Latest news with #SouthernZone
Otago Daily Times
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Rance lining up for her 27th go at tourney
Otago bowlers (from left) Amanda Katipa, Lyn Rance and Poppy-Jade Katipa are ready for the Southern Zone women's eights tournament this afternoon. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON Lyn Rance keeps rolling on. The Green Island bowler is the only player to have been involved in the Southern zone women's eights tournament since its inception in 1998 and this weekend will be no different. Rance is lining up for her 27th tournament with the Otago team at the Dunedin Indoor Bowls Stadium. "I was the original one. I'm the only one that's played right through," Rance said. "I just so enjoy meeting the people that you've met over the years. You make a lot of friends and it's just a great competition among ladies — it's just brilliant." The annual tournament features teams from Otago, South Canterbury, North Otago, South Otago, Central Otago and Southland, and is returning to Dunedin for the first time in six years. Southland have been the leaders through the years, notching 12 wins and winning the tournament for the past three years. Otago, who have won the tournament seven times and last held the trophy in 2019, are packed with talent. Keri Te Tamaki, who captained the South Island team last year, is suiting up alongside fellow South Island representative Tracey Van Tuel. Van Tuel is also playing alongside her sister, Amanda Kapita, and Kapita's daughter, Poppy, 18, is also in the team. There is power across all the teams including former South Island representatives Alanna Moffitt, from South Otago, and Suzanne Mackie, from Southland, who is also a former national representative. Each district has eight players split into two teams of four. Each player plays five games of singles, pairs, and fours across the two days. At the end, the points for both teams of fours are combined and the district with the most points is the winner. Play gets under way at 8.30am today and the final games should be finished by mid-afternoon tomorrow.
Morocco World
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Moroccan Military Chief Visits Ethiopia to Boost Defense Cooperation
Rabat – General Mohamed Berrid, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces and Commander of the Southern Zone, is on an official working visit to Ethiopia from April 23 to 26. The visit aims to strengthen military cooperation and deepen ties between the Royal Armed Forces and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces. According to a statement from the Royal Armed Forces, General Berrid held a meeting with Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces. The two military leaders discussed ways to boost cooperation between the Moroccan and Ethiopian armies. Both officials expressed satisfaction with the growing military ties between the two countries. They also discussed a draft agreement to strengthen and expand their bilateral military partnership. The agreement is expected to be signed soon, added the statement. During the visit, General Berrid also met with Ethiopia's State Minister of Defense, Martha Luigi, in the presence of Morocco's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Nezha Alaoui M'Hammdi. They talked about new ways to improve military collaboration between the two countries. General Berrid also toured several key Ethiopian military sites, including the Cyber Security Directorate, the Artificial Intelligence Institute, Bishoftu Air Base, and an ammunition factory. This visit follows a similar trip to Morocco by the chief of the Ethiopian military in August 2024 for similar discussions. Marshal Birhanu Jula was received in Rabat by Morocco's Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR). The two officers discussed the state of bilateral military cooperation and ways to strengthen their defense ties. Marshal Birhanu also met with the Inspector General of the FAR and Commander of the Southern Zone. These ongoing efforts reflect both countries' desire to deepen defense collaboration and expand their partnership across areas such as cybersecurity, AI, and defense industries.
Morocco World
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Qatar, Morocco Strengthen Military Cooperation with New Agreement
Doha – Qatar and Morocco signed a new defense cooperation agreement in Doha on Sunday, as the two countries push to deepen their military ties. The deal came during talks between senior defense officials from both countries. Qatar's chief of staff, Lieutenant General (Pilot) Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Mannai, met with Lieutenant General Mohammed Berrid, inspector general of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and commander of the Southern Zone, along with his accompanying delegation in Doha. During the meeting, both sides discussed topics of mutual interest and signed an agreement aimed at developing and strengthening cooperation between the two countries, according to official statements. The meeting was attended by commanders of the Qatari Amiri Navy, Land Forces, Air Forces, the chairman of the Intelligence and Security Authority, as well as the president of the Military International Cooperation Authority. The agreement follows discussions held the same day between Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al-Thani, deputy prime minister and minister of state for defense affairs, and the Moroccan general. These talks centered on enhancing defense cooperation and subjects of common interest, according to a statement issued by Qatar's Ministry of Defense. This latest development builds on a series of recent military exchanges between the North African country and the Gulf state. Earlier this month, a high-ranking Qatari military delegation participated in a senior legal advisors course hosted by the military court in Rabat from April 7-18. The training program included lectures, theoretical and practical lessons on military justice law, the legal framework for legal advisors' work, and their roles within military institutions. The Qatari officers also conducted field visits to several civil and military institutions, including the Kingdom's Ombudsman Institution, the directorate of criminal affairs and pardon at the Ministry of Justice, the military history directorate, and the Royal Gendarmerie's Forensic Sciences Institute. FAR Major General Youssef El Mehdi, head of the military history directorate, welcomed the military delegation on April 14 as part fo the visit and stressed the importance of this visit in supporting joint cooperation. The relationship between Rabat and Doha has seen steady growth in the military sphere. In late December, Morocco's capital hosted a meeting between the advisor to the Emir of Qatar for defense affairs, Hamad bin Ali Al-Attiyah, and Mohammed Berrid. During that exchange, they reviewed bilateral relations between the two military institutions based on mutual trust and common desire to develop these ties. Relations between Morocco and Qatar date back to 1972 and have been strengthened through numerous high-level visits and agreements. The countries have signed more than 45 agreements and memorandums of understanding across various sectors, including a military cooperation agreement in January 2010. Read also: King Mohammed VI, Emir of Qatar Discuss Bilateral Relations, Regional Issues Tags: military cooperationMoroccoQatar
Morocco World
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Moroccan Military Chief Visits Saudi Arabia to Strengthen Defense Ties
Rabat – Lieutenant General Mohamed Berrid, Inspector General of Morocco's Royal Armed Forces and Commander of the Southern Zone, is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia from March 16 to 21 following directives from King Mohammed VI. The visit aims to strengthen military cooperation between Morocco and Saudi Arabia, including enhancing bilateral defense ties, discussing security challenges, and exploring ways to deepen collaboration in areas of mutual interest. According to a statement from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), Lieutenant General Berrid held a meeting with General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, Chief of the General Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces. The discussions focused on strengthening military cooperation between Morocco and Saudi Arabia under the leadership of their respective heads of state. Both officials commended the strong ties and successful cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries. They recalled the positive results of their collaboration and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening their partnership in defense and security. During his visit, Lieutenant General Berrid also toured the headquarters of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, where he was briefed on its missions, coordination strategies, and collaborative efforts among member states in combating terrorism and extremism to enhance regional security and stability. The statement concluded that the visit aligns with ongoing efforts to strengthen Moroccan-Saudi military relations and explore new avenues for collaboration on shared security concerns. Tags: militaryMoroccoSaudi Arabia
Ya Biladi
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Morocco Royal Armed Forces Inspector General visits Saudi Arabia
The Inspector General of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and Commander of the Southern Zone, General Mohamed Berrid, visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Sunday. He was received by the Chief of the General Staff of the Saudi Army, General Fayyadh Al Ruwaili. The Saudi Ministry of Defense explained on its X platform account that «during the reception, the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries were reviewed, along with ways to enhance and develop them in military and defense cooperation, and discussions on topics of mutual interest». His Excellency the Chief of #General_Staff, General Fayyad Al-Ruwaili, receives the Inspector General of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and Commander of the Southern Zone, General Mohamed Berrid. — Ministry of Defense (@modgovksa) March 16, 2025 The two countries share strong political, military, and economic relations, and the Royal Armed Forces have previously participated alongside their Saudi counterparts in several multinational military exercises. It is worth noting that in 2015, the two countries signed a cooperation agreement in the military and technical fields, which includes training, joint exercises, military medical services, the exchange of official delegations and experts, as well as military history and publications.
