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

OCP Kenya responds to accusations made against it

OCP Kenya expressed its surprise at the accusations made against it and its directors concerning the importation into Kenya of fertilizers that were allegedly non-compliant with Kenyan regulatory standards. A statement by OCP Group received Saturday by MAP says that OCP Kenya «rejects these claims in their entirety as they reflect neither the commercial practices nor the rigorous quality-assurance processes to which OCP Kenya adheres», adding that «indeed, OCP Kenya complied

Morocco and Quebec to promote bilateral cooperation

Head of government, Saâd Eddine El Othmani, and minister of International Relations and la Francophonie of Quebec, Christine St-Pierre, held, Friday in Rabat, talks on means to promote bilateral relations. A statement by the head of government's office said the two sides praised the excellent relations of friendship and fruitful cooperation between the two countries, highlighting prospects for strengthening bilateral cooperation, given the common human and cultural ties consolidated

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State to visit Morocco at the end of June

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, John J. Sullivan, will visit Morocco at the end of June, as part of a regional tour, said Thursday the U.S. Department of State. During his stay in Morocco, the Deputy Secretary «will meet with senior government officials to discuss a range of political, economic, and security issues», the same source said in a statement. «Morocco's important contributions to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS» will be on the agenda of these

Sahara : Horst Köhler to start Saturday a tour in the region

The UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for the Sahara, Horst Köhler, will start Saturday a ten-day visit to the region, the UN announced on Thursday. «I can confirm that Horst Köhler, the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for the Sahara, will be touring the region again from 23 June to 1 July 2018,» said UN spokesman Farhan Haq. The visit aims to «deepen Köhler's understanding of the reality on the ground, and discuss how to move forward in the UN-led

Lebanese FA summoned by the country’s Sports Minister for not backing the Moroccan bid

Lebanon’s Sports Minister summoned on Tuesday, 19th of June, members of the country’s Football Association to question the decision they made last week in Russia, while voting for the 2026 World Cup host, says Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star. According to the same source, Hezbollah Minister Mohammad Fneish wanted to hold responsible those «who gave Lebanon’s vote to the joint bid of the United States, Mexico and Canada», after the FA announced before that

A man claims to be the Prime Minister of Morocco to get a restaurant reservation in Russia

While in Russia for the 2018 World Cup, a man pretended to be Prime Minister of Morocco when trying to make a reservation at a restaurant, says Uproxx on Thursday. My dad wanted to make a reservation at a restaurant and they told him that they were completely booked, minutes later he called back claiming to be the prime minister of Morocco..... we got the best table in the place and the chef answer him to sign a plate and take a pic w him pic.twitter.com/Yx2hdlK5Zf — Ihab.

Spanish police arrest a Moroccan man over disappearance of a German student

A forty-year-old Moroccan man was arrested in Spain for being allegedly involved in a German student’s disappearance, reports German online newspaper Die Freie Welt on Thursday. «Investigators had issued an arrest warrant against one of the suspects, a 40-year-old Moroccan national who was arrested in Spain», says the same source. The victim is an activist from Ambert, a city in southern Germany. She had left her house in Leipzig, last Thursday, to go see her family.

Spain : A six-year sentence for a Moroccan national affiliated to ISIS

A Moroccan national who was arrested in Valencia a year ago for allegedly recruiting ISIS fighters and supporting the terrorist organization’s doctrine, was sentenced in Spain to six years in prison, says El Mundo. Abdellah L., 52, was found guilty of forming a local autonomous cell in Valencia to spread ISIS’ propaganda. He had created 13 different profiles on social media and was followed by 22,597 people. The investigation showed that the man, residing in Valencia, had

Moroccan fans snatch the Israeli flag in a viral video and Jewish media say it’s fake news

Moroccan World Cup fans, who attended the Morocco vs. Portugal game Wednesday in Moscow, appeared in a video trying to snatch the Israeli flag. The footage was shot by the end of the game after the Atlas Lions lost to the Portuguese team because of Critiano Ronaldo’s header. Moroccan fans trying to rip the Israeli flag is the best sight <3I believe Israel will fall like its flag someday.#PORMAR #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/VR8UeGqqcG — Alvi k tweets (@Omeralvi_) June 20,

Hervé Renard says he is proud after the Atlas Lions’ game against Portugal

After the Atlas Lions were defeated by Portugal (1-0) in Moscow, French coach Hervé Renard who currently manages the Moroccan team said he was proud and angry at the same time, says Reuters. «I’m very proud of the performance and I am very proud of my players, I’m very proud of this country», said the 49-year-old former footballer. Renard pointed out that his side must have had a free kick for the way Portuguese player Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira ComM, known

Russia 2018 : An Al Jazeera journalist calls Moroccans colonized

«Hiring a white coach won’t make you win, you colonized Moroccans», Tweeted Wednesday an Al Jazeera journalist, commenting on the Morocco vs. Portugal game held today in Moscow, Russia. In her tweet, Yasmina Bennani who works for AJ+ France said that she regretted the fact that some «African countries» do not hire «local coaches», referring to former French footballer Hervé Renard who currently manages the Atlas Lions. For the record, Morocco

Khadija’s Journey, a Moroccan documentary screened at the Arab House in Madrid

After winning an award in 2017, Moroccan director Tarik El Idrissi’s third Documentary «Khadija’s Journey» is going to be screened tonight in Madrid, at the Arab House. The screening comes to commemorate the World Refugee Day and will be followed by a colloquium held by Tarik El Idrissi and Ana Liria Franch, former representative of UNHCR in Spain. The documentary sheds light on Khadija Al Mourabit’s journey. She was born in Amsterdam and her parents are from the

Moussa Faki visits the Polisario in the Rabouni camp

Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat arrived Tuesday night in Tindouf. Once in Algeria, he headed to the Rabouni camp where he met the Polisario’s «Foreign Minister» Mohamed Salem Ould Salek. The Chadian diplomat is expected to hold talks with the Front’s leader Brahim Ghali. Faki’s trip to the Polisario has been announced several months ago. His visit comes as he will present, on July the 1st and 2nd at the African Union summit in

Rising oil prices to affect Morocco’s public finances, according to Abdellatif Jouahri

Morocco is going to be affected by trade disputes between the U.S. and Europe, says Reuters on Tuesday quoting the Kingdom’s central bank governor Abdellatif Jouahri. According to Jouahri, trade disputes between the two poles are expected to slow growth in Europe and that can harm Morocco’s economy. To put it in other words, the rising prices of oil will influence public finances in the North Kingdom, Jouahri told reporters.

Central Bank : Inflation expected to reach 2.4% in 2018, back to 1.4% in 2019

Inflation is expected to reach 2.4 percent in 2018, before returning to 1.4 percent in 2019, while core inflation, which measures the fundamental price trend, would remain subdued, reaching about 1.1 percent in 2018 and 1.6 percent in 2019, central bank «Bank Al-Maghrib» said. «Inflation has markedly accelerated over the first four months of the year. This change reflects the impact of the review of the CPI basket structure last March by the High Commission for Planning as

French Montana launches a campaign against Trump’s immigration policy

Moroccan-American hip hop artist Karim Kharbouch, known by his stage name French Montana, has launched a campaign with American television channel MTV to help undocumented immigrants attend college in the US. In a video published June the 15th, French Montana invited three undocumented immigrants to his place for dinner, where they shared their struggle. The initiative comes as in 2017 President Donald Trump put an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an American

Pedro Sanchez breaks with Spain’s tradition and goes to Paris on his first state visit

The new Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, is breaking with Spain’s tradition by heading to Paris on his first state visit, he announced in an interview conducted by TVE. Indeed, Pedro Sanchez officially declared yesterday that he will not visit Morocco, as the tradition dictates. He announced that Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani was the first foreign head of government he phoned after his inauguration. Since 1983, when Spain was headed by Felipe Conzalez

Invited by Vladimir Putin, Joseph Blatter to attend the Morocco vs. Portugal match

Former FIFA president Joseph Blatter will attend, Wednesday 20th of June, the Portugal vs. Morocco match, says his spokesperson on Monday, quoted by Marca. Invited by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Blatter is expected to fly Tuesday to Moscow, says the same source. The disgraced man has been banned from being part of football-related activities for six years after he was «investigated by Swiss prosecutors for alleged corruption during his 17-year reign at the head of FIFA»,