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

Morocco recalls its ambassador over Algerian Foreign Minister's accusations

Morocco has recalled its ambassador to Algeria after the Algerian Foreign Minister accused Rabat of «laundering hashish money» in Africa, reports AFP. As a response, the Algerian Foreign Ministry also summoned its Charge d'affaires in Rabat Friday evening to protest against «the very serious statements … concerning the African policy of the Kingdom of Morocco». The diplomatic crisis between the two neighboring countries erupted when the Algerian Foreign Minister,

Italy : A Moroccan suicidal father sets fire to his apartment

A 49-year-old Moroccan national and father to four children have committed suicide in a tragic incident, on Friday. According to Milano Corriere, a local online newspaper, the father who lives in San Fermo della Battaglia, a commune in Lombardy region, set his apartment to fire. Desperately, the Moroccan national locked himself inside with his four children ( a boy and three girls)and set the place ablaze. The same source indicates that the man and three of his kids were found dead. The

Jamel Debbouze says he was offered a job at the government

Would you see Jamel Debbouze as a member of the government? As strange as it sounds, the French-Moroccan comedian and actor told RMC that he was offered a job at the government, reports Les Inrocks.   «I was offered to be a Secretary of State», he told Christophe Dugarry when invited to Team Duga show. «Of course not, I refused», he continued, «because it is obviously not what I do, I would be bored to death, I would be less productive, frozen and

A UN prevention of torture delegation is to visit Morocco for the first time

The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT), a treaty body in the UN human rights created in February 2007, is set to visit Morocco for the first time from the 22nd to the 28th of October; the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Thursday. The delegation is supposed to «advise the Government on the establishment of a national detention monitoring body, officially known as the National Prevention Mechanism (NPM)», states the same source. The SPT is also

Hirak : A group of Tunisian social activists allegedly prevented from entering Al Hoceima

The Moroccan security services reportedly prevented a Tunisian delegation of social activists who had come to Morocco on the 16th of October from entering Al Hoceima city, a number of human rights groups said in a joint statement published on E-Joussour, a website led by the Maghreb-Machrek ONG. They are «observers of Hamid Mahdaoui's trial and other activists detained in Casablanca following the social unrest witnessed in the Rif region». «The delegation was

The Moroccan writer, Yasmine Chami, awarded by the Arab World Institute

The Moroccan writer, Yasmine Chami, received on Wednesday night at the headquarters of the Arab World Institute (AWI) in Paris the jury's special mention for her novel «Mourir est un enchantement». Yasmine Chami, a literature teacher in Casablanca and the former director of the Villa des arts, was awarded the prestigious jury prize, presented annually by the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation in partnership with the AWI. Yasmine’s work narrates how individual and

Ceuta : Moroccan porters call for the intervention of King Mohammed VI

Several thousands of Moroccan porters demand the intervention of King Mohammed VI to find a solution for the problems they have encountered for several days at the Tarajal border post, reports Ceuta Actualidad. The porters have rejected the measures adopted recently by the Moroccan and Spanish authorities, «which prevent them from practicing their activities», reports local online newspaper, Tangier 24. Cientos de marroquíes bloquearon y cerraron la frontera de #BabSebta

Africa Diabetes to launch a school of diabetes

Africa Diabetes, a social enterprise that supports people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in living and managing their condition, launched its training center dedicated for diabetes in Africa and the Middle East. After targeting health professionals (doctors, nurses, pharmacists and dieticians), diabetic patients and their parents as well as businesses, today AfricaDiabets seeks to reach schools in Morocco, says its associate director Rachid Jankari on his LinkedIn account. Africa Diabetes

Chicago : Souad Mekhennet named recipient of the 2017 Daniel Pearl award

The 2017 Daniel Pearl Award for courage and integrity in Journalism was awarded to Souad Mekhennet, the Washington Post’s international reporter, who became the first Muslim woman to receive this prestigious prize, the Chicago Journalists Association (CJA). Souad Mekhennet will receive the award on November the 10th, during the 78th annual dinner of the CJA. Born in Germany to a Moroccan father and a Turkish mother, the journalist was recommended by the parents of Daniel Pearl, the

After 12 years of incarceration, Spain to expel a Moroccan national accused of terrorism

A Moroccan national in Spain sentenced in 2005 to 12 years in prison over links to the terrorist attacks of March the 11th 2014 is about to be released. Said El Harrak will leave the penitentiary center of Mansillas Las Mulas (Léon) on October the 25th, a Spanish media platform reported. However, once released, the man will be immediately deported to Morocco, the same source added. A measure already applied last January against Youssef Belhadi, another Moroccan national and member of

Italy : Khalid Chaouki elected as the new president of the Mosque of Rome

Khalid Chaouki, a Moroccan-Italian national, was elected on Tuesday head of the Great Mosque of Rome, the biggest Islamic institution in Italy, reports the Italian online newspaper La Stampa. «Several years after being founded, the Great Mosque of Rome plays an important role in breaking up with past by choosing Khalid Chaouki, a portrait of a second generation of Muslims in Italy,» said the same source. The latter believes that his election will open a new chapter in «Islam

Hundreds of Sahrawis welcomed Horst Kohler on Wednesday

The Polisario Front welcomed Horst Kohler, the Personal Envoy for Western Sahara pointed recently by the UN Secretary-General, on Wednesday morning. Trucks and utility vehicles transported hundreds of Sahrawis to the «Aousserd camp» to receive the UN official. History is repeating itself in the Polisario camps as the same thing happened in March 2016, when Ban Ki-moon, the former personal envoy to Western Sahara visited the region. The former German president is supposed to stay

Salim Bouazzati wins the IEMed Literary contest for his novel «Loaf of bread»

The young Moroccan writer Salim Bouazzati won the first prize of the 2017 edition of the literary competition «A sea of words» launched by the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Anna Lindh Foundation. Salim Bouazzati (22 years old) won for his work «Loaf of bread», which describes the despair of a young emigrant in Melilla, IEMed said on Tuesday in a press release reported by MAP news agency. Bouazzati’s novel was chosen among 225 works that

Sahara : King Mohammed VI received Horst Kohler on Tuesday

King Mohammed VI received on Tuesday, 17th of October in Rabat, Horst Kohler, the Personal Envoy for Western Sahara appointed recently by the UN Secretary-General, said a statement issued by the Royal Cabinet. The meeting was attended by Fouad Ali El Himma, senior adviser of the sovereign, Nasser Bourita, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and David Schwake, the special adviser of Kohler, reported the same source. The former German president and politician also met

Morocco to launch the construction of two developmental projects in Madagascar

The construction of two developmental projects by Morocco was launched on Tuesday in Madagascar, according to L’express, a local online newspaper. «After the signing of an agreement in November 2016, the Mohammed VI Foundation, in collaboration with the urban commune of Antsirabe, has launched the construction of a vocational training center and a specialized mother-and-child hospital center in Ambohimanarivo and Verezambola, located at the edge of the RN7,» said the

Citrus production to drop compared to the previous year

Citrus production in Morocco is expected to drop in 2017 compared to the previous year, according to estimates published today by Fresh Plaza, a portal for the fresh produce industry. The platform spoke to a Moroccan company that sells and exports citrus products to teh US, Europe, the Middle East and the rest of Africa.  Speaking to Issam Mounir from the Company Overseas Market, he insisted that «the firm expects to have about 500 tones of this Clementine variety (Bruno

Documentary : A 9-year-old Moroccan boy tells the story of his dangerous journey to Europe

Since 2014, 2,000 unaccompanied children have crossed the borders to Europe, according to European authorities. Who are these young people in search of another life? Where are they ? What do they suffer from when they reach the «promised land»? So many questions to which the German radio sation Deutsche Welle (DW) tried to find an answer. Journalists went to meet these children in Spain, Italy and Greece and made a documentary entitled «Lost children :30,000 missing

IMF and Bank Al-Maghrib to extend a loan agreement for low-income countries

Bank Al-Maghrib and the International Monetary Fund agreed on extending a loan agreement, namely the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT), to 2022. The agreement aims at raising concessional lending granted to low-income countries. The IMF, as the manager of the PRGT, introduced an amendment to its investment agreement with Bank Al-Maghrib in 2012, under which Morocco pledged a subsidy contribution of 1.1 million special drawing rights (SDRs) to the PRGT, the Moroccan central bank said in