Morocco expels two Norwegians from Laayoune  (Read more...)

Political disagreement between Morocco and Algeria blocks counterterrorism cooperation

Political disagreement between Morocco and Algeria over the status of the Sahara «remained an impediment to bilateral and regional counterterrorism cooperation in 2017», the US State Department pointed out in its annual Country Reports on Terrorism for the year 2017. Morocco, a Major Non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally, is a stable security-exporting partner that trains security, military, and law enforcement officials from sub-Saharan Africa and participates actively in

Mauritanian Foreign Minister visits Morocco as part of a working trip

Mauritania's minister of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, is visiting Morocco on September 20-21. According to the ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, this visit is part of the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries in several areas. The visit will be an opportunity to examine the means to develop bilateral economic relations as well as coordination and consultation on issues of common interest in the context of the exceptional situation in the

Novares opens a new production plant in Kenitra

French global plastic solutions provider Novares opened on Wednesday its first production plant in North Africa, in Kenitra, Morocco. The move is part of Novares’ global expansion, coming just one year after Mecaplast-Key Plastics rebranded as Novares and following the opening of new plants in Mioveni, Romania and Chihuahua, Mexico. First Novares plant in North Africa, the new factory is in Kenitra, Morocco only 15 km from the newly-opened PSA facility and close to the Renault facility

US film director James Gray to head the jury of the Marrakech International Film Festival

US film director James Gray will be the president of the jury of the 17th Marrakech International Film Festival, to be held from November 30 to December 8, 2018, organizers said in a press release. “The Marrakech Film Festival is truly a very special place where the language of cinema unites people from all over the map. It’s a tremendous honor to be named President of the Jury and to be returning to this great festival for a third time,” James Gray said in a

FIFA ranking : Morocco jumps to 45th spot

Morocco's national football team has moved up by one spot from 46th to 45th in the latest FIFA World Ranking released on Thursday. With a total of 1425 points, Morocco ranks fourth in Africa after Tunisia, Senegal and Congo DR. Belgium have joined World Cup champions France as joint leaders of the FIFA world rankings, while Brazil, Croatia and Uruguay make up the top five.

Morocco's former Prime Minister Mohamed Karim Lamrani passes away

Former Prime Minister Mohamed Karim Lamrani died on Thursday at his home in Casablanca at the age of 99, his family has announced. The deceased will be buried this Thursday after Aduhr prayer at Achouhada cemetery in Casablanca, according to the same source. Born on May 1st, 1919, in Fez, Lamrani served as Prime Minister for three times. His times at the head of the government were marked by major reforms, including the structural adjustment programme, the budget reform and the tax

Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita meets with eminent members of US Senate

Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita held talks, on Tuesday in Washington, with eminent senators Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham and Todd Young, in the presence of Morocco's ambassador to Washington Lalla Joumala Alaoui. In a statement to MAP, Bourita said that these talks are part of maintaining contacts with influential members of the Senate concerning mainly financial and military cooperation, in addition to the national issue. The minister, who had met on Monday at the Department of State with

India and Morocco discuss the opening of a direct air link

Morocco and India discussed on Tuesday in New Delhi the possibility of opening a direct air link between the two countries in order to develop tourism and establish a link with Africa. Such a direct air link will boost economic exchange and tourism between the two countries and will bring India closer to the African continent, Minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Handicraft and Social Economy, Mohamed Sajid, said during his meeting with Chairman and Managing Director of Air India, Pradeep Singh

France places Saad Lamjarred in pretrial detention

Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred was placed in pretrial detention Tuesday by the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal. The decision was taken after the prosecutor's office appealed against putting him under judicial supervision, reports Radio France International. Indicted for «rape», the Moroccan pop star was arrested on August 26 in Saint-Tropez after a young French woman lodged a complaint against him. The Liberty and Detention judge then placed him under judicial supervision,

Morocco arrests 12 people suspected of belonging to a terrorist cell

The Central Bureau of Judiciary Investigations (BCIJ), under the General Directorate for National Territory Surveillance, in close collaboration with national police (DGSN) and on the basis of accurate information provided by the directorate general for territory surveillance (DGST), has arrested twelve people accused of belonging to a terrorist and criminal network operating in the cities of Tangiers and Casablanca. Among these people are individuals with criminal record for common law crimes

Morocco and the US agree to hold strategic dialogue next year in Washington

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Nasser Bourita, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed, Monday in Washington, to hold the next session of the Morocco-U.S. Strategic Dialogue next year in the U.S. federal capital. Bourita and Pompeo, who met at the State Department, discussed "opportunities to expand our strong economic and security cooperation, including joint efforts to end Iran's support for terrorism and counter its negative influence in the region," said

A plane coming from Morocco gets escorted by the Italian army

A Vulkan Air Antonov An-26, a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, that was flying from Morocco to Italy had a communication blackout on Sunday, which required military intervention. According to media Terzo Binario, two F-2000 Euro fighters from 4 Wing Italian Air Force took off Sunday morning to control a charter flight from Tangier (Morocco) to Rome Fiumicino airport. The two fighter planes reached the civilian plane to determine the nature of the problem.

Zero Zbel expresses concern over beach pollution in Morocco

85% of the waste collected in Moroccan beaches is plastic. Bottles, ropes, fishing nets, sticks and plastic bags are objects that pollute these precious places, reported Zero Zbel, an association that fights against pollution, in a report conducted to commemorate the World Day for Beach Cleaning (September the 15th). The NGO explains that from March to August 2018, 36 280 have been thrown in the beaches. Backed by the Heinrich Boll Foundation, Zero Zbel managed to track the origins of these

Moroccan filmmakers react to the screening of their movies at the Haifa film festival

Sofia, Moroccan filmmaker Meryem Ben M'barek's first feature movie, will not be screened at the 34th edition of the Haifa International Film Festival, which will kick off on September the 22nd. Speaking to French-language magazine Telquel, the filmmaker stated that she asked the people behind the festival to remove her movie from the event's schedule, as soon as she knew about it. «International sellers send movies to festivals, and directors sometimes are not involved, it is not our

Marhaba 2018 : Over 1,741,000 passengers and 464,977 vehicles transited Tangier Med port

Some 1,741,212 passengers, 464,977 vehicles and 4,390 buses transited the Tangier Med port during the Marhaba 2018 campaign, which ended on Sept. 15, said the Tangier Med Port Authority. The return flow of vehicles posted during this campaign a growth of more than 35% compared to the same period last year, said the source in a statement. The Marhaba 2018 operation witnessed an exceptional week, from August 27 to September 2, during which the port posted a 202% increase in passenger departure

Mauritanian Foreign Affairs Minister receives the Moroccan and Algerian ambassadors

On Friday, 14th of September, the Mauritanian Foreign Affairs Minister received separately the Moroccan and Algerian ambassadors, says the Mauritanian agency. Ismail Ould Cheikh met first with Hamid Chabar, the representative of the Kingdom, then with Noureddine El Khandouri, his Algerian counterpart. The former UN special envoy to Yemen wants to establish «balanced» diplomatic ties with Rabat and Algiers. For the record, Mauritania recognizes the «RASD». On the 31st

2030 World Cup : Portugal is not interested in a joint-bid with Morocco and Spain

While Spain has voiced its interest in submitting a joint bid with Morocco and Portugal to host the 2030 World Cup, Wednesday, Portuguese media reported that the country is not interested in the project. On Thursday, A Bola said that the idea was «baseless». Quoted by El Espanol, the same source explained that «it is impossible for the country to host a big event such as the World Cup». «It is not part of the country's future plans», added the same

Morocco tops African nations, making progress in the Sustainable Development Goals report

Morocco tops African countries making progress in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, said the 2018 report on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which was recently released by the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A), based in Kigali. According to the report, entitled "Africa SDG Index and Dashboards 2018 Report", the Kingdom of Morocco leads the African continent with a 66.1% achievement rate of objectives, that is 12 years before the deadline set by the