News Flash

Five migrants die near the Moroccan coast and 180 others rescued

Five migrants have died near Morocco’s northern coast, trying to reach for Spain, reports AFP on Thursday quoting the Spanish coastguard which has recued 180 others. This rescue operation is the second of its kind carried out by the Spanish authorities which managed to rescue 14 migrants who were on an inflatable boat near the Gibraltar territorial waters heading to Cadiz, a coastal city in southern Spain. The deceased migrants were found dead in the waters located 40 kilometers away

Colombia denies having a Polisario diplomatic representative

In a communiqué published Tuesday evening, 24th of April, the Colombian Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that «the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has neither diplomatic representation nor ambassador accredited to Colombia». The announcement came after a person has presented himself as a diplomatic representative of the «Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic» accredited by the Government of Colombia. The country clarified its position regarding the Western

Fisheries agreement : The first round of negotiations concluded in Rabat

The first round of negotiations held by Morocco and the European Union to conclude a new fisheries agreement, was concluded Wednesday, April the 25th, in Rabat, said EFE. «Each party has submitted its amendments, asking questions related to the future agreement. This will lead us to a second round that will be dedicated mainly to answers», a diplomatic source told the Spanish news agency. In a previous article, EFE announced that talks will be carried on Thursday, April the 26th,

France : Jawad Bendaoud receives a six-month suspended prison sentence

Jawad Bendaoud, who was released on February 14th by the Paris Criminal Court for hosting of terrorist criminals, has received a suspended six-month sentence after threatening to kill his girlfriend last March, said Franceinfo. The 30-year-old French Moroccan man was «tried in the Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis) court on Wednesday», after being placed in police custody yesterday. The victim claims that Jawad Bendaoud was threatening her through calls and text messages telling her that

Ghanaian president backs Moroccan bid for the 2026 World Cup

Morocco’s Royal Football Federation announced Wednesday, 25th of April, in a tweet that Ghana supports the Kingdom’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup. On Tuesday, April the 24th, the Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, received a Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) delegation headed by CAF president Ahmed Ahmed, and head of the Moroccan federation Fouzi Lekjaa at the presidential palace in Accra. استقبل السيد نانا أكوفو أودو، رئيس

Morocco to host the 2021 International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings

Morocco has been officially selected to host the 2021 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the end of a long process of evaluation of the applications initially submitted by 13 countries, the Ministry of Economy and Finances announced on Tuesday. This choice, the second of its kind for the African continent since 1973, coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Kingdom's accession to these two institutions on April 25, 1958 and attests to

12 Moroccan migrants rescued off the Spanish coast

Spanish civil guard rescued, earlier this morning, 14 migrants who were on an inflatable boat near the Gibraltar territorial waters heading to Cadiz, a coastal city in southern Spain, said EFE on Wednesday. Twelve Moroccan nationals were among the 14 migrants rescued this morning. «Six to eight of them are minors», said news agency Europa Press. The other two passengers, who are believed to be Spanish smugglers, were arrested. According to sources from the Civil Guard, the boat

Vladimir Putin appoints a new ambassador to Morocco

Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed on Tuesday, 24th of April, Valerian Chovaev as new ambassador to Morocco, said Russian news agency Sputnik quoting the Kremlin. The decision was made public by a statement published on the official website of Russian legal information, said the same source. The diplomat was named Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Kingdom of Morocco. For the record, the diplomat held several diplomatic positions before.

King Mohammed VI visits the DGST headquarters

Mohammed VI visited the Directorate General for Territory Surveillance (DGST) headquarters in Rabat on Tuesday 24th of April. King inquired about units of the rapid reaction group under the DGST and reviewed the equipment, vehicles and logistics used in intervention operations to deal with the dangers of the terrorist threat and the various forms of organized crime, including cross-border crime. He then inaugurated the new specialized training Institute and visited its various components.

OCP wants to diversify its financing sources by raising 5 billion dirhams

OCP, a global market leader of phosphate since 1920, announced Tuesday that it is planning to raise 5 billion dirhams through a domestic subordinated perpetual bond to uplift its financing sources, financial markets regulator AMMC told Reuters today. According to the same source, through this decision, the phosphate group is trying to «diversify the financing of the 2008-2030 investment programme worth 200 billion dirhams». The step will be taken from 2nd to the 4th of May,

Ivry-sur-Seine mayor leaves Betz without meeting King Mohammed VI

Ivry-sur-Seine mayor Philippe Bouyssou has not met King Mohammed VI, this Tuesday in Betz (Oise), reports Le Parisien. «Despite undergoing a 140-kilometer trip, wearing a colorful scarf and having the strongest determination, no one has bothered answering the door when the Communist mayor knocked on Mohammed VI’s door in Betz. He simply left after spending one hour waiting outside», the newspaper writes. The politician hoped, however, to be received by the Moroccan

A Moroccan man arrested in Spain for spreading ISIS propaganda on social media

A Moroccan man was arrested Tuesday, 24th of April, in the Basque region northern Spain for publishing jihadist propaganda and trying to recruit people for ISIS, said EFE and Xinhua quoting the Spanish Interior Ministry. The Spanish Civil Guard arrested the 24-year-old suspect in the city of Andoain after searching his place «in order to recover all of the evidence of his intense activity in internet and social media», said the same source. Born in Al Hoceima, the

Belgium : 600 unaccompanied minor migrants have disappeared in one year

Based on recent data compiled by the Belgian authorities, 618 unaccompanied minor migrants have disappeared in one year. Compared to 2015 and 2016, the numbers have grown significantly, reports Belgian news agency Belga. In fact, only 277 unaccompanied minors were missing three years ago, while 284 others disappeared two years earlier. The newly released figures are worrying as they have reached 618 disappearances in 2017. 124 cases were reported by Child Focus. Moreover, the foundation

French football coach Henri Michel passed away Tuesday

Henri Michel, a former French footballer and coach known for managing the Moroccan football team for five years passed away on Tuesday, 24th of April, Lino Bacco co-founder of Sports-focused radio channel Radio Mars tweeted this morning. Born in October 1947 in Aix-en-Provence, the coach started his career as a midfielder for AS Aix between 1964 and 1966. He moved later to FC Nantes and played for the club until his retirement in 1982. Football en deuil Henri MICHEL nous a quitté ce

A French mayor wants to meet King Mohammed VI in his Betz palace

Ivry-sur-Seine mayor Philippe Bouyssou wants to help the wife of a Sahrawi prisoner, wishing to visit her husband who is detained in Morocco. He is planning to visit the Betz Castle on Tuesday «hoping to be received by King Mohammed VI», said the daily newspaper Le Parisien. The mayor wants to discuss the «desperate situation» of Claude Mangin, a 61-year-old French woman and the wife of Sahrawi activist Naama Asfari, imprisoned in the Kingdom. The latter was

Two injured after a crane fell on passersby in Casablanca

Two construction workers were seriously injured Monday, 23rd of April, in Casablanca after a huge crane fell on passersby, said MAP news agency. The machine was used to lift and lower materials in a construction site located in Al Fourat neighborhood, in the Maarif district, said the same source, stating that the incident occurred around 2.30 in the afternoon. Eyewitnesses present on-site told Yabiladi that at least two people were allegedly killed in the same incident. Meanwhile, residents

10th agriculture meeting kicks off in Meknes

The 10th meeting on Agriculture opened, Monday in Meknes, under the theme "Youth, the main engine and beneficiary of agricultural development". Chaired by minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Waters and Forests, Aziz Akhannouch, this edition tackles the role of youth in agricultural development and the solutions provided by the Green Morocco Plan (PMV) for rural youth. Organized since 2008 by the ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Waters and Forests, this

Melilla : Importing sheep and goats will be allowed under strict conditions

The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture will allow the entry of Moroccan sheep and goats through the Bni Nsar border crossing from the 1st to the 22nd of August, said El Faro de Melilla, quoting Cope radio. It is a temporary measure followed by strict conditions. Importing animals from Morocco and other North African countries will be strictly limited, fighting against Hand-foot-and-mouth diseases. The current initiative also prohibits importing animals that belong to species