Morocco

European betters are rubbing their hands because, barring a sudden turn of events, Barcelona will be named capital city of the Union for the Mediterranean, and become the headquarters of the Union permanent secretariat.

Rabat: The Moroccan government has banned an issue of the French magazine L'Express International, claiming it insults Islam in articles exploring the relationship between that religion and Christianity.

Information Minister Khalid Naciri said Sunday that he had no choice but to ban the current issue because of the offensive nature of the articles it contained. The minister said the kingdom's press code allows the government to shut down or ban any publication deemed to offend Islam or the king.

The governing bodies of mosques in the Netherlands are alarmed by the departure of at least 40 imams for a government-paid trip to Morocco.