Headlines from the region

Headlines from the region

The airport of Marrakesh – Menara is part of the 13 best airports in the world, according to a classification established by the monthly “Travel and Leisure” magazine that is published by Conde Nast in New York.

Located 3 km from downtown, the airport of Marrakech-Menara Airport is the second Moroccan airport in terms of traffic after Mohammed V in Casablanca. According to “Travel and Leisure, the new Terminal 1 at the airport is” an example of a successful marriage between traditional Islamic architecture and modern architecture. ”

Marrakech-Menara has two terminals, Terminal 1 which was completely refurbished in June 2008, is fueled partly by solar energy. Terminal 2 was opened in 2005. A third terminal is planned for 2012 to bring the total capacity to 8 million passengers per year.

US transfers 2 Guantanamo detainees to Algeria

The U.S. has transferred two Algerian detainees from Guantanamo Bay to their native country, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday.

“Two Algerian detainees, Hasan Zemiri and Adil Hadi al-Jazairi Bin Hamlili, have been transferred from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the custody and control of the government of Algeria,” the department said in a statement.

The announcement came on the eve of what was once U.S. President Barack Obama’s target date to close the notorious detention facility located on the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Cameroon salvage Tunisia draw to advance

Substitute Achille Webo set up two goals as Cameroon snatched a 2-2 draw against Tunisia to scrape into the African Nations Cup quarter-finals on Thursday.

Webo, who came on as a second-half replacement for Jean Makoun, provided Samuel Eto’o and Landry Nguemo with perfect back passes as Cameroon twice fought back to finish second in Group D.

They will take on Egypt, who beat them in the 2008 final, in Benguela, while Zambia, who went through at the top of Group D on goals scored after beating Gabon 2-1, will face Nigeria in Lubango.

Libya tightens European visa rules

Libya plans to tighten its visa rules for citizens of some European countries in retaliation for its own citizens being denied European visas, a senior official said on Thursday.

The move — which he said would come into force “in a few days” — comes amid continued fallout after Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi’s son and wife were arrested in Switzerland in 2008.

The official said the stricter rules would apply to citizens of European countries that are part of the Schengen pact, which allows travellers to obtain a single visa that is good for travel to 24 European states.

Tripoli “will harden conditions for granting visas to businessmen, the executives of European companies operating in Libya and citizens of certain other nations,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Sudan youth form defense militia: Al Jazeera

It has been 5 years since Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir signed a peace deal between the central government in Khartoum and the South, ending more than 20 years of war.

The deal brought relative calm to the region, but cross-border attacks from Uganda continue.

The young men of Nzara in south Sudan have taken matters into their own hands in an attempt to protect their people.

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THE SOURCE