French drug lord arrested in Moroccan hospital with 'machete' wound to face

A notorious French drug baron who skipped bail in March this year has been rearrested in a Morocco hospital where he is being treated for a serious facial wound, security sources told AFP on Monday.

Sofiane Hambli, 46, a French-Algerian, used false identity papers to check himself into a hospital after suffering a 20-centimetre gash in an assault with a machete or sword in Tangier, the sources said.

"Once he's recovered, we'll go to get him," one of the sources told AFP, confirming information first reported by L'Obs magazine.

Originally from the eastern French town of Mulhouse, Hambli is considered one of the biggest importers of cannabis to France and has a long criminal record, as well as a history of escaping from detention.

The man known as the Chimera was named in an international search warrant this year after skipping bail in France, having been accused of organising the import of four tonnes of cannabis.

Le Parisien newspaper reported at the time that he made €2.4 million ($2.8m) from the transaction but never delivered the drugs to his buyer "who is thought to have wanted revenge".

Hambli denied the accusations.

He is also known to have been an informant for France's anti-narcotics police and was involved in importing seven tonnes of cannabis in 2015 in an operation that was being monitoring by authorities.

One of his associates, Moufide Bouchibi, 41, also a French-Algerian, was last month sentenced to 16 years in a French prison for drugs offences.

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Six large-scale objects on show

Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
The 17^th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
Torrijos Palace dome

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Evacuations to France hit by controversy

Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
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The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
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Essentials

The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.

Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.

In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.

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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

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Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

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Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up

Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm

On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm

The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm

The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm

Romang, June 28 at 6pm

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Underdog, June 29 at 2pm

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Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."

The Africa Institute 101

Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.