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

Morocco wants to repatriate the tail of a dinosaur sold in Mexico

The Moroccan authorities will try to repatriate the tail of a Sauropod auctioned in Mexico, proving the illegal nature of its acquisition, said Abdellah Alaoui, head of the Cultural Heritage department at the Ministry of Culture, reports Medias 24, adding that Morocco could buy this fossils if necessary. The sale of this paleontological discovery is to be used to rebuild or repair 5,000 Mexican schools, damaged by earthquakes that hit the country in September 2017. According to Abdellah

The Casablanca international publishing and book fair reveals its 2018 guest list

The 24th edition of the Casablanca International Publishing and Book Fair, to be held on February 8-18, said the ministry of Culture and Communication. More than 300 national and international writers, poets and researchers are expected to attend the annual event. In addition to the Moroccan writers and the delegation of Egypt, guest of honor, Palestinians Ghayath Al Madhoun (poet), Ibrahim Nasrallah (novelist), Abderrahmane Bsissou (literary critic), Mohamed Diab Abu Saleh (researcher) Najeh

Switzerland : Muslim students grounded for refusing to sing at the church

A Muslim father had to pay a 500 Swiss Franc (nearly 4800 dirhams) fine for refusing to have his sons sing Christian Christmas music at a church in Switzerland, reports the Swiss version of the daily newspaper 20 Minutes. The father, who accepted in the past to let his children participate to school activities «what he himself did as a child», was furious when his sons’ school forced them to be part of a choir at a church. A decision to which the father objected,

Minurso : Colin Stewart to visit the camps

Colin Stewart, head of the United Nations mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), is to visit the Tindouf camps, probably next week. It will be an opportunity for him to hold talks with the Polisario's leadership. In addition, the move is to take place a few days after the Canadian diplomat's visit to Rabat, where he met separately with the Moroccan Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftite and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. The successor of Kim Bolduc took office in the

FEPEX warns against Moroccan exports to Spain

The amount of fruits and vegetables imports in Spain coming from neighboring countries - particularly Morocco – is worrying the Spanish Federation of Associations of Producers and Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables, (Fepex), especially since the rise coincides with the Spanish production schedule. Indeed, these exports to Spain increased by 36% in 2017, and by 3% for France, reports Agrocultura, a Catalan portal specialized in ecological

Morocco climbs to 39th place in FIFA ranking

Morocco's national football team has moved up by one spot to rank 39th in the latest FIFA World Ranking released on Thursday, said MAP news agency.  Regionally and with a total of 748 points, Morocco was ranked fourth in Africa, behind Tunisia, 23rd, Senegal, 24th, and Egypt 30th. The four African teams are qualified for the final phase of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Globally, Brazil is in the second place (1483), behind Germany with a score of 1,602 points, followed by

A Moroccan dinosaur tail to help build schools in Mexico

The tail of a Sauropod, a dinosaur that once lived in the Atlas Mountains, spanning Morocco, will be auctioned to raise funds. That money will be used for the construction of schools destroyed by the earthquake that hit Mexico in September 2017, reports the International Business Times, an online economic newspaper. The funds raised after the auction sheduled for Tuesday, January 23, will help rebuild and refurbish thousands of schools that were damaged or destroyed in the disaster. The

A Moroccan national arrested among a group of migrants in Tunisia

25 migrants including a Moroccan national were rescued, on Wednesday, 150 kilometers away from the coast of Sfax, said the Tunisian Ministry of Defense on its official website. They were spotted at dawn, when the harsh weather broke down their boat, according to the same source. Seven Libyans, seven Bengalis, five Sudanese, three Egyptians, a Tunisian, a Moroccan and a Chadian national were among the rescued migrants. The ministry said that the 25 migrants left Monday the coast of Zouara

CHAN 2018 : Morocco beats Guinea (3-1)

The Moroccan football team of local players beat their Guinean peer on the score of 3 goals to 1, Wednesday at the Mohammed V stadium of Casablanca, in the second game of the first round (group A) of the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN-Morocco), reports MAP news agency. The three goals of the Atlas Lions were claimed by Ayoub El Kaabi (27th, 64th, 67th minutes), while the only goal of the Guineans was scored by Saidouba Bissiri Camara (28th minute). This achievement allows the Atlas

 AML’s Diagoras ceded to Greek Attica

Diagoras, a ship operating within the Africa Morocco Link, was ceded to BMCE Bank of Africa's Greek partner, Attica, «as originally planned», an authorized source close to the file told Medias 24. The latter indicated that the ferry had been «acquired for 6 months», a period that was renewed twice. The restitution to its previous owners was therefore «contractual». «We are going to replace it soon with a more suitable and less expensive ship in charge

The PSA Kenitra plant wants to target the South American market

The PSA Kenitra plant, a future Moroccan car plant belonging to french car maker PSA Peugeot Citroen, is planning to export vehicles to South America, reports El Periódico de Aragón, quoting Jean-Christophe Quemard Executive Vice-President of Africa- Middle East at Peugeot S.A. In an interview with L'Economiste, the manager stressed the interest the French car manufacturer has for the South American market. «Morocco’s plan is really intended to serve the region. We

Amsterdam : A 14-year-old girl refused entry on a bus for looking Moroccan

A 14-year-old girl was denied entry on a GVB bus in Amsterdam for looking Moroccan, NL Times reported on Tuesday. Her mother Dounia Tapijt, explained that on the 21st of November her daughter and another girl were waiting for bus 38 in Amsterdam Noord, from Elzenhagen to Molenwijk. According to her account the two girls were told by the bus driver that «they had to wait outside». When the teenager asked why, she was told by the same person that he would rather «not have that

The Moroccan authorities prevent 300 migrants from entering Ceuta

Earlier on Tuesday, January 16, most precisely around 7:30, a group of 300 migrants tried to force their way into Ceuta trying to climb the metal fence that separates Morocco from the Spanish enclave, reports the Spanish news website Ceuta TV. The migrants tried to jump over the fence, «which led the Moroccan security forces to temporarily close the border for about 20 minutes before they could jump,» the source added. Following this attempt, security forces from the Spanish Civil

Abdellatif Merdas’ murderer sentenced to death

Hicham Mouchtari, accused of killing in March 2017 MP Abdellatif Merdas, has been sentenced to death, reports Media 24. The accused was found guilty Monday, January the 15th, after a hearing that took place in Casablanca’s Appeal Court. The sentence was required by the public prosecutor. His widow, Ouafae Ben Samadi, his nephew, Hamza Mouchtari, as well as Roukia Shahbou, are all considered as accomplices, actively participating in the commission of the crime. They were sentenced to life

USA’s APHIS lifts the ban on citrus imports coming from Berkane

The U.S is to lift a ban it imposed on citrus imports coming from the Berkane region, reports on Tuesday Fresh Fruit Portal. The embargo on Moroccan tangerines, clementines, mandarins and sweet orange was put when the country detected Mediterranean fruit fly, known as Medfly, in the imports in December 2016. According to the same source, the ban imposed by the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture responsible for

The attack targeting a veiled girl in Toronto did not happen, according to police

An incident involving a 11-year-old girl who claimed that her hijab was cut by an individual outdoors «did not happen», according to the Toronto police, reports CTV news on Monday. On Friday, local police said it was investigating about a girl that claimed being attacked by a man with a pair of scissors while going to school in the eastern part of the city. According to the police, the girl was on her way to school when she noticed that a man was trying to cut her hijab with a

Spain’s MCP invests in the construction industry by acquiring a stake in TGCC

Mediterrania Capital Partners, a Barcelona-based private equity fund, is to acquire through its third fund (MC III) a stake in ‘Travaux Généraux de Construction de Casablanca (TGCC)', a building and real-estate company, announced the company in a communiqué sent to Yabiladi on Monday. The new acquisition is set to support the company, founded in 1991 by Mohammed Bouzoubaa and operating in Morocco and Sub-Saharan Africa, through its expansion plan in both the

Masdar installs more than 19,000 solar home systems in Morocco

Masdar, the Middle East’s largest exporter of renewable energy, announced on Monday, 14th of January, at the Abu Dhabi’s Sustainability Week that it has managed to equip around 128,000 homes with solar home systems, reports the Emirates News agency. According to the same source, the company has installed a «landmark off-grid solar power project that extends energy access to 19,438 homes in more than 1,000 rural villages in Morocco». The project entitled «the