http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/199697,moroccan-court-bans-pro-israeli-berber-party.html
Rabat - A Moroccan court Thursday banned an Amazigh party on the grounds that the law did not allow parties based on religion, language or ethnicity, judicial sources said Thursday. The court in Rabat confirmed the earlier decision of the Interior Ministry, which had refused to recognize the Democratic Amazigh Moroccan Party (PDAM), which had been established in July.

None of the other parties showed solidarity towards the PDAM, largely because the party had championed the full normalization of Morocco's relations with Israel.

The founder of the PDAM, Ahmed Dgharni, sparked a scandal in December by visiting Tel Aviv for a political conference.

The PDAM sought to represent Morocco's Imazighen (plural of Amazigh), also known as Berbers, regarded as the original inhabitants of North Africa before the arrival of Arabs and Islam.

Many estimates put the number of Imazighen at about 35 per cent of Morocco's population of more than 30 million, but most Moroccans have at least some Amazigh blood.

Morocco does not have Amazigh parties, though it has parties with many Amazigh members

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2326961,prtpage-1.cms
There’s a whole new twist in the palate of the city dwellers today; as young and old alike are vying for the rarest cuisines dished out from all parts of the world.

What do you want the chef at your favourite restaurant to dish up for you? Move over from the lemon and honey chicken or the good old ‘dum pukht biryani’ as exotica seems to be the new flavour for food. If dishes like rum filled strawberry daiquiris or ‘mille fuille’ of cheese with Bolognese sauce seem a tad too avante garde to you, then chances are you haven’t really arrived – as far as urban feasting is concerned.

The most hip and happening eateries in the country are now busy serving the most nouvelle cuisines to satiate the senses of the diners. So what is it that makes urban Indians shell out lots of moolah on dishes they had never before heard of? Is it a new sense of exploring the unknown that draws our palate towards rare fare or are we a country of great gourmands who love to appreciate epicurean delights?

Answers Charan Kukreja, managing director, Ambrossia Restaurant consultants, “It’s true that Indians are great connoisseurs of food, otherwise how else would you justify the rich cooking traditions in the Indian kitchens. But what is also remarkable is that today Indians are ready to dine with delight on the food that is nicely cooked. No matter what part of the world it comes from.”

Arab allure
Socialite Tikka Shatrujit Singh says, “I am a self confessed foodie and I love to try out newer cuisines. I am quite fond of Moroccan dishes as they are so rich in taste and are a delicate blend of spices, simmered with so much passion that you can feel it in the food.”

To transport you to Arabian deserts is Shalom, a lounge in Delhi, which is ready to give you a terrific treat with its new pan-Arabic cuisine. From the yummy Moroccan harira soup, which is a lamb broth flavoured with cinnamon, spaghetti and lemon to grilled prawns with Jordanian lentils that are served with pomegranate and cinnamon sauce, you can have a taste of authentic Arab cuisine in the capital city.

The chef maintains that the new cuisine is a definite hit with the glitterati as the diners are flocking in to try out the food. The most popular dishes are Dubai Duck - is a roast duck cooked in Arabic spices and served with lemon and apricot salad. Rubya Mishwa, which are prawns marinated in Arabic spices is also appealing to the Indian palate.

For desserts there are a host of choices but for a true blue Arab experience the chef recommends Baklava, a carefully cooked desert popular in the region. No wonder the place gets a huge draw with the celebs in the city. Designer sisters Gauri and Nainika maintain, “We love visiting Shalom because of the varied choices they offer in food and also the ambience is superb.”

Model and item girl Malaika Arora Khan says, “I am not a great cook so I often prefer to eat out, I have tried Arab cuisine and I like the flavour. I am glad to find many eateries in Mumbai also serving this gourmet grub.” TV actor, Pooja Bedi says, “I love visiting to this superb eatery called Frangipani in Mumbai which serves some great cuisines.”

Sea food surprise
While the Mediterranean grub has fast found favour with Indian taste buds, cuisines from the Far East are also getting a big draw. Adds Kukreja who runs almost half a dozen luxury eating joints in the capital, “We realized that sea food is a favourite almost amongst all age groups. So we decided to give sea food lovers a bonus by bringing to them tastes from southeast Asia. The Malaysian food festival at our restaurant Ploof recently gathered as much intrigue as interest.”

The eatery is known for some of its authentic dishes like Japanese Wakane Salad with iceberg and Japanese plum dressing, Chicken Xacutti in traditional Goan spices and grilled vegetable ratatouille.

While this trend of peregrine food fare was earlier limited to travel trips abroad today it’s not rare to find women ladling out newer dishes right in their kitchens. Model and actor Simone Singh says, “My husband Fahad and I are fond of throwing parties at home and I sometimes don the chef’s hat during these dinners. If I may say, my guests just love the exotic olives I cook.”

Most of the Mumbai celebs can also be seen flocking to a swanky eatery called Tetsuma in town. The chef explains, “Our sushi and sashimi platter is gaining immense popularity and we see people coming to try it out specifically. The other ‘in demand’ dishes include California Crab Roll and Chilean Sea bass with soya beans. More than anything else it is the craze of something new that is appealing to the masses.

Concept culture
But its not only about a superlative culinary fare sometimes it is also a concept that draws a huge response.

Urban Pind - an eatery in the heart of Delhi - has started a unique concept of Kama Art menu. The menu abounds in dishes that act as aphrodisiacs. So as you sit down at the dimly lit cosy restaurant amidst replicas of Ajanta and Ellora caves on the walls you can order dishes like Artichoke Heart stuffed with dry fruits, which the chef promises is very powerful for a young couple.

The cocktails too promise to give you a prolonged kick and also have rib-tickling names like Palang Tod (bed breaker) - a blend of Vodka, Bacardi, Tequila, Cranberry Juice and Pineapple Juice with a hint of Saffron as a garnish. For those who want to try mocktails, Kamasutra Shake, which is a blend of Orange Juice, Mango Juice, Pineapple Juice, Strawberry Crush and Fresh cream guarantees to blow your mind.

Model and actor Deepika Padukone says, “I am based in Mumbai now, which is the hub of all kind of world cusines. But even in my hometown Bangalore, the trend is fast catching up. I remember, while growing up my imagination never went far from idlis or appams for breakfast but the new generation is gorging on unheard dishes. I myself don’t mind trying it as long as they are healthy.” She signs off.

So whether you are munching on Himalayan rainbow trout from the Far East, the New Zealand green shell mussles or Pink caviar sushi a gastronomic pleasure to the gut is guaranteed.

France's Pierre et Vacance, operating in vacation resorts, will invest Euro270 million in a tourist project in Morocco with a capacity of 10,000 beds. According to MAP, the investment program includes the building of resorts in the tourist cities of Marrakech and Agadir, and tourist residences and apartments in Tangier, Rabat and Casablanca.

In total, 2,264 units/apartments will be built by 2013, under a memorandum of understanding signed between Europe's largest operator in vacation resorts and the Moroccan government during the 9th ministerial joint meeting held recently in Rabat. The project will allow for creation of 700 direct and stable jobs, the Moroccan Tourism Ministry said.
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/226267

Of all the emotions Kate and Gerry McCann have felt over the past year, among the worst must be not knowing what happened to their daughter.

Racked with guilt over leaving their children alone while they dined with friends, plagued by questions of "what if" and even receiving hate mail, one year on the couple still don't know where their daughter Madeleine is.

Madeleine disappeared from the McCann's holiday apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia de Luz on May 3, 2007, just days before her fourth birthday.

With the anniversary looming, her parents have launched a new media offensive, just as they did on a global scale in the days after Madeleine vanished.

As part of their latest publicity campaign aimed at maintaining the child's profile, 40-year-old Kate revealed this week she had clung to other milestones during the search for her little girl.

At 17 days she tried to comfort herself with thoughts of a missing boy who had been found after that time.

An abducted Belgian girl Sabine Dardenne was found after 80 days.

About 277 days into the search, Kate desperately hoped Madeleine could come home just like Elizabeth Smart did nine months after her kidnapping in the US.

At that thought, during a documentary which aired last night, Kate broke down in tears - something she had been criticised for not doing enough in the early days of Madeleine's disappearance.

"You're never going to get to a day where we think, 'OK, we've tried everything now and we're exhausted and we need to start living,' " she told ITV after regaining her composure.

"I just think we need to know because I can't imagine ever getting to that day.

"I just think we need to know because the thought of living like this for another 40 years isn't exactly a happy prospect."

With echoes of baby Azaria Chamberlain's disappearance in Australia in 1980, Madeleine's story has captured attention around the world and with more twists and turns than the McCanns would ever have expected.

Both articulate doctors, they immediately set about publicising Madeleine's image and making appeals for her safe return, hoping someone would recognised her, or her captor(s) would give her up.

That meant making regular appearances before the world's media, which also exposed them to criticism.

According to some, they were too cold and didn't show enough emotion.

People started asking whether they had something to hide.

Kate says psychological profilers told the pair not to show too much emotion in case Madeleine's kidnapper "got a kick out of it".

Witnesses say they saw a man leaving the apartment with a child matching Madeleine's description, but it was months before an artist's impression of the alleged abductor's face was released.

By that time, the McCanns had been declared official suspects by Portuguese police, whom the couple felt were not doing enough to find their daughter.

But damaging leaks, which they claim were from the Portuguese authorities, kept emerging and the frustrated couple returned to England with two year-old twins Sean and Amelie in a bid to give Madeleine's siblings some semblance of a normal life.

The McCanns received huge public support in Portugal and Britain.

But once home in Rothley, Leicestershire, they also continued to face detractors.

They now file many letters they receive in boxes marked Nutty, Psychics, Visions, Dreams and Nasty.

In March this year they won £550,000 ($1.2 million) in libel damages and rare front-page apologies from Express Newspapers in Britain over allegations they were responsible for the death of their daughter.

A few weeks later the McCanns travelled to Brussels armed with a declaration penned by prominent Australian-born human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, QC, urging the European Union to implement a cross-border alert system for abducted children, similar to one in the US.

Another blow came when the transcripts of their police interviews were leaked revealing that on the morning of her disappearance Madeleine had complained about her mother being absent when she and her brother were crying the previous night.

Kate, who believes the children might have been woken by an intruder, said she was gutted by the timing of the leak and claimed the information had been taken out of context.

She also said she had "persecuted" herself repeatedly for not pressing Madeleine to elaborate on what had happened.

"It doesn't feel like a year since I saw Madeleine," Kate added.

"She's just very much still there and she doesn't seem that far away.

"It feels like she's still with me in some way and I've never felt that I won't see her again."

Gerry agreed: "I do think that she's still out there, very much so.

"A little girl who wasn't even four, who's now nearly five, she's the victim and people should not forget that."

Neither Kate nor Gerry have been charged with any offence and both deny any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.

AAP

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/where-is-maddie/2008/05/01/1209235021518.html

Madeleine -- one year on... Will the truth ever come out?

By Gemma O'Doherty
Saturday April 12 2008
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/madeleine--one-year-on-will-the-truth-ever-come-out-1345667.html?service=Print
On a notice board in Dublin's Whitefriar Street church, Madeleine McCann's dimpled face beams out from a poster reminding passers-by to say a prayer for the little girl who vanished from sight almost a year ago.

Some stand and stare, trying to make sense of her baffling disappearance from a Portuguese resort last May. Others bow their heads and bless themselves, praying for a miracle that is long overdue.

One year on, in country chapels and cathedrals around Ireland, candles are lit every day for the English toddler, prayers of the faithful are said in her name, tears are shed in her memory. Clergy say the on-going devotion to this little stranger, who would have turned five next month, is remarkable.

But in Praia da Luz, the sleepy Algarve village where she was taken from her bed on a balmy Thursday night last May, the mood is very different.

The 'missing' posters that once blanketed the town are long gone. Some have been ripped away by local people furious that the cloud of suspicion still lingers over their town almost 12 months on; others pasted over with ads for local festivals in a bid for closure on a case that now vies with 9/11 as the biggest human interest story of the decade.

As the chill of winter lifts and a hint of summer fills the air, hoteliers are gearing up for the first of the season's tourists. At the reception desk in the Ocean Club resort, where the Leicestershire family spent their fateful late spring holiday last year, the mood is upbeat.

Bookings are looking good and there is every hope of a full house during May. But privately, staff admit that the bulk of next month's guests are not coming for the sun. Television companies from as far away as Australia and South America, British paparazzi and Portuguese press are more likely to make up the numbers as the world prepares to mark the first anniversary of her disappearance on May 3, 2007.

The flat at the centre of their focus is Apartment 5-A, where Kate and Gerry McCann tucked their children into bed before going for dinner with seven friends in a tapas bar 50 yards away on the night Madeleine vanished.

Since that night, the two-bedroom apartment has lain empty. A flimsy silver chain still hangs around the back garden gate to keep curious onlookers out.

In their determination to get back to normal, local business people are increasingly convinced that the mystery of Madeleine's disappearance will never be explained and it must once and for all be left in the past.

But in her home town of Rothley, where a flame to the local girl still burns in the village square, there are embers of hope that one day she might return.

At Bishop Ellis Catholic School in the village of Thurmaston, close to the McCann's imposing family home, a tiny chair, desk and coat-peg still lie empty, waiting for their missing owner.

Madeleine was due to start junior infants class here last August. Since then, the staff and pupils at the school have vowed the little girl with the angelic smile would never be forgotten.

This week, in an address to the European Parliament, her parents Kate and Gerry pleaded for the introduction of a EU-wide missing child alert system, similar to the so-called amber-alert procedures that operate in the US.

The couple travelled there recently to observe the system, which allows police officers to commandeer the airwaves and television channels in different states if they believe a child has gone missing.

The McCanns are also in the process of setting up a dedicated hotline across Europe to alert police in the event of child abductions.

The coming weeks are expected to take their toll on the couple, as Madeleine's story returns to the headlines. Although detectives involved in what has become Portugal's largest police probe are no longer actively searching for her, a number of potentially critical developments are likely to coincide with the anniversary.

On May 14, police files on the case are expected to be made public when the period of official secrecy imposed by Portuguese law draws to a close. This would mean that the couple may learn why they were made suspects or so-called arguidos in the case, and files could reveal information about the case that has been concealed up to now.

Last month, the McCanns won libel damages worth £550,000 (€690,000) and forced two British newspapers to publish front-page apologies for publishing more than 100 articles on the disappearance of Madeleine, some of which suggested that her parents were involved in her death.

This week, Portuguese police urged the couple to return to the Algarve to stage a reconstruction of the night she went missing, to be televised around the world a fortnight after the anniversary.

But as long as they remain official suspects in the case, the McCanns say they have no desire to return to the Algarve. There are also suggestions that Kate would find the emotional strain too painful to bear.

With the only other official suspect in the case, British expat Robert Murat, thought to be out of the frame, a team of British investigators have started questioning the so-called Tapas Seven, the group of friends who were with the McCanns on the night of Madeleine's disappearance.

Police have refocused their attention on claims by the couple's family friend Jane Tanner, who told them she saw a man walking away from the McCann's apartment with a child in pink pyjamas at 9.15pm on May 3.

The police have on-going concerns that statements given by the group did not fit initially, but claim that after they had discussed the matter as a unit, there was greater harmony in their accounts. But family spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, says this scenario is not at all surprising.

"You had nine people in a bar without watches on, without mobile phones, and absolute panic set in when they realised what had happened. They were running around and then several hours later they were forced to sit down and recount their movements in exact detail and they were at sixes and sevens...

"We would say that, if the police had a perfect time line across nine people, that would be a damn sight more suspicious than the fractured, illogical composite statements they might have got."

As the first anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance draws closer, her parents are struggling to return to normality for the sake of their three-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie. Gerry has gone back to work as a cardiologist with the NHS, while Kate, a GP, has decided to stay at home as a full-time mother. She also works closely with the Find Madeleine campaign.

Friends say she still spends hours weeping in Madeleine's pink bedroom, clutching her sweet-smelling clothes, remembering the last words her daughter told her before she went to bed on that chilling night.

"Mummy, I've had the best day ever. I'm having lots and lots of fun."

Today all she is left with are those cherished memories and a lingering hope that grows more distant with the passing of each day.

- Gemma O'Doherty

New York, NY- April 2nd, 2008 Friday, April 25th at 9:30pm

U-cef always knew that at some point he wanted to go back to what he calls "halal" music, the Moroccan sounds he was brought up with, so naturally he named his first album "Halalium". A composer, producer and DJ, U-cef says "I try musically to bring things together so they don't feel alien to each other - traditional music with urban beat London or New York hip-hop. Maybe somebody who is from somewhere dedicated to one thing will say "This is rubbish", but my belief is that nobody is made of one stuff."

U-cef goes on, "I remember when live bands played, the whole youth would be there - whatever they played, it had the beat, and we just danced and had fun" and he reckons his first interest in performing himself came from dancing at parties and getting into beats. After a brief attempt at doing "a proper job", U-cef moved to New York to really try and make it as a musician, and moving to London 10 years ago was similarly all about the music.

Hassan Hakmoun resides in the U.S. The pentatonic scale and driving rhythms of the sintir, a three-stringed long-necked African bass lute, are instantly appealing to many Western ears, and Hakmoun, has succeeded in presenting this music outside of Morocco to widespread critical acclaim. He was the only world musician invited to play Woodstock '94, and has performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and on the WOMAD '94 tour. Hakmoun became a regular fixture in New York's rock, jazz, and fusion scenes, and earned his following for spanning multiple genres with his spiritually charged voice and playing.

"The thing with music is that no matter where you are from, from a cosmopolitan place or being well-advanced in your mind, it doesn't matter. It's only the music that matters." -DJ U-CEF

ABOUT:

Joe's Pub at The Public Theater debuted in October 1998 and has quickly became one of New York City's most celebrated and in-demand showcase venues for live music and performance. With its genre-blind booking and vast diversity of interests, the stage at Joe's Pub gives voice to a world of varied and stellar artists.

With impeccable sound and lights, the warm and intimate candlelit atmosphere of Joe's Pub is filled with plush velvet couches, softly glowing lucite tables and gorgeously understated architecture. Joe’s Pub is open seven days a week, regularly hosting as many as three shows a day. Dinner and drink service is available during every performance; the venue offers a classic Italian dinner menu and a fully stocked bar.

The Village Voice voted Joe's Pub the “Best Excuse to Let a Single Venue Dictate Your Taste”. Newsweek calls the club "one of the country's best small stages" and New York Magazine raves “you never know what you’ll find next at Joe’s Pub, but you can count on the fact that it will be good, very good."

LOCATION:

425 Lafayette Street (between East 4th and Astor Place) NYC; adjacent to The Public Theater

FOR TICKETS:

By Phone: 212-967-7555

On the Web: http://www.joespub.com/

In Person: At The Public Theater Box Office from 1pm to 6pm and at Joe’s Pub from 6pm to 10pm (both located at 425 Lafayette St.)

FOR TABLE RESERVATIONS: 212-539-8778

Purchase of tickets does NOT guarantee a table reservation; you must call to reserve seats. Seating, as well as standing-room, is available only on a first-come, first-served basis for all shows without a dinner reservation. Two drink or $12 food minimum per person is standard.

FOR OTHER JOE'S PUB EVENTS, VISIT:
http://www.cityguideny.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=9716