Latest news with #Euro-African
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Hyderabad cardiologist gets US patent for multi-functional cardiac occluder
File photo: Dr Nageswara Rao Koneti HYDERABAD: An innovative device that can fix various types of cardiac defects, designed by Hyderabad-based Dr Nageswara Rao Koneti, who heads the Cardiology Division at Rainbow Children's Heart Institute, has been granted a US patent. Called KONAR-MF Occluder, the multi-functional device can close septal defects in children and adults. It is a double umbrella disc device made of nitinol, a biocompatible nickel and titanium alloy, and is stretchable up to 15 mm. It can treat various conditions, including ventricular septal defects, coronary arteriovenous fistulas, and paravalvular leaks. The device has already been patented in India, Europe (European Commission), Euro-African countries, and South Korea. The multifunctional device not only fixes multiple types of cardiac lesions but also makes advanced cardiac care more affordable for patients in India, as it costs just Rs 50,000 in India compared to Rs 1.2 lakh in Pakistan and Rs 2.5–6 lakhs in other parts of Asia and Europe, said Dr Koneti. Terming this as a proud moment for Indian science, Dr Koneti said: "This US patent validates that innovations from India can meet global standards. It took us over six years to develop the device, and we applied for CE approval in 2018.' He said the US patent now paves the way for a US FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) approval for the device, which has already been implanted in about 10-15 patients in the US on compassionate grounds. "But we can also do clinical trials in the US if required," said Dr Koneti, who is a paediatric interventional cardiologist. He pointed out that the device has already demonstrated its safety and efficacy through over 20 peer-reviewed studies, and over 10,000 of these devices have already been implanted in patients in over 90 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Africa since the device got CE approval in 2018. The device is manufactured by LifeTech Scientific of China. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Zawya
16-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Croatia, Morocco Reaffirm Commitment to Reinforcing Partnership
The Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Croatia reaffirmed, on Wednesday in Zagreb, their commitment to further reinforcing their comprehensive long-term partnership, concluded in 2019. In a Joint Declaration issued following talks held in the Croatian capital between Croatia's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman, and Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, the two countries reiterated their mutual will to reinforcing this partnership and further deepening economic, commercial, cultural, scientific, interpersonal and other mutually agreed areas of cooperation. In this Declaration, which confirms the excellence of relations between Morocco and Croatia, the two ministers also agreed on the importance of holding economic forums to encourage exchanges between economic players in the two countries. The two ministers also stressed the importance of promoting cooperation in the cultural and academic fields, with a view to fostering human and economic development. Both parties stressed the importance of the strategic partnership between Morocco and the EU, calling for continued dialogue to put this partnership on a sound and solid footing. They also stressed the need to develop cooperation, partnership and dialogue between the EU and its southern neighborhood, as well as with the Euro-African area. Emphasis was also placed on the positive and constructive role of Morocco and Croatia in maintaining stability, security and peace in their respective regions, and their commitment to the fundamental universal principles of the UN Charter, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts with full respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of States. They reaffirmed their shared desire to deepen dialogue and bilateral cooperation on regional and international issues of common interest and major strategic challenges. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.
Morocco World
08-03-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
New Freight Transport Route to Connect Tangier Med and Huelva Port
Rabat – The Port of Huelva is set to launch a new maritime connection with Tangier Med Port starting this Sunday. This route will provide six weekly rotations between Spain and Morocco, the Port Authority of Huelva (APH) said in a statement, adding that the new line will be dedicated to roll-on/roll-off freight transport. The Spanish shipping company Suardiaz Group in partnership with logistics operator GTO (Grupo Transonuba) is responsible for the route's establishment. The new service aims to be the first high-frequency regular line connecting an Atlantic port on the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco. With a transit time of just six hours, it is poised to facilitate the transport of dry goods, refrigerated cargo, and IMO-classified merchandise, the APH emphasized. For the President of the Port of Huelva Alberto Santana, this connection fulfills a strategic objective for the Andalusian port by strengthening connectivity with North Africa and promoting intermodal transportation. He further noted the major investments made at the port, including the construction of a double boarding ramp designed to better accommodate shipping companies and facilitate freight transport. Read also: Morocco's Port Growth Draws Spanish Freight Forwarders to North Africa GTO's President Esteban Sánchez asserted that this newfound route strengthens maritime connections between Europe and Morocco, offering a reliable and efficient alternative to address growing commercial traffic, which is expected to double over the next five years. Meanwhile, Director of Suardiaz Shipping Lines Marcos Duato explained that this new alliance between Suardiaz and GTO aims to meet the market's growing needs. He spoke of how this collaboration provides an efficient and reliable solution for companies looking to transport goods between Morocco and Europe. This new maritime link represents a new significant development in Euro-African trade relations, further positioning Morocco's Tanger Med port as a key logistics hub in the region. By reducing transit times and increasing capacity for cross-continental freight movement, the route is expected to stimulate economic growth on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar while supporting sustainability goals through improved maritime transport efficiency. This new connection could play a pivotal role in reshaping regional supply chains amid growing trade volumes between Morocco and Spain. Tags: Morocco and SpainNew freight routeTnager med and Huelva port
Morocco World
19-02-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
World Cup 2030: Host Countries to Establish Committee to Oversee Preparations Campaign
Rabat – The Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has announced the creation of a committee that seeks to oversee the preparation for the 2030 World Cup that Morocco will co-host alongside Spain and Portugal. In a statement on Tuesday, FRMF said that the committee will 'unify the efforts of the three countries' organizing the prestigious tournament. A meeting between FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaa and his Spanish counterpart, Rafael Louzan, agreed to the creation of the special committee. 'The two parties agreed to form joint commissions to unify the efforts of the three countries… through meetings that will take place in the coming days, alternating between the host nations of the 2030 World Cup,' FRMF said. During his meeting with Louzan, Lekaa stressed the importance of his delegation's visit to Morocco to review the preparations for the much-hailed Euro-African co-hosting of the world's most prestigious sporting tournament. He also recalled the historical and cultural ties between the two countries, stressing the need to accelerate the creation of joint commissions to ensure a successful preparation campaign. Louzan commended Morocco's progress, including football development and infrastructure. He said that these achievements enhance bilateral cooperation, meeting the expectations of officials of both countries as well as supporters. He also agreed with Lekjaa regarding the importance of creating joint commissions to accelerate the implementation of future projects before 2030. Spain is scaling up efforts to collaborate with the two other co-hosts, reaffirming its commitment to ensure the success of the tournament. While representing Spain at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech this past Tuesday, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska reiterated his country's readiness to actively work with Morocco towards the hosting of a memorable World Cup. Grande-Marlaska said he expects the North African kingdom to rise to the occasion and meet the ever-growing expectations of footballing fans across the world. The first-ever Euro-African FIFA World Cup will be a 'great success,' he stressed. Tags: FIFA World Cup 2030Morocco
Morocco World
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
APC Civil Society Group, US AfP Partner to Create New Moroccan-Lead Initiative
Doha – 'Being the first Moroccan to serve in this respected institution carries enormous responsibility, especially given the major challenges our kingdom faces – from the Moroccan Sahara to African leadership, Atlantic initiatives, Sahelian development, and Euro-African human mobility,' says Mohammed El Abbouch. In these words, El Abbouch pointed to his work at the Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), describing his new role at the institution. The founding president of the Alliance Panafricaine pour la Citoyenneté (APC), a Paris-based civil society organization whose focus is on Africa, conveyed these reflections during his interview with Morocco World News (MWN). In early 2025, APC announced its membership in AfP, a Washington-based platform comprising over 200 organizations. This strategic move heralds a new era in mobilizing African citizens for grassroots peace-building and prosperity initiatives. The partnership aims to strengthen citizen engagement in peace processes across Africa, with a particular focus on the Sahel region. The AfP operates with support from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), an independent, nonpartisan organization established by Congress. The Institute has developed an extensive African program examining and supporting peace-building efforts across the continent. Reimagining peace-building beyond traditional frameworks El Abbouch explained that APC represents a fundamental shift in the pan-African revolution, advocating for a new horizontal approach to peaceful social change in Africa. 'APC no longer operates within the framework of transnational NGOs that have managed countless projects in the Sahel region under the Washington Consensus,' he stated. 'Under transnational influence, the Sahelian state has moved from post-colonial status to the neoliberal order while being assisted by the global aid community,' he added. 'With its hyperpower, the international coalition has forged, in the shadow of the Washington Consensus, public policies in place of local administrations and populations,' El Abbouch elaborated, exposing the systemic issues with traditional approaches. The organization takes a critical stance toward the traditional transnational NGO model. 'The transnational society of NGOs, benefiting from considerable funding, like the International Crisis Group, shapes the dominant bureaucracy of peace,' El Abbouch noted. He criticized that their analyses 'ignore the past of wars and only recommend neoliberal peace solutions,' containing 'only viewpoints of pseudo-experts who completely disregard the vision and stakes of combatants and civilian victims of fratricidal battles.' From colonial legacy to contemporary conflicts El Abbouch drew attention to significant historical events that have shaped the region's current dynamics. He invoked the 1968 military coup that overthrew Mali's first president, Modibo Keita, and the subsequent period of political upheaval. 'The African Charter of Human Rights, adopted in 1981 after long years of discussion, was never used to invite Bamako to ease the repression of Moussa Traoré's junta against the elected civil regime of Modibo Keita,' he remarked. 'The USSR, despite Modibo Keita's eviction, wanted to maintain its positions in Mali in the 1970s and continued to provide military equipment,' El Abbouch expounded, adding that Soviet concerns included 'better treatment and liberation of their Malian allies imprisoned in appalling conditions in northern Mali, in the Tuareg zone.' 'France and the West position themselves, facing the African states of the Sahel Alliance, as defenders of human rights, particularly invoking the regional organization of ECOWAS,' El Abbouch asserted to MWN. However, he also pointed out that regional mechanisms have not always effectively addressed human rights concerns. 'The G5 Sahel initiated by France has contented itself with a global war on terrorism that ends in terrible failure,' El Abbouch observed, referencing recent regional developments. Challenging R2P: A new approach to peace The partnership presents an alternative to the United Nations' Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine. 'APC, building on AfP's strength and experience, does not seek to replace the United Nations where R2P was developed,' El Abbouch clarified. He explained that the R2P doctrine, 'noting the inability in Mali, DRC, Iraq, or Palestine, of diplomacy and multilateral force, limits the international community's role to protecting the most vulnerable during civil wars.' 'Distributing powdered milk, funding MSF hospitals, transferring public school money to UNICEF to put displaced children under tents – this is humanitarian aid that proves contrary to endogenous development and does not lead to peace,' El Abbouch stated. He also highlighted the contemporary internationalization of war: 'We must also reflect on the contemporary internationalization of war, in the Sahel, but also in Syria. The R2P does not take this dimension into account. Instead, it chooses to count, each month, the number of displaced or malnourished people to constantly inflate the UN budget and its satellites.' El Abbouch pointed to specific challenges in the Sahel region: 'The sticking points are not identical across countries and moments. The Amazighs in Kidal, Mali face specific obstacles linked to the terrible history of this part of the country used as a penal colony by colonial power.' He added that 'The Tuaregs of Niger also have conflicts with the central state but without the same structural handicaps encountered in Mali.' Building a tricontinental peace architecture The collaboration between APC and AfP aims to establish what El Abbouch called a 'new tricontinental peace initiative linking America, Europe, and Africa.' He added that AfP has 'engaged on the central question of peace in connection with the Institute for Peace of the U.S. Congress, the world's most important country born and grown from an unfinished civil war.' Speaking about the American partnership, El Abbouch noted the significance of working with the United States: 'Whether it's the eviction of Native Americans, the slave trade, the Civil War, civil rights, etc. – American senators and representatives are aware that peace is a multiform, multipartisan, popular and civic battle.' 'More than objectives, we should talk about methodology,' El Abbouch stressed. He detailed AfP's approach using 'infra-diplomatic tools: knowledge, dialogue, exchanges, and especially recognition of protagonists without exclusives.' The partnership's concrete strategy focuses on investing in local communities. As El Abbouch explained, the goal is to 'invest in people and associations of a territory to strengthen their skills and capabilities, their autonomy, and enable them to fully participate in the development process of peace beneficial to society.' Looking ahead, APC plans to establish its headquarters in Morocco, structuring its partnership with AfP to build an exchange network for peace. 'Morocco has undertaken for several years a complete but discreet action to help and engage the Central Sudan states in forming a space of peace and prosperity,' El Abbouch revealed. 'APC can, with Moroccan civil society and that of the Sahel Alliance states, support, complement, and deepen local exchanges and the expression of parties' citizenship rather than their dissidence,' he continued. A recently released APC press release outlines the challenges the continent faces, stating that '2025 opens with numerous African situations where local debate on the stakes and paths of citizen participation would be part of the solution to conflicts, wars and suffering endured by populations.' In this context, the initiative aims to contribute to local policy formulation across multiple domains, including employment, youth affairs, education, health, delinquency prevention, housing, and poverty reduction. AfP, recognized as a 'premier influencer and change agent' among global peace-building institutions, brings significant resources to this partnership through its annual PeaceCon conference and extensive network of stakeholders. 'Concretely, we don't promise to carry bags of rice to Malians,' El Abbouch concluded. 'Humbly and locally, we can, with our Malian, Cameroonian, Nigerien, Moroccan, French, and Spanish friends, recall and analyze Mali's history. Knowing it is part of the elements that allow understanding the past and measuring its impact on the present.' Read also: British Think Tank: Morocco Steps Up as Sahel Security Anchor Tags: African Peace InitiativesGrassroots DiplomacyPan-African Leadership
