Morocco's exports surge 5.3% to 331 billion dirhams  (Read more...)

The Western Sahara Resources Watch slams Soluna’s blockchain wind farm in Dakhla

Days after Blockchain company Soluna announced that it is building a 900-megawatt wind farm in Dakhla, Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW), a network organization working on the natural resource situation in Western Sahara, denounced the project. On Friday, 10th of August, the NGO slammed Soluna’s chief executive John Belizaire who was interviewed on the same by Reuters, stressing that constructing a wind farm in Dakhla «violates the rights of Sahrawi people». Speaking

Two Moroccan nationals were among the 12 farm workers killed in Italy’s fatal road crash

Two Moroccan migrant farm workers were carried in the road crash that occurred last Monday in southern Italy (city of Foggia), killing 12 people, a diplomatic source said Monday, 13th of August. A 39-year-old Moroccan man who was driving the vehicle and another 41-year-old Moroccan farm worker were killed in the accident, said the same source. The Foggia public prosecutor’s office explained that the victims did not have their IDs on them, which delayed their

Moroccan poultry producers raise worries over U.S. poultry imports

After the U.S. announced last Tuesday that Morocco will start importing American poultry, Moroccan professionals in the poultry farming sector criticized the decision, stressing that it would create «unfair competition». The Moroccan Interprofessional Federation of the Poultry Sector (FISA) issued a statement, relayed Sunday by Arabic-language online newspaper Hespress, calling for the holding for an urgent meeting. Professionals from the Moroccan poultry sector are planning

A car ploughs into a mosque in France

A car has ploughed into the Al Wifaq mosque in Mons-en-Baroeul (Hauts-de-France region) on Saturday 11th of August, reports online newspaper France Bleu. The car that managed to get inside the mosque at around 11 pm, did not hit anyone. An investigation has been opened to determine the reasons and circumstances surrounding the incident. For the moment, investigators indicated that there «are no racist motives» behind the accident. According to the local authorities, the suspect

Italy expels two Moroccan nationals accused of terrorism

Two Moroccan nationals were arrested and expelled from Italy on Saturday, 11th of August, for state security reasons, reports local media. The two suspects identified in Umbria (central Italy) were highly radicalized and were members of the terrorist group Islamic State. The two detainees maintained direct contact with recruiters,through social media, «to facilitate the sending of foreign fighters to the Syrian-Iraqi borders», said the same source. One of the two suspects has

Migration : Pedro Sanchez and Angela Merkel urge the EU to grant Morocco aids

On Saturday, 11th of August, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was able to convince Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel of putting pressure on the European Union to stop the current migration flow. The two officials are calling the EU to grant Morocco aids to manage its borders. The Iberian Kingdom is also suffering from «migration flows», said Sanchez during a joint briefing held with the German Chancellor. He said he was for the idea of «granting Morocco a key role in

Morocco's bodyboarder Brahim Iddouch ranked second in Australia

Moroccan bodyboader Brahim Iddouch was ranked second in the Kiama bodyboard King Pro, a World Championship, held in Sydney, Australia. The Tamraght native scored 12 points behind Australian Dave Wincheste (13.25 points) and ahead of South African Wesley Foscher, who was ranked third in the competition with 11 points. Speaking to MAP news agency, Iddouch said he was very happy and satisfied with his performance. «My goal now is to score more points in the competition's next stage

OCP and Rwanda sign a major fertilizer deal

Announced in 2016, the agreement set to build a plant in Rwanda by Morocco's Office Cherifieb des Phosphates (OCP) was finally signed and approved, Wednesday, reports the New Times. The joint agreement was signed by OCP, which will hold a majority 57.4 per cent stake in the new company dubbed Rwanda Fertilizer Company, Rwanda's Agro Processing Trust Corporation (APTC) (30%) and the Rwandan government (12.6%). «The trio will jointly set up a soil fertilizer blending firm in the country

The Vatican says its position on the Sahara «has not changed», denouncing political exploitation

After the Polisario Front published a photos on its media platforms, showing Pope Francis with Sahrawi children, Wednesday, the Vatican's official representation in Morocco issued a communiqué, relayed by MAP press agency on Saturday, denouncing political exploitation. «The Holy See's position on the Sahara conflict has not changed», said the same statement, referring to the picture that was used in a political way. «The weekly audiences that the Holy Father gives to

Philippines van bomber believed to be a Moroccan IS terrorist

Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines, Delfin Lorenzana announced on Thursday, August 9th that the suicide bombing that took place in Basilan island might have been the carried out by a Moroccan terrorist, and a member of the Islamist group Abbou Sayyaf, reported online newspaper Philippines Life Style on Friday. Shortly after the attack, photos of the alleged perpetrator were shared on social media. His features matched the descriptions made by eyewitnesses. The same

USAID Career Center' summer camp receives 3,500 young Moroccans

After its 2017 first edition, USAID Career Center hosted the second edition of its summer camp from the 2nd to the 31st of July. In a communiqué sent Friday to Yabiladi, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) stated that 3,500 young university students and vocational trainees attended the summer camp. Attendees benefited from «orientation workshops, soft skills trainings, conferences, competitions and meetings with professionals», says the same

Istanbul : A Royal Air Maroc plane collides with a Turkish airline's one

Royal Air Maroc’s difficulties are never ending. This time, the wing of the company’s plane hit a Turkish Airlines plane’s tail, minutes before the take-off, in Istanbul at the Atatürk International Airport, says the TV channel Russia Today on Friday. The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday, August 9th, in the parking area near the international terminal. While taxiing, the right wing of the RAM aircraft struck the APU (the auxiliary power

Soluna’s Blockchain wind farm in Dakhla will not make cryptocurrency transactions in Morocco

Blockchain company Soluna’s wind farm in Dakhla will «not make cryptocurrency transactions in Morocco where financial authorities have warned against the use of cryptocurrencies», the firm’s chief executive John Belizaire told Reuters Friday in an interview.   The project was announced in July by Brookstone Partners, a New York-headquartered firm that backs through its Morocco subsidiary, Platinum Power, Soluna to build a 900-megawatt wind farm

Three Moroccan films to be screened at the Arab Film Festival in Brazil

Morocco will be represented at the thirteenth edition of the Festival of Arab Cinema in Brazil, held from August 8th to the 27th in Sao Paulo. Three Moroccan films will be screened at the event. According to the newspaper Libération, the Brazilian audience will discover the movie «Razzia» directed by Nabil Ayouch, «Fièvres» by Hicham Ayouch and «Volubilis» by Faouzi Bensaïdi. While the first movie addresses women rights and freedom,

Spanish officials want to link Melilla and Ceuta to Morocco by sea

One month after Morocco announced that it is unilaterally suspending commercial customs at the Beni-Ensar border crossing in Melilla, the secretary general of the Spanish People’s Party in the enclave, Miguel Marin, referred to a possible sea link between Morocco and city. The idea is to link Melilla to Morocco by ferry instead of using land borders. This proposal includes also tourists, says Melilla Hoy. Miguel Marin, who is also head of Melilla’s port authority, stressed

Belgium : An Ecolo candidate slammed for a photo he took at the Moroccan embassy

Ecolo candidate Lahoussine Fadel, who is running for the Belgian local elections in Molenbeek, was criticized for taking a picture with Secretary of State for Asylum, Migration and Administrative Simplification Theo Francken. The photo was surprising, especially as the politician has slammed on several occasions the Ecolo party which is based on green politics. Belgian media platforms reported that after receiving harsh comments, the photo has been deleted. The same source adds that

Sahara : Horst Köhler reportedly recommended the relaunching of direct negotiations

On Wednesday at the UN Security Council, Horst Köhler took the opportunity to recommend the relaunching of «direct negotiations» between Morocco and the Polisario, a well-informed source told Yabiladi on Thursday. Indeed, the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara is committed to relaunch negotiations similar to the ones held in Manhasset in 2007 and 2008. Resolution 2414, adopted in April, emphasized «the importance of a renewed commitment by the

Germany wants to expel a Moroccan national involved in the September 11 attacks

A Moroccan national, convicted of helping three of the suicide pilots in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, is expected to be released in October and deported to Morocco, report German online newspaper Morngen Post. The inmate identified as Mounir al-Motassadeq was convicted in 2007 of «membership in a terrorist organization and accessory to murder for aiding the three hijackers who lived in Hamburg», says the same source. According to German newspaper Bild,