Moroccan scammers use fake charities to steal US gift cards

A Moroccan cybercriminal group, identified as Atlas Lion or Storm-0539, has been posing as charities to steal US gift cards, the FBI and Microsoft researchers warned.

US army trains Moroccan soldiers in cyber operations

U.S. Army soldiers are helping Moroccan Royal Armed Forces (FAR) conduct electronic warfare training at La Caserne Tifnit barracks, as part of the African Lion military exercise currently underway in Morocco. According to the U.S. Army, the training is conducted by the 11th Cyber Battalion, 780th Military Intelligence Brigade, U.S. Army Cyber Command, from Fort Eisenhower, Georgia, in collaboration with FAR service members. «The training is progressing well», said U.S. Army Maj.

Sahel : Mali, Morocco agree to bolster water cooperation

Morocco and Mali have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the water sector, according to a meeting between the two countries' ministers held on the sidelines of the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Indonesia. Nizar Baraka, Morocco's Minister of Equipment and Water, and Mamadou Samake, Mali's Minister of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development, discussed potential projects to bolster the resilience of populations in desert and Sahel zones. Samake, in a statement to MAP,

Moroccan drone strike kills Polisario fighters near Mijek

A Royal Armed Forces (FAR) drone strike killed Polisario fighters southeast of Mijek, near the Mauritanian border, on Thursday, May 23. Audio messages from Sahrawi refugees living in the Tindouf camps, obtained by Yabiladi, confirm the attack and express grief over losses. MINURSO, which has a ceasefire observation point in Mijek, sent peacekeepers to photograph the targets of the air operation. On Saturday, the Polisario fired three missiles at Es-Smara, which landed in an uninhabited

Mexico, a country that recognizes «SADR», is the main buyer of phosphates from the Sahara

Mexico remains the top importer of phosphates extracted from the Sahara in 2023, according to a report published Wednesday, May 22nd by Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW), an NGO close to the Polisario Front. This North American country, which recognizes the so-called «SADR», imported 700,300 tons of phosphate last year, worth $178.5 million, according to WSRW. The entire amount was destined for the Mexican company Innophos, owned by the American private equity firm One

Fire ravages Souk El Khemis in Marrakech, carpenters' area most affected

Late Wednesday night, Civil Protection mobilized five tanker trucks to control a violent fire in the heart of Souk El Khemis (northeast of Marrakech). The cause of the fire remains unknown. Firefighters, called urgently by residents, did everything they could to spare the shops of artisans, carpenters, and blacksmiths. While no deaths or injuries were reported, the material damage is significant. The carpenters' area was hit the hardest, with many artisans and merchants suffering substantial

Moroccan company accused of stealing industrial designs, evading taxes in Italy

A Moroccan company based in Faenza, Italy, with a registered office reportedly in Morocco, is accused of stealing technical drawings from a company in Lugo, Italy. According to local media, the stolen designs were allegedly used to create copies of the original industrial machinery, which were then sold through a network of shell companies. This scheme is believed to have enabled the Moroccan company to evade taxes in Italy. The company is estimated to have evaded over €130,000 in

Caught on camera, 4-story building crumbles in Casablanca

A four-story building collapsed on Thursday afternoon in the Bourgogne neighborhood of Casablanca. Videos shared online show the building crumbling to rubble in seconds, while firefighters and local authorities were present. The building, located at the intersection of Moulay Youssef and Hank streets, collapsed at around 2:30 PM. كارثة بالدار البيضاء انهيار عمارة بحي العنق سبب انهيار العمارة يرجح إلى الاشتباه في قيام

An elephant parade in Marrakech, city launches circus festival  

The city of Marrakech is having its own circus with «Marrakech fait son cirque», which returns from May 22 to 25, 2024. Organized by the Éclats de Lune collective, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication, this event is part of Marrakech's designation as the «capital of culture in the Islamic world for the year 2024» by ICESCO. On Wednesday afternoon, the «Parade of Elephants» by Théâtre Nomade opened the

Half fled war, one-third uninsured : The socioeconomic landscape of refugees in Morocco

From November to December 2022, the High Commission for Planning (HCP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) jointly conducted a study on the socioeconomic situation of refugees in Morocco, based on a sample of 600 refugee households. The study, published a year and a half later, provides an overview of their living conditions, economic integration, access to social services, and daily challenges.