Morocco’s transport company CTM acquires 51% stake of AML

Moroccan transport company Compagnie de Transports au Maroc (CTM) announced the acquisition of Bank of Africa's (BOA) majority stake (51%) in the shipping company Africa Morocco Link (AML), BOA said on Friday. The transaction, between entities owned by the same O Capital Group under Othman Benjelloun, will allow AML to leverage CTM's expertise in passenger and freight transport. This acquisition also marks the beginning of a new growth phase for CTM, solidifying its recent diversification

11 Moroccan women arrested for staging assaults to obtain residence permits in Spain

11 Moroccan women were arrested, Thursday, in Lleida, a city in Spain's northeastern Catalonia region, for «pretending to be victims of domestic violence in order to speed up the process of legalizing their stay in Spain». According to Spanish media, the suspects were allegedly hiring men in financial trouble to stage assaults in public and then report them. The investigation into the case began several months ago, following suspicions of a criminal network dedicated to obtaining

Pfizer vaccine shows strongest antibody response in Moroccans, local survey finds

A new study, conducted by a group of Moroccan scientists, has investigated the immune response in people who got vaccinated against Covid-19. Findings suggest that 96% of the vaccinated community in the Casablanca-Settat region had signs of their body fighting the virus. Published on April 3 by the scientific journal Nature, the study explains that all vaccines studied worked almost equally well, except for the Pfizer vaccine which created a stronger antibody response than the others. The

Madrid rejects calls to grant Spanish citizenship to Saharawis

The Spanish government continues to ignore calls to naturalize Saharawis. «Proposals to reform the nationality law in order to grant Spanish citizenship to Saharawis pose technical, security and legal problems», said the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, answering a written question from a group of far-left MPs (SUMAR). José Manuel Albares justified his refusal, citing the ongoing negotiation process under the auspices of the United Nations to reach a settlement of the

DNA helps identify four victims of boat tragedy in Nador

A month after a boat capsized off the coast of Nador province, near the Beni Chiker community, operations are underway to identify the victims. Their bodies are currently in the morgue of the Hassani hospital in Nador. According the Nador branch of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH), DNA analysis matched the bodies with those of families searching for missing persons, allowing the identification of four victims. AMDH announced on Facebook, earlier this week, that four bodies out

France reaffirms its willingness to invest in the Sahara

The French Minister of Foreign Trade, Franck Riester, welcomed, Thursday in Casablanca, «Morocco's efforts in terms of investments in the Sahara», according to AFP. France is «ready to support these efforts», he declared. Riester indicated that «Proparco, a subsidiary of the French Development Agency (AFD) dedicated to the private sector, could contribute to the financing of a high voltage line between Dakhla and Casablanca», the news agency added. For the

Morocco reiterates stance on Sahara during UN envoy visit

The UN Secretary-General's personal envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, arrived in Morocco on Thursday, April 4. In Rabat, he held talks with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and the Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilale. As in previous meetings with De Mistura, the Moroccan delegation reiterated «the constants of Morocco's position, reaffirmed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, to the Secretary-General of the United Nations,

AKDITAL Group paves the way for robotic surgery in Morocco with Da Vinci Xi acquisition

AKDITAL Group, a Moroccan firm operating 22 healthcare facilities, announced on Wednesday the acquisition of the Da Vinci Xi, a 4th-generation surgical robot designed by Intuitive Surgical. This first-of-its-kind purchase in Morocco opens new possibilities in various medical and surgical fields, particularly oncology surgery. It benefits a wide range of specialties, including urology, digestive and bariatric surgery, gynecology, thoracic surgery, and ENT, according to Akdital. The acquisition

UN shuts down question on French investment in the Sahara

On Wednesday, April 3, during the press briefing of the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, the topic of French investment in the Sahara arose. A journalist asked whether MINURSO had mentioned the subject. «No», said Stéphane Dujarric. «MINURSO is not there to monitor economic investments, if there are any». The reporter returned to the subject, wanting to know whether the information on French projects in the Sahara was accurate. However, his attempt was

Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi nominated for Ligue 1's top African player award

Radio France Internationale and France 24 unveiled a list on Tuesday of 11 players who will compete for the Marc Vivien Foé (Cameroonian player) award, given annually to the best African player in the French Football League (Ligue 1). The list includes Moroccan Paris Saint-Germain player Achraf Hakimi, who was described as «often irreplaceable on the right side of the Parisian club's defense». The text noted that «the Moroccan international continues to work well with