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CNN —A Palestinian writer who has been in an Israeli prison for 20 years has won a prestigious prize for Arabic fiction for his novel “A Mask, the Color of the Sky.”Basim Khandaqji won the prize on Sunday for his book, and was awarded $50,000 and funding for an English translation. The novel, published by Lebanon’s Dar Al-Adab, “dissects a complex, bitter reality of family fragmentation, displacement, genocide, and racism,” said Nabil Suleiman, a Syrian writer who chaired the 2024 prize. A Mask, the Colour of the Sky (2023) by Palestinian novelist, Basim Khandaqji, winner of the 2024 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Khandaqji began to write “A Mask, the Color of the Sky” in 2021. During his time in prison, Khandaqji has written poetry collections, as well as three earlier novels, according to IPAF.

Persons: Basim Khandaqji, Nur, ”, Abu, Lebanon’s Dar, “, Nabil Suleiman, Suleiman, Yousef Khandaqji, Bahr, ” “, Khandaqji Organizations: CNN Locations: Ramallah, Abu Dhabi, Syrian, Palestinian, Nablus, Khandaqji, Tel, UAE, Abu, Bab

☆ Stock market today: US stocks rise with tech sector gaining amid earnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

US stocks rose on Wednesday as traders took in corporate earnings reports. Tech stocks have gained, with Tesla popping over 10% in early morning trading. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementUS stocks were mostly higher on Wednesday as traders took in a slew of corporate earnings. Investors have been enjoying a relatively upbeat corporate earnings season thus dar.

Persons: Tesla, —, financials Organizations: Tech, Microsoft, Service, Nasdaq, Dow Jones Industrial, Here's Locations: FactSet

☆ The beautiful African paradise islands that most tourists don’t know about
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —A couple of African paradise islands have been on the radar of avid world travelers for some time. Shellfish Bay on the island’s windward side shelters one of East Africa’s most spectacular beaches, a crescent of white sand framed by 100-meter dunes. Bazaruto Island Resort, the island’s top digs, can arrange scuba diving and snorkeling, sailing on traditional dhow boats, guided 4x4 wildlife safaris, sandboarding on the dunes and other outdoor activities. Lamu’s best beaches are on the island’s windward side, around a 30–40-minute walk via Shela village. — and an ancient stone nilometer for measuring the river’s water level — reflect the island’s importance during pharaonic times.

Persons: São Filipe, Denis, Ponta, Ariadne Van Zandbergen, Dar es Organizations: CNN, Ethiopian Airways, oneworld, Getty, UNESCO, Heritage, Cabo Verde Airlines, Overseas, Paris Orly, Animalia Museum, Egypt, Vogue, Reserve, Dar es Salam Locations: Mauritius, Seychelles, Canary, Africa, Madagascar, Addis Ababa, Bazaruto, Mozambique, East, sandboarding, Johannesburg, Vilanculos, Lamu, Kenya, Manda, Malindi, Nairobi, JamboJet, Fogo, Cape Verde, Cabo Verde, West Africa, Pico, Verde’s, Praia, Overseas Territory, Réunion, French Caribbean, L’Hermitage, Saint, Paris, Antananarivo, Elephantine, Egypt, Aswan, Bissagos, Guinea, Bissau, Bubaque, Pemba, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Tanga, Dar, FlightLink

☆ Opinion: Beyoncé is the start of a Black country groundswell
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Opinion Alice Randall | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Her book “My Black Country: A Journey Through ” Country Music’s Past, Present and Future,” was published this month. I hear Black moonshiners and Black cowboys, Black nature lovers and Black ghosts, Black angels, Black freedom fighters, gunslingers and Black shotgun riders. It could start a groundswell of long overdue recognition of the overlooked Black country legends and hope for the Black country stars of the future. But for Black performers in particular, it offers a seat, at long last, at a gathering of the country music family. As I write in “My Black Country,” “I have imagined Black country and country to be born as an art form, as an aesthetic, in the year 1624 near Jamestown, Virginia.

Persons: Alice Randall, who’s, ”, I’ve, Alice Randall Keren Trevino, Matraca Berg, Beyoncé’s, Carter, she’s, White, “, Jolene, Cowboy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Sen, Ted Kennedy, Roy Acuff, DeFord Bailey, Ole Opry’s, jumpstart Acuff’s, Anna Gordy, Berry Gordy, Marvin Gaye, Anna, Anna Gordy —, Detroit, Carter ”, Linda Martell, Rumi Carter, Jay Z, Blue Ivy, Sir, Rumi, Mike Blake, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter ”, ” Beyoncé, William Tucker, Stoney Edwards Organizations: CNN, Country Music Association, DAR, Blacks, Motown Records, Anna Records, Grand Ole Opry, Reuters, America, Eagle Locations: Nashville, Washington , DC, George H.W ., Detroit, Los Angeles, Black, European, Jamestown , Virginia, America, It’s

☆ Dasu dam: Chinese workers killed in suicide bomb blast as Pakistan grapples with attacks on Beijing’s interests
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered condolences for the death of the Chinese nationals during a visit Tuesday to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad, where he met with Beijing’s ambassador. The blast Tuesday follows two militant attacks in recent days in southwest Pakistan, where China is investing billions in infrastructure projects. Half a year later, a separatist group attacked a luxury hotel in Gwadar, often used by Chinese nationals working at the port. In August last year, BLA militants opened fire on a Pakistani military convoy in Gwadar as it was escorting a delegation of Chinese nationals to a construction project. Two militants were killed and no harm was caused to any military personnel or civilians, according to the Pakistani military.

Persons: Muhammad Ali Gandapur, Xi, Tuesday’s, Shehbaz Sharif, Ishaq Dar, ”, “ Organizations: Islamabad CNN —, Beijing . Senior, Taliban, Foreign Ministry, Embassy, Beijing’s, Baloch Liberation, Pakistan Economic, Pakistan Stock Exchange Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, China, Afghanistan, restive, Balochistan, Gwadar, Beijing, Xinjiang, Karachi

☆ Pro-Trump attorney arrested after court hearing about leaked Dominion emails
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A pro-Trump lawyer who tried to overturn the 2020 election was arrested Monday after a court hearing about her recent leak of internal emails belonging to Dominion Voting Systems. In the last 24 hours, Leaf has posted more than 2,000 internal Dominion documents on his social media account. The marshals declined to say whether they arrested her, and she didn’t answer messages seeking comment after the hearing. During the at-times testy hearing Monday, Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya peppered Lambert with sharp questions about the disputed Dominion materials. Dominion wants Lambert removed from the case and suggested in court Monday that she might have committed a crime by disseminating the files to Leaf.

Persons: Stefanie Lambert, Lambert, Dar Leaf, Donald Trump, Leaf, Patrick Byrne, “, Judge Moxila Upadhyaya, ” Upadhyaya, Byrne, ”, ” Lambert, Davida Brook, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, CNN’s Holmes Lybrand Organizations: CNN, Trump, Voting Systems, Dar, US Marshals Service, U.S . Marshals, Dominion, Leaf, meddled, US Intelligence, America, . Dominion, Fox News Locations: Michigan, Barry, Dominion, Washington ,, Serbia

☆ Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Former President of Tanzania, Dies at 98
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Alan Cowell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Ali Hassan Mwinyi, a schoolteacher turned politician who led Tanzania as its second post-independence president and helped dismantle the doctrinaire socialism of his predecessor, Julius K. Nyerere, died on Thursday in Dar es Salaam, the country’s former capital. Tanzania’s current president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, announced the death, in a hospital, on X, formerly known as Twitter. She said Mr. Mwinyi had been treated for lung cancer. Mr. Mwinyi was 60 when he took over the presidency in 1985 as the handpicked successor of Mr. Nyerere, who had volunteered to step down after governing his country since its beginnings of independent nationhood as Tanganyika in 1961 and its merger with Zanzibar in 1964 to create the state of Tanzania.

Persons: Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Julius K, Nyerere, Samia Suluhu Hassan, Mwinyi, Mr Organizations: Twitter Locations: Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika, Zanzibar

☆ Independents Win 47 of 106 Seats Counted in Pakistan Poll, Most Backed by Imran Khan - Geo News
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Independent candidates contesting Pakistan's national election, most of whom are backed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, won in 47 of 106 parliamentary seats as counting progressed on Friday, according to projections by broadcaster Geo News. Results have been declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan in a total of 57 seats so far, according to the panel's website. Elections were held to 264 of the 265 seats in the national assembly and a political party needs 133 seats for a simple majority. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)(PML-N), which has won at least 17 seats so far, may form a coalition government with independent candidates, Sharif's aide Ishaq Dar suggested on Friday, Geo reported. "I am confident that we will form a government," Dar said, adding that his party would concede if any other party emerged a clear winner.

Persons: Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif's, Nawaz, Sharif's, Ishaq Dar, Geo, Dar, Asif Shahzad, Sakshi Dayal, YP Rajesh Organizations: Pakistan's, Geo, Former, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League, YP Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan

☆ 36 Hours in Marrakesh, Morocco
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Seth Sherwood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Leave Jemaa el Fna — the huge, chaotic, carnivalesque marketplace seen on every postcard — to the cobra charmers, hustlers and package-tour throngs. In the early 20th century, Thami el Glaoui, the onetime ruler of Marrakesh — known as the bacha in local Arabic — was a legend. The Islamic decorative arts find dazzling expression inside the Medersa Ben Youssef, a centuries-old religious school adorned with some of the finest craftsmanship in Morocco. Follow the buttery scent of leather to a passage called Derb el Hammam in Souk Smata, the leatherworking area of the medina. Sunlight filters through the overhead slats of the stalls, illuminating belts, bags, jackets, ottomans and slippers known as babouches — a favorite Morocco souvenir (prepare to haggle).

Persons: Fna, You’ll, Bab Doukkala, Malak Nafy, It’s niched, Hassan Hajjaj, Andy Warhol, Thami el, —, Rue Fatima Zahra, Maison Reine, Naelle, Ben Youssef, el Fna Organizations: Bab, Rue Dar el, of Confluences, Rue Fatima, Franco Locations: Medina, Bab, Rue, Moroccan, Marrakesh, el Bacha, medina, ”, Algerian, artfully, Morocco, Hammam, Souk Smata

☆ Ahead of Election, Pakistan Seals Plan to Sell National Airline
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +8 min

"Our job is 98% done," Privatisation Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad told Reuters when asked about the plan to sell the airline. Details of the privatisation process have not been previously reported. PIA had liabilities of 785 billion Pakistani rupees ($2.81 billion) and accumulated losses of 713 billion rupees as of June last year. Its CEO has said losses in 2023 were likely to be 112 billion rupees. PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan said the airline was assisting the privatisation process, extending "full cooperation" to the transaction adviser.

Persons: Asif Shahzad, Fawad Hasan Fawad, Fawad, Ernst & Young, Shamshad Akhtar, Abdullah Hafeez Khan, Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Sharif's, Ishaq Dar, EASA, Brendan Sobie, Gibran Peshimam, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan International Airlines, International Monetary Fund, PIA, IMF, Reuters, Caretaker, Ernst &, Ernst, FAST, Pakistan Muslim League, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Kuwaiti Locations: Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Czech, Hungarian, Karachi, Europe, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Singapore, East, North America, Paris, New York

☆ Floods kill more than 20 people in northern Tanzania
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 3 (Reuters) - At least 20 people have been killed by floods after heavy rain in the Manyara region of northern Tanzania, the ministry of health said on Sunday. Severe flooding caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon has killed hundreds of people in Kenya and Somalia in recent weeks. "We are very shocked by this event," President Samia Suluhu Hassan said in a video message posted online by the Tanzanian ministry of health. The more than 20 people were killed in Katesh village in the Hanang district of Manyara, the president said. The heavy rain on Saturday night caused landslides in some areas of Mount Hanang, domestic media outlets reported, adding that the waters also swept away livestock.

Persons: Samia Suluhu Hassan, Nuzulack Dausen, Duncan Miriri, Alison Williams Organizations: DAR, SALAAM, El, Tanzanian, Thomson Locations: Manyara, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, East Africa, Katesh, Hanang, Mount Hanang

☆ Morocco win but other heavyweights humbled in World Cup qualifiers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

CAPE TOWN, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Ghana and South Africa both suffered embarrassing defeats in World Cup qualification on Tuesday while top contenders Cameroon, Guinea, Senegal and Zambia also found it tough on the road as they all dropped points. On a busy day of 15 matches across the continent, there were also wins for Burkina Faso, the Cape Verde Islands, Morocco, Namibia, Tunisia and Uganda. But it was the Comoros, with a population of around a million, and Rwanda, ranked 140 in world football, who tore up the form book in beating Ghana and South Africa respectively. It was Rwanda’s first victory in their last 11 home matches and took them top of Group C, where they lead not only South Africa but also Nigeria and Zimbabwe. The next round of African qualifiers will be played in June, with the continent now turning its focus to January’s Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast.

Persons: Moroni, Myziane Maolida, Innocent Nshuti, Gilbert Mugisha, Patson Daka, Hakim Ziyech, Bertrand Traore, Dango Ouattara, Tunisia’s, Youssef Msakni, Mark Gleeson, Toby Davis Organizations: Cameroon, Burkina, Ocean, African, Nations, Rogers Mato, Cape Verde Islands, Niger, Ethiopia, Malawi, Sao Tome, Thomson Locations: CAPE, Ghana, South Africa, Guinea, Senegal, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde Islands, Morocco, Namibia, Tunisia, Uganda, Comoros, Rwanda, Cameroon, Africa, Butare, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Togo, Botswana, Somalia, Libya, Mauritius, Angola, Cape, Eswatini, Qatar, Tanzania, Dar, Lilongwe, Sao Tome e Principe, Ivory Coast, Cape Town

☆ Gaza doctors say hospitals are failing. US medical groups are scrambling to help
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Alaa Elassar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

A Palestinian child receives treatment at Nasser Medical Center after a strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 7. FAJR Scientific’s goal is to raise enough money to fill five 40-foot containers with medical supplies, surgical tools and sterile instruments, and ship them to Gaza, Nasser says. The group has led several surgical missions to Gaza and trained nearly 100 Palestinian medical workers on the ground, Nasser says. In August, they provided more than $4 million in medical supplies to hospitals across the territory. “The whole world turned their back on the people of Gaza,” Nasser said.

Persons: Mohammed Ghneim, who’ve, EMTs –, ” Ghneim, Khan, Ahmad Hasaballah, Munir Al, Bursh, “, Anas al, Mosab Nasser, Israel, Nasser, ” Nasser, ”, Abed Zagout, It’s, Dr, Mustafa Musleh, Musleh, Khader Al Zanoun, PRCS, Ahmad Muhanna, ” Muhanna, Mohammed Saber, Shutterstock Israel, Muhanna, Al Awda, Ghneim Organizations: CNN, Dar Al, Shifa, Nasser Medical, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Nonprofit, Palestinian Ministry of Health, FAJR Scientific, Nasser Hospital, Getty, FAJR, Palestinian American Medical Association, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Al Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, Khan Younis, Israeli, Shifa, Israel, Shareef, Egypt, United States, Houston, Ramallah, Anadolu, Palestinian, Dayton , Ohio, Al, AFP, Rafah, Palestine, Al Awda, Jabalya

☆ ‘The Marvels’ Review: Brie Larson Leads a Not-So-Supergroup
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Zachary Barnes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Brie Larson and Iman Vellani Photo: Marvel Studios‘The Marvels” arrives amid a rumbling storm of negative feeling—about both its likely performance at the box office and the continuing success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. The new film certainly suggests as much, and leaves one hoping that superheroes might at long last leave us mortals to fend for ourselves. The main hero here is Carol Danvers , aka Captain Marvel, once again played by Brie Larson . She is joined by Monica Rambeau ( Teyonah Parris , better served in “If Beale Street Could Talk”) and Kamala Khan , aka Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani, with the eager, lightly amusing energy of a Disney Channel star). Together, the trio becomes the Marvels, a supergroup formed by cosmic accident after their powers become entangled and they find themselves switching places across space, possibly due to some holes opened up in the universe by the rotely vengeful evildoer Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton).

Persons: Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, spandex, Carol Danvers, Marvel, Monica Rambeau, Teyonah Parris, Beale, Kamala Khan, evildoer Dar, Benn, Zawe Ashton Organizations: Marvel Studios, Marvel, Disney Locations: “

NEW YORK (AP) — Nia DaCosta, director of the upcoming “The Marvels,” has a diagnosis for the recent struggles of superhero movies. It’s the first Marvel movie to feature not just all-female leads but a female villain (Zawe Ashton plays Dar-Benn), as well. While originally conceived as a post-“Endgame” follow-up to “Captain Marvel,” Marvel chief Kevin Feige was drawn to the chance to unite Captain Marvel with Rambeau from “WandaVision” and Ms. Marvel of her standalone Disney+ series. After making “Candyman,” a Marvel movie was, DaCosta says, “definitely not in my near future.” But it also wasn’t entirely off her radar. When DaCosta was tapped to helm “The Marvels,” Feige encouraged her to reach out to other Marvel movie directors for advice.

Persons: — Nia DaCosta, ”, “ Mo, ’, Barbie, Mario, Jordan Peele, ” DaCosta, “, Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L, Jackson, isn’t, Marvel, it’s, Zawe Ashton, Benn, I’m, Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel, Larson, Monica Rambeau, Kamala Khan, Kevin Feige, WandaVision ”, ’ ” DaCosta, Danvers, I’ve, DaCosta, Henrik Ibsen’s “ Hedda Gabler, Tessa Thompson, Maude, She’s, Sam Raimi’s “, ” Feige, Ryan Coogler, Jake Coyle Organizations: Warner Bros, Marvel, Dar, ” Marvel, SAG, Twitter Locations: New York City, London

EIN BOKEK, Israel (AP) — For evacuees of Kibbutz Be’eri, the salty waters of the lowest point on earth, known for their healing powers, are little comfort for a grief that feels bottomless. Kibbutz leaders recite the names that have officially migrated from lists of the missing to lists of the dead. Only 3,000 hotel rooms across the country are still available, according to the Israel Hotel Association, and many evacuated border communities have scattered to find shelter. Kibbutz Be'eri, too, is named after Katznelson. "But where were they?”___Sam McNeil contributed from Kibbutz Be'eri.

Persons: EIN BOKEK, ”, Nir Shani, Amit, Shani's, Ruvi Dar, ” Dar, “ We’re, “, They’re, we’re, Simon King, King, carting, He’s, ” Shani, Birdsong, Alon Pauker, Kibbutz Be'eri, ” King, Sam McNeil Organizations: —, Israel Hotel Association, David, Hamas, Rescue, Beit Berl College Locations: Israel, Be’eri, Gaza, Israel’s, “, Be'eri, israel

☆ Major Gulf markets little changed ahead of Fed decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Christopher Pike Acquire Licensing RightsSept 20 (Reuters) - Major stock markets in the Gulf were little changed in early trade on Wednesday ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate decision. Investors are awaiting a raft of central bank interest rate decisions this week to assess the outlook for economic growth and fuel demand. The U.S. central bank is widely expected to keep interest rates on hold, but the focus will be on its projected policy path. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council's monetary policy is usually guided by the Fed's decision as most regional currencies are pegged to the U.S. dollar. The Qatari benchmark (.QSI) rose 0.1%, helped by a 0.7% rise in the Gulf's biggest lender Qatar National Bank (QNBK.QA).

Persons: Joe Biden, Christopher Pike, Ateeq, Sohini Goswami Organizations: Dubai Financial, U.S, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Gulf Cooperation, U.S ., Development, Saudi Aramco, Qatar National Bank, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, U.S . Federal, U.S, Saudi, Dar Al Arkan, Yemen, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Ateeq Shariff, Bengaluru

☆ Moroccans in earthquake-hit tourist area grieve losses, fret about future
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Ahmed Eljechtimi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The earthquake killed people and destroyed villages on which our tourism activity depends," said Abderrahim Bouchbouk, owner of the nine-room guesthouse that was once run by his grandfather. "That was a way for many local farmers to make additional revenue," said Bouchbouk, whose Kasbah La Dame guesthouse employs 14 people. Ahmed Bassim, a tourist guide in the Ouirgane area who has been forced to live in a tent for shelter since the earthquake, said the region was in desperate need of reconstruction. The region, one of Morocco's poorest, lies close to Marrakech, a popular tourist destination with luxurious hotels, fancy shopping centres and a historic souk. Lahcen Zelmat, head of the Morocco's tourism industry federation, said the long-planned event "would be a chance for Morocco to promote Marrakech destination again after the earthquake."

Persons: Abderrahim Bouchbouk, Mohamed Aznag, Tasa Ouirgane, Ahmed Bassim, Zelmat, Edmund Blair Organizations: Dame, REUTERS, Tourism, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: VALLEY, Morocco, Tasa, Dar Izergane, Ouirgane, Marrakech, souk

☆ Moroccans in Earthquake-Hit Tourist Area Grieve Losses, Fret About Future
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

"The earthquake killed people and destroyed villages on which our tourism activity depends," said Abderrahim Bouchbouk, owner of the nine-room guesthouse that was once run by his grandfather. Tourism offered vital extra earnings for many, with few other work opportunities outside tilling the land on smallholdings. "That was a way for many local farmers to make additional revenue," said Bouchbouk, whose Kasbah La Dame guesthouse employs 14 people. Ahmed Bassim, a tourist guide in the Ouirgane area who has been forced to live in a tent for shelter since the earthquake, said the region was in desperate need of reconstruction. The region, one of Morocco's poorest, lies close to Marrakech, a popular tourist destination with luxurious hotels, fancy shopping centres and a historic souk.

Persons: Ahmed Eljechtimi, Abderrahim Bouchbouk, Mohamed Aznag, Tasa Ouirgane, Ahmed Bassim, Zelmat, Edmund Blair Organizations: Dame, Tourism, World Bank, International Monetary Fund Locations: Ahmed Eljechtimi OUIRGANE VALLEY, Morocco, Tasa, Dar Izergane, Marrakech, souk

☆ PrEPVacc: HIV vaccine trial that could be ‘the last roll of the dice’ this decade is underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Tom Page | Thomas Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +24 min

CNN —A novel trial that has been described as “the last roll of the dice” for a generation of HIV vaccines has entered its latter stages. Nearly 40 years since HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS, and 36 years since the first HIV vaccine trial, the medical community still does not have a working vaccine. But that is not necessarily why they were chosen to participate, said Eugene Ruzagira, PrEPVacc trial director. Evaluating the combination of a trial HIV vaccine and PrEP is a first, say organizers. “I did my very first HIV vaccine trial in 1991,” recalled Weber.

Persons: PrEPVacc, ”, Jonathan Weber, Frank, Helena Herholdt, Eugene Ruzagira, Ruzagira, “, Weber, ” Ruzagira, “ We’ve, Mark Runnacles, Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur, Galileo, Win McNamee, Humphry Davy, JEAN, SEBASTIEN EVRARD, Haydn West, Joe Raedle, ANNE, CHRISTINE POUJOULAT, Alexander Fleming, Fleming, wasn't, Louise Joy Brown, Sandy Huffaker, Daniel Acker, James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Watson, Crick, Raphael GAILLARDE, Sean Gallup, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Thomas Edison's, INDRANIL MUKHERJEE, Descovy, Luwano Geofrey, Dr, Luke Dray, Geofrey, Nishanta Singh, Sharon Lewin, Lewin, “ it’s, it’s, ” Lewin, ” Geofrey Organizations: CNN, Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre, PrEPVacc, Medical Research, Uganda Virus Research Institute, European Union, Smithsonian National Museum of, Cleveland Clinic, Volvo, Bayer, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Getty, Keystone, — Farmers, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Bloomberg, PANTHAKY, PrEP, US Centers for Disease Control, Independent, The University of Melbourne, International AIDS Society, Muhimbili University of Health, Allied Sciences, Dar Locations: Entebbe, Uganda, Thailand, London, Mbeya, Tanzania, South Africa, Ugandan, Durban, Masaka, Salam, African, Africa, China, FPG, AFP, United States, America, U.S, Peoria , Illinois, Europe, “, Dar es Salaam, Rwanda

☆ Far from fighting, doctor strikes aggravate healthcare collapse in Port Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"It is exhausting, there are many patients and there's a lot of suffering," said Omar al-Saeed, a striking nurse at Port Sudan teaching hospital. According to the UN, more than 100,000 have fled to Port Sudan, filling up the already dense city's hospitals and shelters, while fighting is focussed in Khartoum and the west of the country. Sudanese hospitals have long been under-funded, and strikes by medical staff have been frequent. The war, during which many hospitals in areas of fighting have been damaged, has brought the system to its knees. Doctors in Port Sudan have had to grapple with power cuts, intense humidity and medicine shortages, while patients are kept in close confines though many have respiratory illnesses, hospital officials say.

Persons: Omar al, Saeed, Bashir, Martin Griffiths, Ayat Mohamed, Dar Abnaa, Ibrahim Mohammed Ishak, Nafisa Eltahir, Conor Humphries Organizations: Sudanese, Rapid Support Forces, Port Sudan, UN, United, Dar, Thomson Locations: Port Sudan, Khartoum, Sudan, PORT SUDAN, Red, United Nations

CNN —At least 26 people have been killed in an explosion in the town of Finote Selam in northwestern Ethiopia, amid heavy fighting between government forces and a local militia group. Tenaw told CNN that people reported hearing only one explosion, the cause of which is unclear. The Ethiopian government declared a six-month state of emergency in the Amhara region on August 4 after days of clashes. The United Nations “called on all sides to respect human rights and take steps to deescalate the situation,” noting that “previous states of emergency have been accompanied by violations of human rights” in a statement Friday. CNN has reached out to the federal government, the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, and the Amhara regional government for comment.

Persons: Manaye Tenaw, Tenaw, EHRC, ” “ EHRC, Finote Selam, ”, United Nations “, Antony Blinken, “, I’ve, ” Blinken Organizations: CNN, Human Rights, Ethiopian, Dar, United Nations, Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Amhara, Eritrean Defense Forces, Front, State Locations: Finote, Ethiopia, Fano, Amhara, Debre Birhan, Gondar, Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, America, Tigray

☆ Ethiopian military pushes back militiamen in two Amhara towns
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A partial view of the Lalibela town in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia, January 25, 2022. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri//File PhotoADDIS ABABA, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's military has pushed local militiamen out of two towns in the Amhara region, residents said on Wednesday, in its first big battlefield breakthroughs since fighting erupted last week. A local official in Gondar said the military was "almost in full control of the city". Another Gondar resident said he had seen the military enter the city centre on Tuesday afternoon. Two Lalibela residents told Reuters that ENDF troops entered the town on Wednesday morning following intense fighting on Lalibela's outskirts the previous day.

Persons: Amhara's, Africa's, Spokespeople, Fano, ENDF, Bahir Dar, Aaron Ross, William Maclean, Peter Graff, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Tiksa, Ethiopian National Defence Force, Ethiopian Airlines, Bahir, Reuters, Fano, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Amhara Region, Ethiopia, ADDIS ABABA, Amhara, Gondar, Lalibela, Fano, Tigray, Lalibela's, Bahir

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane prepares to take off from the Benazir International airport in Islamabad, Pakistan, February 9, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood/File PhotoISLAMABAD, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Pakistan plans to privatise its loss-making national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIAa.PSX), the government said on Monday, as the country also seeks to outsource its airport operations in line with an IMF deal. The privatisation decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee of Privatisation chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. The committee "after deliberation decided to include Pakistan International Airlines Co. Ltd in the list of active privatisation projects of the ongoing privatisation programme, following an amendment in the law by the Parliament," a finance ministry statement said. Pakistan hopes to resume PIA flights to Britain in the next three months after services were suspended following a fake pilot scandal.

Persons: Faisal Mahmood, Ishaq Dar, Asif Shahzad, Baranjot Kaur, David Goodman, Mark Potter, Alistair Bell Organizations: Pakistan International Airlines, PIA, Benazir, REUTERS, Finance, Pakistan International Airlines Co . Ltd, PIAInvestment, European Union's Aviation Safety Agency, International Monetary Fund, Pakistan, Baranjot, Thomson Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, ISLAMABAD, , New York, Britain, Europe, Bengaluru

Companies International Monetary Fund FollowISLAMABAD, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Pakistan announced an increase in petrol and diesel prices on Tuesday to better reflect rising international prices and to raise revenue to meet the objectives of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout. In a recorded video statement, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said gasoline, or petrol, prices would be raised by 19.95 Pakistani rupees to 272.95 Pakistani rupees ($0.952) per litre and diesel by 19.90 rupees to 273.40 rupees per litre, an increase of 7.8% for both fuels. Fuel prices have increased sharply in global markets in the last 15 days, Dar said, adding his government had tried to minimise the hike. The IMF has also called on Pakistan to maintain a tight monetary policy. The central bank on Monday, however, kept the policy rate steady at 22%, with its governor saying the lender's requirement of tight policy didn't necessarily mean raising the rate.

Persons: Ishaq Dar, Dar, Asif Shahzad, Kim Coghill, Jamie Freed, Christian Organizations: International Monetary, International Monetary Fund, Brent, IMF, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Islamabad

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