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

Morocco : A Spanish jurist prevented from entering Laayoune

The Moroccan authorities prevented, Monday January the 14th, Spanish jurist Luis Mangrané from entering Laayoune, reports El Diario Aragon quoting the Aragonese Observatory for Western Sahara. He had arrived in the Moroccan city through the Canary Islands. «Customs at the airport of Laayoune prevented the man from entering the city, considering that he was a persona non grata in Morocco», the Observatory added. Luis Mangrané was expected to visit, as an

Mogherini to visit Rabat on Wednesday to reinforce Morocco-EU ties

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini will start on Wednesday a two-day visit to Morocco to reinforce relations between Morocco and the EU. During her visit, Mogherini will hold talks with several senior Moroccan officials and representatives of civil society, according to a European source. «This visit is part of reviving relations between Morocco and the European Union, and turn them into a close, deep and ambitious

Moroccan judge Mustapha El Baaj elected to a Security Council Mechanism

Moroccan judge Mustapha El Baaj was elected on Tuesday by the United Nations General Assembly to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, mandated to perform a number of essential functions previously carried out by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). This election, the result of a diplomatic campaign and mobilization among all United Nations member States, is the culmination of

Moroccan man to be expelled from Spain for sexually assaulting his girlfriend

A Moroccan man was sentenced to ten years in prison for sexually assaulting and raping his girlfriend, reports Wednesday local online newspaper Mallorca Diario. The events occured in December 2016, when the man in question had mistreated his girlfriend to «harm her physical and mental health», according to the prosecutor’s file, quoted by the same source. During the trial, the victim requested that her attacker be deported to his country of origin. Thus, when

Sahrawis in Tindouf protest against the death of Ammar Ould Anaye  

The family and friends of Polisario soldier Ammar Ould Anaye, who died last week in suspicious circumstances, have organized a sit-in in front of the Front’s «Defense Ministry», located in the Rabouni camp. During this sit-in, they urged the «ministry» to answer their questions on the death of Anaye and try the ones responsible for the tragedy. Before joining the Polisario’s army, Ammar Ould Anaye worked for the Front’s police forces. He died earlier

Morocco produced over 6.6 bln eggs in 2018, association

Morocco produced over 6.6 billion eggs in 2018, including 5.8 billion eggs produced by the modern sector, the national association of egg producers (ANPO) announced Tuesday in Casablanca. Speaking at a press briefing on the occasion of the national egg day, ANPO's deputy president, Abdellatif Ezzaim, said that this production ensures the country's self-sufficiency on eggs, while the surplus is exported to some African countries. Investments in the egg production chain are estimated at 3.4

Hirak figure Nasser Zefzafi boycotts the appeal hearing

Postponed on January the 7th, the Hirak appeal hearing held yesterday in Casablanca was boycotted by Nasser Zefzafi, reported his father Ahmed Zefzafi. The latter published a declaration on the behalf of his son, stressing that Nasser Zefzafi is boycotting the appeal trial as it «lacks fairness». «It is now clear to you that this is a show trial», wrote the detainee, stating that he is not backing on his decision. In June 2018, Nasser Zefzafi was sentenced to twenty

Spanish police arrest Moroccan national alleged member of ISIS

The Spanish national police arrested, Tuesday, a Moroccan man in Manilva (southern Spain), for his alleged membership of the terrorist organization ISIS. In a statement, the Spanish police say that the 27-year-old individual is also suspected of advocating terrorism on social networks. According to the same source, the investigation revealed that the suspect «maintained contacts via the Internet with Daesh terrorists in the Syrian zone controlled by this terrorist organization, to whom

French Montana’s controversial stance on singer R. Kelly amid sexual misconduct accusations

While several American celebrities have chosen to speak out against American R&B singer and producer R. Kelly, who is accused of sexual misconduct by several women, Moroccan rapper French Montana had a different opinion. According to American magazine Rap-up, French Montana defended the «controversial» singer and song-writer after his halftime performance at the Los Angeles Rams game. After being asked about his opinion on the R. Kelly scandal, French Montana responded,

Gabonese President Ali Bongo to fly back home after his stay in Morocco

Gabonese President Ali Bongo is expected to fly back to his country Tuesday, January the 15th, after staying in Morocco for weeks to recover, reports AFP. While Bongo was in the Kingdom, Gabonese security forces foiled an attempted coup and arrested the people behind it. According to the same source, the failed coup occurred after speculations suggested the President was «incapacitated or even dead». On New Year’s Eve Ali Bongo delivered a speech through Rabat. For the

Several decisions to be taken at FIFA Executive Summit in Marrakech, Gianni Infantino says

Several decisions will be taken at the FIFA Executive Football Summit to be held in Marrakech on Jan. 15-17 to foster football development in general, and women's football in particular, FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, said Monday. At Marrakech's Executive Summit, FIFA national associations members will discuss proposals on the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams as from the next edition, Infantino told reporters following his arrival in Marrakech. For his part, President of Morocco's

King Mohammed VI visits refurbished sites in Rabat’s ancient medina

King Mohammed VI visited, Monday, several projects related to the rehabilitation program of Rabat’s ancient medina launched by the sovereign on May the 12th, 2014. The King visited Bab Chellah Street, which hosts Mohammed V «Madariss Mohammed Al Khamiss» schools, Al Masjid Al Aadam mosque, Souk Essabat Street and Bab El Bahr sites that were recently restored. The Sovereign also visited the rehabilitation projects of Place El Melh and Sabbaghine Street, which are currently

A 15-year-old driver wins the Morocco E-Bike Desert Challenge

A 15-year-old British competitor was crowned champion of the E-Bike Desert Challenge, which linked Erfoud to Merzouga from the 26th of December to the 1st of January, reports CNN on Monday. Robert Adams finished 30 minutes ahead of his «nearest rival» driving his electric bike on dunes in the Moroccan desert. Competitors participating to the inaugural E-Bike Desert Challenge drove across southern Morocco, using only «electrically driven motors to power», the same

Imlil killings : The Geneva mosque, a breeding ground for radicalization and violent extremism

The two Swiss nationals arrested for alleged links with the Imlil murders met in the Geneva mosque, also known as the Petit-Saconnex Mosque, revealed Saturday La Tribune de Geneve quoted by Swiss newspaper 20 Minutes. The mosque which was financed by the Saudi-led Muslim World League, was home to a number of imams considered to be a serious threat to national security. It was also a breeding ground for the radicalization of several young people, including one of the

The British Council hosts a Study in the UK fair in Morocco

The British Council is organizing the 5th edition of the Study UK fair scheduled from the 17th to the 19th of January in Rabat and Casablanca, respectively, reports MAP news agency. This edition will be attended by more than 19 British universities and higher education institutions. «The fair will give you the opportunity to find out about what you can study and where, and you will also be able to ask all the questions you may have about funding, scholarships, accommodation, and

Four Moroccan sports journalists shortlisted for AIPS Sports Media Awards

Four Moroccan sports journalists were shortlisted, among the 10 finalists in Africa, for the first edition of the AIPS Sport Media Awards, based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The selected Moroccan journalists are Amine Birouk (Radio Mars / audio category), Bouchaib Brhadda (Ritaj Press / video-documentary), Mohammed Benchrif (Moroccan Royal Federation of Sport for All / photography-portfolio) and Mohamed Fangar (Hesport / writing of the best column). The publication of the names of the

Fisheries agreement : Morocco, EU sign conditions of access for the European fleet

Morocco and the European Union (EU) signed, on Monday in Brussels, the fisheries agreement that sets out the conditions of access for the European fleet and lays down the requirements for sustainable fishing. This agreement, which covers the fishing area from parallel 35 to parallel 22, namely from Cap Spartel in northern Morocco to Cap Blanc in southern Morocco, was signed by Fouad Yazough, ambassador director general for bilateral relations at the ministry of Foreign Affairs and

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterates support for the Polisario

In South Africa, General elections will be held in May to elect a new National Assembly and new provincial legislatures in each province and will be followed by presidential elections. On Saturday, January the 12th in Durban, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa referred during a speech marking the 107th anniversary of the founding of the African National Congress (ANC) to the Western Sahara conflict. Speaking to the crowds, he said that «the struggle of the Sahrawi people for freedom