Dutch-Moroccan ex-anti-terrorism official denies «spying for Morocco», seeks PM's testimony  (Read more...)

Sahara : «Algeria is a neighboring country and observer of the peace process», says Bouteflika

From his room in the Geneva University Hospitals, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika sent a letter to the Polisario’s leader Brahim Ghali on the 43rd anniversary of the creation of (SADR). In his letter, the president «reiterated the ‘unwavering support’ of Algeria to the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination through ‘a free and transparent’ referendum». The President took the opportunity to implicitly reply to Morocco’s

Morocco’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia to prepare for the arrival of Moroccan pilgrims

The Kingdom’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mustapha Mansouri is preparing for the arrival of Moroccan pilgrims for the 2019 Hajj season. The diplomat met Muhammad Saleh bin Taher Benten, the Minister of Hajj, in Jeddah, report local media. Discussions between the two officials focused on «the measures that should be taken this year to facilitate the ritual for Moroccans», the same source said. For the record, the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs had to

The Italian woman stabbed in Rabat was not a victim of attempted rape, says DGSN

According to the national police (DGSN) the young Italian student who was stabbed by three men in Rabat after a night out with her friends, was not a victim of rape and attempted kidnapping, says MAP news agency. «DGSN affirmed that the only complaint received by the Rabat police is related to a violent robbery attempt filed by an Italian student, during her internship in Morocco, against three individuals who were boarding a vehicle and attempted to rob her at 2:30 a.m. in the Al

A health center launches an interactive map on cervical cancer in the MENA region

An interactive map will be officially launched Monday, March 4th, on the International HPV Awareness Day, to visualize the increasing mortality rate related to cervical cancer in the MENA region, said Global Health Strategies in a communiqué sent Wednesday to Yabiladi. Data compiled by the International Agency for Research on Cancer show that by 2018, more than 7,600 women in the MENA region have died because of cervical cancer caused by HPV. Projections show that without strengthening

African Union : Morocco’s pressure worries the Polisario Front

The Polisario Front accuses Morocco of having tried to prevent the supporters of Brahim Ghali from attending an African Union meeting. According to pro-Polisario news outlets, the meeting in question is the AU International Conference on Food Security, which was held on the 12th and 13th of February in Addis Ababa and co-chaired by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). «Morocco has again failed to prohibit the Saharawi

An Italian woman stabbed by three men in Rabat

A 23-year-old Italian woman was recently attacked in Rabat as she was returning home after a night out with her friends, reports Italian newspapers Il Corriere Della Sera. The young woman, who had just celebrated her birthday with her family, was stabbed by three men. When she got out of the taxi, at around 1 am, a few meters away from her front door, she was stopped by three men who tried take off her pants. Trying to defend herself, she managed to escape before one of the three men stabbed

Al Hoceima Appeal Court acquits Hirak minors

Minors detained because of the Hirak movement in Al Hoceima and arrested in July, 2018, were acquitted, Tuesday, by Al Hoceima Appeal Court. The information was confirmed to Yabiladi, Wednesday, by Hirak lawyer Yassin El Fassi. «The Appeal court has acquitted Mohammed Ennahas», he said, citing the verdict released by the court. The minors in question, who have been detained at the Nador Juvenile Center, were arrested in July, 2018, after taking part in protests in Al Hoceima. They

Netherlands : A teacher gets suspended for insulting Prophet Mohammed

A teacher at the Hoofdvaart middle school (Netherlands), was suspended after having, according to his students, insulted Prophet Mohammed on Tuesday, reports Dutch daily Volkskrant. The school explained that the teacher had, reportedly, «spoken to these students about Islam and Prophet Mohammed». He allegedly «acknowledged that he told a student that Prophet Mohammed was married to an eight-year-old girl». He added that «in the Netherlands, an adult man who

In Morocco, Meghan Markle discovers local luxurious footwear brand Zyne

While visiting Morocco alongside her husband, Meghan Markle discovered a local shoe brand that can be considered now as one of the Duchess of Sussex’s favorite footwear labels. Meeting social entrepreneurs, Monday in Rabat, the Princess stumbled upon the founders of Zyne, a Moroccan footwear brand created by designer Zineb Britel. Impressed by the brand’s ability to employ local women, Meghan Markle chose two pairs of of Zyne’s shoes to bring back with her to London.

Morocco’s Cosumar to produce sugar in its new Saudi Arabia refinery by the end of 2019

Morocco’s first sugar refinery Cosumar to kick off production in its Saudi Arabia’s plant by the end of 2019, reports Reuters quoting the firm’s CEO. Speaking on Tuesday, February the 26th, in Casablanca, Mohammed Fikrat announced that the new refinery, located in Saudi town Yanbu, will be able to produce 850,000 tonnes of refined sugar by the end of the year. Cosumar’s refined sugar will be «commercialized» and sold in Saudi Arabia, the same source

Prince Moulay Rachid receives emissary from Mauritanian President

On the order of King Mohammed VI, Prince Moulay Rachid received, on Tuesday at his residence in Rabat, Sidi Mohamed Ould Maham, an emissary of president of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who handed a message from the Mauritanian head of State to the sovereign. The audience took place in the presence of ambassador of Mauritania in Rabat, Mohamed Lemine Ould Aboye.

Halal meat cannot be labeled «organic», according to an EU Court of Justice’s ruling

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued a decision, Tuesday, indicating that animals ritually slaughtered, without being stunned, cannot be considered organic, reports AFP. The decision is a response to an appeal filed by an Appeal court in Versailles (France). In 2012, a French association that assist the slaughter of animals had requested to label Halal meat «organic». In a statement made public Monday, CJEU indicated that «scientific studies have

Horst Köhler is reportedly expected to meet a Polisario delegation in Berlin in March

The UN personal envoy for Western Sahara Horst Köhler has, reportedly, invited the Polisario to a meeting in Berlin, reports the Front’s press agency SPS. According to the same source, Köhler and the Front will hold a meeting in the capital of Germany in the first week of March. This meeting will proceed the second round of the round-table convened by the UN envoy. «The meeting, scheduled for the first week of March, is part of the bilateral consultations that the former

For Rabat’s Archbishop, the Pope’s visit to Morocco is full of «meaningful meetings»

As announced by the Vatican before, Pope Francis is visiting the Kingdom of Morocco in March. This visit, according to Morocco’s Archbishop Cristobal Lopez, is a «great event for the church but also a very demanding two day visit full of meaningful meetings». Commenting on the itinerary of the Pope’s visit, expected in March, the Archbishop of Rabat said that he is visiting Morocco as a «person of good will who wants to meet everyone», reports Vatican

From his prison cell, Nasser Zefzafi hails the «Algerian Hirak»

In a letter posted by his father Ahmed Zefzafi on Facebook, Hirak figure Nasser Zefzafi hailed the «Algerian Hirak», referring to people protesting against Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term. «We congratulate you on your own Hirak and your commitment to the peaceful approach as an option for realizing your legitimate demands», he wrote. Nasser Zefzafi, who is sentenced to 20 years in prison, said that refusing the Algerian President’s bid,

Hervé Renard congratulates Dutch-Moroccan winger Oussama Idrissi for joining the Atlas Lions

French football coach Hervé Renard, who currently manages the Morocco national team, has reacted to the decision of Dutch-Moroccan player Oussama Idrissi who chose to represent Morocco instead of the Netherlands, reports BBC Sport. «Congratulations. Oussama Idrissi has decided to play with Morocco national», Renard said on his Twitter account. «His skills and professionalism will be an additional asset for the Atlas Lions», he added. The 22-year-old winger,

British Royals in Morocco : Royal Air Maroc comments on the lost luggage

Moroccan national carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) reacted on Monday to reports related to the delay of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s flight, as well as the lost luggage of three British royal photographers. In a communiqué sent Monday to Yabiladi, RAM said that because of the heavy fog over London, the London airport authorities, Heathrow and Gatwick asked several airlines including the Moroccan one to suspend temporarily their flights to the capital on Saturday. «AT 803,

Arab-EU summit : Al Jazeera’s interesting coverage of Mohammed VI’s speech

Last night, Quatari channel Al Jazeera broadcast an interesting coverage of the speech of King Mohammed VI at the first Arab-European Union summit, held on the 24th and 25th of February in Egypt. The channel chose to quote some parts from the royal message, read Monday by Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani, that go hand in hand with Qatar’s foreign policy. «Security and stability in the Arab world are threatened by the perilous challenges sometimes generated by the