Morocco's Arrabet and Skaleet partner for a new neo-bank offering in Africa  (Read more...)

Moroccan director Asmae El Moudir raises Palestinian flag at Cannes Film Festival

Moroccan movie director Asmae El Moudir, a member of the «Un Certain Regard» jury at the 77th Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25, 2024), expressed her support for Palestine at the closing ceremony. On Saturday, the filmmaker was photographed holding a Palestinian flag sewn onto her glove. El Moudir, known for directing the first Moroccan feature-length documentary to win the Grand Prix at the Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM 2023), «The Mother Of All Lies», was

Morocco cracks down on discriminatory hotel policy : Marriage certificates no longer required

Although not provided for by law, the ban on women without marriage certificates staying in hotels has been lifted, particularly in the cities of Fez and Rabat, where this practice was commonplace. Cited by Le360 on Sunday, a major hotel in Rabat confirmed that police had «contacted them the day before» to instruct them to «no longer apply» this provision. According to Médias24, the lifting of the restrictions also concerns single women residing in the city where

Istiqlal party suspends membership of deputy mayor facing embezzlement charges

The Tetouan provincial office of the Istiqlal party announced that Daniel Ziouziou's membership had been suspended following an urgent consultation meeting on Saturday, May 25. Ziouziou, arrested last Wednesday, is the city's sixth deputy mayor and is suspected of significant embezzlement of funds from the accounts of Union of Moroccan Banks (UMB) clients. He served as UMB's regional director. Another Tetouan city official is also implicated in the case. On Saturday morning, Ziouziou was

US, Morocco armies train together in chemical, biological, nuclear response

Moroccan Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and US Army soldiers conducted joint training on chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) procedures and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) during African Lion 2024. «EOD specialists deal with chemical weapons as well as explosives», explained U.S. Army Spc. Maitlan Cherry, from Oceanside, California, an EOD specialist with the 53rd Ordnance Company. «So far, training with the Moroccan Armed Forces shows we share a common

Morocco : 4.5 magnitude earthquake hits Driouch province

A 4.5-magnitude telluric tremor on the Richter scale was recorded on Monday in Morocco's Driouch province, according to the National Institute of Geophysics (ING). The tremor's epicenter is located off the coast of Driouch province. It occurred at 1:40 AM (GMT+1), the ING's National Seismic Monitoring and Warning Network said in a seismic alert bulletin. The tremor struck at a depth of 16 km, at a latitude of 35.531°N and a longitude of 3.502°W, according to the ING.

VivaTech 2024 : Moroccan-led NamX takes home award for hydrogen mobility

NamX, a startup founded by French-Moroccan entrepreneur Faouzi Annajah, won the Technology Election Award in the mobility and smart cities category at the closing ceremony of the Viva Technology 2024 international fair in Paris. On Saturday, May 25, the company was awarded for its innovative hydrogen SUV (HUV), presented for the final time before road testing. The designer is seeking funding to industrialize this prototype, equipped with a version of V8 Hydrogen Engine Technology and a

Morocco's RNI fires back at opposition over government performance

The National Rally of Independents (RNI) strongly criticizes the attacks from the opposition party Progress and Socialism (PPS) regarding the government's mid-term review, presented to Parliament by Aziz Akhannouch. Senior RNI officials responded to the criticisms from PPS members on Saturday, May 25, during a party meeting in Agadir led by Akhannouch. House Speaker Rachid Talbi Alami criticized the PPS's performance in its previous government roles, specifically citing delays in water-related

Morocco includes Sahrawi members in delegation to Algiers

On May 26 and 27, Algiers will host a new session of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU). Morocco is represented by a delegation led by Sahrawi Mohamed Sibari (PAM), first vice-president of the House of Representatives and deputy of the Guelmim constituency. Cheikh Ahmadou Adabda, a Sahrawi parliamentary advisor (PAM) from the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region and member of the Lajreifa commune in Boujdour, is also part of the Moroccan delegation. Since February 2022, Adabda has served as

Morocco's legendary radio voice Abdessadak Benissa passes away

Moroccan journalist Abdessadak Benissa passed away at the age of 63 on Sunday, May 26, after a long illness. An iconic voice of radio in the country, Benissa became known particularly for his narration of police stories, as part of the program «Milafat boulissia» on Medi1 Radio. Born in 1961, Benissa joined Mediterranean International Radio in 1981 to learn the fundamentals of the profession. Over the years, he held several positions within Medi1, eventually becoming

Parliament summons Morocco Justice Minister over hotel marriage checks

The Chamber of Counselors wants the Moroccan Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, to appear before the Commission of Law and Legislation. They want him to explain why the requests to women to present their marriage certificates in hotels were illegal. The government's majority groups, RNI, PAM, and Istiqlal, made a request. They want the minister to explain his controversial statements. On Tuesday, Ouahbi criticized the government for still requiring citizens to provide documents like

European Elections : Sumar's promises to the Polisario

In Spain, the far-left coalition Sumar promises to advocate for the Polisario's positions in the European Parliament. The formation plans «to send a mission to Western Sahara» to inquire about the human rights situation, announced Estrella Galán, the Sumar list representative for the June 9 election, in statements to the media, following a meeting held on Friday at the lower house of Parliament with the Polisario representative in the Iberian neighbor, Abdellah Arabi, reports

Spanish court throws out complaint against Polisario leader

The Spanish Supreme Court dismissed, on Friday, a complaint against the Polisario leader, Brahim Ghali, filed in February 2022 by the Sahrawi Association for the Defense of Human Rights (ASADEH). The highest court states that the «complaint was outside the statute of limitations, as the alleged events occurred in 1990, which fell outside the 20-year statute of limitations». The Court thus confirms the decision made by the National Court in October 2021. The court had then ruled

Sahara : The head of MINURSO received by Russian diplomacy

Alexander Ivanko, head of MINURSO, visited Russia this Friday. Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Ivanko was received in Moscow by Sergey Vershinin, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. «The in-depth consultations focused on issues related to the daily activities of the mission, as well as the situation in its area of operation», the statement read. The statement added that Russia expressed its «continued support for MINURSO's activities, which

Glory suspends Moroccan kickboxer Jamal Ben Saddik for six months

Moroccan-Dutch boxer Jamal Ben Saddik has been suspended from Glory for six months following incidents that occurred on March 9 during the semi-final of the Glory Heavyweight Grand Prix. At the end of the fight, won by Rico Verhoeven over Nabil Khachab, Ben Saddik climbed into the ring and tried to pick a fight with the champion. Following their investigation, the organizers of Glory pointed to actions that constituted a «risk of incitement to violence», which could «cause

Morocco, UK archives to share historical gems

The Moroccan Archives and the British National Archives signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in London on Thursday to strengthen cooperation between the two institutions. The agreement, signed by Director of the Moroccan Archives Jamaâ Baida and Director General and Keeper of the British National Archives Jeff James, aims to bolster collaboration, particularly in exchanging documents and sharing expertise. Speaking at the ceremony, Baida noted that the MoU strengthens the

Morocco impresses at European robotics championship

At the International Robotics Championship, First Lego League Open European Championship (OEC) 2024, held in Norway, Moroccan teams shone brightly among the competition's 50 teams representing around forty different countries. The 3andi Blasti team from Mohammedia particularly impressed the jury, winning 3rd place in the Innovation Project category. They presented a unique robotics kit that combines art and technology, specifically designed to facilitate learning for refugees. The AVATAR team

Over 11,000 have benefited from Morocco's direct housing assistance program

At least 73,711 applications have been submitted for the direct housing assistance program, according to Minister Delegate in Charge of Relations with Parliament and government spokesperson, Mustapha Baitas, on Thursday. Of those approved, 43% are women and 23% are Moroccans residing abroad. Baitas added that 11,749 people have already benefited from the program. He also specified that 57% of the applications concern housing costing between 300,000 and 700,000 dirhams, and that almost all

US army trains Moroccan soldiers in cyber operations

U.S. Army soldiers are helping Moroccan Royal Armed Forces (FAR) conduct electronic warfare training at La Caserne Tifnit barracks, as part of the African Lion military exercise currently underway in Morocco. According to the U.S. Army, the training is conducted by the 11th Cyber Battalion, 780th Military Intelligence Brigade, U.S. Army Cyber Command, from Fort Eisenhower, Georgia, in collaboration with FAR service members. «The training is progressing well», said U.S. Army Maj.