Israeli army chief makes first Morocco visit by AFP Staff Writers Rabat (AFP) July 18, 2022
Israel's army chief arrived in Morocco on Monday for meetings with senior defence officials, military sources said, as cooperation between the countries expands following a normalisation of ties. Aviv Kohavi's three-day trip is the first official visit of an Israeli army chief to the North African kingdom. Kohavi will meet Morocco's minister delegate in charge of defence administration, Abdellatif Loudiyi, as well as the Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk, and senior defence officials, an Israeli spokesman said. Morocco had cut relations with Israel in 2000 following the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada, but re-established ties two decades later in a deal that saw Washington recognise Rabat's sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara. Since then, a steady stream of Moroccan and Israeli officials have visited each others' countries and signed cooperation deals in various fields. They have included Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, who on a visit to the kingdom in November last year signed a security agreement making it easier for Rabat to acquire high-tech exports from Israel's defence industry. Last month, Israeli military observers for the first time attended the annual "African Lion" military exercise -- vast drills involving thousands of personnel from several nations, co-organised by Morocco and the United States. And in March, an Israeli army delegation met with Moroccan officers in Rabat, in the first visit of its kind since the 2020 normalisation deal, signing a military cooperation agreement. The North African kingdom's mending of relations with Israel re-ignited its long-standing rivalry with Algeria, which in August last year cut diplomatic ties with Rabat. Algiers cited "hostile acts" and Morocco's relations -- including on military and security issues -- with "the Zionist entity", referring to Israel. Morocco considers the Western Sahara an integral part of the kingdom, while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front has long demanded an independence referendum there.
Tunisia soldier killed in border clash with smugglers: ministry "This afternoon, a military patrol operating in the militarised border area of Bourj al-Khadra responded to an attempted entry of six smuggled vehicles," the ministry said. The vehicle occupants opened fire and the patrol responded, prompting the attackers to flee, with one soldier left dead and another wounded in the shootout, the ministry added. Fuel, food products, electronic equipment and other products are smuggled across the border regions between Libya, Tunisia and Algeria, with smugglers taking advantage in particular of chaos in Libya since the 2011 fall of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising.
Chinese man charged with human trafficking in Malawi Lilongwe, Malawi (AFP) July 18, 2022 A Chinese national accused of racism and exploiting children in Malawi was charged with human trafficking in the capital Lilongwe on Monday, local media reported. Lu Ke, 26, was arrested last month in neighbouring Zambia for illegal entry after fleeing Malawi when allegations of abuse surfaced. He allegedly filmed children singing racist chants about themselves in Chinese - which they did not understand - and then selling the videos on Chinese social media. Lu was extradited to Malawi an ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |