Tourism

By Olaolu Fawole

Le Dhow, situated in Rabat, Morocco, offers a unique dining experience atop the serene waters of the Bouregreg River.

As one of Rabat’s iconic landmarks, Le Dhow blends Moroccan culture, exquisite cuisine, and breathtaking views to create an unforgettable dining journey.

Originally a cargo ship, it was transformed into a floating restaurant while retaining its authentic maritime charm.

The concept behind Le Dhow revolves around preserving Moroccan heritage while providing guests with a novel dining experience. The restaurant’s name pays homage to the traditional sailing vessels, known as dhows, which have long been integral to Morocco’s maritime history.

Ambiance and Setting
Upon boarding the vessel, guests are greeted by the elegant interior, characterized by rich wooden furnishings, intricate Moroccan decor, and soft lighting that creates an inviting atmosphere. The expansive windows offer panoramic views of Rabat’s skyline and the tranquil waters of the Bouregreg River, providing a picturesque backdrop for an evening of fine dining.

Whether seated indoors or on the open-air deck, patrons can bask in the beauty of their surroundings while indulging in culinary delights.

Cuisine and Culinary Experience:
Le Dhow prides itself on its culinary excellence, offering a diverse menu that showcases the finest Moroccan cuisine with a contemporary twist.

From traditional tagines and couscous to seafood delicacies and vegetarian options, the restaurant caters to a variety of palates.

Each dish is meticulously prepared by skilled chefs using locally sourced ingredients, ensuring freshness and authenticity.

Additionally, Le Dhow offers an extensive selection of Moroccan wines and refreshing cocktails to complement the dining experience.

Customer Experience and Reviews:
Guests who have dined at Le Dhow consistently praise the restaurant for its exceptional service, delectable cuisine, and breathtaking ambiance.

The serene setting aboard the floating vessel adds an extra layer of charm, making it a popular choice for romantic dinners, special occasions, and memorable gatherings.

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Sport

Saudi Arabia is set to host the men’s 2034 World Cup after Australia decided against bidding to stage the tournament.

Football Australia confirmed its decision only hours before Fifa’s deadline for declarations of interest on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia is the only other nation to bid.

“We have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” read a statement from Football Australia.

Australia’s governing body says it intends to focus its efforts on hosting the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and the Club World Cup in 2029.

The 2026 World Cup will take place in the US, Mexico and Canada.

Morocco, Portugal and Spain will host the 2030 tournament, with matches also in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

FIFA had said the 2034 World Cup would be held in Asia or Oceania, and an Australian bid was regarded as the only potential challenger to Saudi Arabia, which announced its intention to bid shortly after Fifa’s decision.

Despite receiving support from the Asian Football Confederation, Saudi Arabia would likely be viewed as a controversial host.

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Sport

Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco could be placed in the same group when the Africa Cup of Nations draw is made in the Ivory Coast on Thursday.

The six top seeds include Morocco, who created history at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by becoming the first semi-finalists from Africa.

Nigeria is among the second seeds while South Africa has had to settle for a place among the third seeds for the draw in Abidjan, the Ivorian economic capital.

Add surprise 2021 Cup of Nations quarter-finalists Gambia from the fourth seeds and it would be a striking “group of death,” the term given to particularly tough sections.

Nigeria, three-time winners of the premier African football competition, and former champions South Africa were unlucky not to be seeded higher.

The Super Eagles lie sixth in the continental rankings and, ordinarily, would have been a top seed, avoiding Morocco, title-holders Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt in the group stage.

But host countries not only automatically qualify for the two-year tournament, they are also always among the first seeds.

To accommodate the ninth-ranked Ivory Coast, sixth-placed Nigeria had to give way and now share second-seed status with Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

South Africa had been ranked above DR Congo for some time but, in the rankings that decided the seedings, they were placed one place below the Congolese.

It was an ironic change of positions as South Africa defeated DR Congo in a friendly match just a couple of days before the rankings were released.

The other third seeds are Cape Verde, Guinea, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea and Mauritania while the fourth seeds include Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Gambia and Tanzania.

Shock 2012 champions thanks to a penalty shootout victory over Didier Drogba-inspired Ivory Coast, Zambia are back at the Cup of Nations after three straight failures to qualify.

Zambia and Mozambique, whose last appearance was in 2010, are the only qualifiers who have not featured in at least one of the last two tournaments.

Despite a poor Cup of Nations record, Morocco is set to be installed as favourites to win the January 13-February 11 competition.

They have been champions just once in 33 editions topping a 1976 group in Ethiopia in one of only two editions where a mini-league determined the champions.

In the last Cup of Nations, hosted by Cameroon in 2022, Morocco was eliminated by Egypt in the quarter-finals.

Morocco coach, Walid Regragui, mastermind of the stunning World Cup campaign after taking charge just a few months earlier, says he will quit if his team fails to at least reach the semi-finals.

“We must be at least in the semi-finals of the CAN (Cup of Nations). If I do not go to the semi-finals, I will leave on my own,” he told the Moroccan media.

“I told my players that we cannot be kings of the world before being kings of our continent. Everyone wants to beat Morocco after our results in Qatar.

“This makes it more difficult for us to win, but it also motivates the players to improve and I welcome that.”

All six top seeds plus Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, DR Congo, South Africa and Zambia have won the Cup of Nations. The other champions Ethiopia, Sudan and Congo Brazzaville did not qualify.

Punch / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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Foreign

Rescuers in Morocco have used their bare hands to dig for survivors, more than 48 hours after a powerful earthquake claimed more than 2,000 lives

Mountain villages near the epicentre lie in ruins and many local people are desperately awaiting aid

The Moroccan government says it has accepted aid from four countries so far – Britain, Spain, Qatar and the UAE

Friday’s earthquake, the country’s deadliest in 60 years, struck below villages in the High Atlas mountains south of Marrakesh

BBC reporter Nick Beake reached the village of Tafeghaghte, where 90 of the 200 residents were confirmed dead, and many others missing

Many people have spent a third night out in the open and we’ve seen rubble strewn across streets of collapsed homes.

Some of the villages are completely wiped out. Here in Moulay Brahim, many, many homes are destroyed.

I was just talking to one man who is living with his wife in a van with a tent outside. He said that they’ve already pulled 40 bodies out of the rubble – which involves local residents digging themselves with their bare hands.

A big problem is getting the machinery up to this very remote region.

We’ve just made the drive from Marrakesh. As we tried to get to this village, one road was completely blocked.

Some aid is getting to these parts but a lot of it is being delivered by charities. These areas are going to be extremely hard to get to.

Many residents are saying it still seems very slow and uncoordinated in terms of the local response.

BBC/Tititlayo Kupoliyi

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Foreign

Spain on Sunday sent a plane with 56 rescuers and four search dogs to quake-hit Morocco after it received a formal request for help from Rabat, the defence ministry said.
An A400 military plane took off from a base in the northeastern city of Zaragoza with the team bound for Marrakesh to “help in the search and rescue of survivors of the devastating earthquake suffered in our neighbouring country,” the ministry said in a post on X, formerly called Twitter.
The rescuers belong to Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit (UME), a body of the armed forces that was created to intervene quickly in emergency situations such as forest fires, floods and earthquakes.
A UME unit was sent to Turkey in February following a devastating earthquake and helped rescue six people, including a mother and two children, according to Spain’s defence ministry.
The strongest-ever quake to hit Morocco has killed at least 2,012 people and injured over 2,000, many of them critically, according to the latest official figures.
Earlier on Sunday Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Madrid would send aid to Morocco after receiving a formal request.
“It is a sign of Spanish solidarity and of the sense of friendship which unites the people of Spain with the people of Morocco,” he said during an interview with Catalunya Radio, adding he received a call from his Moroccan counterpart requesting the aid in the early hours of Sunday.
“It will be as much aid as Morocco needs, at first what we are setting in motion are search and rescue teams because it is urgent to try to find the greatest number of people alive to save them. When it is time for reconstruction, Spanish aid will also be present.”
Other countries, including the United States and France, have also pledged humanitarian aid but Morocco would first need to formally request assistance, a step required before foreign crews can deploy.

Punch / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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News

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday offered his condolences to King Mohammed VI of Morocco, following an earthquake that struck the village of Amizmiz, near Marrakech, Morocco.

The incident, which occurred around 11pm on Friday, claimed the lives of 1,305 persons and left 1,832 persons injured.A United States Geological survey revealed that the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.8 and an epicentre depth of 11.5 miles.In a video posted on social media, a building was seen shaking, while people ran for safety.

Caroline Holt of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, described rescue efforts as “complicated”, saying, “This happened at night when people were maybe sleeping in bed so only this morning did we start to see the impact of the earthquake unfold.”

The Moroccan troops and emergency services had been dispatched to continue the search.Meanwhile, Tinubu in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, described the incident as unfortunate, adding, “In the face of this adversity, Nigeria will continue to stand in solidarity with Morocco as they recover, rebuild and come out stronger than ever from this unfortunate event.”

Friday’s earthquake was described as Morocco’s deadliest since 2004 when a tremor in the northern Rif mountains killed over 600 people.When contacted on the effort by the Federal Government to ascertain if any Nigerian was affected, the spokesperson for the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said in a message, “None has been brought to our notice till now.”

Punch/Olaolu Fawole

Foreign

More than 600 people have died after a powerful earthquake struck central Morocco, according to the country’s interior ministry

The quake – measuring magnitude 6.8 – sent people rushing into the streets in Marrakesh and other cities

Many of the deaths were said to be in hard-to-reach mountain areas – and at least 153 people were injured

It struck just after 23:00 local time, at a relatively shallow depth 71km (44 miles) south-west of Marrakesh, according to the US Geological Survey

Unverified video clips on X (formerly Twitter) show damaged buildings and rubble-strewn streets

The number of casualties is expected to rise still further after the earthquake which is said to have hit a third of the country.

Reports say there are big difficulties in reaching remote villages in the Atlas Mountains which were hit severely by the earthquake.

It may take days before rescuers are able to reach those villages which are mainly made up of old buildings.

Even people in the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco and in Algeria, its eastern neighbour, say they felt the quake.

We have seen scenes of shocked people fleeing their homes and escaping on to the streets of Marrakesh.

And we have heard that the ancient walls of the city have been affected by the quake too.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

Morocco is recalling its ambassador to Sweden following the burning of a Koran at a demonstration in Stockholm.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rabat called the action offensive and irresponsible at a time when Muslims were celebrating one of the holiest days in their calendar.

The organiser of the demonstration who’s said to be Iraqi-born, Salwan Momik is being investigated for incitement to hatred.

A Swedish court had ruled the protest should be allowed to go ahead on the grounds of freedom of expression.

BBC / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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Sport

By Oluwakayode Banjo

Golden Eaglets of Nigeria yesterday lost their second game of the ongoing Under 17 African Cup of Nations, AFCON tournament in Algeria.

The Nigerian contingents were condemned to a 1-nil defeat to Morocco, who sits top of Group B with 6 points.

Nigeria remains in second position in the group with 3 points.

In the other game, South Africa registered their first win in the tournament with a 3-2 victory over Zambia.

Meanwhile, the only match for today will see Cameroon battle Mali at five o’clock in the evening.

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Sport

Croatia have claimed the third place spot of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after defeating Morocco by 2 goals to 1.

Croatia took the lead in the 7th minute through Josko Gvardiol, but did not last long as Achraf Dari equalized in the 9th minute to make it 1 – 1.

However, few minutes to the end of the first half, Croatia retook the lead through a Mislav Orsic strike.

Meanwhile, defending Champions, France will, on Sunday, battle Argentina in the final at the Lusail stadium at four o’clock in the evening.

Oluwakayode Banjo/Olaolu Fawole

Sport

Morocco has made history as the first African country to reach the World Cup semi-final stage, after defeating Portugal in one of the quarter-final matches at the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Morocco beat one of the tournament’s favourites, Portugal, 1-0 to emerge victorious.

Youssef En Nesyri had scored the only goal for Morocco in the first-half of the quarter-final match at Al Thumama Stadium.

The Moroccan national team had earlier stunned another tournament’s favourites, Spain, in the Round of 16 stage.

Olaolu Fawole

Sport

Bayana Bayana of South Africa have been crowned the new champions of the Women Africa Cup of Nations, WAFCON.

The South Africa female National team defeated Host Nation Morocco by 2 goals to 1 in the final of the 2022 WAFCON played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium.

South Africa took the lead in the 63rd minute through a strike from Hildah Magaia before she struck again in the 71st minute to double the lead.

The Atlas Lioness of Morocco pulled a goal back in the 80th minute through Rosella Ayane.

Despite late pressure by the Host Nation, the Bayana Bayana were able to hold on to win the game and clinch their first ever WAFCON title.

Oluwakayode Banjo

Sport

Hosts Morocco progressed on Wednesday in Rabat to their first-ever semi-finals in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations history after overcoming an exciting Botswana side 2-1.

The victory also ensured that the Atlas Lionesses also secured the country’s maiden place at the Women’s World Cup.

They qualified for next year”s competition in Australia and New Zealand following the quarter-final victory in Rabat.

The win of the Maghrebians over the Mares was thoroughly deserved even though the crowd buoyed the home side with vociferous support at Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium.

Playmaker Fatima Tagnaout was the toast of the fans as she set up both goals to ensure her side claimed the important win that put the side in the history books.

The hosts raced into the lead as they got the opening goal of the quarter-final encounter through FAR Rabat star Sanaa Mssoudy after three minutes.

Tagnaout cleverly placed a free-kick just behind the wall allowing Mssoudy to steal in from behind with a simple tap in to send the home supporters into ruptures.

The fans had barely settled in their seats following their jubilation when Botswana also responded via a free-kick.

Morocco’s lead lasted only three minutes as the Mares got the equalising goal in the sixth minute through Keitumetse Dithebe.

She hammered home the ball with goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi failing to hold.

The Atlas Lionesses restored their advantage in the second half and eventually won the game with a goal from Yasmin Mrabet who was set up by Tagnaout.

The playmaker spotted Mrabet and floated a long ball which Mrabet headed but goalkeeper Maitumelo Boseja watched the ball as it squirmed past her for the winner.

The victory means Morocco are through to the last four where they will face the winner of Thursday’s quarter-final match between Cameroon and defending champions Nigeria.

Punch / Titilayo Kupoliyi

Sport

Morocco began their Women Africa Cup of Nations, WAFCON, campaign with a win against debutants Burkina Faso on Saturday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

Mariam Ouattara failed to deal with a Ghizlane Chebbak 29th minute free-kick which creeped under her into the back of the net to give the host a 1-0 victory in front of a packed stadium.

Inexperience and naivety were Burkina Faso’s undoing on the night. Not a clear cut chance on goal and passes not sticking, they had to rely on their goalkeeper to keep them in the game

Morocco goalie, Khadija Er-Rmichi also saved twice in the 77th to keep her side in the lead.

Morcco will now turn their attention to next group opponent Uganda while Burkina Faso faces Senegal.

Vanguard /Oluwayemisi Owonikoko

Health

The kingdom of Morocco has announced its plan to produce sixty percent of the vaccine needs in Africa.

At the launch of the vaccines and biotechnology products project in Rabat, King Mohammed the sixth, noted that the project would strengthen the presence of the kingdom in the African continent, as it will be the main exporter of vaccines to other African countries.

He added that in less than five years, Morocco would be an indispensable player on the international scene in terms of vaccines as the project would focus on the manufacturing of syringe of anti-Covid vaccines and other vaccines.

The Principal Promoter of the vaccines project ,Samir Machour, affirmed that by next year, Morocco would have been able to cover the target of Africa to manufacture sixty percent of its vaccines in 2040,which currently stands at one percent.

Folasase Osigwe

Foreign

A 25-year-old Malian woman has given birth to nine babies – two more than doctors had detected during scans.

Halima Cisse gave birth to the nonuplets in Morocco. Mali’s government flew her there for specialist care.

“I’m very happy,” her husband told the BBC. “My wife and the babies [five girls and four boys] are doing well.”

A woman who had eight babies in the US in 2009 holds the Guinness World Record for the most children delivered at a single birth to survive.

Two sets of nonuplets have previously been recorded – one born to a woman in Australia in 1971 and another to a woman in Malaysia in 1999 – but none of the babies survived more than a few days.

World record holder Nadya Suleman’s octuplets have grown up and are now 12 years old. She conceived them through in vitro fertilisation.

Fanta Siby, Mali’s health minister, congratulated the medical teams in both countries for the “happy outcome”.

Ms Cisse’s pregnancy became a subject of fascination in Mali – even when it was thought she was only carrying septuplets, the Reuters news agency reports.

Doctors in the West African nation had been concerned for her welfare and the chances of the babies’ survival – so the government intervened.

After a two-week stay in a hospital in Mali’s capital, Bamako, the decision had been made to move Ms Cisse to Morocco on 30 March, Dr Siby said.

After five weeks at the Moroccan clinic, she had given birth by Caesarean section on Tuesday, the minister said.

Her husband Adjudant Kader Arby is still in Mali with the couple’s older daughter, but he says he has been in constant touch with his wife in Morocco and says he is not worried about the family’s future.

“God gave us these children. He is the one to decide what will happen to them. I’m not worried about that. When the almighty does something, he knows why,” he told BBC Afrique.

He says the family has been overwhelmed by the support they have received.

“Everybody called me! Everybody called! The Malian authorities called expressing their joy. I thank them… Even the president called me.”

The mother and her new nine babies are expected to return home in several weeks.

BBC

Health

In the coming weeks, the kingdom of Morocco would begin a massive vaccination operation against COVID-19 in the country.

This move followed the approval of the submission of the Country’s national scientific committee by King Mohammed the sixth.

In a statement issued in Rabat, the kingdom stated that, the campaign was a real response to end the acute phase of the pandemic.

The nationwide operation is expected to provide Moroccans with a vaccine as an appropriate means of immunizing against COVID- 19 and controlling its spread.

The Morocco’s National scientific committee noted that the safety, efficiency and immunogenicity of the vaccine had been proven through the clinical studies done on it.

The two-injection vaccination schedule is for citizens above 18 years ,and priority would be given to frontline workers including health workers, security officers,education works and the elderly before extending it to the rest of the population.

Afolasade Osigwe

Sport

The emergency committee of the Confederation of African Football, CAF, has approved the revised calendar for the interclub competitions which was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the committee, semifinal matches of the Confederation Cup will come up on the 22nd of next month in Morocco while the final match will be played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco five days later.

All matches will be played behind closed doors.

On the CAF Champions League, the committee decided that following the withdrawal of Cameroon Football Federation from hosting the final four of the competition, and in line with the principle of fairness, the committee decided against hosting a final four in either Egypt or Morocco, whose representatives constitute the semi-finalists, which are Al Ahly & Zamalek both from (Egypt) and Raja Club Athletic & Wydad Athletic Club from (Morocco).

To this end, the semi-final matches will be played on home and away basis, with the first leg matches to be played on 25th & 26th of next month in Morocco, while the second leg matches will be played on 2nd & 3rd October in Egypt.

Also, in the principle of fairness, the final will be played at a neutral venue in the event a team from Egypt and Morocco qualify from the semifinal.

Olaolu Fawole

Foreign News

Increasing numbers of African countries are confirming Coronavirus cases, prompting many to announce measures to control the spread of the virus.

Ghana is the latest nation to ban entry to foreign visitors from countries badly impacted by the disease.

Earlier, South Africa declared a state of disaster, closing its borders to foreign nationals from countries badly impacted by the disease. The ban includes China, Iran, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US.

Kenya has also imposed sweeping travel restrictions, blocking entry to all travelers coming from countries with reported cases. On Sunday, the government confirmed two more cases of Coronavirus, taking the total number to three.

Djibouti, which has no confirmed case, has suspended all international flights. Tanzania, which also has no confirmed case, has cancelled flights to India.

Morocco has also suspended all international flights from its airports. The North African state has 28 confirmed cases, including one death.

The prime minister of Libya’s internationally recognized government, Fayez Sarraj, also announced the closure of Libya’s airspace and land borders as a preventative measure starting from Monday.

In neighbouring Algeria, which has 48 Coronavirus cases, officials announced they would be suspending all flights to France as of Tuesday.

In Tunisia, Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh has ordered the closure of all borders and a ban on large gatherings, including congregation prayers in mosques. The country has confirmed 20 cases of the virus.

Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi has suspended all gatherings of 300 people or more. He has also suspended all foreign travel by state officials – including his own visits to Equatorial Guinea and Palestinian territories that were scheduled for later this month.

The virus is now confirmed to be present in at least 26 nations across the continent.

BBC NEWS

Foreign

A second person in Senegal has tested positive for Coronavirus, the country’s health ministry confirms.

It says the patient is an 80-year-old French national who arrived in the West African country on 29 February.

He is being treated at the same hospital for infectious diseases in the capital city, Dakar, where another Frenchman was hospitalised for Coronavirus last week.

News of this second confirmed case in Senegal brings the total number of confirmed cases on the African continent to 12.

Other countries with patients who tested positive for the virus are Algeria – five people; Egypt- two people; Morocco – one person; Nigeria – one person and Tunisia – one person.

Senegal is one of the 33 sub-Saharan African nations with testing facilities for Coronavirus. The authorities say they are well prepared to deal with the virus.

On Monday the World Health Organization, WHO, told the BBC it expects the remaining 14 sub-Saharan nations currently without testing equipment to gain facilities within a fortnight.

BBC NEWS