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

65 People in custody for vandalizing the Marrakech Stadium’s facilities

A total of 65 people have been remanded in custody after vandalizing the Marrakech Stadium which hosted a football game on Sunday, the public prosecutor at the first instance court of Marrakech said. According to investigations conducted by the judicial police under the supervision of the general prosecutor’s office, 14 members of the public forces were injured in these acts of violence which caused extensive material damage to the stadium’s facilities, a statement by the public

Invited by a Spanish association, Aminatou Haidar is in Seville

Once again, Spanish associations offer Aminatou Haidar the opportunity to leave Laayoune and meet international media. She traveled to Seville on Saturday to take part in a tribute ceremony to honor a Spanish national, known for his support for the Polisario Front. The event organizer is the Seville regional branch of the «association in support of the Sahrawi people». The latter is engaged in promoting the Polisario politics in Europe. For the record, in June 2017 the same

Four Raja fans killed in a car accident on their way to attend the Marrakech match

Four fans of the Raja athletic club were killed Sunday, 25th of February, in a car accident while driving to Marrakech where a match of their Botola-Pro League club was held, reports diez a Spanish-language online newspaper. The Casablanca club expressed its regrets on its official website after the accident, sending its condolences to the families of the deceased. They were on their way to Marrakech to show support for their club in their match against the Kawkab Athlétique Club. The

Germany : An initiative to help African diaspora do business in their countries of origin

Destined for Moroccans, Senegalese and Tunisians living in Europe, DiafrikInvest is a project that assist these nationals do business in their countries of origin with the help of the European Union. An appeal has been launched to support these future entrepreneurs in all their projects. In order to enlighten the diaspora about the opportunities offered by DiafrikInvest, the business climate and the other information about how to start a business, several meetings will be held on the 2nd of

Moroccan phosphate cargo : OCP denounces the ruling of the Port Elizabeth court

OCP, a state-owned company that exports phosphate rock, phosphoric acid and phosphate fertilizers, denounced on Starurday the verdict pronounced by the Port Elizabeth court regarding a phospohate cargo detained in South Africa since May 2017. Through its Twitter account, OCP declared that «predictably, the local court in Port Elizabeth, running short of arguments, rendered an unsubstained and unreasoned default summary judgement in the Cherry Blossom case». In a different tweet

Up to 12 years in prison for 10 individuals on terror charges

The first instance court of Salé in charge of terrorism cases sentenced on Thursday 10 persons, standing trial for terrorism charges, to prison terms ranging between 4 and 12 years. The court sentenced the main accused, who had already served a custodial sentence for terrorism-related offences, to 12 years in prison, and handed down sentences of 10 years for another suspect, 8 years for a third one, 6 years for three persons, 5 years for two defendants and 4 years in prison for four

Belgium : Salah Abdeslam's brother arrested

Mohamed Abdeslam, the brother of Salah Abdeslam, was arrested this weekend, reports Belga news agency. He is suspected of stealing 70,000 euros, transported to a bank on the 23th of January in Molenbeek. On Saturday, the Brussels' prosecutor confirmed the arrest of four suspects, detained Thursday. They appeared before the investigating judge Friday. Two of the arrestees were placed under an arrest warrant, including Mohamed Abdeslam. They are accused of being involved in an «armed

Over 1 ton of chira seized in Northern Morocco

The royal gendarmerie in the northern city of Tetouan arrested, Friday in the province of Chefchaouen, two individuals on board a car carrying 46 packages of chira, with a total weight of one ton 340 kg, said local authorities. According to the same source, the two traffickers were brought to justice and the investigation is underway to identify possible accomplices.

Brussels : Nasser Bourita meets with EU high representatives for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

Foreign minister Nasser Bourita met, Friday in Brussels, with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. The meeting is part of regular contacts with European officials regarding a solid multidimensional partnership, Bourita told MAP after the meeting which was attended by Morocco's Ambassador to the European Union Ahmed Réda Chami. This meeting was also an occasion to discuss other regional and international issues, he

Quebec : Hijab-wearing candidates can run for election

In Quebec, Hijab-wearing candidates will be able to run for elections without removing their headscarves or showing theirhair, announced Tuesday, February the 20th, the Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec, Pierre Reid, reports Le Devoir. In fact, women wearing the hijab, chador and Sikh turbans can submit their candidacies, while the niqab and burka-wearing women will still be banned. The Electoral office has indicated that it updated its regulations dating back to 1980, and which obliges

Morocco will work on ensuring the extradition of Said Chaou, according to Mohamed Aujjar

Morocco «will keep making efforts to ensure» the extradition of Said Chaou, a Moroccan national living in the Netherlands who is accused of drug trafficking, said Friday the Minister of Justice, Mohamed Aujjar. Speaking to MAP news agency, Aujjar pointed out that the Morocco have taken note of the step taken by the Dutch authorities. They have decided to appeal against the court’s decision regarding the extradition of Said Chaou, who is subjected to two international arrest

Spain : A Moroccan national to serve a prison sentence for terrorism

Judge Carmen Lamela confirmed yesterday that the Moroccan national accused in Spain for terrorism will have to serve a prison sentence, said the regional online newspaper La Verdad. Khalid E., 31, who is legally residing in Spain, is accused of joining a terrorist organization and trying to recruit jihad candidates. He is prosecuted for carrying terrorist indoctrination and being a terrorist sympathizer. Judge Carmen Lamela stated that the individual is an integral part of the terrorist

USA’s Nexteer Automotive to build a new facility in Kenitra

Nexteer Automotive, a Michigan-based automotive parts supplier, is building a new production facility in Kenitra. The Morocco plant will be used to manufacture Single Pinion-assist Electric Power Steering (SPEPS) systems with the objective of extending production to driveline products, reports Automobilwoche. The 18,000 m2 plant will be inaugurated in March, as the first Africa facility of the American company while production is expected to start in 2019. The construction of Nexteer’s

Denouncing corruption : the number of reported cases moves from 7K to 13K annually

The number of reported cases of corruption has risen from 7,000 to 13,000 annually since the launch in 2015 of the anti-corruption toll-free number by the ministry of Justice and Liberties, said, Thursday in Rabat, minister delegate for Relations with the Parliament and Civil Society, Government spokesman, Mustapha El Khalfi. Since the launch of the toll-free number, several people have been sentenced to prison terms in 31 corruption cases, El Khalfi said, answering a question on the

Mauritanian Prime Ministers receives a Polisario envoy

Mauritanian Prime Minister, Yhya Ould Hademine, received, Thursday,  Abdelkader Taleb Omar, the former «prime minister» for the Polisario Front. «The meeting focused on the Sahara issue, especially the UN and the bilateral meetings held between the parties concerned to find a peaceful solution, taking into account the right of Sahrawis to self-determination», he told the Mauritanian news agency. «The latest decision published by the European Court and the

Dozens of public officials are prosecuted for corruption, according to El Othmani

Prime Minister, Saad Eddine El Othmani, said Thursday that dozens of public officials are prosecuted for corruption, and that their cases are processed by the courts that «will have to pronounce their verdicts». Speaking at the government council, El Othmani stated that several other officials are currently being investigated for curroption allegations while others are being tried. «We do not have the right to denounce a person arrested for corruption, as he or she can be

France : The Paris Appeal Court keeps Tariq Ramadan in prison

The French-Swiss Muslim academic Tariq Ramadan, detained over rape accusations, will remain in prison, according to Agence France-Presse. The Paris Appeal Courton rejected Thursday his appeal against his detention. Before taking a decision, the investigating chamber had appointed a medical expert. The latter ruled that Tariq Ramadan's condition is compatible with his detention. Arrested on February the 2nd, the 55-year-old intellectual has claimed that he was suffering from multiple sclerosis

The Netherlands will appeal the extradition of Said Chaou to Morocco

The Dutch authorities will appeal against a court’s decision demanding the extradition of Said Chaou to Morocco, a Dutch diplomatic source told MAP news agency. «The Minister of Justice and Security and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have taken note of the court's decision on the extradition of Said Chaou accused of drug trafficking», Désirée Bonis the Dutch ambassador in Rabat told the same source. «The Dutch Minister of Justice and Security and the