Rabat - Tickets are on sale for a performance by American singer Jennifer Lopez at Mawazine Festival at OLM Stage in the capital Rabat. Ticket prices will start at MAD1200.

J LO's concert on May 28th will see the 'Jenny from the Block' star performing her famous songs and hits alongside musicians and dancers, including her 28-year-old dancer boyfriend Casper Smart. He is expected to join Lopez during the performance of her hit song "Dance Again".

The 45-year-old Diva's performance is expected to last for two hours in which she will show off in multiple outfits.

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Rabat - The first images have emerged of the crash site of a Moroccan F-16 warplane which was reportedly shot down in northern Yemen by Houthi rebels on Sunday.

Images have emerged showing wreckage from the Moroccan F-16 warplane scattered in a terrain in Yemen. Parts of the plane with the Moroccan flag on it are seen scattered around the crash site. The plane is believed to have exploded on impact.

This comes as Iran-backed Shia group claimed responsibility for the downing of the Moroccan warplane in the Saada region in the north of the country.

Royal Armed Forces (FAR) said in a statement they lost track of one of the F-16s made at the disposal of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia to restore the legitimacy in Yemen.

The Houthi group said the Moroccan warplane was conducting air strikes when it was downed by a surface-to-air missile on Sunday, reports say.

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Rabat - Houthi rebels in northern Yemen released the first images of what is said to be the corpse of Moroccan pilot whose F-16 warplane was reportedly shot down on Sunday.

Supporters of the Iran-backed Shia group shared gruesome photos of what they claim to be the body of the Moroccan warplane's pilot near the crash site.

Morocco World News decided not to republish the photos, which are available on a number of Iranian websites.

The Moroccan pilot crashed his warplane flying on a mission for the Saudi-led coalition aimed at restoring legitimacy in Yemen in the Saada province.

Houthi rebels claimed to have shot down the plane using surface-to-air missiles, but the plane is believed to have crashed because of technical difficulties.

Houthi militants also published images showing wreckage from the Moroccan F-16 warplane scattered in a mountainous terrain in Yemen.

Photo: Alleged Corps of Moroccan F-16 pilot

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Rabat - Exploration company Circle Oil said they are 'delighted' with preliminary results of testing of the well SAH-W1 in the onshore Sebou permit.

The Limerick-based company, which operates in North Africa and the Middle East, said the well was drilled to a total depth of 1,263 meters in June 2014, with gas shows encountered at different levels within the target "Guebbas sands".

The well is located within the western-central area of the Sebou Permit, about 3.2 kilometers to the south-west of the main gas gathering station.

The lowermost Guebbas zone has 3.6 meters of net pay and the test over this interval flowed at a sustained rate of 4.94 MMscf /d on a 24/64 choke during a period of 5 hours, the company said.

"We are delighted with the results of the SAH-W1 well test. This was the first well of our third drilling campaign, drilled with our partner ONHYM in the Sebou permit and is coupled with our drilling programme in the Lalla Mimouna permit," Chairman Steve Jenkins said.

"We believe that this well has the potential to add significant volumes to our reserves for gas production and at rates not subject to price fluctuation due to fixed price contracts."

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Rabat- Morocco’s Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid expressed his disagreement with France's decision to ban Muslim women from wearing the full-face veil, news website le360 reported.

Speaking during an event organized by the Popular Movement Party, a member of the governmental coalition, the Justice Minister referred to a law passed by the French parliament in 2010 prohibiting the concealment of the face in public spaces.

In addition to Muslim veils, the banning decision also covers the wearing of face-covering headgear, including masks, helmets, balaclava, and other veils covering the face in public spaces.

"What wrongdoing has been committed by any girl in France to prohibit them from wearing the veil in public space," Ramid said. "This is unfair," he added.

Ramid said there are some people who are trying to provoke Muslims into doing something wrong by lampooning Islam and the Prophet Mohammed.

The Minister was referring to the attacks on the satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo earlier this year whose cartoonists and writers were targeted by gunmen for depicting the Prophet.

During the event on the proposed amendments to the Moroccan Penal Code, Ramid defended penalties against people planning harm or talking ill about religion, homeland and the monarchy.

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Rabat- A local official of the Spanish Red Cross is accused of sexually abusing three Moroccan minors.

Joaquim Homs, who was the president of the Red Cross in the city of Banyoles located in the province of Girona in northeastern Catalonia, is suspected of sexually abusing three young Moroccans between 2006 and 2011 in exchange for employment and status legalization.

According to Spanish media reports, the victims claim that Joaquim Homs had been forcing the three minors into sleeping naked with him. He also kissed them and touched their genitals.

According to Spanish website 20minutos, one of the victim said that the suspect used to tell them that the "touching and kissing were normal, that they love them and was the only who could help them. The victim added that Homs did what “he wanted with them” and took advantage of the fact that they depended on him for their livelihood in the country.

Most of the abuses took place in his home, but also in the offices of the Red Cross and even inside ambulances.

The same source added that the prosecutor requested 18 years in prison for the former Red Cross local official on three counts of sexual abuse and child prostitution. He could also pay a fine of 7,200 euros and 9,000 euros to the three victims as a compensation.

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Rabat - Morocco's Office of Hydrocarbons and Mining (ONHYM) announced Monday positive test results for the SAH-W1 well in the western-central area of the Sebou Permit, onshore Morocco.

Well flows were 140,000 cubic meters per day, and production will start at the end of June this year, the Rabat-based ONYM said in a statement.

The well is located within the western-central area of the Sebou Permit, about 3.2 kms to the south-west of the main gas gathering station. The well was drilled to a TD of 1,263 meters MD in June 2014, with gas shows encountered at different levels within the target Guebbas sands.

As is normal practice, Circle Oil will produce from the lowermost Guebbas zone followed by the Main Guebbas zone sequentially from the bottom up, where the highest pressure is present.

The lowermost Guebbas zone has 3.6 metres of net pay and the test over this interval flowed at a sustained rate of 4.94 MMscf/d on a 24/64" choke during a period of 5 hours.

"We are delighted with the results of the SAH-W1 well test. This was the first well of our third drilling campaign, drilled with our partner ONHYM in the Sebou permit and is coupled with our drilling programme in the Lalla Mimouna permit. We believe that this well has the potential to add significant volumes to our reserves for gas production and at rates not subject to price fluctuation due to fixed price contracts", Steve Jenkins, Chairman of Circle Oil, said.

With MAP

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Rabat - Ethiopian officials announced on Monday in Rabat its intention to open an embassy in Morocco.

The announcement was made by Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Tedros Adhanom, who said that this steps aims to "strengthen bilateral relations and strengthen the partnership" between Morocco and Ethiopia.

He recalled that the two countries have signed several agreements in the fields of agriculture, education, health and services as well as a memorandum of understanding establishing a joint ministerial commission.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Tedros Adhanom, and Finance and Economy Minister, Sufian Ahmed, started an official visit to Morocco on Monday.

Moroccan Foreign Minister, Salaheddine Mezouar, described the Ethiopian officials’ visit to Morocco as “historic.”

“The visit of Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom and Finance and Economy Minister Sufian Ahmed to Morocco is a strong signal of the two countries' desire to build strong and forward-looking relationships, Morocco’s Foreign Minister said Monday in Rabat.

This historic visit ‘will give new impetus to Moroccan-Ethiopian relations, which have always been marked by respect and mutual consideration, Mezouar said following a meeting with the two Ethiopian officials.

He added that discussions have stressed the need to firmly commit to building a partnership through the signing of new generation agreements, establishing a continuous political dialogue and sharing experiences that will be mutually beneficial.

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Rabat- Casablanca's mayor, Mohamed Sajid, said in a statement that Sindibad Amusement Park, Morocco’s only amusement park, will officially reopen on May 25.

The Sindibad Amusement Park originally opened in 2006, before it had to close its doors for refurbishment.

It was set to reopen earlier this year, but local authorities were forced to delay the reopening several times because the modifications were not finished.

However, The Amusement Park is finally set to reopen its doors on May 25, as it seems ready to host hordes of tourists and locals who will come to enjoy a variety of traditional rides and activities.

The Sindibad Amusement Park has been given a new lease on life. In addition to the traditional rides, such as the roller coaster, dizzying dodgems, slides, and paddleboats, there will also be a zoo and an archaeological park.

The zoo is said to cover the half of the whole park, and will exhibit animal species from five continents. The park will also offer hotels located near the coast, with views of the bay of Casablanca, in addition to shops, a clubhouse, a beach club, and a forest with picnic areas, as well as trails dedicated for walking and cycling.

Last September, Alami Lazrek, CEO of Group Alliances, said in a press release that prices will be affordable for everyone. “The ticket prices have been determined to be estimated at MAD25 ($2.90 US) per person and MAD 70 ($8.10 US) for a family of four members,” he explained.

Lazrek added that Sindibad Park will include free games along with paid games, whose ticket price will be estimated at MAD 15 ($1.80 US).

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By Chaymaa Rhou

Rabat - Imilchil is located in the region of the High Atlas of Morocco, where the myriad array of tribal cultures have mixed for centuries. 

This land is known for many myths, one of which is the annual Imilchil Festival which celebrates the marriage of couples who they have only just met on the day of this ceremony. The festival has become a tourist attraction where men from all over the world are welcome to attend and find a spouse in the crowd.

This ritual celebration is marked by its traditional tribal heritage. Each woman participant in this ceremony is asked to dress in the customary wardrobe to show men that she’s either divorced, never married, or widowed.

To the tribes of Ait Hdidou, the story of Romeo and Juliet is not only considered a mythical tragedy, but also a story of history of two actual lovers from the region’s past. Indeed, it is said that the Tisly and Isli rivers are filled by the tears of the ancient tribal lovers.

[caption id="attachment_158233" align="aligncenter" width="891"] One of the rivers in Imilchil in the morning light. Photo by Chaymaa Rhou[/caption]

These star-crossed lovers were victims of the unfair decision made by their families to reject their proposed marriage. It is in this combination of myth and history that the annual ceremony in Imilchil began to take shape as a symbol of love, giving all the right to choose one’s life partner in order to avoid the pain caused by hopeless love and rapture.

I was curious for a while, and decided to investigate deeper to uncover the hidden story of the women of the village and to discover if this festival gave men more choice in the arrangement than the women being selected. I was surprised by the local population stating that men do not have the power I presupposed, but must only make a first step using a sign that I will discuss later.

Many books and articles have been written on the women of North Africa without ethical considerations, which is very important. One book that discusses this topic is Amazigh Arts: Women Shaping Berber Identity by Cynthia Becker (2006). She addresses the topic of the strong Berber women of Ait Khabbash in Morocco. These women are known for their skill in weaving carpets and working in wool and illustrates the ability of these women to produce and work hard as active participants in Amazigh culture, while also producing a snapshot of the other tasks they perform to survive the trying conditions of the local weather.

[caption id="attachment_158234" align="aligncenter" width="897"] Women working on wool in a local house based in the village. Photo by Chaymaa Rhou[/caption]

Becker’s descriptions of the wool, the textile trade, and the steps needed for the local women to attain high quality creations from natural materiel relies on her visual methaphors drawn from within the Ait Kharbash culture, a culture with many similarities to other Berber tribes in concepts of gender identity.

Another book that discusses a similar topic is The Magical Life of Berber Women in Kabylia by Makilam. Adding to Becker’s discussion on the process of wool shearing and spinning preparations by women of this region, it also contains a very important discussion of body language, an entirely oral tradition that has never been written down, as most women of the region are illiterate.

This is partly related to the topic of this article, because the affirmation to a man’s proposal made by the admired woman in the celebration is based on her body signs and language.

[caption id="attachment_158236" align="aligncenter" width="837"] Future generation of the village : "Young and beautiful." Photo by Chaymaa Rhou[/caption]

During my inquiry into the topic of women in Imilchil and how they are representative of gender, power, and marriage in the region as evidenced in the annual festival organized in the village, I’ve attempted to consider other factors that encourage local women to participate in this marriage ceremony.

One of many factors I’ve included in my observations has been the “spinster phenomenon,” which is common in Morocco.

This phenomenon represents an issue and cultural context within Morocco. Across the entire Kingdom, women who remain single in our society are believed to bring shame to their families.

Also, the isolated location of the village and its lack of schools and possibility to meet potential mates represents a role in organizing the Imilchil Festival.

Imilchil is such a complex place with such a rich and diverse people that conclusions about power and gender in the region may yield fascinating results.

It is for this reason that we need many efforts to shed light on similar topics that consider other isolated tribes in Morocco who have a rich historical background and a differing cultural traditions in which future ethnographic research and sociological analyses may be conducted.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Rabat - A Moroccan rapper was arrested on May 8 by the judicial police in Casablanca for dissemination of obscene materials on social media platforms.

The rapper, who goes by the stage name Chaht Man, is accused of sharing a video recording on social media of him and another woman having a sexual relation.

According to news website AlYaoum24, the member of the rap band called Casa Crew was arrested after an association in the Bernoussi area in Casablanca lodged a complaint against him.

The 37-year-old rapper and the young woman, 21, who appeared in the video, were arrested in a café downtown Casablanca.

Chaht Man is currently in custody and was reportedly questioned by the public prosecutor of the Court of First Instance of Casablanca. During questioning, the rapper admitted to filming the sex tape with the consent of the woman.

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Rabat- Moroccan cleric, Abdel Bari Zamzami, has hailed as a martyr a Moroccan pilot whose F-16 warplane was reportedly shot down by Houti rebels in northern Yemen on Sunday.

Zamzami is the president of the Moroccan association of contemporary cataclysmic jurisprudence research and studies and is one of the founders of the international Union of Muslim Scholars.

According to him, the Moroccan pilot should be commemorated as "a martyr for the sake of Allah if his death has been confirmed, because he was fighting against the outlaws [of Islam]."

On Monday, the Iran-backed Shia group claimed responsibility for the downing of the Moroccan warplane in the Saada region in the north of the country, but the plane is believed to have crashed because of technical difficulties.

They also released images of what is said to be the corpse of the Moroccan pilot who has been identified as 26-year-old Air Force Lieutenant Yassine Bohti.

Zamzami said that" fighting against those outlaws [referring to the Shia Islam Houthi rebels] is a necessary duty in the defense of religion, and those who lose their lives in the battle are considered martyrs for the sake of Allah."

He added that Ansar Allah, known more popularly as the Houthis, "belong to the Shia branch of Islam, and Shiites are worse than Jews, and their harm is more dangerous than the harm of Jews."

Supporters of the Iran-backed Shia group shared gruesome photos of what they claim to be the body of the Moroccan warplane’s pilot near the crash site.

The Moroccan pilot crashed his warplane as he was flying on a mission in the Saada province for the Saudi-led coalition, which seeks to restore legitimacy in Yemen.

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Washington DC- With the Western Sahara conflict in a stalemate at the United Nations, It is time for Morocco and Algeria to resolve their long standing territorial dispute over the Eastern Sahara. The regions of Bechar and Tindouf where the source of 1963 Sand War and are still at the heart of the current “cold” war between the two nations. Since the Algerian military establishment will never agree to a settlement in the Western Sahara without an agreement over its borders demarcation with Morocco, an international diplomatic campaign highlighting territorial issues with Algeria remains the only choice for Rabat.

Morocco must force Algeria to acknowledge that there is indeed a territorial dispute. The row is not over the Western but rather the Eastern Sahara. It is time to cut to the source of the conflict before the current dangerous situation in Sahrawi camps in Tindouf bursts into an open military conflict between to the two highly militarized neighbors.

On the surface there are clear differences between the Eastern Sahara dispute that opposes Morocco and Algeria over their Eastern borders and goes back to 1963, and the Western Sahara  conflict that began in 1975 with Morocco’s recapture of its southern province from colonial Spain.  However, the geopolitical games between the two parties make the two conflicts as one. Algeria’s military rulers have been weary of Moroccan claims since the end of the Sand War and understand that a resolution to the Western Sahara dispute will free up Morocco to reclaim Tindouf and Beshar.

The “Western- Eastern Sahara dispute” has its origin in 1956 when France’s colonial administration negotiated the independence with Morocco and set the borders between Morocco and what is called Algeria today. Since Algeria never existed as an independent entity it is hard to define a clear delineation of its border with Tunisia, Mauritania or Morocco.

All experts agree that Algeria and Morocco inherited ill-defined frontier parameters from colonial France. Since Paris intended to keep Algeria French, the colonial authorities annexed the eastern provinces before granting Morocco its independence. Bechar and Tindouf were historically under the rules of Moroccan Kings and, thus, should have been returned to Morocco.

Since an Algerian nation never had clear borders, modern law will likely side with the Moroccan claims. Long established religious and tribal ties of Eastern Sahara inhabitants to Moroccan Sultans will give the Kingdom a strong claim to sovereignty over the territory.

The legacy of the Sand War is evident in the Algerian official positions in the Western Sahara dossier. For Algiers, Morocco cannot be trusted since it turned against a young Algerian republic right after the independence. While in fact, it was Algeria’s first President Benbella who betrayed late King Hassan by reneging on his promise to reconsider the borders demarcation between the two nations.

King Hassan II consented to Morocco’s Eastern borders as marked by Colonial France with the intent to negotiate with the Algerian “brothers” rather than the occupying forces. But once it was evident that the Algerians were not keen in keeping their bargain, King Hassan decided to take action and recover the Moroccan territories lost to French Algeria.

If Morocco “won” most of the battles, the Algerian diplomacy won the Sand War. Late King Hassan put too much trust on the Algerian, the African and the Arab “good will” in resolving the crisis. Today, it is evident that Rabat mismanaged the post Sand War diplomatic campaigns, while the Algerians compounded their successes by bogging down the Moroccans in the Western Sahara.

Morocco’s wavering campaign for the returns of Tindouf and Beshar was a mistake that the Algerian sized on once the Western Sahara conflict erupted in 1975. The then-president Boumediene was quick to adopt the Polisario independent movement in the Western Sahara and turn it into a proxy militia serving Algerian interest and fighting for Algerian causes.

The Internationalization of the Western Sahara conflict pushed the Eastern Sahara dossier off the scene. However, it is time to bring it back to the forefront and look at its impact on the current military and political insecurity in North Africa.

Resolving the Algerian-Moroccan border dispute is key to ending the Western Sahara crisis. An Algerian compromise on the sovereignty of the Western Sahara in exchange of a Moroccan final agreement on the eastern borders may be the only way out of this simmering row. This will require courage form the Algerians and assertiveness from the Moroccans, something that is unfortunately lacking.

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Rabat- PJD chief Abdelilah Benkirane has reportedly told the general secretariat of his party that Ministers Habib Choubani and Soumia Benkhaldoun will lose their posts in the government reshuffle.

According to media reports, the reshuffle is expected to be announced on Friday before the holding of the Ministers Council on the same day under the chairmanship of King Mohammed VI.

Habib Choubani, Minister Delegate in charge of Relations between Parliament and Civil Society and Soumia Benkhaldoun, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Higher Education, will not be part of the third version of the Benkirane government. They are expected to be replaced by new ministers from the Party of Justice and Development.

The post of Sports and Youth Minister, which has been vacant since the dismissal of former Minister Mohammed Ouzzine in the wake of the Rabat Stadium fiasco, is expected to be filled by a new minister from the Popular Movement Party (MP).

Abdelilah Benkirane recently expressed discontent regarding the romance between Habib Choubani and Soumia Benkhaldoun.

Benkirane said the "ministerial couple" has tarnished the image of the Party of Justice and Development, because it served as a golden opportunity for political rivals to criticize the Islamist party.

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Rabat- Moroccans who belong to the Shia branch of Islam celebrate on Facebook the "Yemeni resistance" for shooting down a Moroccan F-16 warplane over Yemen on Sunday.

A Facebook page called "Shiaate Al Maghrib Al Aqssa" praised Ansar Allah Shiite rebels in Yemen, known more popularly as the Houthis, after they claimed Monday to have shot down a Moroccan F-16 fighter jet taking part in the Saudi-led coalition targeting them and forces allied to deposed Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the northern province of Saada.

The Moroccan Shiite minority have also condemned Morocco's involvement with Saudi Arabia in the military campaign against Yemen. In fact, the kingdom made six F-16 fighter jets at the disposal of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia with the aim of restoring legitimacy in Yemen.

They also hailed regional Shiite power Iran for backing the Houthis militarily in their fight against what they described as the" Saudi-Wahhabi aggression."

The Moroccan F-16 is the second warplane to go down in the raging conflict. Another jet crashed off Yemen's southern coast. Houthis claimed to have shot down the jet fighters using anti-aircraft guns. However, technical problems are said to have caused the crashes.

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By Zineb El Mechrafi

Boston- A second major earthquake shook Nepal just 17 days after the first devastating quake, killing 42 and injuring 1,117, the Nepali government said. The tremors have been felt as far away a New Delhi and sent people running into streets and open areas.

Tuesday's magnitude of the earthquake was 7.3 while it struck at a depth of about 15 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The epicenter was located in an isolated area approximately 11 miles from the town of Kodari, a border crossing from Nepal to Tibet, and 47 miles from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu.  A woman in Tibet, which is part of China, was also killed when falling rocks hit her car as it traveled through Gyirong, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

At least 17 more people died in northeastern India as a result of the earthquake, according to Indian Home Ministry spokesman Kuldeep Dhatwalia. Sixteen of those deaths were in Bihar state, while the other was in Uttar Pradesh.

Witnesses have spotted significant landslides and the collapse of buildings that were already damaged and unstable from the first earthquake. Prakash Banjara, 22, was volunteering to deliver food and supplies to villages in Sindhupalchowk when “the earth started shaking so violently.”

“The mountains before my eyes started tumbling down in massive landslides,” Mr. Banjara said. “There are continuous landslides in this area” and the road was “completely blocked by landslides”.

Aid workers reported serious damage to some villages seen from the air as the country still struggles to recover from the devastation while in constant fear.

A 21-year-old Nepalese nursing student Shristi Mainali told NBC News from Kathmandu." At first we just felt like a shake, and we thought it was normal, we are having aftershock, but it didn't stop, so we got up and rushed to our garden. We could see the ground moving, shaking … in that moment you cannot differentiate whether it's the ground is shaking or it's your legs shaking." Just as the residents were trying to return to normality after this dramatic event that Mother Nature has decided to strike again.

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Rabat- Officials of the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen said on Tuesday that a technical fault or human error caused the crash of the Moroccan F-16 warplane in the Saada province.

This comes after the Iran-backed Shia group claimed responsibility for the “downing” of the Moroccan warplane last weekend in the Saada region in the north of the country. On Monday morning, the Royal Armed Forces said in a statement they had lost track of one of the F-16s made at the disposal of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia to restore the legitimacy in Yemen.

Speaking to Agence France Press on Tuesday, Brigadier General Ahmed Al-Assiri said, "we are definitely sure it was not shot down." He added that the Moroccan pilot, who remains missing, was part of a formation and other fighter jets "did not notice any firing from the ground."

Wreckage of the jet was spotted in a mountainous terrain in northern Yemen, Assiri said.  He called on the Shia militia to contact the Red Cross about the pilot's fate. "We ask these militias to be responsible about his life if he is alive or about his body if he is dead."

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Rabat  -  King Mohammed VI has accepted the resignation of three cabinet ministers, the King's Office said.

These are El Habib Choubani, Minister of Relations with the Parliament and Civil Society, Somaia Benkhaldoun, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Executive Training, and Abdelaadim Guerrouj, Minister of National Education and Vocational Training, the King's Office said in a statement.

Pursuant to Article 47 of the Constitution, the Government Chief has submitted to HM King Mohammed VI the resignation requests of the three ministers, the statement said, adding that HM the King has accepted these requests.

HM the King also instructed the Government Chief to submit to the Sovereign proposals for the appointment of new ministers to the vacant ministerial portfolios, including the portfolio of Youth and Sports.

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New York- A Moroccan man is wanted by the FBI and the New York Police Department for allegedly stabbing his wife, an official source acquainted with the subject told Morocco World News.

The incident happened on Sunday in Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs of New York City.

According to the same source, the couple, who has a young child, has been in the process of a divorce.

The Moroccan national, Mostafa Labilidi, is accused of stabbing his wife, who is being hospitalized in one of New York’s hospitals for damage to her liver.

The alleged assailant is still on the run and has not yet been located by the FBI.

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Rabat - Two Moroccans were arrested on Tuesday in Spain in connection with recruiting for terror group the Islamic State. They are accused of using the internet to help the Islamic State (IS) in their recruitment effort.

The two Moroccans were arrested in Cornella del LIobregat (Barcelona suburb) following an eight-month investigation, the Spanish Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by Spanish media.

"The two were responsible for a cell based in Spain dedicated to the compilation and distribution of a terrorist nature which praised and advocated for the jihadist terrorist group Daesh. The two men "ensnared, radicalized and indoctrinated new militants to serve the organization in the future," the statement added.

The Moroccan pair is also accused of organizing closed-door meetings in homes and at a mosque with "the sole goal of impregnating terrorist ideals in future militants," the Ministry said.

Spain conducted a string of operations in recent months against jihadist recruitment networks operating in the country.

Last month, Spanish police arrested 11 people with suspected links to the Islamic State. In March, four members of the same family were arrested with links to a network recruiting wannabe jihadists to go to Syria.

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