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

Five French Ministers scheduled to visit Morocco in April

Five French ministers are expected to visit Morocco in April. Frank Reister, Minister of Foreign Trade, will be in Morocco on April 4 and 5. In Rabat, he will hold separate talks with Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Trade, and Mohcine Jazouli, Minister Delegate in charge of Investment, Convergence and Evaluation of Public Policies. The French Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, will be attending the Agriculture International Forum (SIAM) held in Meknes from April 22 to 28. He already

Turkish giant Arçelik takes over Whirlpool's Morocco operations

Turkish household appliances manufacturer Arçelik has announced the acquisition of Whirlpool's operations in the Middle East and North Africa. Through this deal, Arçelik now owns Whirlpool's entities in the United Arab Emirates and Morocco and manages Whirlpool's MDA business operations in the MENA region. «With the integration of Whirlpool’s MENA business, Arçelik achieves another significant milestone in its transformative growth journey, reaffirming its

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez to face parliament on Morocco trip

As requested by the People's Party (PP), the Spanish Prime Minister will appear before the Lower House of Parliament on April 10 to answer questions on his visit to Morocco on February 21. This announcement was made by the spokesman for the Socialist deputies, Patxi Lopez. On February 24th, a group of PP MPs requested clarification from the Prime Minister on the reasons behind his short-notice trip to Rabat. They also wanted to know what issues Pedro Sanchez discussed with King Mohammed VI and