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

Morocco and France sign an agreement to valorize archaeological heritage

The National Institute of Archeology and Heritage (INSAP) and the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research signed Tuesday, in Rabat, a convention set to preserve and valorize archaeological heritage. The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Culture and Communication Mohammed Laaraj and the French ambassador to Morocco, Jean-Francois Girault. This agreement will enable INSAP to take advantage of INRAP's expertise in the technical and scientific field. This

Amine Bendriouich, the Moroccan designer who caught Madonna’s attention

Moroccan designer Amine Bendriouich has caught the attention of several international stars, including Madonna. «I designed clothes for Keziah Jones, Massilia Sound System, Izia, Will Smith, Alicia Keys, JR, and even Madonna, who celebrated her sixtieth birthday in Marrakech! I am regularly invited by my clients to attend events like Burning Man, the American Foundation for AIDS Research gala, and Monaco’s Prince Albert», he told Obs. Discovered through the adventure

Morocco has not negotiated yet the purchasing of a Russian missile system

There are no ongoing negotiations between Morocco and Russia for the purchasing of S-400 missile system. The information was confirmed by Russia’s ambassador to Rabat, Chofaiev Valerian Vladimirovich who spoke to Sputnik about the deal. The Russian diplomat’s statement comes as CNBC reported that Morocco is interested in buying the Russian system.   The diplomat said that the «Kingdom is, indeed, interested» in the Russian air defense system, stressing that the

Morocco to start importing Ukrainian egg products

The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumers’ Rights Protection has signed a veterinary certificate with Morocco for exporting Ukrainian egg products to the Kingdom, reports Kyiv Post. The information was published on the Ukrainian agency’s website, revealed the same source. Ukraine concluded the same agreement with Tunisia in November. For the record, in August, Morocco agreed to import US poultry products, including eggs. The decision was made after the US Poultry

Plan to smuggle over 300 Kg of cannabis resin in Mediterranean busted by Royal Navy

The Royal Navy intercepted on Wednesday in the Mediterranean a go-fast boat packed with more than 300 Kg of cannabis resin (Chira), a military source said. After receiving a report of a suspicious go-fast boat in the Mediterranean, a coastguard of the Royal Navy has intercepted the boat on Wednesday afternoon and seized the banned substance, the source added.

Jawad Bendaoud convicted of threatening to kill a Friday 13 November attacks' victim

Jawad Bendaoud was sentenced on Tuesday, December the 11th, to six months in prison by the Paris Criminal Court, says Agence France Presse (AFP). Bendaoud was convicted of threatening to «kill» an individual who survived the Friday 13 November attacks. On the 5th of December, when he was tried for «housing terrorists», Bendaoud threatened Sahah Z., at the corridors of the courtroom, while she was with her lawyer Corinne Herrmann. «I am going to kill you. You will

UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism to arrive Thursday in Morocco

The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Tendayu Achiume, is expected to arrive Thursday, December the 13th, in Morocco after she was invited by the government. The UN Rapporteur is expected to stay in Morocco until the 21st of December. Appointed in September 2017, Achiume will meet officials from the government and members of local NGOs. Once in the Kingdom, Achiume will be visiting Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier,

Russia has good relations with parties related to the Sahara conflict, says its ambassador

Russia's ambassador to Morocco Valerian Shuvaev told Russian news agency Sputnik on Wednesday, December the 12th, that his country has good diplomatic relations with the parties related to the Western Sahara crisis and that the issue must be resolved under the auspices of the United Nations. «We maintain good relations with the Polisario, Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania», stressed Shuvaev, adding that Russia contributes to the settlement of this conflict through a group in the

Royal navy assists 298 sub-Saharan would-be immigrants

Coast guards of the Royal Navy assisted, on Monday and Tuesday, 298 Sub-Saharan would-be immigrants in the Mediterranean, including women and children, a military source said. The would-be immigrants were on board five inflatable boats, including one that was in trouble off the coast of the city of Nador since December 8 following an engine failure. Two dead bodies were found on this boat, while the other immigrants (55) were in poor health condition. The Royal Navy's coast guards provided

Marrakech pact on migration : King Mohammed VI receives Antonio Guterres

King Mohammed VI received Tuesday evening the United Nations Secretary-General, says MAP news agency quoting a royal office communiqué. «On this occasion, Guterres expressed to the sovereign his gratitude for the successful organization, in Morocco, of the Intergovernmental Conference on the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, marked by the adoption of the 'Marrakesh Pact'», said the same statement. «Guterres noted Morocco's human

Belgian right-wing politicians to rally against the Marrakech pact on migration

Right-wing politicians are expected to rally, Sunday, in Brussels against the Marrakech pact on migration, reports La Libre. On Facebook, several Flemish nationalist associations called for the organization of a march to protest against the UN Global Compact on Migration, formally ratified Monday, December the 10th, in Marrakech. Vlaams Belang, a right-wing populist and Flemish nationalist political party, is behind this rally, alongside the Catholic Flemish Student Association

Kenitra : Police dismantle a terrorist cell linked to ISIS

The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) dismantled on Tuesday, December the 11th, a terrorist cell composed of three individuals who have alleged links with ISIS, and who operate in the city of Kenitra, said a communiqué issued by the Interior Ministry and sent to Yabiladi. According to the first elements of the investigation, the suspects, aged between 21 and 31 years old, were arrested on charges of apologizing for terrorism and praising ISIS’ propaganda. They

EP's Committee on Budgets votes in favor of adopting Morocco-EU fisheries agreement

The European Parliament's Committee on Budgets voted, Monday evening, in favor of the adoption of the fisheries agreement between Morocco and the European Union (EU). The notice relating to this agreement and its implementation protocol, as well as the exchange of letters accompanying it, were adopted by a large majority of the members of this parliamentary committee which decides on EU budgetary matters. This vote comes a few days after the adoption of this agreement by the Council of the

For Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi the Moroccan initiave was met with a warm message

One month after King Mohammed VI urged Algeria in a speech to join the creation of a «joint mechanism for dialogue» to better diplomatic relations between the two neighboring states, Algerian former UN diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi commented on the initiative. In an interview conducted by French magazine Jeune Afrique, Brahimi stated that «there is no reason for the current crisis», referring to the situation of diplomatic ties between Rabat and Algiers. For Lakhdar

Morocco and AU sign Headquarters Agreement of African Migration Observatory

Morocco and the African Union signed, on Monday in Marrakech on the occasion of the Intergovernmental Conference on Migration, the headquarters agreement of the African Migration Observatory, a proposal by King Mohammed VI in his capacity as AU leader on the issue of migration, endorsed by African heads of State. The agreement was inked by minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Nasser Bourita, and chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki, who is attending

EP's Committee on International Trade adopts Morocco-EU agriculture agreement

The European Parliament's Committee on International Trade (INTA) adopted, on Monday evening, by an overwhelming majority, the agriculture agreement between Morocco and the European Union (EU). This decisive vote in this Committee, which decides on substantive issues, is the final step at the level of the European Parliament's specialized committees before final adoption in plenary session, which is expected to take place next January. According to European parliamentary sources in

An MP urges Nasser Bourita to answer questions related to the Geneva round table

In a letter sent to the Commitee of Foreign Affairs and National Defense and Islamic Affairs and MREs, Authenticity and Modernity Party MP Abdellatif Ouahbi urged Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita to meet MPs and answer their questions regarding the round table that took place in Geneva on the 5th and 6th of December. He also called on the minister to share the conclusions that followed the two-day meeting attended by three other delegations from Algeria, Mauritania and the

Global Migration Pact : Chile changes its mind in Marrakech

While a Chilean delegation arrived in Marrakech to adopt the Global Migration Pact, initiated by the United Nations, Chile changed its mind, reports online newspaper Tercera. The three MPs from the Chilean delegation were surprised to know that their government was finally not going to adopt the pact. The information was announced by Rodrigo Ubilla, the subsecretary of the Chilean Interior Ministry, one day before the adoption of the Marrakech pact on migration. «Our position is clear :