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

Hervé Renard names the players to 23-man side plus stand-by list for Russia 2018

National coach Hervé Renard has named his 23-man Morocco squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia next month, plus his additional three-man stand-by list. The list, published by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), is marked by the presence of three players from Morocco's football league, namely Ahmad Reda Tagnaouti (Ittihad Tangier), Badr Benoun (Raja Casablanca) and Ayoub El Kaabi (Renaissance Berkane). Morocco will compete in Group B alongside Spain, Portugal and Iran, with

Switzerland : Three men from Morocco and Algeria escape prison

Three prisoners from Morocco and Algeria have escaped the Favra prison in Switzerland on Wednesday night. They are still on the run, says the Swiss news agency ATS. The prisoners did it in a classical way since they cut the bars, tied sheets and climbed a wall. The three men aged between 22 and 35 years old were imprisoned and waiting for their deportation. The Department of Safety and Economy (DSE) states that the alarms «did not go off». The escape was only noticed on Thursday

FIFA ranking : Morocco retains 42nd Spot

Morocco's football team has retained its 42nd spot on the latest FIFA ranking, released on Thursday. With a total of 681 points, Morocco ranks 4th in the African continent behind Tunisia (14th worldwide), Senegal (28th) and DR Congo (38th). Germany, Brazil and Belgium top the international ranking. Moroccan national football team is expected to compete this June in Russia at the 2018 World Cup.

Rachid Alioui will not participate to the 2018 World Cup in Russia

Rachid Alioui will not join the Atlas Lions for the 2018 World Cup, scheduled for June in Russia. The Moroccan international striker had undergone a surgery on Wednesday and «cannot participate to the World Cup in Russia», says daily newspaper L’Equipe. Rachid Alioui a été opéré aujourd'hui d'une rupture d'un tendon de l'ischio-jambier. Il sera absent plusieurs mois.Le Nîmes Olympique lui souhaite un bon rétablissement et compte

Geert Wilders’ appeal against «fewer Moroccans» conviction to start Thursday

An appeal court in the Netherlands is expected to begin hearing evidence in the Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders’ «fewer Moroccans» case, reports Dutch News. The PVV leader told media ahead of the hearing that the ruling «does not interest [me] in the slightest». «They will never shut me up», said Wilders describing the trial as «judicial jihad». For the record, Wilders told the crowds in 2014 that «the Hague should be a city

Thursday is the 1st of Ramadan in Morocco

Thursday 17th of May is the 1st of Ramadan in Morocco, announced Wednesday the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. Moonsighting has proven that today is the last day of Shaaban, says the same source. Several other countries are to observe Ramadan tomorrow, such as France, Algeria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Morocco condemns Israeli army's shooting at peaceful protestors in Gaza

Morocco strongly condemned on Wednesday the shooting by the Israeli army at participants in peaceful protests along the border with the Gaza strip, claiming dozens of victims and wounding hundreds of Palestinian citizens. Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said, in a press briefing with his Spanish counterpart Alfonso Dastis, in response to a question on Morocco's position on the latest events in Gaza, that Morocco strongly condemns the excessive use of force against unarmed Palestinian

China’s ZTT group to build a plant in Tangier

China’s ZTT, a wire and cable enterprise group, is to open a new plant in Tangier, reports Chinese news agency Xinhua quoting French-language newspaper L’économiste. The group has laid the foundation stone for the 40,000-square meters plant, says the same source. The new plant is expected to produce electric cables and optical fiber under an investment of 23.5 million U.S. dollars. The project will also secure 200 jobs, added Xinhua. ZTT Group operates in the telecom,

Asma Lamrabet releases her book «Women and Men in the Qur’ān» in the United States

Moroccan researcher and writer Asma Lamrabet has just published «Women and Men in the Qur’ān» in the United States. In her book, the scholar highlights the importance of distinguishing Islam as a spiritual message, promotes gender equality and speaks about the increasingly widespread Islamophobia. Originally published by Palgrave Macmillan, a publishing company headquartered in the UK, the book is translated from French into English by Muneera Salem-Murdock, former

Morocco to host UN Conference of African Ministers of Finance

Morocco was unanimously chosen to host the upcoming Ministerial Conference of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). African Finance Ministers, meeting at the Commission's headquarters in Addis Ababa, from the 11th to the 15th of April, welcomed the offer made by Mohamed Boussaid, Minister of Economy and Finance. Allowing Morocco to house the 52nd conference in 2019 was revealed during the 51st conference. The latter recognized the importance of the African Free Trade Area and the role it

CAF to put South Africa under pressure to back Morocco’s bid to host 2026 World Cup

The Confederation of African Football’s leadership will try Wednesday to convince South Africa to vote for Morocco’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup, officials told Reuters Tuesday. The decision comes as South Africa has been threatening to vote for the North American bid led by the United States. Head of the African football confederation Ahmad Ahmad is expected to persuade the South African Football Association’s representatives to back the Moroccan bid in

Twitter restricts access to the Moroccan Prime Minister's account

Has Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani's Twitter account been restricted ? In fact, Twitter has just started limiting access of accounts with suspicious behavior and which have ignored the terms and conditions. Then, would this have led to the suspention of the Prime Minister's Twitter account ? It seems that the series of similar tweets published Tuesday afternoon by the El Othmani with the hashtag #consumer_first has led to the unexpected measure. From now on, Twitter users wishing to

Morocco and the U.S. sign an agreement to preserve the Judeo-Moroccan heritage

The Archives du Maroc and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum have signed an agreement in Rabat allowing the two institutions to exchange archives related to Maghreb Jews during the Second World War, says MAP news agency. The initiative aims to further enrich the national historical records and preserve the Judeo-Moroccan heritage, allowing Archives du Maroc to become a research center for countries in the region, stated head of the Moroccan archives, Jamaa Baida. The Archives du

May 16th attacks : An NGO calls for the creation of an anti-terrorism pact

Commemorating the 15th anniversary of the deadly terrorist attacks that took place in Casablanca on the 16th of May, 2003, the National Front for the Fight against Extremism and Terrorism has called for the creation of an anti-terrorism pact, reports Hespress. In a statement issued Tuesday, the NGO urged Moroccan political parties to sign a collective charter to fight «against violence, extremism, and terrorism». The initiative aims to raise awareness among people regarding

PAM and Istiqlal parties call for the release of individuals accused of Cannabis trafficking

The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) and Istiqlal have urged the government to include the names of individuals facing prosecution because of Cannabis trafficking in the royal pardon list, reports Arabic-language online newspaper Hespress. In a question asked Monday, the Independence Party argued that detainees prosecuted for Cannabis trafficking «do not benefit from the royal pardon like other prisoners», noting that «others detained for committing abominable crimes

After Algeria, the Polisario reacts to Nasser Bourita’s accusations

In a communiqué issued Monday, 14th of May, the Polisario Front «expressed its strong condemnation of irresponsible Moroccan actions, based on blatant defamation and systematic lies». The separatist movement’s reaction followed the one made public by the Algerian ministry of Foreign Affairs which denounced Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita’s accusations, suggesting that the neighboring country has been fueling the Sahara conflict. The Front accused Morocco, in the

Morocco’s OCP and ADNOC to explore new fertilizers joint venture

Morocco’s OCP group and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company known as ADNOC have signed an agreement to look at the «phased creation» of a new fertilizers joint venture with plants in the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom, reports Reuters. «The agreement builds on the expanded partnership model we announced last year, as we open our entire value chain to reliable, value-adding, long-term partners, who can complement our capabilities and resources, and enhance our

Morocco appoints for the first time a female crown prosecutor

Morocco has appointed Monday, 14th of May, for the first time, a woman as a Crown prosecutor, reports MAP news agency. In a ceremony held yesterday in Rabat by the the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, Rahmona Ziani was named a crown prosecutor, the first to held a similar position in the country. The reception was attended by head of the Supreme Audit Institution Driss Jettou. Ziani has served for 58 years at the Commercial Court of Appeal in Khemissat and Meknes. On the same