Morocco : Gabonese President Ali Bongo to deliver a speech from Rabat

Still recovering from a stroke in Morocco, Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba will deliver his New Year’s speech from Rabat, reports France Presse (AFP). The Gabonese President ordered his Prime Minister, Emmanuel Issoze Ngondet, «to meet the expectations of the Gabonese people», the same source added. Ali Bongo flew to Morocco after he was hospitalized in Saudi Arabia because of a stroke, said his wife Sylvia Bongo. In a Facebook post, the Gabonese first lady wrote that her

While Israel allows medical marijuana exports, Morocco bans the activity

Israel’s Parliament announced on Wednesday that it had approved a law to permit exports of medical marijuana. The law was passed Tuesday, giving the green light to farmers to export cannabis for medical purposes, reports AFP. «The Israeli medical cannabis company iCAN predicts the global industry will reach $33 billion in the next five years, as stigma fades and demand grows for the few countries certified to export», Associated Press says. While Israel took this

Spain rescues a Moroccan minor who was hiding in a ferry

Spain’s Civil Guard agents were able to rescue a Moroccan minor who was hiding in a ferry, reports Spanish news agency Europa Press. The 15-year-old teenager was hiding in one of the ship’s porthole, a generally circular window used on the hull of ships to admit light and air. The ferry left Nador, Morocco, and was heading to the Motril port in Spain, the same source added. The ship’s staff spotted the young man and called the police. Civil Guard rescued the minor

The House of Representatives passes the compulsory military service amended bill

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed bill 44.18 on compulsory military service. The latter was amended after it was first suggested in August.

Drug trafficking : Five Sahrawis sentenced to two years in prison after fleeing a Polisario jail

In September 2017, 18 Sahrawi inmates with Moroccan citizenships escaped a Polisario prison in Tifariti where they were held for drug trafficking. Five people among them were arrested by a Moroccan army unit. Since then, they have been detained pending trial. Reportedly, this week a court in Es-Smara sentenced them to two years in prison for «drug trafficking». This case dates back to July 2017, when the Polisario announced the arrest of a drug trafficking network. In November

Macroeconomic risks remain moderate overall, according to Morocco's Central Bank

Macroeconomic risks remain moderate overall in an international environment marked by uncertainties, according to Morocco’s Central Bank (Bank Al-Maghrib). "In an international environment marked by uncertainties (persisting trade and geopolitical tensions, rising protectionism, Brexit concerns, markets volatility) macroeconomic risks remain moderate overall," said the Bank in a statement issued after the eighth meeting of the Coordination and Systemic Risk Monitoring Committee (CSRMC),

No Moroccan national was killed in the Libya terror attack, Morocco Foreign Ministry says

Following the terror attack that targeted, Tuesday, the Libyan Foreign Ministry in Tripoli, killing three people, an authorized source from the Moroccan Foreign Ministry confirmed to Yabiladi that no Moroccan national was killed in Libya. Contrary to several reports, including the one published by Turkish news agency Anadolu, the woman who was injured in the attack is Libyan and not Moroccan, the same source added. The same thing was announced today by the Libyan Foreign Ministry which said in

The Arab Maghreb Union wants to restore the Trans-Maghreb railway line

The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) will launch, in January 2019, a big campaign for restoring the Trans-Maghreb railway line. According to Tunisian newspaper L’Economiste Maghrebin, the first phase of this campaign will focus on «attracting donors and promoting this project which will affect Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, the three countries that this train crosses». The second phase of the said campaign will target Mauritania and Libya. The same source recalls that after a

Algeria to include Couscous in UNESCO's Intangible Heritage list on behalf of Morocco

Algeria is submitting, in March 2019, on behalf of Maghreb countries an application to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to include Couscous in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List, the Algerian news agency (APS) reported. The decision was announced by Algeria’s Minister of Culture Azzedine Mihoubi, during the opening ceremony of a Museums Fair held in Ain Defla. «It is useless to say that Couscous is a shared heritage for all

Italy : A Moroccan man shouts «Allah» after storming a church on Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, a Moroccan man forced his way into a church shouting «Allah». The incident took place in a small town called Maclodio (Lombardy region), causing panic, Italian news agency ANSA reported. The 35-year-old Moroccan man, who looked weird, has reportedly uttered sentences in Arabic, the same source added. Church attendees were terrified after realizing that the man kept one of his hands behind his back. It turned out later that the man was unarmed. The city’s