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

A French-Moroccan photojournalist expelled from Mauritania

French-Moroccan photojournalist Seif Kousmate arrived, Saturday 25th of March, in Casablanca after being detained for three days in Nouakchott. He was deported by the Mauritanian authorities for conducting an investigation on slavery in the country. The journalist was arrested on March the 20th near «the borders with Senegal where he had to fly back to Morocco», a report issued by Reporters Without Borders (RWB) said on Tuesday. Transferred to Nouakchott, he was detained and his

Suspected Moroccan ISIS member arrested in Italy

A Moroccan-Italian national was arrested on Wednesday morning, March 28th, in Turin, said La Repubblica. He is suspected of being an ISIS member. Identified as Elmahdi Halili, 23, accused of being the one behind translating into Italian a propaganda text issued by the terrorist organization. Several Italian converts to Islam and other foreign citizens are also involved in the same case. They are suspected of leading a radicalization campaign on social media. Shortly after the death of Syrian

A Moroccan imam will be expelled from Torcy

A Moroccan imam, settled down in Torcy, was arrested on the 28th of March in front of his house, reports Europe 1. He will be «expelled to Morocco on the same day». The arrestee identified as Mohammed Tlaghi, an imam at the Rahma mosque in Torcy, was arrested after a request for expulsion was issued by the Ministry of Interior «because of his radical sermons», said Le Parisien. The Rahma mosque was closed on April the 10th 2017, after being considered as «a

2018 World Cup : Atlas Lions defeat Uzbekistan 2-0 in a friendly

Morocco's national football team defeated, Tuesday in Casablanca, Uzbekistan 2-0 in a friendly match held to prepare for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, MAP news agency reported. Ayoub Kaabi scored the first goal (4th minute) with the help of his teammate Hakim Ziyech while defender Marouane Da Costa did the same three minutes before the end of the game's first half. The match was an opportunity for the Atlas Lions to better their performance before the international competition, scheduled for

London earmarks £ 3 billion to British companies wishing to export to Morocco

A £3 billion budget has been allocated by the UK authorities to support companies wishing to export their products to or settle down in Morocco. This announcement was made Tuesday in London by representative of the UK Department for International Trade in Morocco, Jason Ivory, at the Moroccan-British forum on trade and investment, held at Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London. The allocation of such large sum by UK Export Finance, a government agency

Belgium backs Morocco's bid to host the 2026 World Cup

President of the Royal Belgian Football Association (URBSFA) Gérard Linard has expressed his support for Morocco's bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, praising the great work done by the Kingdom in terms of development and infrastructure to host this global event. Belgium will support Morocco's 2026 World Cup bid, Linard said at a meeting in Brussels with President of Morocco’s Royal Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, the FRMF said in a release.  The URBSFA will also

King Mohammed VI condemns the shooting of missiles fired on Saudi Arabia

King Mohammed VI condemned the shooting of missiles fired by Houthis on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, expressing his solidarity with King Salman Ibn Abdelaziz Al-Saud. Morocco has taken time to denounce the seven long-range rockets, which were fired at Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and several smaller Saudi cities close to the Yemeni border. Questions have been raised regarding this, pointing at the diplomatic relations between the two kingdoms. «I learned with great sorrow and

Israel urges its citizens to avoid traveling to Morocco

As the Jewish holiday season approached, Israel has recently warned its citizens against traveling to Morocco and many other countries. The list includes Afghanistan, Turkey, Southern Philippines, Egypt, Tunisia, Nigeria, Senegal and Jordan. For instance, the «Israel Counter-terrorism Center» urged the Israeli citizens to avoid the above-mentioned countries over terror fears. The organization advised the Israeli nationals to stay cautious and avoid visiting crowded areas, tourist

Morocco is not selling its stake in Maroc Telecom, according to Boussaid

Morocco is not selling its remaining 30 percent stake in Maroc Telecom, the country’s main telecommunication company. This was announced on Tuesday, 27th of March, by Minister of Economy and Finance Mohamed Boussaid at the UK-Morocco trade and investment forum held currently in London, reports Reuters. «The government has a 30 percent stake left … This is not now on the table for selling», the minister told the British news agency. For the record, Maroc Telecom is

Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita tours the al-Aqsa Mosque in al-Quds

Moroccan Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita visited on Tuesday, 27th of March, the al-Aqsa Mosque in Al-Quds, Palestine, reports Israeli online newspaper Jerusalem Post. السيد بوريطة يستهل زيارة ل #الأراضي_الفلسطينية ?? عبر #معبر_الكرامة ب #الضفة_الغربية قادته في مستهلها إلى #المسجد_الأقصى، أدى خلالها صلاة الظهر ب #قبة_الصخرة إلى جانب وزير الأوقاف

Hirak : Moroccan-Dutch national Mahmoud El Hajaji comments on his arrest

Arrested in Tangier on Friday, 23rd of March, on his way to the Netherlands, Moroccan-Dutch national Mahmoud El Hajaji explained in an interview with Trouw.nl, the circumstances of his arrest and the seven-hour long interrogation he was subjected to. It all started when El Hajaji was about to pass through the passport control when leaving Tangier. «The police checked my stuff and said that I had «illegal» books. I was detained for five hours in the port. But in fact, the

Ibiza : A Moroccan national acquitted after being charged for electoral offences

A Moroccan national living in Ibiza was tried for not showing up at the polling station during the local and autonomous elections of May 24, 2015, reports El Periodico de Ibiza. The man was chosen among other citizens elected to form these polling stations. Selected in the draw, they must preside over the voting, ensure the smooth running of it, but also count the ballots in the ballot box. The accused, who was going to pay a fine of 2,880 Euros, declared in court that he did not go to the

Boussaid in London for the UK-Morocco Trade and Investment forum

The UK-Morocco Trade & Investment Forum 2018 kicked off Tuesday in London with the aim of developing economic cooperation between the two countries. The Moroccan delegation to the forum, led by Minister of Economy and Finance, Mohamed Boussaid, includes Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mounia Boucetta, Secretary of State for Investment, Othman El Ferdaous, and Director General of the Moroccan Office for Hydrocarbons and Mining Amina Benkhadra, in

Hervé Renard : Atlas Lions need to improve their performance for the 2018 World Cup

Hervé Renard, the current manager of the Morocco national football team spoke yesterday at a press conference the night before the friendly match between Morocco and Uzbekistan. According to him, the Moroccan national team «must improve its performance in order to compete with the other teams at the World Cup in Russia,» reports EFE. Hervé Renard believes that the European players «are faster» than their Moroccan counterparts, and the

Moroccan navy takes part in the multinational maritime exercise Obangame Express

The Royal Moroccan navy is participating, from the 21st to the 29th of March, to the multinational maritime exercise, «Obangame Express» in the Gulf of Guinea. This year, Navies and maritime security forces will gather in Douala Naval Base of the Navy in Cameroon. These operations are supported by the United States through Africom. Their aim is to combat human and drug trafficking, and piracy in the sub region. The Moroccan Navy is taking part in this exercise alongside

10km pour la paix : The second edition of Morocco's 10km peace run

The Diplomatic Circle for Charity is back for the second year in a row with a peace run. On April 8, the second edition of the «10 km pour la paix», a 10km peace run ,will take place in Rabat. The event gathered during the 1st edition «thousands of runners,» said a press release issued by the association. Now the «10 km for peace» will become a recurring race, taking place on the «first Sunday after April the 6th, the International Day of Sport for

Tangier : A Moroccan-Dutch national arrested in connection with the Hirak

A Moroccan-Dutch national was arrested in Tangier, Friday 23rd of March, for carrying «suspicious books», reported Dutch online newspaper NL quoting NOS. The man was released the day after a seven-hour long interrogation. Visiting his sick father in Morocco, the Moroccan-Dutch national was arrested while in Tangier to leave for Europe. He was told by the police that he had «suspicious books» with him but later realized that it was not the case, said the same source. In

Wanted in Germany, two Moroccan nationals arrested in Melilla

Two Moroccan nationals were arrested by the Spanish police at the borders between Melilla and Morocco. Their arrest is related to an extradition request issued by Germany, reported Europa Press. An arrest warrant was issued against the two men suspected of cocaine trafficking and believed to be part of a burglary network. The arrest of the two individuals, aged between 35 and 38, took place at the Beni Ansar border crossing, the Spanish police said in a statement issued on Sunday, 25th of