Educational astronomy project to tour Morocco in November  (Read more...)

Morocco informs UNSG and SC of the adoption of Morocco-EU agriculture agreement

Morocco’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, sent on Thursday letters to the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and to the members of the Security Council, to inform them that «the European Parliament adopted, on January 16, 2019, in Strasbourg, the Exchange of Letters on the Agriculture Agreement between Morocco and the European Union (EU)». This adoption was preceded by several votes «largely favourable at the different bodies of the EU

A Moroccan national assaults a border guard after he was denied entry to Ukraine

A Moroccan national assaulted a border guard at the Kyiv Boryspil International Airport after he was refused entry to Ukraine, reports Ukrainian press agency UNIAN on Friday. The man was enraged after he was told that he cannot enter the Ukrainian territory, the same source said, quoting a border control report. According to UNIAN, the Moroccan told border guards that he is staying in Ukraine as part of an exchange program and that he would be teaching English and another language. However, a

The Polisario sees its participation in the AU-EU meeting as a «victory»

Angered by the fact that the European Parliament voted in favor of the EU-Morocco association agreement, the Polisario Front believes that attending the meeting of the foreign ministers of the African Union and the European Union in Brussels was a «victory». The Front’s «Foreign Minister» Mohamed Salem Ould Salek stated, Thursday, that the international presence in «this ministerial meeting has shown that attempts to exterminate the Saharwi people were

Hicham El Habti replaces OCP’s secretary general Mohamed El Kadiri on an interim basis

While rumors about his departure had been circulating for weeks, it seems that Mohamed El Kadiri, «the kingpin of OCP’s industrial transformation» has indeed left the world’s leading exporter of phosphate rock, phosphoric acid and phosphate fertilizers. French-language online newspaper Le Desk, quoting Maghreb Confidentiel, reported that OCP’s deputy secretary general Hicham El Habti «has been appointed to replace secretary general Mohamed El Kadiri on an

A Tunisian NGO angered by a Moroccan helicopter spotted in Tozeur

The Tunisian Human Rights League has protested against a foreign helicopter that, reportedly, flew over Djerid, a region in South Western Tunisia. According to several Tunisian newspapers, the country’s Ministry of Defense said Thursday, in a statement made public by radio Mosaique FM, that the «foreign helicopter spotted in Tozeur is Moroccan» and that it «landed at the airport after receiving a go-ahead from the authorities and the Ministry of

Moroccan authorities reject the conclusions of Human Rights Watch's 2019 report

The Moroccan authorities have expressed their total rejection of the political positions and erroneous allegations and conclusions in the section on Morocco of the 2019 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on the status of human rights around the world. These political positions and erroneous allegations and conclusions will receive a detailed response in the weeks to come, said the Inter-ministerial Delegation for Human Rights (DIDH) in a statement on Thursday. The Moroccan authorities have

Former prisoners from the Sahara war sit-in in front of FAR’s headquarters

The civilian and military members of the «National Coordination of Prisoners of the War of Territorial Integrity» organized Thursday, January 24th, a sit-in outside the headquarters of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces in Rabat. Their demands have not changed since their first open demonstrations and sit-ins before the Parliament in Rabat. These ex-detainees still ask the state to recognize them as «prisoners of war» and seek redress. These former detainees

Spain : A Moroccan minor released after being kidnapped by traffickers

The Civil Guard released yesterday a Moroccan minor migrant who was kidnapped by a drug-trafficking network, reports local newspaper Diario de Cadiz. The young migrant had been taken care of by the children's reception center in the municipality of El Bosque, after having arrived alone in Spain via a boat. He was then forcibly removed from this center by this network and locked in a place in the municipality of Puerto Real. The child was found in a bad condition as he was forced to sleep on a

A Moroccan national found dead after a building collapsed in Italy

A gas bottle exploded in Delia, a commune in Sicily, killing a Moroccan national whose house collapsed, reports online newspaper Grand Angolo Agrigento. Firefighter discovered the body of the 73-year-old man. The latter is called Mohammed Ez Ziouni and he was known as Giovanni, the same source added.

University students in Norway attend a memorial service to remember Maren and Louisa

Students at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) gathered Wednesday, January the 23rd, to remember Maren Ueland and Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, two Scandinavian tourists who were killed December in Morocco. A memorial service was held at the University’s facility in Bo, a town in Norway, where the two students used to study outdoor activities, nature and cultural guidance, reports Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang. «The killings have shaken the whole university, and

In spite of Brexit, UK remains strong partner of Morocco, British diplomat says

The United Kingdom remains a strong partner of its long-standing friends, including Morocco, even if it leaves the European Union, said, on Wednesday in Rabat, Simon McDonald, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service. «Morocco is a key trading partner of the United Kingdom», McDonald said in a statement to MAP following talks with foreign minister Nasser Bourita, highlighting trade ties between his country and

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit Maghreb countries

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to visit Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia from the 23rd to the 26th of January, report Russian news agency Tass which quotes the minister’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova. The same source revealed that Lavrov’s meetings with representatives from the three North African countries, including foreign ministers, have already been planned. This visit is an opportunity for the Russian senior official to discuss bilateral

Muslims in the UK to boycott Marks & Spencer because its toilet paper has «Allah written on it»

Muslims in the UK are angry at British multinational retailer Marks & Spencer for one item it is selling. According to British tabloid The Sun, these people are demanding a boycott of M&S because of a toilet paper that reportedly has the world Allah written on it. After a video, in which a man shows the product claiming that it has «Allah» on it, went viral, more than 2200 people signed a petition accusing the brand of «insulting Islam». «They have the

European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries adopts the Morocco-EU agreement

The European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries adopted Wednesday, by a large majority, the Morocco-European Union fisheries agreement. This decisive vote is the final step at the specialized committees of the European Parliament before the final adoption in plenary session, which is expected to take place on February. According to a European parliamentary source in Brussels, the adoption of the agreement by 17 votes in favor, 7 against and 2 abstentions, reflects the position of the

Morocco’s trade deficit grows in 2018, according to foreign exchange regulator

Morocco’s trade deficit grew by 8 percent to 204 billion dirhams, reports Reuters Tuesday quoting foreign exchange regulator. The percentage is bigger than the one registered last year, the same source said, adding that imports reached 9.3 percent (478.7 billion dirhams) while exports generated 274.2 billion dirhams. Energy import bill rose by 18.4 percent to 82.3 billion dirhams and exports in the automotive sector generated 60 billion dirhams. Phosphate sales, on the other hand, grew

Morocco dismantles a terrorist cell affiliated to ISIS

The Central Bureau for Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) dismantled a terrorist cell composed of 13 people on Wednesday, including two former prisoners, aged between 22 and 44. The cell was operating in Kelaa Sraghna (a town near Marrakech), Salé, Casablanca and Mohammedia. According to a communiqué released by the Interior Ministry, authorities seized electronic devices, knives, balaclavas, books advocating extremist ideology, a manuscript pledging allegiance to ISIS and a

King Mohammed VI inaugurates Terminal 1 of Casablanca Mohammed V airport

King Mohammed VI inaugurated, on Tuesday, the extension, redevelopment and modernization project for the Terminal 1 of Casablanca Mohammed V Airport worth 1.585 billion dirhams. The sovereign launched the entry into operational use of the new center for regional control (CCR) of Agadir air navigation safety, as well as the new air terminals of the airports of Guelmim, Zagora, and Errachidia Moulay Ali Cherif, carried out by the National Office of Airports (ONDA) for 647.73 million

A Moroccan national arrested near Madrid for spreading terrorist propaganda

The Spanish civil guard announced on Tuesday the arrest in Getafe, in the suburbs of Madrid, of a person of Moroccan origin over suspicion of committing the offense of spreading terrorist propaganda and internet self-indoctrination. The investigation on this individual started early 2018, after the Spanish security services detected on social networks the presence of a person which checked terrorist groups-linked content, notably ISIS, said the same source in a statement. Aged 28, this