Morocco's Royal Navy foils migrant hijacking attempt off Tan-Tan  (Read more...)

Majorca : Police arrest a man linked to the disappearance of a Moroccan national

A Spanish man living in Sa Pobla (a small municipality in the district of Raiguer on Majorca) was arrested having links with the alleged murder of Moustapha El Karchaoui, a 26 year old Moroccan who has gone missing since August, reported Friday online newspapers Ara Balears and Diario De Mallorca. The Spanish authorities believe that the Moroccan national could have been «killed and dismembered», the same source revealed. Moustapha El Karchaoui was living in Sa Pobla with his

Morocco-EU association agreement : MEPs wanted to seek an opinion from the CJEU

The new rapporteur for the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) wrote, Wednesday, on its website  that she will be voting «in favor of the resolution tabled by a cross-party group of MEP’s to ask the ECJ for an opinion». In a long article on the EU-Morocco agreement, Marietje Schaake stated that the resolution, submitted by the ALDE group, «does not mean we ask the ECJ to decide for us, it means we will be able to take a vote with

To Gianni Infantino, an Iberian-Moroccan World Cup would be «charming»

An Iberian-Moroccan bid to host the 2013 World Cup «would be charming», said FIFA president Gianni Infantino in an interview with Spanish sports newspaper As. «A football World Cup jointly organized by Morocco, Spain and Portugal would have special charm. It would be the second World Cup in an African continent», he said Thursday in Marrakech on the sidelines of the third FIFA Executive Football Summits. «As FIFA president, I must be and I am neutral, but it is

Growth in Morocco : AfDB Projects 2.9% in 2019 and 4% in 2020

The growth of real GDP in Morocco will stand at 2.9% in 2019 and reach 4% in 2020, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB). «The medium-term economic outlook projects a continuing decline in real GDP growth, to 2.9% in 2019, before a rebound to 4.0% in 2020. The projected slowdown in 2019 is attributable to a slight decline in primary sector value added», said a report by the bank on the «African Economic Outlook - 2019», presented on Thursday in Abidjan. The

Morocco to take a breath this year from its gradual more flexible exchange rate

Morocco is planning to stop in 2019 its gradual push for a more flexible exchange rate, reports Bloomberg, indicating that the country is finding difficulties dealing with «deteriorating finances». The kingdom adopted a more flexible exchange rate last year to boost the competitiveness of its economy, but the country will have to wait until 2020 to further loosen the plan, official sources told Bloomberg. The same sources explained to the American business platform that the

Nearly 89,000 illegal immigration attempts foiled by Morocco in 2018

A total of 88,761 illegal immigration attempts were foiled by the Moroccan authorities during the year 2018, of which 70,571 were third country nationals, up 37% from the previous year, according to the National Observatory of Migration. In a statement issued after its meeting on Thursday, the National Observatory of Migration, under the Interior Ministry, added that 229 trafficking networks were dismantled in 2018, stating that 80% of the illegal immigrants are foreigners and 29,715

King Mohammed VI receives Federica Mogherini at the royal palace

King Mohammed VI received Thursday, at Rabat royal palace, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-president of the European Commission Federica Mogherini, who is on a working visit as part of reinforcing the strategic partnership between the Kingdom of Morocco and the European Union. The audience granted to Mogherini was an opportunity to highlight the centrality of Morocco in the foreign policy of the European Union, as well as the excellent

Italy : An unemployed Moroccan gets a job after returning a lost wallet

The story of Omar C., 59, a Moroccan national who lives in Cartigliano (Italy), went viral on social media after he returned a wallet full of money. The unemployed father was walking with his wife along the Brenta River where he found a wallet with 900 euros, reports local online newspaper Il Giornale di Vicenza. The next day, Omar C. went to the town hall to return the wallet. When the police told the owner of the wallet about what happened, he decided to offer Omar a job, the same

RAM cancels four flights connecting Morocco to Tunisia on Thursday

After a general strike disrupted traffic at the Tunis-Carthage airport Royal Air Maroc, Morocco’s national carrier, announced, Thursday, that it was «forced to cancel the four flights connecting Casablanca to Tunis, which were scheduled for the same day». In a communiqué sent to Yabiladi, the national company stressed that it has put forward «exceptional provisions for its clients, who are affected by the canceled trips». RAM invites its customers to check

Morocco’s Mehdi Carcela misses the Belgian Golden Shoe gala because he overslept

Moroccan international footballer Mehdi Carcela was ranked second by the Belgian Golden Shoe, an award given in Belgium at the beginning of each civil year to the best footballer of the Belgian first division for the past year. However, Carcela couldn't make it to the gala during which Belgian footballer Hans Vanaken was awarded the 65th Golden Shoe. Carcela’s absence did not go unnoticed. His coach Miched Preud’homme «apologized on behalf of Standard»,

Association agreement : A new stage in Morocco-EU relations, according to Mogherini

The adoption of the agriculture agreement between the European Union (EU) and Morocco, thanks to a favorable vote by a large majority of the European Parliament, marks the beginning of a new stage in relations between the two parties, said, Wednesday in Rabat, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. Speaking at a press briefing after her meeting with minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, Mogherini said she is

Gabonese President Ali Bongo back to Morocco after a one-day visit to Libreville

Gabonese President Ali Bongo is back again to Morocco to resume his treatment after he flew to Libreville for a two-day visit, reports the Gabonese press agency AGP. Bongo left for Gabon days after the country survived an attempted military coup. The President returned to Rabat on Tuesday night after swearing in 38 ministers for the country’s new government, wrote AFP. «He returned to Rabat to resume his rehabilitation», a source in the President's entourage told the

Morocco’s economy growth to reach 2.9 percent in 2019, planning agency says

Morocco’s economy will grow to 2.9 percent in 2019, the head of the planning agency said Wednesday quoted by Reuters. The grow is, however, slower than what has been registered last year, indicated Ahmed Lahlimi who stressed that the forecasts were based on «prospects for an average crop year and an oil price of $67 a barrel». «Morocco’s growth is still dependent on agriculture and rainfall», Lahlimi explained adding that «an exceptional crop year in

Moroccan businesswoman Hind El Achabi gets back on track after serving a prison sentence

A week after she left her prison cell, Moroccan businesswomen Hind El Achabi is back on track, catching up on pending projects. Arrested in 2016, El Achabi served a prison sentence in Salé for «adultery», after her divorce from Kuwaiti diplomat Sadiq Marafi was not recognized. Her divorce was followed by a second marriage, as she tied the knot with Moroccan entrepreneur Mohsine Karim Bennani. Interviewed by French daily Liberation a few days after she was released from

Morocco : A Spanish jurist prevented from entering Laayoune

The Moroccan authorities prevented, Monday January the 14th, Spanish jurist Luis Mangrané from entering Laayoune, reports El Diario Aragon quoting the Aragonese Observatory for Western Sahara. He had arrived in the Moroccan city through the Canary Islands. «Customs at the airport of Laayoune prevented the man from entering the city, considering that he was a persona non grata in Morocco», the Observatory added. Luis Mangrané was expected to visit, as an

Mogherini to visit Rabat on Wednesday to reinforce Morocco-EU ties

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini will start on Wednesday a two-day visit to Morocco to reinforce relations between Morocco and the EU. During her visit, Mogherini will hold talks with several senior Moroccan officials and representatives of civil society, according to a European source. «This visit is part of reviving relations between Morocco and the European Union, and turn them into a close, deep and ambitious

Moroccan judge Mustapha El Baaj elected to a Security Council Mechanism

Moroccan judge Mustapha El Baaj was elected on Tuesday by the United Nations General Assembly to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, mandated to perform a number of essential functions previously carried out by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). This election, the result of a diplomatic campaign and mobilization among all United Nations member States, is the culmination of

Moroccan man to be expelled from Spain for sexually assaulting his girlfriend

A Moroccan man was sentenced to ten years in prison for sexually assaulting and raping his girlfriend, reports Wednesday local online newspaper Mallorca Diario. The events occured in December 2016, when the man in question had mistreated his girlfriend to «harm her physical and mental health», according to the prosecutor’s file, quoted by the same source. During the trial, the victim requested that her attacker be deported to his country of origin. Thus, when