Moroccan rap moves up the charts

Taha Fahssi aka "El Grande Toto" and Ghizlane aka "Snowflake" form part of the new Moroccan rap scene, which is moving up the streaming charts and attracting the interest of major labels.

Rapper and songwriter, Olanrewaju Ogunmefun, better known by his stage name 'Vector' on The Dice this week with Sammy Walsh talks about 'Crown of clay' with M.I, the rap culture in Nigeria, and moments that defined his rap career.

Political fights are delaying Morocco's legalization of cannabis. But, thanks to the rise of medical marijuana, the measure fits well with EU development aims and international drug policy.

To earn a living, rose pickers in Morocco's Atlas Mountains must wake up from the crack of dawn to collect flowers before the sunshine damages the shocking pink petals -- eventually distilled into precious oil costing once processed $18,000 per kilo. The heady aroma of the Rosa Damascena, a variety introduced in the days of the caravan trade, perfumes hedges and fields irrigated by two wadis between the mountains and the Sahara desert.

The German government said it was "surprised" by the decision. Moroccan-German ties have been tense in recent months.

Between 8,000 and 10,000 people are estimated to have crossed from Morocco to Ceuta over the last few days, but around 6,000 of them have returned to Morocco, according to Ceuta’s local government.

At least 6,600 of the more than 8,000 migrants who arrived at Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta this week have been sent back over the border to Morocco following a diplomatic dispute. Also, critically ill Covid-19 patients are more likely to die in Africa than elsewhere. Our correspondent in Cape Town explains why. And we bring you a report on how Bangui residents are dealing with a shortage of drinking water in the Central African Republic.

The two North African countries have been at loggerheads for decades, mainly over the disputed Western Sahara region. Algeria said its neighbor had committed "hostile actions," while Morocco refuted those claims.

A paper by the German researcher Isabelle Werenfels is under fire in Moroccan media. Critics accuse her of having an anti-Moroccan agenda. But the affair probably has little to do with fine points of academic procedure.

Supporters of different political parties take to the streets of Morocco in campaign rallies ahead of parliamentary and local elections that will determine the fate of the decade-old ruling Islamist PJD party, even if it does not hold strategic ministries. First elected in 2011, the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) hopes to win a third term this year, having clung on to power at the head of coalitions for the whole intervening decade.

Preliminary results in Morocco show two liberal parties on course to win almost half the seats in parliament. The largest party until now, which claimed election fraud on polling day, saw its support collapse.

Billionaire businessman and Agriculture Minister Aziz Akhannouch is set to lead a new Moroccan government after his liberal party soared to victory in parliamentary elections.