Jinhui, the Oslo Stock Exchange-registered dry bulk shipping company, will tomorrow unload its last tons of controversial phosphate in New Zealand. The phosphate originates from occupied Western Sahara and has been shipped out of the country despite advice to the contrary from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Norwatch has got photos and video footage of the unloading.
The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara has for the fist time discovered that a shipping company registered at the Oslo Stock Exchange is transporting phosphate from Western Sahara.
On the 25th of February, the Sahrawi refugees will host the 8th edition of the Sahara Marathon in their refugee camps in western Algeria. The refugees have been living in the camps since Morocco illegally occupied their home country in 1975.
Another investor, Öhman Funds from Sweden, has now divested from the Australian phoshate company Wesfarmers due to its imports of phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara.
Said Mustafa El Baillal (29), studying for a Doctorate in Social Sciences, has received a severe prison sentence.
Before the week-end, the Moroccan governmental news service MAP claimed that the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs hailed their autonomy plan for Western Sahara. "Not true", replies Minister.
From the 10th to 13th January the Moroccan National Tourist Office will be represented at the International Travel Fair 2008 at Lillestrøm, Norway. It is expected that again, the Moroccan tourist authorities will use the fair as an arena for falsely marketing Western Sahara as a tourist destination within Morocco. The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara demands that Norwegian Trade Fairs forbids the Moroccan marketing of its neighbouring country.
The organisers behind Norway's most significant travel fair have demanded that Moroccan tourism authorities halt the marketing of the occupied Western Sahara in this weekend's "Travel Fair 2008". The fair, taking place just outside Oslo this weekend expects some 40.000 visitors.
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And says it has no plans to invest there.
Read also: Libyan state oil company in Western Sahara meets international protest
25th of December was a violent day in El Aaiun.
Pentagon announced on December 18th that the US will do a major sales of war material to Morocco. The agreement entails sales of 24 F-16 combat aircrafts, at a value of 2400 million dollars, as well as 24 T-6B Texan training aircrafts for 140 million. "An important force for political stability and economic progress in North Africa", they state about Morocco.
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According to Moroccan press reports this week-end, a subsidiary of the Libyan state oil company Tamoil will invest 100 to 150 million dollars in occupied Western Sahara. "If this is true, it would mean a serious betrayal of the Sahrawi people's legitimate struggle against occupation", says Western Sahara Resource Watch, an international network organisation working in solidarity with the Sahrawi people.
Read also: Protest over Sahrawi oil deal
Libyan state oil company could be looking for oil in occupied Western Sahara. Check some news clips here.