US unites Morocco and Algeria in joint naval exercise  (Read more...)

Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen films a new series on Israel’s most famous spy in Morocco

British actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is starring in a new Netflix series that is currently being filmed in Morocco. Directed by Israeli film and television director, Gideon Raff and jointly produced by Canal+ and Netflix, with OCS, the series «The Spy» is based on the life of Israeli spy Eli Cohen, known for his espionage work in 1961-1965 in Syria. Despite his serious work that helped Israel win the 1967 six-day war, the spy will be portrayed by Baron Cohen

Cars imported from Morocco to the GCC top the group’s foreign imports

The number of cars exported to the Gulf Cooperation countries has topped the list of vehicles imported by the union, accounting for 33.62 per cent, reports Asharq al Awsat. Morocco's exports to the Gulf countries stood at 1.08 billion dirhams ($ 114.52 million) in 2017, up 65.4 percent from 2016. Kuwait headed the group being the first country to import car in the region from the Kingdom (60 per cent, followed by UAE (26.6 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (11.6 per cent). In addition to cars,

A Moroccan man arrested for raping a 17-year-old girl in Italy

A Moroccan 19-year-old man was arrested for raping and stealing a 17-year-old girl, Sunday, in Rho, a town and commune in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region of Lombardy, reports local online newspaper Rai News. The suspect attacked the girl and raped her after they met occasionally the night before. In a public park, the 19-year-old and after going heavy on drinking, pushed the girl to the ground and sexually assaulted her before stealing her cell phone, says the same source,

Moroccan midfielder Ayoub Abou joins Real Madrid Castilla

Moroccan midfielder Ayoub Abou is joining Spain’s Real Madrid Castilla in a free transfer deal with Getafe, who he joined last month, reports AS Diario on Thursday. The 20-year-old player was playing with Rayo Majadahonda before getting transferred to Getafe. The Casablanca-born midfielder can play also as striker. He debuted his career in Barcelona but left the club because of its problems with the FIFA. He later joined the Porto academy where he played for the Uefa Youth League.

Migration : Spanish defense minister urges EU to grant Morocco aids

After the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged the European Commission in a letter to help Morocco manage its borders to stop the growing number of migrant arrivals, his Minister of Defense Margarita Robles followed his footsteps. «Morocco is facing an important migration flow (…) The Spanish government believes that the North African country is in the need of EU aids» said the minister in an interview. The senior official is expected Thursday in Paris to discuss

A World Bank group partners with a Moroccan firm to develop renewable energy in Africa

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank financial institution that encourages private-sector development in developing countries, has partnered with Moroccan company Gaia Energy to establish a joint platform for the development of wind power and renewable energy projects in Africa, reports ESI Africa. The new platform will build a pipeline of 22 projects in nine African countries. «IFC’s expertise in financial structuring and mobilization, as well as its

Boycott campaign : Shell drops its interim results, warning against risks in Morocco

Downstream petroleum company Vivo Energy, known as Shell in Morocco, released on Thursday, 2nd of August, its maiden interim dividend, raising concerns over its activities in the Kingdom, reports Business Day. The group that has more than 1,800 Shell services in the continent reported revenue grew 14% to $3.7 billion in the six months to end-June said its income declined 1% $71 billion. According to the same source, the «risks and uncertainties» section in the company’s

France : A man threatens to blow himself up, asking for the help of King Mohammed VI

The port of Calais was on lockdown Tuesday, July 31st from 1 to 3pm because of a suspicious driver who made «vehement and inconsistent» comments, says Franceinfo. Believing that he might have explosives in his vehicle, the port’s authorities established a security perimeter for two hours. The suspect was a Belgian national, who didn’t have any travel tickets or identity papers, demanded to speak to the French President Emmanuel Macron and King Mohammed VI, and

Will Morocco host CAN 2019, replacing Cameroon ? [update]

«The Minister of Youth and Sports, Rachid Talbi Alami, denied that Morocco would host the 2019 African Cup of Nations», wrote a blog affiliated to French online newspaper Mediapart, claiming that it interviewed the Moroccan minister. The blog also reported that the minister slammed rumors, suggesting that Rabat is preparing for the organization of the regional tournament, replacing Cameroon. «These are false rumors», said Talbi Alami, after several media platforms

RNI minister Aziz Akhannouch reacts to the sacking of Mohamed Boussaid

After the National Rally of Independents politician Mohamed Boussaid was sacked, Wednesday 2nd of August, by King Mohammed VI, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Aziz Akhannouch said that the sovereign was «only exercising powers guaranteed by the Constitution», reports Arabic-language online newspaper Hespress. The monarch decided on Wednesday to dismiss Boussaid who served for two terms as the Kingdom’s minister of Finance and Economy. The decision was taken two days after

A Moroccan man arrested in Spain for raping a 74-year-old British tourist

A Moroccan national was arrested in Valencia, a city that lies on Spain’s southeastern coast, for sexually attacking a British woman, reports UK online newspaper the Express on Wednesday. The 25-year-old man was accused of breaking into the British tourist’s apartment in a Tenerife holiday resort. The attack took place at around 11am on May the 13th. The Moroccan man was identified by his DNA, said investigators who added that he forced into the woman’s bedroom and

Government : King Mohammed VI dismisses Finance Minister Mohamed Boussaid

Finance and Economy Minister Mohamed Boussaid was dismissed, Wednesday 1st of August, by King Mohammed VI, says MAP press agency, quoting a communiqué issued by the Royal cabinet. The document indicates that the decision was taken in accordance with article «47 from the Moroccan Constitution» and after consulting Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani. According to the same statement, «the royal decision comes as a way of implementing the principles of public

French Montana targeted in a home invasion

Two armed robbers managed to break into French Montana’s Calabasas mansion on the Tuesday, July 31st morning, reports TMZ. The Moroccan rapper was home during the intrusion, says the same source. «We do not know if anyone in the house was injured, but what we do know is that nobody was hospitalized», adds the website. The rapper's home is in a gated community in Los Angeles, previously owned by pop singer Selena Gomez, who according to TMZ, allegedly called the police

Spain arrests two Moroccan nationals on terror charges

The Spanish security forces arrested two Moroccan nationals in Mataró (Barcelona) on Wednesday. They are accused of participating in the recruitment and radicalization people in the provinces of Barcelona and Tarragona (north-east). Spanish news agency EFE reports that the two suspects, identified as 46-year-old MB, from Tétouan and 36-year-old O.K from Tangier, are part of a network aimed at radicalizing and indoctrinating young people in Barcelona and Tarragona

Tindouf : When a pro-Polisario newspaper slams the Algerian justice

Rendered by the court of Mostaganem, the verdict against 26 Saharawi from the Polisario camps was highly criticized in Tindouf. On Tuesday, pro-Polisario online newspaper Futuro Sahara roasted the Front’s leadership and the Algerian justice. The 26 men were arrested and convicted for belonging to a criminal gang. This week, the court of Mostaganem fined and sentenced them to four years of prison. «The case makes us think of the misfortunes of the Saharawi people and of

African Championships in Athletics : A Moroccan delegation stuck for 55 hours in the Lagos airport

23 athletes from Moroccan delegation participating to the African Championships in Athletics in the city of Asaba (Nigeria), went through a real ordeal, reported yesterday the Atlas Lions media, quoting Le Matin. The Moroccan athletes waited 55 hours after their arrival at the Murtala-Muhammed International Airport in Lagos last Saturday, before taking a flight to the city of Asaba (400 kilometers west of Lagos), according to the same source.  As the African Senior Championships

Moroccan international Amine Harit receives a suspended four-month jail sentence

Moroccan international player Amine Harit has been given a suspended four-month jail sentence, for being involved in a fatal car accident that killed a pedestrian in Marrakech, reports German online newspaper Spiegel Online on Wednesday, quoting Moroccan media. The Schalke 04 midfielder was also fined 8,600 dirhams. He has returned to Germany to join his club after the deadly accident in Marrakech. Sources close to the file said, earlier this month, that the World Cup player «offered

Morocco’s net international reserves grew by 11%, says Bank al-Maghrib

Morocco's net international reserves amounted to 225.9 billion dirhams until July 20, 2018, recording a 11% year-on-year increase, Morocco's central bank (Bank al-Maghrib) said. During the week of July 19-25, Bank Al-Maghrib injected 66.8 billion dirhams. As for the interbank rate, it remained at 2.28%, while the average trading volume rose from 3.7 billion dirhams the week before to 4.7 billion dirhams, the source added. During the same period, the Dirham appreciated by 0.47% against the