Despite signs of recovery, Morocco’s economy remains fragile (Read more...)

During a 1993 meeting, King Hassan called Yassir Arafat a «megalomaniac» (Read more...)

Is Algeria’s Foreign Minister touring Africa to prevent a potential exclusion of «SADR» from the AU ? (Read more...)

To HRW, 2020 was marked by a crackdown on human rights in Morocco (Read more...)

Moroccans opt for herbal medicine to «prevent» and «cure» Covid-19 (Read more...)

Covid-19 : Morocco orders AstraZeneca vaccine from India, delivery date remains uncertain

Indian biotechnology and pharmaceuticals company Serum Institute of India (SII) is expected to receive World Health Organization (WHO) emergency use authorization soon for the Oxford University/ AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. The firm will be producing said vaccine for mid and low income countries, including Morocco, Reuters reported, quoting SII’s chief executive. «The emergency use licensure from the WHO should be available and coming through in the next week or two,

Despite signs of recovery, Morocco’s economy remains fragile

According to the World Bank, the Covid-19 crisis has interrupted more than two decades of Morocco’s progress. Its economy, despite showing signs of recovery, remains fragile.

Astronomy : A fireball flies over Morocco and Andalusia

A fireball from a comet crossed the sky between the northern coast of Morocco and southern Andalusia (Spain) on Wednesday evening, after entering the atmosphere around 10:10 pm at a speed of 65,000 kilometers per hour. According to Spanish news agency EFE, this phenomenon has been seen by many people in Andalusia, as explained by Spanish astrophysicist José María Madiedo who is part of the SMART project. The rock that caused this phenomenon was from a comet, and its collision

Sahara : Elected members of Podemos urge Joe Biden to drop Trump's decision

Members of Podemos, a political party in Spain, have signed a letter submitted by MEPs calling on US President-elect Joe Biden to drop the recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. According to Europa Press, MEPs Lucía Muñoz, Antón-Gómez Reino and ERC MEP Joan Josep Nuet are behind the initiative. In this letter, the elected members of Podemos explain that they are «obliged to react because the decision affects the rights of a third

Morocco : Aziz Rabbah becomes the first PJD Minister to speak with an Israeli official

For the first time since the signing of several agreements between Israel and Arab countries, including Morocco, the energy ministers of the kingdom, Israel, Sudan, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the United States attended an online meeting on Thursday evening. Alongside his Arab counterparts, Aziz Rabbah has indeed spoken with the Israeli Minister of Energy, Yuval Steinitz. A meeting that follows several other talks held between Moroccan and Israeli officials since the

Sahara : German Parliament rejects motion submitted by Pro-Polisario MPs

The German Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has rejected the examination, scheduled for Thursday, January 14, of a proposal presented by pro-Polisario MPs. The text submitted by MPs from Alliance 90 / the Greens, entitled «Not forgetting the Western Sahara conflict, enforce international law» is not eligible to be voted, reads a Bundestag document. The same group of MPs have presented before another proposal devoted to the same subject entitled «Avoiding

Morocco : Attempt to smuggle over 4.7 tonnes of cannabis resin foiled in Nador

The judicial police of the Nador police district thwarted, Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, an international drug trafficking operation, on the basis of accurate information provided by the Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), and seized 4 Tonnes and 762 kilograms of cannabis resin. The drugs were seized in two successive operations. The first was carried out in the area of «Oulad Amghar» (province of «Driouch») and resulted in the seizure of

Morocco’s Foreign Minister receives the new ambassadors of South Africa, Ireland and Rwanda

Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita received, Thursday, three new ambassadors, who came to present their credentials. They are the representatives of South Africa, Ebrahim Edries, Rwanda, Zaina Nyiramatama and Ireland, Ralph Victory. The diplomat chosen by the government of Cyril Ramaphosa has already worked in Saudi Arabia as consul general in Jeddah. He was appointed head of the embassy in Rabat in September 2020. This is the first time that South Africa,

Morocco and the US sign agreement aimed at protecting Morocco’s cultural heritage

Morocco and the United States signed, Thursday, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at protecting Morocco’s cultural heritage from smuggling. The MOU was signed by US ambassador to Morocco David T. Fischer and Moroccan Minister of Culture Othman El Ferdaous to «restrict the import to the United States of certain archaeological and ethnographic material from Morocco», a press release by the US Embassy in Rabat reported. US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational

During a 1993 meeting, King Hassan called Yassir Arafat a «megalomaniac»

During a 1993 meeting in Rabat, King Hassan II and an Israeli delegation discussed the position of Palestinians and Israelis following the Oslo I Accord. During this meeting, the late King was very critical of Yassir Arafat’s position.

Covid-19 : 1,279 new infections and 44 deaths in Morocco this Thursday

1,279 new coronavirus cases were recorded in Morocco during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of Covid-19 infections in the country to 456,334. 1,889 new recoveries were recorded during the same period, bringing the total number of recoveries to 431,167. 44 deaths were recorded between yesterday and today, bringing the total number of deaths to 7,854. 13 of these deaths were recorded in the Casablanca-Settat region, 5 in Marrakech-Safi, 4 in Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima,

Morocco's economy to grow 4.6% in 2021, HCP says

Morocco's economy is expected to grow by 4.6% in 2021, after a 7% recession over the past year, according to the projections of the High Planning Commission (HCP). «Taking into account an expected rise of 4.7% in taxes and levies on products net of subsidies, the gross domestic product (GDP) should register a growth of nearly 4.6% in 2021», the HCP points out in its 2021 Provisional Economic Budget. In value, the GDP should grow by 5.8%, the source says, noting that this evolution

Is Algeria’s Foreign Minister touring Africa to prevent a potential exclusion of «SADR» from the AU ?

The Algerian authorities are working hard on the next African Union summit. The country's Minister of Foreign Affairs has been on a tour to countries in Southern Africa, to avoid any potential exclusion of «SADR» from the continental organization.

Western Sahara : The Polisario denounces Schenker's visit to Laayoune and Dakhla

The Polisario Front condemned, Wednesday, the visit of Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker to the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla earlier in January. The separatist movement described this trip as an «attempt to deceive international public opinion by opening consulates and organizing visits, and events in Western Sahara». The supporters of Brahim Ghali have «warned» against the «Moroccan policy» which «involves foreign

Sinopharm CEO and head of the audit department resign

China National Pharmaceutical Group Corp. Sinopharm announced, Tuesday, the resignation of two of its senior officials. According to Le Desk, Li Zhiming, chief executive officer, and Li Hui, general manager and head of the audit department. Zhiming and Hui have resigned for «personal reasons», as reported by the company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The same source indicates that the «company continues to operate normally», announcing the appointment of Yu

Morocco : Two fishermen killed and two others missing after boat capsizes off Dakhla

Two fishermen drowned, Wednesday, when their traditional fishing boat capsized off Dakhla. Rescue operations are underway to find the two other fishermen who are still missing. The four fishermen, who came from the province of Nador, had been on a fishing trip since last Tuesday. After a long absence, the port authorities ended up intervening. According to Arabic-language newspaper Al3omk the reason behind this tragedy is linked to an overload of the boat. The bodies of the two

Spain refuses to grant international protection to a Moroccan who converted to Christianity

A court in Spain has rejected a reconsideration request submitted by a Moroccan who converted to Christianity and whose international protection appeal was refused by the Spanish authorities. According to Noticias de Almeria, the Moroccan national arrived in Spain in 2019 irregularly and fears expulsion. His request was first submitted in March 2019 and was rejected by the Spanish Interior Ministry. The Moroccan, who had based his request for international protection on the fact that he

E-commerce in Morocco : Online transactions up 43% in 2020

Online transactions using domestic cards totaled 1.4 million dirhams in December, which represents a 43% increase over the course of 2020, said Wednesday CEO of Interbank Electronic Banking Center (CMI), Mikael Naciri. Speaking at a webinar organized by the Logistics and Energy Competitiveness Commission of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), Naciri said that online transactions rose from 900,000 dirhams in January 2020 to 1.4 million dirhams in December 2020, a 43%

WEF's Global Shapers Community initiative opens hub in Laayoune

Global Shapers Community, an initiative of the World Economic Forum (WEF) for young leaders, announced it has opened its 444th hub in the city of Laayoune. «The Laayoune Hub will join other hubs in Morocco located in Rabat, Casablanca, Salé, Fez, El Jadida and Marrakech to work together so as to improve their local communities», according to a statement by the initiative which counts over 13,000 members in 151 countries. Global Shapers Community has appointed Mohamed El

Covid-19 in Morocco : 1,266 new infections, number of active cases drops

1,266 new coronavirus cases were recorded in Morocco during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of Covid-19 infections in the country to 455,055. 1,927 new recoveries were recorded during the same period, bringing the total number of recoveries to 429,278. 26 deaths were recorded between yesterday and today, bringing the total number of deaths to 7,810. 10 of these deaths were recorded in the Casablanca-Settat region, 4 in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, 3 in

	Fajr	Dohr	Maghreb
Washington	06:07	12:25	17:34
New York	05:58	12:06	16:58
Miami	06:03	12:31	17:56
Chicago	05:54	12:01	16:49
Los Angeles	05:45	12:03	17:12
Seattle	06:21	12:19	16:50