31 accused of buying at least 28 babies in Morocco

Melilla - Morocco frontier

MELILLA The Guardia Civil recently announced that it had managed to clear up a network of people that over the years have sold at least 28 Moroccan babies to couples on the peninsula. The group, headed by three sisters from Tetouan, included some 31 people, of whom twelve have since died. Fourteen of the victims have been identified, some of whom were not aware they had been adopted. Two of the sisters moved to Melilla (the Spanish enclave on the North African coast), where they searched out couples there and on the Spanish mainland who for one reason or another were unable to have children of their own. The third sister>>>

What is Anxiang Du living off?

(Image: Sky News)

GIBRALTAR/SPAIN/MOROCCO (Agencies and GibChronicle) Further to our report last Thursday, a Chinese businessman wanted on suspicion of murdering a family of four is likely to have evaded capture in Morocco for more than a year, a detective has said on a lightning visit to that country. Anxiang Du, 53, is thought to have fled the UK shortly after the deaths of university lecturer Jifeng “Jeff” Ding, his wife Ge “Helen” Chui and their two daughters Alice, 12, and Xing, 18. The family were found stabbed to death at their home in Wootton, Northamptonshire, on April 29 last year - the same day as the royal wedding.>>>

King Juan Carlos on private visit to Morocco

Café Argana after bombing

MOROCCO (GibChronicle) King Juan Carlos I of Spain is on a private visit to Marrakesh just one week after the tragic bomb attack on the Café Argana, in the Yemá el Fna square which killed 16 people and bequeathed another 21 injured. According to diplomatic sources, the monarch arrived in Marrakesh yesterday and will be staying until tomorrow. The Moroccan media have given coverage to the royal visit, describing it as a “show of support” for the country after last week’s attack on its leading tourist centre. Don Juan Carlos has travelled to Morocco at the invitation of King Mohamed VI - an invitation that was first issued in August last year during a telephone conversation to and from the two monarchs, in which they discussed finding a solution to the problems on the country’s border with Melilla.>

Huge profits for Moroccan royal family's holdings

King Mohammed VI

MOROCCO (Agencies & GibChronicle) National Investment Co. (SNI), about 60% of which is owned by Siger, the royal family's several investment companies, made a consolidated net profit of 8.28 billion dirhams ($1.06 billion) in 2010, up from 2.38 billion in 2009, according to financial statements published over the weekend in Le Matin, one of Morocco's most pro-establishment newspapers. SNI's assets and turnover rose more than fourfold to 102.6 billion dirhams and 14.08 billion respectively in 2010, aginst 22.53 billion dirhams and 3.43 billion in 2009. Based on the latest growth forecasts, Morocco's 2010 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) should stand at 761.6 billion dirhams. SNI gave no explanation for its performance in 2010.>

Morocco announces constitutional reform

MOROCCO (Agencies) King Mohammed VI promised a sweeping constitutional reform, including real powers for a popularly elected prime minister instead of a royal appointee, as well as a free judiciary. In his first speech after uprisings across the Arab world and less than a month after protests erupted in Morocco for more social justice and limits on royal powers, the king on Wednesday pledged to draw up a new draft constitution. 'We have decided to undertake a comprehensive constitutional reform,' King Mohammed said in a national TV broadcast yesterday, underlining his 'firm commitment to giving a strong impetus to the dynamic and deep reforms... taking place.' He outlined seven major steps, including the way the prime minister is chosen.>

France supports central Pyrenees tunnel for Algeciras-Paris railway

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) A meeting held last week in Paris was aimed at moving ahead with work, plans and projects on the Algeciras/Sines-Madrid-Paris railway that is to run though Spain and is included in the TransEuropean Transport Network under the number 16 (there are other planned connections). Known as the Central Axis, it is to connect the eight provinces of Andalucía with the rest of the continent via existing lines. The meeting included representatives from Portugal, France, Spain, Switzerland and Moroco, as well as the EU. One of the important conclusions coming out of the meeting was that >

Jorge and Juan's outrageous verdict in Morocco

LOS BARRIOS/TARIFA/MOROCCO/SPAIN Assumptions are dangerous things but we've assumed you've been following this story elsewhere (we have, on Sancho's Tilting at Windmills). To quote Sancho on the background: "On June 5 the two men from Los Barrios had gone fishing off Tarifa with Jorge’s son, David. They got lost in the fog, strayed to near the Moroccan shoreline, called the Spanish coastguard for help but were detained by a patrol from Morocco. Initially they were held for entering Morocco without the necessary paperwork and David was sent home. Then as a consignment of eight bales of hashish was found in the area of their rescue along with a Jet Ski they were charged with drug trafficking and sentence to three years in jail plus a fine." There's more (below) - and an outrageous sentence. As the poster says: "What if this was you?! WHERE ARE THE POLITICIANS? They are also Spanish." (We suggest you read more about this case on Tilting at Windmills.)