King Mohammed VI oversees Family Code reform: 100 proposed amendments under review  (Read more...)

Alstom to build 30 new-generation electric locomotives for ONCF

ONCF, Morocco's national railway operator, announced on Thursday that it signed a contract with France’s Alstom for the manufacturing of 30 «new-generation» electric locomotives to strengthen its fleet, said the company in a statement. Alstom is expected to spend MAD 1.4 billion to manufacture, supply and equip 30 electric locomotives through a loan granted by the French State with a grace period of 10 years and a 0.0016 per cent interest rate. This project is part of a

The UN thanks Morocco for paying its 2018 regular budget dues

Morocco is on the list of the 45 states that have paid their 2018 regular budget dues to the United Nations. On Thursday evening, and before starting his daily press briefing, the Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Stéphane Dujarric thanked the kingdom for honoring its financial commitments. Strangely, the United States, Germany, Canada and Russia have not made it to the list of the countries that contributed to the UN 2018 regular budget. On

Hirak : The Al Hoceima appeal court confirms the sentences of seven activists

The Al Hoceima appeal court confirmed on Thursday evening the verdicts pronounced against seven Hirak activists, and which are ranging from five to 20 years in prison, for participating in unauthorized protests in the Rif, reports EFE. Two of the activists were sentenced to 20 years in prison. They are accused of putting fire to a police residence, using violence against the public forces on duty, disobedience and destruction of public property, and having participated to an

Sahara : Morocco is not having direct negotiations with the Polisario, according to El Khalfi

Morocco is not having direct negotiations with the Polisario, announced this afternoon the Minister of Relations with Parliament, and the government spokesman during a press briefing. On the same line as Nasser Bourita, Mustapha El Khalfi said «no meeting is scheduled,» reports Alyaoum24. The Polisario Front declared that it supports the relaunching of direct negotiations with the kingdom under the United Nations’s auspices. For the record, the first direct negotiations

A British boxer of Moroccan descent blames the Kingdom’s meat for his two-year suspension

Muhammed Ali, a British boxer of Moroccan descent who qualified to compete for Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Olympics that was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has blamed Moroccan meat after he failed to pass a drugs test. The 21-year-old boxer who has been banned for two years tested positive for «the anabolic steroid Trenbolone during the World Series of Boxing in Morocco in April last year», reports the BBC sports. Defending his position, the boxer said that he was

Melilla : A governmental delegation to return 36 migrants to Morocco

The government delegate in Melilla, Abdelmalik El Barkani, announced yesterday that 36 of the 39 migrants who arrived in the Chafarinas Islands, a group of three small islets located in the Alboran Sea off the coast of Morocco, and then transferred to Melilla, will be sent back to Morocco to prevent the «migration mafias» from making the Spanish archipelagos a «new gateway to Spain», reports Europa Press. The official said that only three of them were

ONHYM signs petroleum agreement with Shell and Repsol

Morocco's National Office for Hydrocarbons and Mining (ONHYM) signed a petroleum agreement with «Shell Exploration et production du Maroc» (GmbH) and Repsol exploration Tanfit covering the onshore area named «Tanfit» which spans over 9990 km². «Following the results of a reconnaissance survey carried out in this area by Shell, in partnership with ONHYM under a reconnaissance contract, Shell and Repsol have decided to continue their works under a permit for

King Mohammed VI gives instructions to alleviate impact of snowfall and heavy rains in affected regions

King Mohammed VI gave his high instructions to the concerned governmental sectors and services to remain mobilized and redouble efforts to alleviate the negative impact of snowfall, heavy rains and sharp drop in temperatures in some prefectures and provinces of the Kingdom, and to take steps to open up the affected areas and provide assistance and support to their populations, the Ministry of Interior said Wednesday in a statement. The sovereign also ordered the continuation of efforts

CHAN 2018 : Morocco wins the final match against Nigeria (4-0)

The Morocco A' national football team, the local national football team of Morocco open only to domestic league players has won the competition of the 5th African Championship of Nations (CHAN 2018), after their victory against Nigeria with 4 goals to nil on Sunday evening at the Mohammed V stadium in Casablanca. The first goal was delivered by Zakaria Hadraf few seconds before the end of the first half-time. Walid El Karti scored the second goal at the 61st minute of the game, while Hadraf

Moroccan Refugee Initiative Honored in Washington

Kickstarted by Moroccan student Hala Cherradi and her friends from Berlin's Design Akademie, the «Do not Be Silent Berlin» project won Wednesday's «Peer To Peer Facebook Global Digital Challenge» in Washington. The prize rewards student initiatives that fight against hate speech and extremism. As for Hala Cherradi's concept, the aim is to raise awareness against anti-refugee hatred by federating the «silent majority», which does not share prejudicial or

AfDB to grant Morocco a USD 2-billion aid over the next two years

The African Development Bank (AfDB) will grant Morocco a two-billion dollars aid over the next two years, announced on Friday in Rabat, Bank Vice President in charge of Regional Development, Regional Integration and Services Khaled Sherif, who is on a working visit to Morocco. «We informed the Head of Government that the AfDB will provide two billion dollars in aids to Morocco over the next two years,» Sherif said in a statement to the press after his talks with head of government

CHAN 2018 : Morocco secures a place in the final after defeating Libya

The Morocco A' national football team, the local national football team of Morocco open only to domestic league players, scored on Wednesday, 31st of January, 3 goals defeating Libya which was fighting for its place in the African Nations Championship semi-finals, reports Chaine International radio which broadcasted the game played in Mohammed V stadium.   The Moroccan team’s victory will allow it to get qualified for the CHAN’s final. Ayoub El Kaabi was the star of the

Activist Helena Maleno is to appear in court again in Morocco

Helena Maleno, a Spanish journalist and activist who was accused of allegedly helping migrants enter Spain illegally, will have to appear in the Tangier Appeal court once again, reports El Diario online newspaper. The Spanish NGO Oxfal Intermon, which fights against poverty, denounced the fact that the Iberian government did not inform Morocco that the Spanish Public Prosecutor has classified the investigation for which the activist is called to appear before the Moroccan justice. «If

Tariq Ramadan detained in Paris over rape accusations

Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss academic, philosopher and writer, was detained by French police on Wednesday, 31st of January, for having allegedly raped two women, a legal source told AFP. The Islamic scholar was summoned for a questioning to a Paris police station and was put into custody «as part of a preminilary inquiry in Paris into rape and assault allegations», the same source added after a report on the same case was made public by the RTL radio. For the record, two women lodged

A Democratic Senator questions the utility of Pruitt’s recent visit to Morocco

During an immigration policy meeting held on Tuesday, Tammy Duckworth, a Democratic Senator asked EPA’s chief, Scott Pruitt, whether he found Morocco to be a «sh***le» when he visited North Africa in December, reports the Washington Examiner. «Can I assume, like all decent Americans, you did not find Morocco, a North African nation, to be a sh***le when you visited ?», questioned the Senator referring to the infamous declaration of President Donald Trump who

A Moroccan football agent purchases a British club

Abdallah Lemsagam, a Moroccan football agent based in the United Kingdom, has bought the Oldham Athletic Association, a football club based in the town of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, reports the BBC Sport. The takeover has been approved and ratified by the English Football League, after the Lemsagam agreed with Simon Corney, the club’s majority shareholder. «I am not a billionaire, I am taking it step by step, I am here to work hard for the club, with the coach and

Germany’s PRETTL to build a € 8 million plant in Tangier

PRETTL, a German company that manufactures automotive sensors and coils and components, announced on Tuesday in Tangier that it is building a new plant in the city, investing 8 million Euros, reports MAP news agency. According to data presented during the ceremony held to lay the foundation stone of the new automotive city, the plant is expected to provide 800 job opportunities, and will have the capacity to produce 30 million pieces in the long term. The first part of this project, which

There is no utility in renewing the IMF aid, according to Boussaid

Morocco is not renewing its $3.47 billion Precautionary and liquidity Line provided by the International Monetary Fund, said Mohamed Boussaid Minister of Finance, during a conference held in Marrakech. The above-mentioned program known as PLL, is designed to flexibly meet the liquidity needs of member countries with sound economic fundamentals but with some limited remaining vulnerabilities which preclude them from using the Flexible Credit Line(FCL). Morocco has benefited from this