News Flash

World Cup 2030 : Unveiling the design of Casablanca's Grand Stade

In preparation for Morocco's bid to host the 2030 World Cup, Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit chaired a meeting on Wednesday, July 3rd, at the headquarters of the Casablanca-Settat region's Wilaya. This follows similar meetings held in Rabat and Fez to review the progress of infrastructure projects necessary for the tournament. The meeting, attended by Royal Moroccan Football Federation President Fouzi Lekjaa, regional Wali Mohamed Mhidia, and various stakeholders, focused on development

Afcon 2025 : Morocco targets smooth qualification in Group B

The draw for the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2025), held today in Johannesburg, South Africa, has placed the Moroccan national team in Group B alongside Gabon, the Central African Republic and Lesotho. The 48 teams competing in the qualifiers have been divided into 12 groups of four teams each. The first and second places in each group will qualify for the final phase, with the exception of Morocco's group, which automatically qualifies as hosts. Qualifying begins in

Moroccan man denied asylum in Spain faces deportation

Held for 11 days at Bilbao Airport, a young Moroccan man will be deported back to his country after the Spanish High Court refused to grant temporary asylum while his formal asylum claim is processed. He will be sent back on a flight to Tangier on Friday, July 5th. Reports indicate he presented himself as a Sahrawi activist in Spain, Spanish media say. After his asylum application was rejected, his lawyers appealed to the High Court for provisional permission to enter Spain. However, the court

Yalla Morocco : New discount card for train travel in Morocco

The Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) has announced the launch of a vast multimedia communication campaign, in partnership with the National Railways Office (ONCF). The ONCF will be marketing up to 350,000 tickets at attractive prices, starting at 89 DH for the Al Boraq high-speed lines (LGV) and 49 DH for the Atlas trains. Additionally, the two partners have launched a discount card called Yalla Morocco, offering a 30% discount on all travel on Atlas and Al Boraq trains, to encourage

Morocco to boost hotel infrastructure for Afcon 2025 and 2030 FIFA World Cup

The Moroccan government recently launched a two-pronged approach to modernize the country's hotel stock. As part of this initiative, an innovative program entitled «Cap Hospitality» has been set up to improve the quality of the kingdom's classified tourist accommodation establishments (EHTC), according to a press release. The program aims to support Morocco's bid to host major international sporting events, namely the African Cup of Nations 2025 and the World Cup 2030. An agreement

Spanish national wanted by Interpol arrested in Tangier

A citizen of Andorra, Spain, was arrested on Wednesday, July 3 at Tangier Ibn Battuta airport for his alleged involvement in international trafficking of hashish, cocaine, ecstasy, and methamphetamines. Having already been convicted in absentia by his home country, he is the subject of an arrest warrant to serve his sentence. #التعاون_الأمني_الدولي مطار ابن بطوطة بطنجة.. توقيف مواطن إسباني يشكل موضوع أمر دولي بإلقاء

Morocco : A key partner for the United States in Africa

Morocco's advantages as an attractive investment destination and a springboard for strengthening trade between the United States and Africa were the focus of a panel discussion held on Tuesday, July 2 in Washington by the American research center Atlantic Council. Organized on the sidelines of the 8th session of the Joint Committee in charge of monitoring the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the meeting featured the Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, the Kingdom's Ambassador

Moroccan man fakes bomb threat to avoid missing flight

A Moroccan national residing in Belgium is accused of disrupting a flight by falsely reporting the presence of a bomb, the public prosecution in Fez announced on Monday, setting the first session of his trial for next Monday. The Moroccan national was scheduled to fly last Saturday from Fez Sais Airport to Belgium. Fearing he might miss his flight, he is suspected of calling and reporting the presence of a bomb on the plane. The prosecutor decided to prosecute the 50-year-old man, who is

Fez Court reduces sentences for rappers behind controversial «Kobi Atay» song

The Fez Appeal Court reduced the initial sentences handed to two rappers known for their song «Kobi Atay». They were sentenced to four months' imprisonment each, after the Fez Court of First Instance had initially sentenced them to two years in prison each, in addition to a fine. The defendants were charged with «inciting minors to prostitution and to commit a felony or misdemeanor by electronic means» and participation in such acts. In its verdict, the court also

Morocco FM Nasser Bourita meets outgoing Arab Maghreb Union Secretary General

On Tuesday, July 2, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita received the outgoing Secretary General of the Arab Maghreb Union in Rabat, Moroccan diplomacy announced on X. This meeting comes a day after Tunisian Taïeb Baccouche's mission at the head of the AMU came to an end. At an official ceremony held in Rabat on Monday, July 1, Baccouche handed over the leadership of the AMU to his compatriot Tarek Ben Salem. Ben Salem was appointed the new Secretary General of the Maghreb Arab Union by

EBRD reaffirms support for Morocco's energy transition with MAD 150 million loan

On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) reaffirmed its support for Morocco's energy transition by granting a MAD 150 million loan to PROCANEQ, a Moroccan-based company that provides mining subcontracting services to the OCP Group. To accelerate the sector's green transition, the EBRD funding will be used to purchase new equipment for extracting and transporting phosphate to processing facilities from several mines, the London-based institution said

Russia did not schedule a meeting on the Sahara at the Security Council

Russia holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of July. The program circulated by Moscow's embassy to the United Nations in New York did not include any meetings on the Western Sahara issue. For his part, Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia did not address the Sahara issue or MINURSO at a press briefing held yesterday in New York to present his country's agenda for the month. The diplomat announced the organization of three debates on: multilateral cooperation for a

Polisario wishes to meet South Africa's new Foreign Minister

After initially ignoring the re-election and inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Polisario is now trying to reconnect with South Africa. On Tuesday, July 2, the «SADR Minister of Foreign Affairs» sent a congratulatory message to Ronald Lamola, Pretoria's new head of diplomacy who succeeded Naledi Pandor. «I look forward to meeting you personally and working closely with you to strengthen the cooperation and solidarity between our two brotherly countries and

Casablanca Fête de la Musique celebrates diversity with record attendance

The 2024 edition of the Fête de la Musique, organized by local development company Casablanca Events et Animation, was a resounding success. Held on June 28 and 29, the event aims to promote music in all its forms and celebrate cultural and musical diversity. Offering an opportunity for amateur and professional musicians to perform in public and share their passion with Casablancans and visitors to the city, the program boasted a diverse lineup of artists: Ganga Vives, Hasba Groove,

Morocco, US discuss deepening trade ties at FTA monitoring meeting

Representatives from Morocco and the United States met in Washington on Monday to discuss the implementation of the free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries. The 8th session of the joint committee tasked with monitoring the FTA was chaired by Morocco's Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, and the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East, Bryant Trick. Discussions focused on ways to further develop trade and address remaining challenges. Minister

Marrakech court sentences three to 4 years each for deadly food poisoning

The Marrakech Court of First Instance sentenced three defendants: the owner of a fast food restaurant and two of his employees, to four years in prison each, with a fine of 1000 dirhams. This follows the death of six people, including a child, due to food poisoning after they ate at the restaurant in the Mahamid neighborhood of Marrakech. The fast food owner was charged with «unintentionally causing manslaughter due to his negligence and disregard for laws and regulations»,

Eindhoven blocks Moroccan star Ismael Saibari from Olympic participation

Moroccan footballer Ismael Saibari will be unable to participate with the Moroccan Olympic team at the Paris Olympics this summer due to his Dutch club PSV Eindhoven refusing to release him, reports beIN Sports. Saibari is a key player for the Moroccan Olympic team. He is also a key player for the dutch club, having featured in 29 matches across all competitions last season for Eindhoven. The draw for the Olympic football tournament placed the Moroccan national team in Group B alongside

Presidential elections in Mauritania : Ould El Ghazouani re-elected in first round

Voters in Mauritania have re-elected Mohamed Cheikh Ould El Ghazouani to a second term as president of the country. His candidacy for the June 29 presidential elections won 56.12% of the votes cast in the first round, according to the final results published on Monday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI). Opponent Biram Dah Abeid, 59, came second with 22.10% of the vote. Supporters of the abolitionist activist staged demonstrations in the streets of Nouakchott on Sunday