction of the opening night, on May 24.

''The Morocco Culture Association is pleased to announce that the singer Rihanna will perform at the 12th annual Mawazine Festival, Rhythms of the World. Rihanna will perform on Friday, May 24, 2013 on the stage of the OLM Souissi in Rabat.

Each year in May, this unique event rattled the capital Rabat to the sounds of music open to the four corners of the world through a rich and unusual.

Mawazine (“Rhythms”) is a festival of world music that takes place annually in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, featuring Arab and international music icons. There have many Mawazines since the beginning in 2001.

Artists such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Shakira, Mika, Sugababes, Stevie Wonder, Kylie Minogue, LMFAO, Pitbull and Alicia Keys have performed at Mawazine''.

Les Chevaux De Dieu Revisits Casablanca Attacks

A new film by acclaimed Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch shows how fundamentalism can corrupt the minds of young people.

"Les Chevaux de Dieu" ("The Horses of God") by Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch presents a compelling story about how shantytown boys become terrorists.

In making the film, Ayouch returned to the Casablanca slum of Sidi Moumen and met with residents and community organisations, the director told a press conference that coincided with a film screening in Casablanca on January 22nd.

Sidi Moumen was the hometown of young suicide bombers who carried out terrorist attacks in the Moroccan city back in May 2003.

"I wanted to show how political Islam is strengthening its hold over these shanty towns. I drew different various interpretations and examined the way in which fundamentalists have seized on the concept of solidarity and how they go about recruiting these young people," he told reporters.

Ayouch bought the rights to adapt Mahi Binedine's book, "Les Étoiles de Sidi Moumen" ("The Stars of Sidi Moumen"), to the silver screen. The book precisely portrayed the story that he wanted to tell in his film.

Binebine said in a letter that he gave his seal of approval immediately after reading the script.

"I also went along to watch the filming for a day. I was extremely surprised to meet the children I had imagined ... All writers dream of seeing their characters come to life on screen. But by no means are we apologists for terrorism, even if we are fond of these kids who are victims of obscurantism," the author wrote in his letter.

In the film, 10-year-old Yachine and 13-year-old Hamid live in Sidi Moumen. Their mother raises her family as best she can. Hamid ends up in prison, and Yachine takes on odd jobs in an attempt to get out of this backwater rife with violence, misery and drugs.

While in prison, Hamid undergoes a change. Having become a radical Islamist during his imprisonment, he persuades Yachine and his friends to join their "brothers". The imam then helps them to embark on a lengthy physical and mental preparation. One day, he tells them that they have been chosen to become martyrs: God's Horses.

"The main message is the need to use a humanitarian approach to understand this complex phenomenon, and to stop believing that this is Islam. Islam is not like that," Ayouch told Magharebia when asked about the message he wanted to convey.

Merieme and Adib, two young Casablancans who were among the guests at the screening, told Magharebia that "Les Chevaux de Dieu" is a must-see.

"It's a film that tells alarming truths about the lives of suicide bombers, their recruitment and their environment, which is lacking in every way," Merieme said.

Adib said that political leaders and government decision-makers should watch the film "as they will definitely realise the importance of continuing to listen to young Moroccans to guard them against all forms of extremism".

|Magharebia

Why Morocco Holds Mixed Fortunes for Investors


The uprisings of the Arab World reshuffled the political landscape in North Africa, toppling dictators in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. But Morocco is one country that has been able to resist the wave of revolutions, and holds mixed fortunes for foreign investors.

"The jury is still out as to whether Morocco can remain fully insulated from what's going on in neighboring North African countries and more recently Mali, which has increased the political and social risk of all of North Africa," Slim Feriani, CEO at Advance Emerging Capital, told CNBC.

A quick look at the local stock exchange, classified by the MSCI as an emerging market, delivers some perspective in that it has lost considerable appeal. Over the course of one year, the index fell over 20 percent and comes in as one of the worst performers from that group.

"The country suffered from being a key Arab country that did not participate in the Arab Spring. Western fund managers simplistically avoided or divested investment on the 'they could be next thesis'," Daniel Broby, Chief Investment Officer at Silk Invest, explained to CNBC.

It's a view which, Broby argues, turned out to be wrong. Earlier this week a series of developments hit the monarchy. First, as reported by Reuters, the first tranche of a $2.5 billion aid package from fellow monarchies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had now been dispersed. Although far from the Gulf geographically, even a membership is in the cards.

Then the IMF stated, as part of an assessment for the 24-month, $6.2 billion loan provided under the new Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL) last year, that the country's economic strategy was "built appropriately on fiscal consolidation, structural reforms and prudent monetary and financial policies". It did however urge the government to reform its pension and politically-risky subsidy systems. Feriani also believes there is a lot of work to do as weaker demand from the euro zone continues to weigh on exports, tourism and remittances.

"Morocco suffers from sizable and growing twin deficits. Hence, the latest news about some form of IMF help is badly needed, but won't be enough to resolve Morocco's structural problems".

The Justice and Development Party (PJD) of Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, Morocco's first Islamist political power grab, has struggled to deliver on the promise of jobs for a predominately young population. Periodic protests against the status quo and the slow pace of change, although rarely in the mainstream spotlight, remain. Meanwhile, King Mohammed VI, who came to power in 1999, still exerts considerable influence in decision-making despite constitutional changes two years ago.

In October, rating agency Standard & Poor's revised Morocco's outlook to negative, indicating a downgrade was possible "if unemployment remains stubbornly high, living costs spike, or political reforms disappoint popular expectations" as there would be a "risk of sustained and large-scale unrest".

But for 2013, the IMF projects stronger economic growth of 5.5 percent, higher than any other country in the MENA region, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Broby says that is where some investors are identifying lucrative opportunities, corruption challenges aside.

"Valuations are now some of the cheapest in Africa. This valuation anomaly exists across the board and we are correspondingly overweight in all sectors except mining"

|cnbc.com

Fisheries negotiations with Morocco on track


The head of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Magrama), Miguel Arias Cañete, expressed having "the impression" that Morocco and the European Union (EU) "may soon reach an agreement”.

The Spanish minister said during an interview with Onda Cero that many vessels of Andalusia, the Canary Islands and Galicia are now "at a standstill", so the resumption of fishing "can come in handy" to Spain.

"Morocco has superb relations with Spain at this time," said the minister.

The official added, "My relationship with my Moroccan counterpart is very smooth and gives the impression that you we can reach an agreement reasonably soon."

The EU ambassador in Morocco, the Spanish Eneko Landaburu, is also optimistic about the future bilateral fishing agreement, which could be confirmed in "a few weeks", AFP reported.

"We have been able to restart a negotiation in a short while and now it is moving on, and I hope it will conclude in a few weeks," said the diplomat.

"We've come a long way in solving a number of technical problems on the types of fish available to catch and the type of boats and fishing gears that will be allowed," he added.

In Landaburu’s opinion, the atmosphere is "excellent" and "there is a will on both sides to reach a good result."

While acknowledging that the compensation issue is still pending, which is a complicated matter, he was hopeful, "From my point of view, I think there will be an agreement by the end of March," he said.

Furthermore, the minister Arias Cañete mentioned the agreement signed between the EU and Mauritania and described it as “downright negative" for Spain, so "efforts are made to renegotiate it."

"Spain is supporting the European Commission to reopen the negotiations and thus the Galician fleet may have chances of catching cephalopods and the Andalusian shellfish fleets may have more reasonable fishing areas," he added.

|fis.com

Spectrami expands and sets up new base in Morocco


Spectrami, the leading value added distributor in the MENA region announced the opening of its new office in Morocco as part of its expansion strategy in the region. The new office is based in Casablanca and will serve the fast growing market for technology products and solutions in North Africa, which according to several independent reports is estimated well above $4bn.

"The Morocco operations for Spectrami are led by a team of senior IT professionals who brings with them decades of relevant experience," Said Khoubbach will lead from front as the General Manager for North Africa, while Majid Lrhazi will manage the business development as the Sales Director for North Africa.

Said comes onboard Spectrami after working for nearly 25 years working at various levels both in Morocco and in the region with the leading names in the industry like Microsoft, Getronics.

Majid has worked for 15 years with Xerox, and HP Africa managing and developing business & channel in North as well as in West Africa, KSA and many other countries across MENA region

The team for Spectrami Morocco brings channel management, local market knowledge, understanding of technology and industry networking to the table. Apart from technical and sales skills, team also boosts multi lingual skills like English, Arabic and French to effectively serve both vendors and channel partners.

Expressing his happiness, Anand Choudha, Managing Director, Spectrami, said, "The new Moroccan office will be instrumental in helping us achieve our growth objectives. It will also be responsible for the development of business and the administration of new projects in Morocco and whole of North Africa."

Spectrami has been successfully working with the leading technology innovators in the world like Actifio, LogRhythm, General Dynamics Fidelis, Tenable, Verdasys, Titus and others. It plans to introduce it's extremely successful vendor extension model now to North Africa region to offer a greater leverage to channel community.

Echoing the similar sentiments, Said Khoubbach, General Manager-North Africa, Spectrami said, "The growth of security and storage presents a huge opportunity for channel partners in North Africa and we are committed to support our channel partners by providing them with best of the breed technical products from our vendors. We will also offer the technical expertise that would add value to their portfolio as well as to their customers satisfaction."

"Apart from our existing portfolio, we intend to introduce more products to the North African market and look forward to engage with new vendors exclusively for North Africa. We are definite that with an experienced team in place and active support of our vendors, we will be able to provide better margins to our channel partners in North Africa," concludes Anand.

|ameinfo.com

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Skyfall

Skyfall is the twenty-third James Bond film produced by Eon Productions. It was distributed by MGM and Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2012. It features Daniel Craig's third performance as James Bond, and Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the film's antagonist. The film was directed by Sam Mendes and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan.

The film centres on Bond investigating an attack on MI6; the attack is part of a plot by former MI6 operative Raoul Silva to humiliate, discredit and kill M as revenge against her for betraying him. The film sees the return of two recurring characters to the series after an absence of two films: Q, played by Ben Whishaw, and Eve Moneypenny, played by Naomie Harris. Skyfall is the last film of the series for Judi Dench, who played M, a role that she had played in the previous six films. The position is subsequently filled by Ralph Fiennes' character, Gareth Mallory.

|wikipedia.org



Full Movie

Morocco Islamists Warn of Unrest


Morocco likes to project itself as unique in the Middle East in finding a third way between revolution and repression amid the uprisings of the Arab Spring.

The nation's largest opposition Islamist group is challenging that view.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Fathallah Arsalane, political leader of Al Adl wal Ihsan, or the Justice and Charity movement, warned that Morocco is at serious risk of a popular revolt if the state doesn't recognize the demands of the Arab Spring and implement real democratic reforms.

"Things have regressed to the point before the Arab Spring and today there is a risk of serious popular revolt outside of any political structure," he said at his home in the capital Rabat. "We can't predict when the social situation will explode but what is certain is that all the ingredients already exist."

Unlike other leaders in the region beset by popular uprisings in 2011, Morocco's King Mohammed VI swiftly made promises to open up the country's politics and give greater powers to elected institutions. A new constitution was passed and then a legal Islamist party, called Justice and Development, won the right in elections to lead the new government -- making Al Adl wal Ihsan Morocco's clearest, and possibly most potent, opposition force.

But Arsalane said that nearly two years after the start of the Arab Spring, the country is moving backward, with a hereditary monarchy and its court still holding the reins of power and unaccountable to the people.

Founded in 1987, Al Adl wal Ihsan is a spiritual and political movement that has long criticized the monarchy and called for real political reform and a state based on Islamic precepts of justice, charity and good works. Its founder, Abdessalam Yassine, was one of the few who dared speak out against Morocco's previous king, the long-reigning King Hassan II, and he spent years under house arrest. The movement itself is banned, though tolerated, while its members are often arrested.

Yassine's death in December at age 84 has brought the movement to a crossroads. Most analysts expect it to take on a more overtly political character and try to become a political party. It is believed to number in the hundreds of thousands, if not more, and can be found across the country, with members ranging from blue collar workers to doctors and engineers.

During Yassine's funeral, the procession of tens of thousands of mourners from all ages and social classes flooded into the elegant streets of the capital city, shutting down traffic for much of the day — a testimony to the group's continuing strength.

In the year since taking power on promises of reform, the Justice and Development Party has made a few tentative steps to fight corruption. But for most Moroccans little has changed, and the economic crisis brought on by Europe's woes is deepening.

Arsalane said that Prime Minister Abdililah Benkirane's government is hobbled by coalition partners with close ties to the palace. And while Morocco looks fairly stable compared to its neighbors -- with Tunisia and Egypt wracked by unrest, Algeria beset by militant attacks and Libya disintegrating into warring militias -- Arsalane said that Moroccan unrest could be on the horizon if Benkirane is unable to implement meaningful reform.

"The regime should have grasped the message of the Arab Spring and made the courageous decisions to change things on all levels, political, social, economic," he said. "Instead it has been the opposite."

Morocco's economy has always been afflicted by high unemployment and, most importantly, a huge gap between rich and poor. Most people feel the system is corrupt and biased in favor of the wealthy.

Since the peaceful demonstrations of the February 20 pro-democracy movement petered out in late 2011, there have been a small but steady series of spontaneous outbreaks of violence throughout the country.

Riots in marginal parts of remote cities have flared, usually over issues like rising prices or police brutality, before being repressed after a few days -- only start up again elsewhere.

Arsalane is not alone in his grim assessment of the state of Morocco's reforms. In its 2012 report on the region released Thursday, Human Rights Watch complained about police brutality, laws curbing free speech and unfair trials.

"Judging by the text of the 2011 constitution, Morocco's leaders recognize that enhancing human rights is central to meeting popular aspirations," HRW's North Africa direct Sarah Leah Whitson said in a statement. "But judging by the practice on the ground, they have yet to grasp that words alone are not enough."

Al Adl wal Ihsan originally called for the restoration of an Islamic caliphate, but over the years the movement's message has become similar to that of other Moroccan reformers, with an emphasis on calls for democracy and a civil state.

Arsalane explained that it wasn't so much the notion of the monarchy they were against, but the fact that the institution was above the law. "The form of the regime is not important, what interests us is the contents."

Arsalane rebuffed concerns that his group would implement Islamic law. He said its adherents are firm believers in the concept of "ijtihad" -- or independent reasoning to bring medieval legal precepts in line with modern realities, something that more conservative Islamist groups reject.

Mohsine el-Ahmadi, an author of a book on the movement and professor of sociology and religion at Rabat International University, said Arsalane's group's biggest problem for the Moroccan state is its refusal to accept role of the king and his court, known as the makhzen, as the basis for the political game.

"They don't want to recognize the monarch as a legitimate ruler and that is the main problem — they don't want to recognize the historical makhzen of the Moroccan state," he said. "In that sense, they are radicals and revolutionaries, not reformists."

El-Ahmadi said that it's difficult to gauge the size of the group's support because it has never participated in elections.

But he emphasized that it is a powerful force in Moroccan society.

"Their social base is important throughout Morocco, with a strong presence in Casablanca, Marrakech and the south in general," he said. The movement is also considered the largest organized group in universities.

Al Adl wal Ihsan's future role in Morocco is unclear. While it has largely become the voice of the opposition, it at the same time has no legal outlet.

Arsalane has said repeatedly the movement would like to form a political party -- but has been denied.

"The regime isn't fighting us because we are Islamists but because we are a real opposition," said Arsalane. "The regime rejects the idea itself of having a real opposition, instead of just a docile one."

|AP

Body found under parking lot is King Richard III, scientists prove


DNA tests have confirmed that human remains found buried beneath an English car park are those of the country's King Richard III.

British scientists announced Monday they are convinced "beyond reasonable doubt" that a skeleton found during an archaeological dig in Leicester, central England, last August is that of the former king, who was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Mitochondrial DNA extracted from the bones was matched to Michael Ibsen, a Canadian cabinetmaker and direct descendant of Richard III's sister, Anne of York, and a second distant relative, who wishes to remain anonymous.

Experts say other evidence -- including battle wounds and signs of scoliosis, or curvature of the spine -- found during the search and the more than four months of tests since strongly support the DNA findings -- and suggest that history's view of the king as a hunchbacked villain may have to be rewritten.

|CNN

IMF gives thumbs up to Morocco's economic strategy

The International Monetary Fund said on Monday it had completed the first assessment of Morocco's economic program under a two-year precautionary credit line, indicating the country had met all the performance criteria of its $6.2 billion loan.

Nemat Shafik, the IMF's deputy managing director, said the Moroccan authorities' economic strategy was "built appropriately on fiscal consolidation, structural reforms and prudent monetary and financial policies."

But the IMF urged the government to move forward with reforms of its subsidy and pension systems.

Last month, Morocco's minister in charge of the issue said the government might start reforming its expensive system of subsidies for food and energy in June, if a political decision was taken to do so.

State subsidies on food and energy shot up to 53 billion dirham ($6.25 billion) in 2012 - 15 percent of total public spending - from 48.8 billion in 2011 and 29.8 billion in 2010.

The government has said it wants to repair its finances by reducing subsidies and shifting spending more toward the poor.

Subsidy reform is politically sensitive in Morocco, where street protests erupted demanding democracy and better economic management in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings across North Africa.

|Reuters

Monday, February 4, 2013

Jailed Moroccan rapper ‘on hunger strike’ #Feb20

Moroccan rapper Mouad Belghouat, jailed in July for defaming the police, has begun a hunger strike in protest at the conditions of his detention, several friends said on Monday in claims denied by the prison.

“He decided to begin a hunger strike on Monday after a series of provocations and in the absence of a response to his demands to meet the prison director as well as a doctor, as he feels physically weak,” Maria Karim, a close friend and activist with the February 20 protest movement told AFP.

The prison authorities have confiscated all his writings saying that some of them undermine public institutions, but did not elaborate, according to his friends.

Mohamed Bendriss, the director of the prison in Casablanca where Belghouat is being held, categorically denied that he had begun a hunger strike when contacted by AFP.

Belghouat, who goes by his rapper name Al-Haqed (The Rancorous One), was considered a public face of the February 20 movement that was born in 2011 during the Arab Spring, and which demands sweeping political reforms in Morocco.

He was first convicted in May last year over a song he wrote called “Dogs of the State,” which denounced police corruption and was deemed an affront to the entire police service.

The main evidence against the rapper was a YouTube video containing a photo-montage of a policeman whose head had been replaced by that of a donkey.

According to Human Rights Watch, Belghouat denied any connection with the video other than that it was set to his song.

The New York-based rights group said the conviction “shows the gap between the strong free-expression language in Moroccos 2011 constitution and the continuing intolerance for those who criticise state institutions.”

Last month, the musician was awarded a prize for integrity by the watchdog Transparency Morocco, for his “honesty and the justice of his fight for an integrated and transparent society.”

|AFP

Only Couples Allowed To enter #MoroccoMall


Morocco Mall has made a New Rule that Forbid Young Moroccan Between 18 and 25 to enter without a Partner to The Biggest Commercial Center in Africa without any explanation.

Saturday Feb 2, 2013 the mall received more visitors, but the Security was clear: "Guys, come back and bring a girl to enter''.

Songs for the Atlas Lions of Morocco



Despite high hopes, Morocco’s Atlas Lions crashed out of Afcon 2013, but that didn’t prevent young Moroccans from bumpin’ and groovin’ to radio pop. First up is the internationally renowned and veteran Algerian crooner, Khaled, known for hits like “Aicha” and “Didi.” In late 2012, Khlaed released a new album with a new single, “Hiya Hiya,” which features American rapper/songwriter Pit Bull.



Then’s there’s Rihanna’s “Diamonds.” We sure hoped that our national team would “shine bright like a diamond” at this year’s Afcon tournament. Rihanna’s melancholic song reflects our dashed hopes of football glory. Alas, maybe at next year’s World Cup we’ll be more successful (yeah right).



“Tombée pour elle” (fell for her), is an R&B song by Booba, a Half Senegalese and half French artist who has been rapping since the mid-1990s.



Yes, Britney Spears & Will.i.am’s “Scream and Shout.” Despite her mental meltdown a few years ago, Moroccan music fans have not given up on Britney. Teaming up with Will.I.Am (from the Black Eyed Peas), this Gangnam Style-like hit is ruling Morocco’s airwaves and club scene.



Moroccan rap artist, Fnaire (and Soprano, featured on the song), hails from the city of Marrakessh. Together they perform what they coin as “traditional rap”. They mix tradition music (like Chaabi music) with hip hop, and infusing it with lyrics about social and political issues that resonate among Moroccan youth.



|africasacountry.com

Morocco OFPPT Picks Microsoft Suite

Morocco's Office of Vocational Training and Employment Promotion (OFPPT) has chosen the world's largest software maker Microsoft Corp.

(MSFT) for deploying vocational education across 35 fields of study through its 327 training institutes across the African nation. Morocco's OFPPT opted for Microsoft Office 365 software to improve its education and vocational training offerings provided to students in the country.

The OFPPT will create 100 new Microsoft IT Academies throughout the country. The partnership will benefit Morocco by improving the employability of its people. It will also leverage Microsoft's strength in offering quality training and vocational exercises and at the same time help teachers and students to keep pace with the ever-evolving technology sector.

Microsoft's Office 365 is a cloud-based, subscription-based software service. It was officially launched in 2011. The new Office comes with the traditional word processing, spreadsheets and email programs.

IT certifications are gaining importance in the job market, as certifications are considered a key factor for getting employed. Moreover, Microsoft itself can employ the certified students. Thus, Microsoft will have an ideal workforce for its local businesses.

|investopedia.com

Remnants of Abandoned Star Wars Sets in Morocco and Tunisia Reminiscent of Ancient Ruins

Rä di MartinoItalian, New York-based photographer Rä di Martino rouses the Star Wars fan in all of us in Every World’s A Stage, a series of photos of the abandoned Hollywood sets constructed for the epic George Lucas film. Martino spent over a year traveling throughout the desert towns of Morocco and Tunisia, exploring these massive structures that stand almost like ancient ruins. Martino found the juxtaposition of these cinematic byproducts with the actual ruins existing in these towns quite fascinating—and we do too. What’s not intriguing about the remnants of an otherworldly place amidst a worldly one?

Rä di Martino

Rä di Martino

Rä di Martino

Rä di Martino

Rä di Martino

|featureshoot.com

After Girl's Death, Morocco Will Change Rape Laws

Last spring, a 16 year old Moroccan girl named Amina Filali killed herself after being forced to marry the man who raped her. In the Kingdom of Morocco, as in many Arab countries, rapists can often escape jail if they agree to marry their victim. Amina killed herself after her husband-rapist beat her.

Amina’s parents later claimed that upon notifying the court of their daughter’s rape, the prosecutor himself suggested the young girl marry her attacker. Amina’s suicide drew widespread attention, sparking protests and twitter uproar in the country. Women’s organizations and child advocacy NGOs staged rallies demanding the government revise and modernize its rape laws.

Last week, more than 10 months after Amina drank rat poison the Moroccan government said it would officially review Penal Code 475 which permits rapists to marry their underage victims.

While this development is of course good news, it speaks to a troubling global trend. All over the world women and girls are being sacrificed for rights which should already be considered sacrosanct.

It took the attempted assassination of schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai for the Pakistani government to take an aggressive stance against anti-women fundamentalists. It was only after the rape and murder of a young woman in India that the government vowed legal reforms.

Because of the brutality inflicted upon them, these female victims become meteoric Twitter/Facebook/media stars, tragic symbols around which the global community can rally.

A greater priority, however, must be placed upon preventing these incidents. The international community (led, perhaps by UNICEF and UN Women) should systematically review and publicize each country’s family codes and conjugal rape laws. Going forward, media outlets should have better foresight and discuss these issues before any blood is spilled.

We shouldn’t wait to take action against oppressive systems until we have a convenient symbol of struggle. #RIPAmina should never have been a trending twitter subject in the first place.

This is not a cultural or religious issue, it is a human rights issue.

|forbes.com

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Morocco’s ‘Little Switzerland’ hosts snow festival

Meknes City and Meknes-Tafilalet Regions Tourism AttractionsKnown as ‘Little Switzerland’, the Moroccan town of Ifrane is high up in the Atlas Mountains.

Built by the French in a European style, the town was once a summer resort for colonial families and has long been a popular winter destination for ski-lovers.

This year, the local authorities decided to hold the town’s first ever snow festival in a bid to widen the resort’s appeal and attract larger numbers of tourists.

“This festival has many objectives for the local population in the fields of tourism, culture and development. This is the first year we have done this initiative and we will see what further steps we may take for next year,” said chairman of the provincial council, Abdallah Ouhadda.

The idea of organizing a snow festival in Ifrane was first mooted two years ago, to boost tourism and promote the region’s rich Amazigh culture.

The event, which took place on Saturday (February 2), attracted thousands of visitors, both from Morocco and abroad.

Alongside a colorful parade, one of the main highlights of the day was the ‘snow princess’ contest, which saw ten girls aged between 8 and 13 compete for the coveted title.

Local girl Zineb Azira, who won the prize, received her crown from Ifrane’s provincial governor.

“I am very happy because by winning this title, I brought pride to Ifrane. I am very happy to win the title of snow princess,” she said.

One of the organizations behind the competition said the aim was educational. The chairman of the Toutrit - or ‘garden’ in Amazigh - Association, said organizers wanted the younger generation to be proud of their local heritage and more aware of environmental issues.

“Why a snow princess and not a snow queen? Because we wanted to play an educational role in this province for young girls and boys. The other objective of this event is to help local development in the region and also the marketing of local products,” said Abdelkader al-Achni.

Twenty kilometers away from Ifrane, the Michlifen ski resort is popular with urban dwellers who want to escape the cities and enjoy some outdoor exercise.

But as well as winter sports, Ifrane’s cool summer climate means the region continues to attract tourists all year round, as residents from cities such as Fes and Meknes seek to escape the scorching heat of the summer months.

|Reuters

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