The GodFather

Porsche will offer a special version of the new 2023 911 GT3 RS called the "Tribute to Carrera RS" package. It is painted in white and has Python Green accents, along with other visual touches. Priced at $314,000, it'll be offered only in the U.S. as part of the Exclusive Manufaktur customization program. UPDATED 10/21/2022: This story has been updated with new photos and pricing for the 2023 911 GT3 RS special edition that honors the Carrera RS 2.7. Porsche loves to play up its rich heritage, and the newest version of the just-revealed 911 GT3 RS is meant to do just that. Called the Tribute to Carrera RS package, this special edition is visually inspired by the 1970s-era Carrera RS 2.7, which was the first RS-badged 911. To that end, the new GT3 RS is finished in white paint and has its wheels, side mirrors, and a few other exterior elements painted in Python Green. There's also a large green stripe on the side with "GT3 RS" script in a slightly modernized version of the "Carrera" font from the original. The giant rear wing has "RS" logos in green on each end. The interior matches the white and green theme as well, with different stitching and other painted trim pieces. Porsche will offer this option only in the U.S. market, which it says is the "second home" of the 911. It'll be part of the Exclusive Manufaktur customization program. The new Tribute to Carrera RS will cost $314,000—about $89k more than the '23 911 GT3 RS's $225,250 base price. It should be rare, too, as Porsche says the tribute car's availability will be limited to customers with an existing GT3 RS allocation through a dealer. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a40942202/2023-porsche-911-gt3-rs-special-edition/

Casablanca - Recent studies conducted by Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) confirmed that a golf-playing tourist spends up to three times more than a leisure tourist in Morocco. Each golf tourist generates 2.5 indirect jobs in the hotel, restaurant, groundskeeping, and air transport sectors, the studies revealed. “The golfer is a great traveler, who does not hesitate to travel around the world to play the best greens in the world,” said ONMT’s Director General Adel El Fakir. “Morocco has the best assets and an important offer to continue to attract golfers from the 4 corners of the world, we work hand in hand with the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation and the Hassan II Trophy Association to achieve this goal,” he added. Morocco, which is increasingly reliant on tourism revenues, has prioritized golf tourism in recent years. Read also: Morocco’s ONMT to Increase Golf Tourism In 2019, ONMT reached an agreement with the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation and the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) to promote golf tourism in the country. The partnership aimed to boost golf tourism in Morocco while also creating jobs in the golfing industry. Since then, ONMT has concentrated on participating in most major golf tourism events and meetings to expand its market share and attract more golf visitors to Morocco. Recently, ONMT attended the International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) in Rome from October 17 to October 20, 2022. In 2015 and 2017, Morocco was named Africa’s top golf destination by the World Golf Awards Organization. In 2014, the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) awarded Marrakech as the best golf destination in Africa and the Gulf region. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/10/351984/study-golf-tourists-spend-more-than-leisure-tourists-in-morocco

Morocco is allocating MAD119.76 billion, nearly $11 billion for its defense budget, according to the adopted 2023 Finance Bill. The Moroccan government adopted on Wednesday the 2023 Finance Bill, pledging reforms to improve several sectors, including health, education, and defense. Morocco is adding nearly MAD 4 billion to the defense budget compared to last year, when the fund for the sector was estimated at MAD 116 billion. The budget takes into account Morocco’s approach to tackling modernization and upgrades of its military equipment and infrastructure. In recent years, the North African country has signed a series of deals to upgrade its military equipment. Morocco’s largest arms supplier is the US, providing it with 91% of its arms supply. With 325,000 soldiers, Morocco’s military was ranked 55th out of 140 countries in terms of military power. About 200,000 of the total number of soldiers are in active military service, while 100,000 are reserve soldiers, and 25,000 soldiers serve in the paramilitary forces. Despite the slight increase in the budget bill, Morocco’s defense fund remains way behind that of Algeria. Read Also: Arms Race: Morocco Eyes Strategic Partnership With India Despite the global context marked by an economic crisis, Algeria is planning to adopt a budget of $23 billion for its defense sector, a number that represents an increase of over 120% compared to amounts allocated to its military in the past 10 years. A recent report from the Economic Freedom Index ranked Algeria among the 10 least economically free countries. A report from the Arab Barometer in 2021 showed mounting concerns about the economic crisis, with 40% of Algerians citing the economic crisis as the most important challenge facing the country, while only 2% cited security. Despite the crisis, Algeria continues to fund arms deals with its proxy Russia, a situation that has triggered concerns in the international community. Last month, 27 members of the US Congress signed a bipartisan letter, calling for sanctions against Algeria for the extravagant purchases of arms from Russia. Last year alone, Algeria bought Russian weapons totaling $7 billion, making it the third largest recipient of Russian arms in the world. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/10/351973/morocco-sets-up-budget-of-nearly-11-billion-for-defense-in-2023

Rabat - The “Blue Pearl of Morocco” Chefchaouen has been featured among the world’s 20 most colorful places. American monthly magazine Architectural Digest ranked the blue city 12th, ahead of South Africa’s Cape Town and Peru’s Vinicunca. The magazine stated that Chefchaouen’s blue-painted buildings “create a truly striking image,” making it “an irresistible tourist attraction.” The selection of Chefchaouen among the world’s most colorful places reflects the beauty of simplicity. The city’s eye-catching yet relaxing blue has attracted international tourists looking for a cozy town surrounded by majestic natural landscapes. Chefchaouen has been a holiday destination for numerous A-list celebrities including Liam Hemsworth and Laura Den who celebrated the release of Jurassic World in the blue city in June. Despite featuring only three colors, blue, white, and yellow-orange, the Moroccan city received a better ranking than the USA’s multi-colored Georgian-style buildings on East Bay street in Charleston, South Carolina which took the 15th position. The US’ largest hot spring, Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, ranked in 16th place. Poland’s Wroclaw lagged behind the American tourist destinations but it ranked higher than Istanbul's old Jewish quarter of Balat, Curacao’s Willemstad, and Sweden’s historic center Gamla Stan in Stockholm. Meanwhile, Italy’s Cinque Terre took the title of the world’s most colorful place. The centuries-old seaside village is widely popular among tourists. According to Architectural Digest, Cinque Terre is googled 718,000 times every day. Read Also: Conde Nast Traveler: Morocco Ranks In Top 20 Tourist Destinations Indonesia’s Kampung Pelangi, also known as Rainbow Village, followed in the second position ahead of Colombia’s colonial town of Guatape, Argentina’s La Boca neighborhood in Buenos Aires, and Denmark’s harbor site Nyhavn in the capital Copenhagen. Cuba’s renowned instagramable streets in Old Havana occupied the seventh position, behind Little India in Singapore. Taiwan’s Rainbow Village in Taichung followed in the eighth position, ahead of Italy’s Burano and Procida. The two Mediterranean cities feature multi-colored streets with touches of blue, green, pink, orange, and yellow. The same colors are replicated in France’s Colmar, so known as “The little Venice of France,” which ranked in 11th position. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/10/351981/moroccos-chefchaouen-features-among-worlds-most-colorful-places

Rabat - Faction leaders from Libya, including President of the Libyan parliament Aguila Saleh and President of the Libyan High Council of State Khaled Al-Mishri held talks in Morocco in a bid to relaunch dialogue and find a political solution to end their country’s long-running dispute. Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita received the two Libyan officials as part of the Moroccan commitment to help Libyan factions reach a peaceful and agreed upon political solution to the decade-long dispute. Speaking to the press on Friday, Saleh said he and Al-Michri agreed on different aspects, particularly the relaunch of dialogue to achieve an agreement about the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections. Saleh also stressed that the two officials agreed on the implementation of the Bouznika mechanism related to the sovereign position within the coming weeks, “but not later than the end of the year.” The mechanism was announced during a final statement between Libyan delegations at the end of a second round of dialogue in Bouznika in October 2020. It is related to criteria for appointments to leadership positions in the state’s sovereign institutions, including the positions of Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, President of the Audit Bureau, and Head of the Administrative Control Authority, among others. Appointment to the positions requires the approval of two-thirds of the members of parliament. On October 21, the two members of the Libyan factions also expressed commitment to resume dialogue and conveyed their thanks and gratitude to King Mohammed VI, the government, and the Moroccan people for their support for the Libyan cause. Both officials recalled Morocco’s commitment to helping Libyans find a peaceful solution to the conflict and emphasized the country’s support for territorial integrity and its firm position against foreign interference in Libya’s domestic affairs. Morocco has been expressing determination to work with Libyan factions to help broker a lasting and agreed-upon political solution to the long-running conflict. In September, Morocco welcomed the appointment of Senegal’s Abdoulaye Bathily as the new special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, renewing its determination to contribute to UN-led mediation efforts to put an end to the Libyan crisis. In the communique, Morocco extended its full support for the new envoy, emphasizing that fair elections are the only way to “overcome the current situation in Libya.” Morocco also hosted a series of roundtable talks, convening Libyan parties in Tangier https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/10/351980/libyan-factions-thank-morocco-for-efforts-to-achieve-political-solution-in-libya

God of War Ragnarok was recently described by one of its own devs as the best PS4 game possible, with PS5 features just being the “icing on the cake.” Given that overhead, you’d expect to see a lot of graphical options on Sony’s more powerful console, and according to those who have gone hands-on with the game, that is indeed the case. For those with more standard 4K sets, Sony is serving up two options – Favor Resolution, which offers a full 4K at a locked 30fps, and Favor Performance, which offers dynamic 4K and a locked 60fps. Now, if you have access to a VRR-capable TV with HDMI 2.1 inputs, the Favor Resolution mode will offer a 4K and 40fps and Favor Performance will offer dynamic 4K that “targets” 120fps. How close does it actually get to that target? The remains to be seen, but expect it to be well above the 60fps mark at least. So yeah, this all definitely jives with God of War Ragnarok being a PS4 game souped up to be its best self on PS5. Look forward to some crisp, smooth God murder. Haven’t been keeping up with God of War Ragnarok? Here’s everything you need to know and an official description… "From Santa Monica Studio comes the sequel to the critically acclaimed God of War (2018). Kratos and Atreus must journey to each of the Nine Realms in search of answers as they prepare for the prophesied battle that will end the world. Together, Kratos and Atreus venture deep into the Nine Realms in search of answers as Asgardian forces prepare for war. Along the way they will explore stunning, mythical landscapes, gather allies from across the realms and face fearsome enemies in the form of Norse gods and monsters. As the threat of Ragnarök grows ever closer, Kratos and Atreus find themselves choosing between the safety of their family and the safety of the realms..." Those who break fate - Atreus seeks knowledge to help him understand the prophecy of “Loki” and what role he is to play in Ragnarök. Kratos must decide whether he will be chained by the fear of repeating his mistakes or break free of his past to be the father Atreus needs. Weapons of war - The Leviathan Axe, Blades of Chaos and Guardian Shield return alongside a host of new abilities for both Kratos and Atreus. As they take on gods and monsters from across the Nine Realms, Kratos’ deadly Spartan skills will be tested like never before as he fights to protect his family. Explore the realms - Journey to dangerous and stunning landscapes while facing a wide variety of enemy creatures, monsters and Norse gods as Kratos and Atreus search for answers and allies. God of War Ragnarok launches on PS4 and PS5 on November 9. https://wccftech.com/god-of-war-ragnarok-visual-modes-4k-40fps-120fps/

There is no doubt that Google is a huge supporter of Rich Communication Services or RCS. The company first added support to Google Messages back in 2018 and has been making sure that the feature is coming to other devices. Google has actually led the charge when it comes to bringing RCS to Apple, and as part of the company's effort, the new update to Messages is bringing more RCS betterment and a lot of new features that are going to be good for everyone. Google Messages is Easily the Best Messaging App on Android With Richer RCS Support Sure, iPhones are still not using RCS, but Google has been working hard to make sure that the communication between iOS and Android is as seamless as possible. Earlier this year, Google Messages introduced emoji reactions from iPhone users. Now, thanks to the new update, it will also let users react to messages using emojis. In addition to that, Reminders will be part of Messages from now on and will send you notices on days you might have an important event going on. In addition to that, YouTube will now have better integration, allowing users to watch videos within a chat window whenever there is a link sent to them. With this, users can stay in the chat and avoid moving from app to app. To keep things better and organized, Google Messages will now be able to allow individual responses to specific messages. In addition to that, it will also ask users to favorite messages that contain information that is important such as addresses, codes, phone numbers, and more. Moving further, Google Messages will now recognize phrases asking for other forms of communication and will suggest setting up a video call through Meet. Some countries will get an experimental feature allowing instant communication with businesses through Messages when the establishment is found using Google Search or Maps. Of course, you can use other means of communication as well since Messages is fully compatible with your web browser, Chrome, Chromebooks, and even your Pixel Watch. Last but not least, Google Messages has also added an incentive in which the company has partnered with United Airlines to offer free messaging on United flights as long as you have RCS enabled. The service will be available for most carriers starting this fall. Google will also update the app icon, bringing it in line with other products. https://wccftech.com/google-messages-just-received-a-new-update-with-heap-of-new-features-and-a-new-icon/

AMD is going to make a huge jump in laptop GPU performance with their next-gen Radeon RX 7000 "RDNA 3" chips. AMD To Bring Radeon RX 6950 XT & RTX 3090 Performance To Laptops With Its Radeon RX 7000 "RDNA 3" GPUs In two separate tweets by Greymon55 and Kopite7kimi, both leakers have reported that the next-gen AMD Radeon RX 7000 "RDNA 3" laptop GPUs will offer a huge boost to gaming performance on mobile platforms. First up, we have Greymon55's tweet which says that the Radeon RX 7000 "RDNA 3" Laptop GPUs (represented by the laptop emoji) would offer performance on par with Radeon RX 6950 XT, AMD's fastest RDNA 2 graphics card. The second tweet from Kopite7kimi gives us a possible SKU name, the Radeon RX 7900M, which may or may not be the flagship RDNA 3 GPU considering the company is going to use the X950 XT branding for its top RDNA 3 desktop graphics card. Regardless, the Radeon RX 7900M is said to be delivering performance on par with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 which is huge. Currently, there's no single laptop GPU that comes close to the flagship desktop graphics cards. AMD's current fastest laptop GPU, the RDNA 2-powered Radeon RX 6850M XT, is only on par with the Radeon RX 6700 XT (Desktop). NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop SKU is comparable to the RTX 3060 Ti and RTX 3070. So both laptop chips are a far cry from their desktop counterparts but the next-gen GPUs are going to up it a notch and bring flagship-tier performance. NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 40 series mobility GPUs will include the AD103-based RTX 4090 as the flagship since the AD102 GPU is too power-hungry for the laptop segment. AMD is going to do the same and is expected to utilize the Navi 32 die (MCM) for the laptop segment. While next-generation laptop GPUs won't offer the same performance as the fastest desktop cards based on the newer architecture, it will still be impressive to see them match the last-gen flagships while sipping only a fraction of the power. The AMD Radeon RX 7000 "RDNA 3" GPU lineup based on the Nav 3x GPUs is expected to launch later this year with reports pitting the flagship Navi 31 launch first followed by Navi 32 and Navi 33 GPUs. We are most likely to get our first taste of the RDNA 3 mobility lineup by CES 2023. https://wccftech.com/amd-radeon-rx-7000-rdna-3-laptop-gpu-offer-rx-6950-xt-rtx-3090-level-gaming-performance/

Casablanca - With rising prices and an unstable, poor quality of life, the public’s morale in Morocco continues to fall, reaching its lowest level since 2008, a recent survey from the High Commission for Planning (HCP) shows. According to the poll’s findings, in the third quarter of 2022, 81.5% of families reported a decline in their standard of living over the past 12 months. While only 11.6 % reported that their living conditions remained unchanged, with the lowest category of 6.9 % reporting an improvement. Over the next 12 months, 49.8% of households expect their standard of living to deteriorate, 41.9% to remain at the same level, and 8.3% to improve, the survey confirmed. During the third quarter of 2022, Moroccans’ Household Confidence Index (HCI) stands at 47.4 points instead of 50.1 points recorded in the previous quarter and 65.5 points a year earlier, HCP’s latest report noted. Read also: Report: 26% of Moroccans Suffered Depression at Least Once in Their Life The same survey explained the decline in the level of household confidence during this quarter follows the high rising prices, higher unemployment rate, poverty, and COVID-19. The decline is more severe this year compared to the past two years. In terms of unemployment, the survey found that 87.5% of households expected the unemployment rate to climb over the next 12 months, while 4% expected it to fall. Meanwhile, 82.1% versus 8.1% of surveyed people believed that this is not a good time to make purchases of durable goods. On the other hand, the survey also found that 53.5% of households reported that their income covers their expenses, 43.7% reported taking on debt or drawing on savings, and 2.8% reported saving a portion of their income. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/10/351933/moroccans-morale-at-all-time-low-due-to-poor-living-conditions

Hyundai has revealed the Grandeur, a new sedan for Korea and other global markets. This is the evolution of Hyundai's large sedan which was previously sold in the U.S. as the Azera. Its stunning design and posh interior look appropriate for a Genesis luxury model. Hyundai doesn't think that flagships should be exclusive to luxury brands, as that's what the company is calling its seventh-generation Grandeur large sedan—and this newly redesigned model appears to have the presence to live up to the title. The Grandeur has been around in Korea for decades, but only two generations were sold in the U.S., where it was called the Azera and sold from 2006 until 2017. We don't think it will be making its return to our market anytime soon, but the new model's design makes us wish it was coming here. Few mechanical details are available at this point, but we assume that the Grandeur continues to use a transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive platform, surprising considering its dash-to-axle ratio and elegant proportions that look distinctly rear-wheel drive and premium. The slim, full-width headlight and taillight LED bars are reminiscent of other Hyundai models such as the Staria van, and look modern and high-tech. The most interesting design element is the B-pillar treatment that incorporates a rear quarter window in a nod to the original 1980s Grandeur, which Hyundai recently celebrated with a restomod EV treatment. The interior looks to have a distinctly lounge-like feel, with cushy-looking seats and a minimally intrusive, flat dashboard that creates an airy cabin atmosphere. We'd guess that the new Grandeur will share its powertrains with the related Kia K8 large sedan, which offers a 296-hp 3.5-liter V-6 along with smaller 2.5-liter and turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four engines. All-wheel drive will likely be available. The Grandeur is not likely to come to the U.S., as the large sedan segment has all but died out here. But if Hyundai wants a competitor to the new Toyota Crown, a new Grandeur/Azera would surely find at least a few interested customers—as long as it doesn't encroach too much on Genesis' territory. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a41709267/hyundai-grandeur-sedan-new-design/

Rabat - Moroccan insurance provider Sanlam, formerly known as Saham, has said that “Morocco is a key market” for its pan-African operations. In June, Saham officially changed its name to Sanlam after its largest South African stakeholder boosted its share in the firm to 84.5%, up from 61.7% in 2018. In a move that could be interpreted as an attempt to reassure its customer base in Morocco following structural changes, Sanlam took to Linkedin on Tuesday to argue that its presence remains “unrivaled” in the North African country. “Morocco serves as the primary hub for our pan-African general insurance operations and our Moroccan subsidiary remains one of the flagship companies of our pan-African business portfolio with an unrivaled presence across the Kingdom,” the post reads. Sanlam further stressed its “long-standing commitment to Morocco,” recalling its confidence in the country’s economy and its mission to “empower current and future generations to be financially confident, secure and prosperous.” Sanlam Maroc is currently the fourth-largest insurance provider in Morocco, after Wafa Assurance, Royal Maroc Assurance (RMA), and Mutuelle Taamine Chaabi. The company reported MAD 3.7 billion ($347.5 million) in turnover at the end of the first half of 2022, marking an 8.3% year-on-year increase. Given that Morocco was Africa’s second-largest insurance market in 2020, according to Oxford Business Group, Sanlam’s operations in Morocco are key in sustaining the company’s liquidity and growth plans. Sanlam currently has 68 subsidiaries in Africa and the Middle East, but it plans to further expand in South Africa. On October 11, the insurance firm shared its offer to acquire Afrocentric Investment Corporation in an effort to increase its share in the ACT Healthcare Assets (AHA). Afrocentric controls 71.3% of the strategic alliance of South African financial institutions. Read Also: Fitch: Morocco’s State Insurance Company Enjoys ‘Stable Outlook’ © Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/10/351935/sanlam-maintains-its-hold-on-moroccan-market-expands-in-africa

Rabat- After a successful first edition, the International Storytelling Festival is returning to Morocco’s Red City, with Artistic Director John Row enthusiastic about the upcoming event. Organizers considered the inaugural International Storytelling Festival held in Marrakech in February to be a great success which brought together Moroccan and international storytellers. In light of the anticipated second edition of the festival, Morocco World News interviewed John Row, the festival’s artistic director to discuss the upcoming festival. When asked to reflect on his initial experience at the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival, John Row described the event as “amazing, it was just one of those magic moments.’’ The artistic director added that the British ambassador came to the festival, and there was huge storytelling on the square and the souk, “it was like bringing blood back to the veins of the Souk, he said.’’ The storytelling festival marked the first face-to-face meeting since the pandemic for the 40 storytellers from five continents. The Second Edition Of The Storytelling Festival The free and open access festival will take place in Marrakech from 12 to 19 February 2023. According to the festival's official website, “More than eighty storytellers from every continent will converge on Marrakech for the second edition of the festival with the theme Ancestral Voices echoing a deep need to meet in person, and the healing power of story in the post pandemic World.’’ With more storytellers participating than last year, including Taffy Thomas, England's well-known storyteller, John Row assured that the range of venues will be richer and more organized. The festival, he continued, “raises the profile of storytelling in Marrakech on a global scale, we will attract more tourists to the festival, and a lot more audience coming from outside Marrakech.’’ Ancestral Voices The festival's theme, Ancestral voices, pays tribute to the great storytellers who are no longer with us, including Haj Ahmed, a well-known master storyteller in Marrakech, and Scottish storyteller and singer Duncan James Williamson. The artistic director stated, “If it weren't for Haj Ahmed’s work, I don't think storytelling in Marrakech would be nearly at the state of it now. He had so much to do with the revival and we were very lucky to have him as the guest of honor at the first edition of the festival. We need to honor him and he is now an ancestral voice.’’ Additionally, they will also remember the women who played a significant role in storytelling in Marrakech at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century. John Row also noted that the landscape of storytelling is changing in Marrakech reflecting the whole new generation.“We are ensuring that their voices are heard in the festival and that it is not dominated by international storytellers,’’ he said. Storytelling is a powerful tool for embracing cultural diversity and it is important to build a strong international community in the arts industry, “stories show that there is more that unites than divides us.’’ https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/10/351936/john-row-on-the-second-edition-of-the-marrakech-international-storytelling-festival

Rabat - Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita received Burundi’s Foreign Minister Albert Shingiro today, who is on a six-day working visit to the North African country. The FMs discussed their countries’ deep and growing bilateral ties and expressed their mutual desire to strengthen cooperation. In a joint statement, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to “develop, intensify and diversify their cooperation in several areas.” Meanwhile, Bourita vowed to share Morocco’s “know-how and expertise in socio-economic, human, and cultural development” with the fellow African country. The pair expressed their willingness to establish an “ambitious and fruitful” cooperation in key sectors, including agriculture, energy, vocational training, health, finance, and mining, the source noted. The two ministers highlighted the potential that the private sector in the two countries possesses, “given the mutually beneficial economic potential available” to them, the statement added. In this regard, Bourita and Shingiro urged investors and economic operators to “seize the opportunities offered in the various economic sectors.” Read also: Burundi Welcomes Morocco’s Decision to Open Embassy in Bujumbura Emphasizing the need to strengthen political dialogue between Morocco and Burundi, the two diplomats pledged to hold regular political consultations on bilateral, regional, and international issues of common interest. In this regard, the two ministers signed two agreements; one on the establishment of a Joint Cooperation Commission, as well as a diplomatic visa exemption agreement, or Special Issuance Passports (supplied for government officials). The two parties also vowed to mutually support Morocco and Burundi’s candidacies at both the regional and international levels. Shingiro expressed his country’s “firm and unequivocal” support for Morocco’s candidacy to secure a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council for the 2028-2029 term. Western Sahara dispute The meeting was an opportunity for Shingiro to reiterate his country’s support and “attachment” to Morocco’s Autonomy Plan regarding its territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara. “The principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and national unity” are among Morocco and Burundi’s shared values. Burundi stressed the centrality of Resolution 2602, the latest UN Security Council resolution on the Sahara dispute, as the basis to reach a “lasting, pragmatic, and realistic” solution. Shingiro also hailed the efforts made by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his Personal Envoy Staffan De Mistura to relaunch the political process to resolve the Sahara dispute. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/10/351931/morocco-burundi-vow-to-boost-bilateral-cooperation

Today during their Silent Hill Transmission presentation, Konami revealed the future of their franchise, and they covered a lot of ground. In addition to the long-rumored Silent Hill 2 remake, they teased the Annapurna-Interactive-published Silent Hill Townfall, the creepy spin-off Silent Hill f, and perhaps most outside of the box of all, Silent Hill: Ascension. Silent Hill: Ascension is an upcoming “interactive video streaming experience” from Montreal-based Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive with art direction by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Games. As for what the series might be about, the teaser doesn’t reveal much, but Konami promises it will be a chance to “shape Silent Hill canon, forever.” You can check out the teaser trailer, below. Need to know more? Here’s how producer Jacob Navok describes the project… “For over 20 years, Silent Hill has haunted my memories. Lately, I enjoy watching streamers playing Silent Hill with their fans. We love the feeling of being scared together, of experiencing fear with friends. It's why watching horror films in a theater is so fun.Silent Hill: Ascension takes that feeling of communal fear to a massive scale. It's a live, real-time interactive series where millions of fans will watch together as the chilling story unfolds. You can change its outcomes, and even be a part of scenes. There is no reset button. The decisions that you make mean life or death in the story. It's your chance to shape Silent Hill canon, forever.” For those confused by the whole interactive series thing, Silent Hill: Ascension is being produced in association with Genvid, who have made several “Massively Interactive Live Events,” as they call them. “MILEs are cloud-powered, highly engaging, live broadcast events that allow audiences of any size to have meaningful interactions with the content being streamed. With MILEs, you can reach and monetize brand new audiences with a relaxed but engaging set of experiences which combine the most compelling aspects of games and broadcast media.” https://wccftech.com/silent-hill-ascension-interactive-streaming-series-bad-robot-dead-by-daylight/

Today, Apple has released a plethora of new hardware with major changes. The company announced the new M2 iPad Pro models, redesigned iPad 10, and the upgraded Apple TV 4K. Apart from this, the company also announced when it will officially release iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura to the public. Scroll down to read more details on the update and what you should expect. Apple to Officially Release macOS Ventura on October 24 on All Compatible Macs Apple will release macOS Ventura and iPadOS 16.1 on all supported Macs and iPad models on October 24. Both updates will arrive on the same day, so be sure to prepare your respective devices. macOS Ventura is a major update for Macs as it brings a plethora of forward-facing additions to the table. While there are numerous additions, the highlight of the update is the new Stage Manager multitasking interface, The same feature will also be available with iPadOS 16 on compatible iPad models. However, not all iPad models will feature support for the operating system.Other than this, the macOS Ventura release will also include a new Clock and Weather app, updated iMessage as well as Safari. macOS Ventura will also redesign System Settings which were previously called System Preferences. The latest design language is streamlined with the likes of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16. There is a boatload of other features embedded in the update, so be sure to stick around for more. As mentioned earlier, macOS Ventura will officially release for all compatible Macs on October 24. We will share more details on the update as soon as further information is available. You can check out more details on the new M2 iPad Pro, redesigned iPad 10, and upgraded Apple TV 4K. Are you anxiously waiting for the update? Share your expectations with us in the comments below. https://wccftech.com/heres-when-macos-ventura-will-officially-release-for-all-compatible-macs/

NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070 has once again been pictured in brand new graphics card renders that show off the dual-slot & dual-fan cooling. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Graphics Card Renders Give A Close Look At Dual-Slot & Dual-Fan Cooling The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card renders are once again revealed by Moore's Law is Dead in his latest video where he talks in detail about the upcoming product. The TechTuber had previously shown off a teaser of the RTX 4070 graphics card but now gives us a better look. albeit through renders. While NVIDIA has introduced its top-end "Ada Lovelace" lineup which includes the GeForce RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 16 GB, the company didn't reveal anything about its mid-tier offerings such as the RTX 4070 & RTX 4060. It looks like the design may have been finalized now that we are looking at an alleged picture of the Founders Edition cooler that is to be used by the RTX 4070. Currently, NVIDIA has introduced two Founders Edition variants, the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 16 GB. The RTX 4080 12 GB was never supposed to get a Founders Edition variant but that doesn't matter since the card has been canceled anyways. But for the RTX 4070, NVIDIA may indeed be preparing a new Founders Edition design that is slightly bigger than its RTX 3070 Founders Edition graphics card and also slightly smaller than the RTX 3080 FE. The main difference is that while the GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition utilized a front-facing dual fan design, the RTX 4070 would utilize a dual-axial flow-through design like its bigger siblings and as such, there will be a fan on the front and at the bottom of the shroud. The fans also seem to have been updated to the newer design that is featured on the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 16 GB FE cards. We currently don't have any information regarding the specifications of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card but it was supposed to utilize the same PCB as the RTX 4080 12 GB since both featured the AD104 GPU. The AD104 GPU for the RTX 4070 will be severely cut-down and it is likely that we get a 160-bit bus for 10 GB or retain the 192-bit bus for 12 GB memory because 128-bit 8 GB on a 70-series card or 6 GB 192-bit just seems way too underwhelming and unattractive. That depends on NVIDIA. The RTX 4070 is expected to be announced early next year. https://wccftech.com/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-graphics-card-gets-visualized-in-renders/

Report Accepted, Suspended for another week. T/C

Report Accepted

Rabat - A team of Moroccan and Polish archaeologists have discovered for the first time an observation tower built and used by the Roman army in the province of Mauretania Tingitana in Northern Morocco. The joint discovery is part of a cooperation agreement between the University of Warsaw and the Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (INSAP) in Rabat. TVP World, a Polish news channel reported that work at the site has been ongoing since 2021, adding that the tower was built on the southern border of the Roman province, about 6.5 kilometers south of the historic town of Volubilis and about two kilometers from the nearest garrison. The Polish news channel also found that “Fragments of pilum, or Roman javelins, were found at the site, as well as nails nailed to the soles of military sandals and metal components of the cingulum (military belt).” “What Polish archaeologists from the University of Warsaw, headed by Professor Radosław Karasiewicz Szczypiorski, have unearthed in recent days, has exceeded our expectations,” Polish Ambassador to Morocco Krzysztof Karwowski told TVP World. “The foundations of the Roman defence tower are wonderful evidence of the Roman defence system around Volubilis,” he added. “This is thanks to the excellent cooperation between Polish and Moroccan archaeologists. We look forward to their further discoveries.”. The ancient former capital of Mauretania Tingitana Volubilis is situated north of Meknes and is one of Morocco's tourist attractions. Volubilis, also known as "Walili" in Arabic, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, and many of its artifacts can be found at the Rabat Archaeological Museum. Volubilis attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors and has recently expanded with the addition of a new museum and visitor center. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/10/351901/polish-moroccan-team-groundbreaking-discovery-of-roman-military-tower