MOROCCO popularity and MOROCCO trends

RABAT, Morocco (AP) -- Morocco's glittering Mawazine international music festival wraps up this weekend with performances by Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz, after nine days of showcasing the North African kingdom's cool factor - even as dissident Moroccan musicians are imprisoned for their anti-establishment lyrics....

Photo: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse A Solar Impulse aircraft takes off at Payerne airport May 24, 2012, piloted by André Borschberg. The Solar Impulse HB-SIA prototype aircraft, which has 12,000 solar cells built into its jumbo-jet-sized wings (about 200 feet long), attempted its first intercontinental flight from Switzerland to Morocco with a few days for a technical [...]

PAYERNE, Switzerland (AFP) - The Swiss sun-powered aircraft Solar Impulse on Thursday took off for Morocco on its first intercontinental flight attempt without using a drop of fuel. Pilot Andre Borschberg successfully launched the plane from an airfield in Payerne in western Switzerland at around 8:30am (0630 GMT), bound for Rabat via Madrid, after a two-hour delay due to foggy conditions. If ....

The Swiss sun-powered aircraft Solar Impulse on Thursday took off for Morocco on its first intercontinental flight attempt without using a drop of fuel.

Pilot Andre Borschberg took off this morning, flying the first part of the leg to Madrid, Spain, and then he will hand over the controls to Bertrand Piccard, whose love of adventure in his genes.

Guggenheim curator Carmen Giménez has modernized Spain’s museums

Thor Heyerdahl sets sail with his crew from Safi, Morocco, aboard Ra II.

Fotopedia is quickly building a reputation for producing beautiful travel-focused photo apps for iOS. Today, the company is launching its latest free app, which focuses on Morocco. The app is optimized for the new iPad's retina display and, as usual, features hundreds of stunning professional images.

Rappers from Iran and Morocco have run into trouble recently for mocking religion and the police.

Leading Indian drug manufacturer Ranbaxy Laboratories has boosted its presence in the emerging market of Africa, introducing its new malaria-fighting drug Synriam and setting up manufacturing facilities in Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa.

Manchester City have identified Morocco forward Younes Belhanda as a fallback option if they cannot land their No 1 summer target Eden Hazard.

Jane Johnson, a publishing executive from London left her garden flat for a writing trip to Morocco. The story she came back with was far more romantic than she's imagined.

A debate is growing in Morocco over whether Marrakech is really a city of sin as the newly elected minister for Justice from the Islamist PJD recently called it.

RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco's justice minister said he would not stop the trial of an outspoken rapper charged with insulting the authorities in one of his songs, despite an outcry from rights campaigners who say the case is an attack on freedom of expression.

Assuming he’s selected to Honduras’ roster, D.C. United midfielder Andy Najar will confront gold medal favorites Spain at the Olympic Games this summer. Honduras, the runner-up at the CONCACAF qualifying tournament last month, will play Morocco in Glasgow, Spain in Newcastle and Japan in Coventry in Group D. Read full article >>

"LOL" was supposed to represent a big step for Miley Cyrus' movie career as she attempts to mature beyond her saccharine sweet image as Disney's Hannah Montana. Instead, it has turned into a tough lesson about how quickly a Hollywood studio can fall out of love with a movie. An English-language adaptation of the hit 2008 French film of the same name, "LOL" is about teen romance in the age of te...

Booz survey finds discontent, economic disequilibrium among the masses in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

A seller of sex toys has been sentenced to eight months in prison and fined 10,000 dirhams (900 euros) by a Moroccan court for infringing public decency, local newspapers reported Monday.

In 1983, a bank employee on the island of Mallorca opened a safe that had been sealed under a fifty-year lease and found three bulky diaries, each bound in morocco leather. They belonged to Count Harry Kessler, the impossibly sophisticated German diplomat and connoisseur, who lived from 1868 to . . . (Subscription required.)

Amina el-Filali, a moon-faced Moroccan peasant girl, seemed destined for an obscure life in this dreary little farming village 50 miles south of Tangiers. But that was before she was lured into sexual relations at age 15 by a 23-year-old unemployed laborer who took her into a shed next to the eucalyptus grove behind her house. That was before she was ushered into an early wedding, with the man ...

India has sent a formal request to Morocco for examination and recording of statement of Faiza Outalha, Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley's estranged wife, to get more evidence against him as well as LeT founder Hafiz Saeed.

Guardian research finds that gifts and funding included trips to 27 countries and £32,000 donation to parliamentary choirDonations to all-party parliamentary groups: get the data Businesses, overseas governments and lobby groups have given sponsorship, free gifts and funding worth at least £1.8m to MPs and Lords in the past year through all-party parliamentary groups, Guardian research has reve...

The Aquadream aquarium, which has opened in a shopping mall in Casablanca, Morocco, survived two tremors during its construction.

Some might deem it a less-than-wise plan - taking your three young daughters to a notoriously frenetic African city. But Giles Milton was determined to show his girls the sights (and smells) of Fes.

The world community by and large either turns a blind eye to the annexation by Morocco of the Western Sahara, home to the Saharawi people, invaded, tortured, abused and forgotten or else cavorts openly with Morocco, signing contracts with the invading power to usurp the resources of the Saharawi without their consent, against international law.

Like a gigantic, solar-powered motherf***ing Pterodactyl, the Solar Impulse aircraft hopes to revolutionize air travel by circumnavigating the globe without landing. But first, it has to get from Switzerland to Morocco in 48 hours without refueling. More »

Israeli envoy David Saranga cuts short working visit after tens of thousand protest his presence at meetings in parliament.

NORTHERN IRELAND’S Michael Hoey put himself back into the hunt for a Ryder Cup debut with a three-stroke victory at the Hassan Trophy in Morocco today.

Golf:Northern Ireland's Michael Hoey put himself back into the hunt for a Ryder Cup debut with a three-stroke victory at the Hassan Trophy in Morocco today. Nine behind after his opening 74, the 33-year-old grabbed his fourth European Tour victory - and second of this cup campaign - with two superb closing rounds of 65.

Golf:Damien McGrane was in a three-way tie for first spot 10 holes through his third round the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco, while Michael Hoey was the leader in the clubhouse on 10 under after a stunning 65 earlier in the day.

Former Ryder Cup hero Phillip Price has a real chance to re-ignite his career after a second round 66 at the Hassan Trophy. Robert Rock shot 68 - even with a seven on his card.

Twenty-five local community projects - ranging from a wildlife sanctuary in Bangladesh to a medicinal plants farm in Brazil, a land and water conservation group in Morocco to a reforestation and farming initiative in Ethiopia - are the winners of a United Nations-backed partnership prize for promoting local sustainable development solutions.

Armed with pincers, a small tractor grabs the trunk of an olive tree in southern Spain and shakes loose its fruit, which will be pressed in a few hours. Olive oil production in the Andalusia region reigns supreme, but farmers are beginning to worry about growing competition from Morocco.

Demonstrators rallied Saturday in Morocco's capital, demanding the North African nation reform its rape laws following a teenage girl's suicide after her father said a judge mandated that she marry her alleged rapist -- allowing him to stay out of jail.

Minister says government considering tougher rape sentences after 16-year-old forced to marry her rapist killed herself.

DUBAI, March 7 (Reuters) - Abraaj Capital is investing about $125 million in a Moroccan insurance holding firm as it bids to tap growth prospects in Africa's nascent insurance sector.

The U.N. Security Council's five big powers, plus Morocco, began negotiations today on a U.S.-sponsored draft resolution demanding that Syria end its violent crackdown on protesters and opposition groups and allow the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance. The U.S. draft would throw the Security Council's weight behind an effort by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, who...

By Tjibbe Hoekstra AMSTERDAM, March 1 (Reuters) - The Netherlands moved to ban the sale of potent hashish cannabis on Thursday, eroding 40 years of liberal drug policy, over fears that the proceeds were flowing to organised crime gangs. A parliamentary proposal to prohibit the sale of hashish resin in the Netherlands' famous coffee shops had the backing of bot...

RABAT, Morocco (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says American officials are evaluating the latest developments in the legal case in Egypt against 16 American democracy advocates....

A few thousand people gathered in Morocco's cities to mark the one year anniversary of the country's local version of the Arab Spring.

The NIA is sending letter rogatory to Morocco for recording the statement of Headley's estranged Moroccan wife Faiza Outalha for evidence against him.

An illegal immigrant from Morocco was charged Friday with an alleged plot to carry out a suicide bombing at the U.S. Capitol Building.

by John Vespasian Are you looking for a guaranteed way to waste the rest of your life? Here it is: spend your time searching for things where there aren't. I have also a second formula for squandering your days: spend your time chasing people that are unavailable. The same goes for attempting to travel to places that are not accessible.We all engage in this kind of pursuits occasion...

A glossy meteorite that broke off from the Red Planet some million years ago and landed in Morocco last summer passed through many hands before finding a home at the Natural History Museum in London.

A crew of British and Irish rowers are adrift in a life raft in the Atlantic after capsizing while trying to row from Morocco to Barbados, coastguards say.

The African Nations Cup provided a double helping of last-minute drama on Friday as Tunisia beat Niger 2-1 and co-hosts Gabon stunned Morocco 3-2 to reach the quarter-finals.

The technology community came out in force against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) before those two bills were shelved l…

Forbes.com just covered the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, ) (ACTA) which is an Agreement or treaty if you will, which contains some provisions “which are similar to – and more expansive than – anything we saw in SOPA.” The ACTA is being treated as by the US as an Executive Agreement rather than a treaty.  A treaty would have to be approved by the Senate, while an Executive Agreement can ...

Tunisia has taken the Maghreb derby honours, a 2-1 defeat of Morocco putting them alongside Gabon at the top of Group C in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Fifteen pounds of rock collected recently in Morocco fell to Earth from Mars during a meteorite shower last July, scientists confirmed last week. No NASA or Russian spacecraft has returned bits of Mars, so the only samples scientists can examine are those that come here in a meteorite shower. ...

RABAT, Morocco (AP) -- Five unemployed Moroccan men set themselves on fire in the capital Rabat as part of widespread demonstrations in the country over the lack of jobs, especially for university graduates, a rights activist said Thursday. Three were burned badly enough to be hospitalized....

Hugh Pickens writes "Scientists have confirmed chemically a recent and rare invasion from Mars with 15 pounds of fresh Martian rocks falling in Morocco last July. A special committee of meteorite experts, which includes some NASA scientists, confirmed the test results Tuesday certifying that the meteorites recently collected came from Mars. The biggest rock weighs more than 2 pounds. Astronomer...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- They came from Mars, not in peace, but in pieces. Scientists are confirming that 15 pounds of rock collected recently in Morocco fell to Earth from Mars during a meteorite shower last July....

Scientists are confirming a recent and rare invasion from Mars: meteorite chunks that fell from the red planet over Morocco last summer.

RABAT (Reuters) - Moroccans on Friday held the first nationwide prayers for rain since 2007, when drought slashed output of staple cereals to less than a quarter of the country's needs, although experts say the current crop year will probably be far less disastrous.

Daniela Cubelic of Silk Road Tea wouldn’t trade the rituals in Morocco for all the tea in China

But Brazil, where unlocked phones start at $1,400 U.S., not so much Apple (AAPL) delivered the iPhone 4S to two dozen more countries Friday, bringing it -- by our count -- to within two or three of its promise to hit more than 70 countries by the end of the year. [UPDATE: Apple PR says they are already at more than 70; waiting for their list.] Friday's launches were in Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, ...

Morocco orders foreign fishing vessels operating in its waters under an EU deal to leave, amid a row about over-fishing and Western Sahara.

The results of the first round of polling in Egypt have released an uproar, which has overwhelmed the media and startled the public sphere. But the victory of Islamist parties is overrated. Given Islamists' entrenched presence in the Arab societies, politically, economically, and socially, let alone the abundant religious propaganda, it is more striking that thus far none of the Islamists par...

JLo's toy of the moment/back-up dancer, Casper Smart, is currently with her in Morocco at the opening of some mall and before he strapped himself into his booster seat on his sugar madre's private jet, he had a mini Tweetrum about the "haters" talking shit about his relationship. Casper puffed up his chest, pulled up his Pull-Ups, stood on his tippy toes and huffed out this...

Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart's romance has officially gone worldwide. J. Lo and her 24-year-old beau jetted to Casablanca for a one-time gig for the opening of the Morocco...

Avec sa fontaine musicale, ses jardins paysagés et 250.000 m2 d'espace commercial et de loisirs, ses magasins de luxe et quelques souks traditionnels: le "Morocco Mall" face à l'océan inauguré jeudi soir à Casablanca se veut le plus grand centre commercial d'Afrique et de la Méditerranée.

The singer and her new love interest take their romance to North Africa

Initial results of Egypt’s first free election in six decades will emerge on Thursday, with Islamist parties expecting to command a majority in parliament, hard on the heels of victories by their counterparts in Tunisia and Morocco

Fue invitada a la inauguración del Morocco Mall

Morocco's interior ministry says an Islamist party has won the most seats in parliamentary elections and is set to lead the next government.

Preliminary results show Justice and Development party, which has historically been close to the monarchy, is on track to become largest bloc in parliament

Last Friday’s parliamentary polls in Morocco — the first since a new constitution was adopted in July — could throw up a second moderate Islamist government in north Africa.

Morocco's moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) is on course for a strong showing in parliamentary elections, early results suggest.

RABAT (AFP) - Moroccans voted Friday in the first legislative election since the king introduced constitutional reforms after the Arab Spring uprisings, with an Islamist party expected to make strong gains. The main contenders in the poll, the second in north Africa since the Arab Spring began, are the moderately… Visit: http://www.nation.com.pk for full story

The 2012 Moroccan beauty pageant hs canceled the bathing suit segment and will accept veiled contestants, Al Arabiya reports.

Syria's leadership has failed to honour commitments it made to end violence against anti-government protesters and will pay the price, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said today at an Arab League meeting in Morocco.

A fossil croc sporting an odd head "shield" has been found in Morocco, paleontologists say.