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

Inwi files a lawsuit against Maroc Telecom for «unfair competition»

Telecommunication Company Inwi is filing a lawsuit against its competitor Maroc Telecom, seeking 5.7 billion dirhams for «alleged unfair competition», an Inwi official and a lawyer for the firm told Reuters on Thursday. Abdelatif Wahebi, Inwi ‘s lawyer told the British news agency that the company is suing Maroc Telecom because «it holds 60 percent of the market and the law says companies should hold no more than 40 percent». According to the latest figures,

2028 World Cup : The French Football Federation backs the Moroccan bid

France backs the Morocco’s bid to organize the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup, said on Thursday the head of the French Football Federation (FFF). In a meeting held on the 22nd of March at the FFF headquarters and attended by President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation Fuzi LEkjaa and his French counterpart Noël Le Graët, the French federation insisted that it is a strong supporter of the Moroccan proposal, reports the Moroccan Football federation on its official

Two tons of hashish smuggled from Morocco and seized in Algeciras

The Spanish Civil Guard has seized more than two tons of hashish and arrested a Moroccan national, suspected of smuggling, said the regional online newspaper La Voz de Cadiz. During a raid to fight against drug smuggling at the Guadalmesi coastal zone near Algeciras, Civil Guard agents spotted an inflatable boat similar to those frequently used to smuggle narcotics. It was coming from the Moroccan coast and was sailing at a high speed near the Spanish coast. One of the Civil Guard's patrols

A bill to introduce crowdfunding  for the first time in Morocco

Morocco is soon to regulate crowdfunding, the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and of alternative finance. A draft bill was submitted on the 21st of March by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and was published on the official website of the Government’s General Secretariat, reports Medias 24. Drafted on the 2nd of March and signed by

Afrikonnect, a platform to help large companies and top African startups collaborate

Afrikonnect is a platform to accelerate collaboration between large companies and top African startups. The first edition of the initiative took place in Casablanca, at the headquarterz of Technopark, Thursday 22nd of March. Backed by the US State Department and GIZ (a German development agency), Oultierz Ventures and LaFactory in partnership with StartupYourLife organized this event. The conference brought together participants from both the public and private sector, key players from

Earth Hour : Hassan II Mosque to switch off lights on Saturday

As a symbolic Moroccan landmark, Casablanca's Hassan II Mosque will join the Earth Hour movement and switch off its lights for one hour on Saturday, March 24, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWf) said in a communiqué. «Being well aware of the serious problem of greenhouse gas emissions and therefore the importance of energy savings for the protection of our environment, the Foundation of Casablanca's Hassan II Mosque is set to join the 11th edition of (Earth Hour)Lights by

Melilla : An MP urges the EU to intervene for the repatriation of Moroccan minors

Daniel Ventura, city councilor for social welfare in Melilla, urged «the European Union to intervene for the repatriation of Moroccan minors in Melilla», reports EcoDiario. «The European Union must invite Morocco to comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and implement the repatriation agreement», said Tomas Bocek, a People’s Party deputy, and Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees. The center that

Italy : A policeman enters the Moroccan consulate in Turin with a gun in his hand

An Italian policeman entered the Moroccan consulate in Turin, Wednesday, with a gun in the hand, said La Stampa. According to the same source, it all started when a man escaped the police in a checkpoint and entered the Moroccan consulate. The Moroccan diplomats, however, tried to block the entrance of the policeman and for more than half an hour the road was blocked by four patrols, said Torino Repubblica. Eventually the man the police was chasing was captured and taken

Hexcel inaugurates a new manufacturing facility in Casablanca

Advanced composite materials manufacturer Hexcel celebrated on Wednesday, 21st of March, the grand opening of its state-of-the art manufacturing facility at the MidParc Free Trade Zone in Casablanca, said the American firm in a communiqué sent to Yabiladi. The opening ceremony was attended by Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Minister for Industry, Trade, Investment and Digital Economy, Hexcel’s President and CEO Nick Stanage and Thierry Merlot, President, Aerospace- Europe/ Asia Pacifi/

Brussels proposes amendment to fisheries agreement with Morocco that includes Sahara

The European Commission adopted on Wednesday a proposal for a Council decision to authorise it to negotiate with Morocco an amendment to the current Fisheries Partnership Agreement and a renewed protocol that include the Sahara. «The objective is to preserve and further develop the fisheries partnership between the EU and Morocco, by concluding an agreement and protocol that are environmentally sustainable, economically profitable and fully in line with international and EU law,»

A Moroccan imam expelled from Spain over terror links

Yassine Lafraiki, an imam in Corella (a municipality located in the province of Navarre), was repatriated to Morocco for «glorifying a Wahhabi and Salafist ideology», reports the regional newspaper Noticias de Navarra. The imam wanted to build an Islamic center in the city, which is home to more than 550 Muslims. However, based on an investigation, it turned out that one of the main investors to contribute to the building of that center is an NGO called «Society of the

AU : Morocco and the Polisario join the African Continental Free Trade Area

Morocco signed on Wednesday an agreement that will launch the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), at the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) held in Kigali. The agreement was signed by Head of Government, Saad Eddine El Othmani, who leads the Moroccan delegation to the AU Summit. Speaking at the opening of the summit, AU Commission chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, urged African heads of State and Government to sign this landmark agreement. The Free Trade Area will

Spain’s Ficosa inaugurates auto parts plant in Morocco

Ficosa, a Spanish multinational corporation, devoted to the research, development, production of systems and parts for the automotive industry, inaugurated on Tuesday its first production plant in Rabat. The 50 million-euro facility is expected to offer 700 direct jobs, said EFE. The plant built on a 12 000 m² land is expected to generate a turnover of 150 million Euros in 2022. The company also said that the Rabat plant will produce electric cable sets and products dedicated to the

François Hollande supports Morocco's 2026 World Cup bid

Morocco is ready to organize the 2026 World Cup, said Tuesday in Rabat, the former French president, Francois Hollande. «The Moroccan bid is a very good one that I strongly support,» said the former French president in a statement to media at a conference he chaired in Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMVI). «The Moroccan football team is excellent, the conditions required to host such an event are met and the needed equipments are perfectly

«Un Rolling Stone dans le Rif», a book recalling Brian Jones' fascination for Jajouka

In the 1960s, Brian Jones, the founding father of the Rolling Stones, was inspired by a small village in the Moroccan Rif. Gaston Carré has just published a book edited by Erick Bonnier and entitled «Un Rolling Stone dans le Rif, sur les pas de Brian Jones au Maroc», following the journey of this artist in the kingdom. On TV5 Monde and in a video uploaded today to YouTube, the writer tells the story of this musician who had a unique personality that made him quickly have

On the heels of his return from Dakhla, Sarkozy gets arrested

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was placed in custody on Tuesday, 20th of March, in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine), by the anti-corruption office, said Mediapart. He was summoned up after the opening of an investigation, suspecting the fact that his victorious presidential campaign in 2007 was allegedly financed by Libya, said Le Monde. A judicial inquiry was opened in April 2013 and Sarkozy was heard for the first time on these accusations. His custody can last forty-eight hours and he

Bank al-Maghrib : Morocco's growth to reach 3.3% in 2018

At the national level, growth would have accelerated to 4 percent in 2017 and is forecast to reach 3.3% in 2018, Bank Al-Maghrib (Morocco's central bank) said on Tuesday. «At the national level, growth would have accelerated to 4 percent in 2017, driven by a rebound of 14.8 percent in agricultural value added while non-agricultural activities would have grown by merely 2.7 percent,» the source added in a release following the first quarterly meeting of the year held by the bank's

A new FCB Escola to be opened in Rabat

After the closing of FCB Escola in Casablanca, it is finally in Rabat that the Catalan club will open a new school, the third one in Africa, reports this Monday the Fox Sports website. The same source spoke about an agreement reached, to be formalized in the coming days, between the football club and the Marita group, headed by entrepreneur Boulgoute Rahhal. This initiative is part of the entrepreneur's own will, «who wanted to give a gift to his sons (fans of Barça), but grant