IFC loans €197 million to expand Morocco's Tanger Med Port Complex  (Read more...)

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

Mohammed V airport : Police arrest a French-Algerian man wanted for financing terrorism

Policemen at the Mohammed V International Airport of Casablanca arrested, on Tuesday, a French-Algerian national, who is wanted by an international arrest warrant issued by the French authorities for financing terrorism, forming a criminal gang and defending acts of terrorism. The suspect, aged 36, was apprehended upon his arrival at the Airport from Algeria, said a statement from the national police (DGSN), adding that the suspect underwent the arrest procedure after it was revealed at the

Morocco’s inflation reaches 1.9 percent year/year, according to the planning agency

Morocco’s annual inflation increased in December, reaching 1.9 percent compared to 1.3 percent in November, Reuters wrote quoting the Kingdom’s planning agency. The agency indicated on Tuesday, January the 22nd, that Morocco’s inflation grew because of the high food prices, the same source added. Meanwhile, food inflation grew to 1.3 percent in December after it was at 0.1 percent in November. On the other hand, non-food inflation dropped to 1.8 percent in December after it

Over 12 mln tourists visited Morocco in 2018, national tourism office reveals

Over 12 million tourists visited Morocco in 2018, up by 8% compared to the year before, head of the Moroccan tourism office (ONMT), Adel El Fakir, said Tuesday in Casablanca. These figures indicate a sound tourism industry, he added, noting that the Moroccan tourism industry is one of the most competitive ones in the world. Indeed, this industry has achieved, between 2000 and 2018, an annual growth of 6 pc, which is 2 points higher than the global growth of the sector, El Fakir said This

Morocco issues an arrest warrant against Al Jazeera’s journalist Ahmed Mansour

Moroccan Prosecutor has issued an international arrest warrant against Egyptian journalist Ahmed Mansour who works for Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera. Reports indicate that the Interpol’s office in Lyon, France, has also issued an arrest warrant against the famous journalist, following a request submitted two weeks ago by Morocco. The Egyptian TV anchorman is wanted because of his alleged «customary marriage». In 2015 Mansour chose this kind of marriage, which is not

Moroccan teachers' English training at the heart of Moroccan-British talks in London

The training of Moroccan teachers in English was at the center, on Monday in London, of a meeting between Minister of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research Said Amzazi and Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Alistair Burt. During these talks, held on the sidelines of the World Education Forum, in the presence of Director of the British Council John Mitchell and Secretary of State for vocational training

US : Morocco’s Ahmed Charai joins the International Crisis Group

Morocco’s Ahmed Charai has joined the International Crisis Group, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that carries out field research on violent conflict and advances policies to prevent, mitigate or resolve conflict. This membership will allow Morocco to influence the editorial choices of the ICG, headed by American lawyer Robert Malley who served at the National Security Council under Barack Obama from February 2014 until January 2017. As a member of the International

Two of Horst Kohler's collaborators on a mission to the Sahara until January the 25th

Two of Horst Kohler's collaborators visited, on January the 17th and 18th, Laayoune. «In the city, Elfi Klabunde, German, and Hékène Halling, Swedish, met representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees», a well-informed source told Yabiladi. «They then flew to the Rabouni camp. Their stay in the Polisario will come to an end on January the 25th. They are expected to meet members of the UNHCR delegation there», the same source

Imlil killings : Morocco’s ambassador to Norway attends the funeral of Maren Ueland

The funeral of Maren Ueland took place Monday, January the 21st, in Time, a municipality in Rogaland county. The church service was attended by Morocco’s ambassador to Norway, Lamia Radi, Norway’s health minister and several dozen students from the University of Southeastern Norway, where Maren and her Danish friend used to study, reports AFP quoted by the Daily Mail.   Ahead of the service, the Moroccan ambassador told TV2 that «Morocco wanted to be present today to

A Polish lawyer allegedly deported from Morocco for meeting pro-Polisario students

A Polish lawyer was reportedly expelled from Morocco on January the 16th for «having spoken with pro-Polisario students», reports online newspaper Por Un Sahara Libre. On Wednesday the police «broke into the house of a Sahrawi student involved in cultural activism, where layer Justyna Paulina Wrobel was staying», the same source wrote. The student told the Nushatta Foundation that «law enforcement officers who wore plainclothes stormed his house,

Moroccan Air Force Mirage F1 crashes, pilot ejects safely

A Moroccan air force Mirage F1, which was on a training flight, crashed Monday in the northern region of Taounate following a technical breakdown, the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces said in a statement. The pilot managed to eject safely, the source added, noting that the plane crashed in an inhabited area and did not cause any collateral damage.

After it was shot in Morocco, producers release «John Wick»’s trailer

After they were spotted in Morocco back in October, the stars of the American franchise movie «John Wick» are in full action in the film’s trailer, released on January the 17th. American Academy Award winner Halle Berry is helping Canadian actor, director, producer, and musician Keanu Reeves escape the bad guys who want to kill him in the franchise’s third installment. In the 2-minute trailer, Reeves is seen running in the streets of New York and then in the Sahara, in

The Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline to face technical and political challenges

The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) is facing new obstacles that might hinder its «delivery date», Nigerian online newspaper the Independent says quoting a recently released report. The latter indicates that the NMGP is exposed to «considerable commercial, technical, legal and financial challenges that make it unlikely to materialize in the shorter medium-term». The Nigerian presidential election scheduled for February 2019 could affect the project’s

After being hit by a passer-by, a Moroccan veiled woman wants the police to do their job

On Friday, reports indicated that a 47-year-old Moroccan veiled woman was assaulted in Anderlecht, one of the nineteen municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region. Belgian newspaper La Capital reports that the victim was slightly injured in a racist attack. Interviewed by Almouwatin TV, Fatiha commented on what happened to her urging people to calm down and «let the police do their job». «The suspect has not been identified yet, contrary to rumors», she stressed.

Aminatou Haidar and a number of pro-Polisario activists prevented from entering Tan Tan

Aminatou Haidar and a number of pro-Polisario activists were prevented Saturday, January the 19th, from entering Tan Tan. Trying to leave Laayoune, security services stopped them from heading to the city. The police also banned the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA) president from visiting the MINURSO headquarters in the city. Aminatou Haidar was carrying a «letter of protest» on behalf of pro-Polisario NGOs to Colin Stewart to protest against alleged

A Moroccan man arrested in Italy for trying to donate old electronic devices

A Moroccan man living in Italy was arrested this week at the Genoa port after he was accused of waste trafficking, reports Italian newspaper Il Dolomiti. The Moroccan man has been trying, since October, to collect used devices that could be fixed and donated from his friends. His plan was to give away these machines to an association in Morocco that helps people with Down syndrome. The Moroccan man has put all these machines in a van and headed to the Genoa port. But once there, the customs

Moroccan pianist Marouan Benabdallah performs at a musical event in Beijing

Moroccan pianist Marouan Benabdallah performed, Friday, at the «La Plantation» theater in Beijing, playing Arabic, international and classical music. At the beginning of this artistic evening, marked by the presence of Morocco's ambassador to China, Aziz Mekouar, the Moroccan pianist surprised the Chinese public by addressing them in Mandarin, a language he had learned in Hungary, the country of his mother who introduced him to music. In an hour and a half, Benabdallah managed to

Boxing : the French-Moroccan Nordine Oubaali is the new WBC Champion

French-Moroccan boxer Nordine Oubaali won the World Boxing Council bantamweight belt on Saturday in Las Vegas. The boxer defeated American boxer Rau'shee Warren, reports AFP. Oubaali had already beaten the American when they were both still amateurs at the London Olympics in 2012. The French-Moroccan boxer was fighting for his first world title in Las Vegas. «My dream came true, I realized my American dream», said the boxer, adding : «I won tonight (Saturday), because I put