Morocco, Mauritania discuss cooperation as Algeria pushes for isolation

The Egyptian capital hosted a meeting on Wednesday, March 6, between Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Mauritanian counterpart, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 161st session of the Arab League's Executive Council. «We discussed strengthening the distinguished cooperative relations between our two brother countries and the mechanisms to develop them, as well as issues of common interest», Ould Merzoug wrote on X. The meeting

Morocco tests affordable Brazilian military transport plane

Morocco continues to diversify its arms suppliers, opening up to Brazil. The Royal Armed Forces (FAR) are, in fact, testing a Brazilian-made medium-lift military transport aircraft, the KC-390, according to reports from the Spanish daily La Razon. On the market, the device attracts attention with its price. It costs $50 million roughly half the price of an American C130. The twin-engine aircraft can transport a cargo of 26 tonnes. In terms of troop capacity, it can carry up to 80 soldiers, 74

From Algiers, Rif separatists reach out to Polisario

After opening a representation in Algiers, the «Rif Nationalist Party» urged the Polisario to coordinate their actions «in order to confront the Moroccan occupation». This announcement was made during a press briefing hosted by its representative in Algeria. He also expressed the party's readiness to «establish an office» in the Tindouf camps and in other countries. The Polisario may welcome members of the separatist party to train them in the use of

After closing H&M in Casablanca, AlShaya lays off 2,000 Starbucks employees

AlShaya Group, a Gulf retail firm that owns the operating rights of Starbucks in the Middle East and North Africa, will be laying off 2,000 employees of the franchise due to financial difficulties stemming from Gaza war-related boycotts. According to Reuters, which quotes unnamed sources close to the matter, the layoffs will account for 4% of AlShaya's total workforce of almost 50,000 people. Most of the impacted employees are concentrated in the company’s Starbucks franchise in the

Spanish farmers renew protests over Moroccan strawberries, allege presence of Hepatitis A

Spanish farmers are once again protesting the import of Moroccan produce, alleging fruit contamination with Hepatitis A, El Mundo reported on Wednesday. This follows a notification from the European Union's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) warning of the alleged presence of Hepatitis A in Moroccan strawberries. The Spanish agricultural association AVA-ASAJA has expressed its «concern» and called on the Spanish government and the European Union to take «urgent

Icelandic budget airline PLAY to launch first-ever direct route to Morocco

Icelandic budget airline PLAY will launch the first-ever direct route to Morocco, Simple Flying reported on Tuesday. Starting in October, the new route will link Reykjavik to the popular Moroccan city of Marrakech twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays. «This is a magical city that is rich in history and culture. Everywhere we go, we give the competition a run for their money. We want to make travel more affordable and I am sure our Marrakech services will be well received by people who

Why Michael Jackson's Casablanca concert never happened ?

In the 1990s, music legend Michael Jackson planned to bring his HIStory World Tour to Casablanca, Morocco. Following a promotional visit by Michael Jackson himself, Moroccan authorities unfortunately canceled the concert due to alleged security concerns.

Polisario leader warns against handing Sahara airspace to Morocco

Polisario leader Ibrahim Ghali sent, Sunday, a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, regarding recent Spanish media reports. The reports claimed that the Spanish Prime Minister offered to transfer management of the Sahara's airspace to Morocco during his visit to Rabat. In the letter, Ghali warned that if Spain confirms its intention to transfer airspace management to Morocco, «this would constitute a violation of the international status of the territory as a

Leader of Melilla's party popular with Moroccan community arrested

Spanish police arrested Mustapha Aberchan, the leader of the opposition political party Coalition for Melilla (CpM), on Tuesday. Aberchan is accused of «electoral fraud» (during the 2023 municipal elections campaign), «influence peddling, and embezzlement in the awarding of public contracts», according to Iberian media reports. Police also arrested six other CpM members and conducted searches of their homes and offices. CpM was previously part of a coalition government

Spain installs anti-drone systems on islands claimed by Morocco

The Spanish army has installed anti-drone systems on islands also claimed by Morocco, according to Spanish online publication El Confidencial Digital. The islands include Chafarinas (Jaâfarine Islands), located 3km off the coast of Ras el Ma in the Mediterranean. Other small islands, such as Vélez de la Gomera and Alhucemas, could also receive these systems, the publication adds. The Spanish army has declined to comment on the details of the deployment, citing security reasons.