Morocco's Arrabet and Skaleet partner for a new neo-bank offering in Africa  (Read more...)

PJD leader Abdelilah Benkirane condemns young Moroccans' visit to Israel

The Secretary General of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), Abdelilah Benkirane, recently condemned a visit by a group of young Moroccans to Israel. During his opening speech at the party's general secretariat meeting on Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Rabat, he emphasized that the initiative by those involved «is not permitted by law, even from a political standpoint, regardless of the calculations; it does not align with the national interest». He added, «What is happening

Weakened by 2023 earthquake, house collapses in Marrakech's Mellah

Marrakech's Mellah district witnessed another troubling incident on Friday, July 19th, when a house weakened by the September 2023 earthquake collapsed. Thankfully, there were no casualties. The house owner, Mohammed Bessoul, spoke to Le360: «We were just recovering from the tremors when we heard our home had collapsed. Luckily, no one was inside». Bessoul, who tragically lost his son in the previous earthquake, had already vacated the house due to the bad memories and fear of

15 million strong : Morocco's airports see passenger surge in first half of 2024

Morocco's airports welcomed a record 15,104,579 passengers in the first six months of 2024, a 19% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the National Office of Airports (ONDA). This growth spanned most airports, with Rabat-Salé (+40%), Agadir (+34%), Marrakech (+29%), Tetouan (+23%), Tangier (+21%), and Fez (+12%) experiencing significant increases, ONDA said in a statement. Domestic traffic also rose 22% year-over-year to 1,531,191 passengers in the first half of

Manchester United pulls back on €20m Sofyan Amrabat purchase

Manchester United has decided not to activate the €20 million purchase option for on-loan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano on his Twitter account. Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag remains interested in the Moroccan and wants him to stay, but the club prefers to renegotiate the transfer fee with Fiorentina instead of paying the pre-agreed amount. ?? Manchester United have informed Fiorentina that they will not trigger €20m buy option clause

Morocco's health sector unions announce five-day strike

Morocco's Health Sector Unions Announce Five-Day Strike The Coordination of Health Sector Unions has called a five-day national strike, starting today, Monday, July 22nd, and lasting until next Friday. The strike will affect hospitals, administrative offices, and training centers, with emergency and resuscitation services remaining operational. This action follows what the unions see as a delayed response from the government regarding the implementation of a sectoral agreement. The union

Morocco's math team misses International Mathematical Olympiad due to visa delays

Qualified for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held July 11-22, 2024, in Bath, England, Morocco was unable to participate due to delays in obtaining visas for the team. Math&Maroc, a Moroccan mathematics advocacy group, called the situation «deplorable» and blamed «laxity on the part of officials in submitting visa applications». On social media, the non-profit lamented that «this deprives the six Moroccan participants», rigorously selected

Former Moroccan PM Benkirane awaits El Othmani's «explanation on Israel normalization deal»

The Secretary General of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), Abdelilah Benkirane, rebuked his predecessor for having signed the normalization agreement between the Moroccan government and Israel in December 2020. In a meeting of the General Secretariat this weekend, he declared that the Hebrew state was a country with which «no one can deal» and which cannot be trusted by any party. «Unfortunately, it was our former Secretary General who signed the normalization

2024 Olympics : Schedule of matches for Morocco U23 in Group Stage (Football)

Morocco's U23 men's football team kicks off its eighth Olympic appearance against Argentina on July 24 in Saint-Etienne at the Paris 2024 Games. The Atlas Lions will then face Ukraine on July 27 and Iraq on July 30 in Group B. Unveiled by U23 coach Tarik Sektioui on July 5, the final list includes players from several international clubs, including Achraf Hakimi (PSG/France), Bilal El Khannouss (K.R.C. Genk/Belgium), Amir Richardson (Stade de Reims/France), and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Real

The Urban Agency of Al Hoceima sets up a one-stop shop for Moroccan diaspora

The Urban Agency of Al Hoceïma is implementing a set of measures to support Moroccan expatriates (MREs) during their summer stay, aiming to improve service quality and reception conditions. In a statement, the Agency highlighted a one-stop shop dedicated to MREs, set up at its headquarters (80, Mohammed V Avenue) to expedite file processing, resolve administrative matters [e.g., permits, approvals], and support their projects. On-call services will also be available outside of working

Heatwave in Morocco : Up to 48 degrees from Monday to Wednesday

A heat wave with red and orange alert levels is expected from Monday, July 22 to Wednesday, July 24 in several provinces of the kingdom, with temperatures ranging between 38 and 48°C, announced the General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM). Thus, temperatures ranging between 42 and 46°C are expected on Monday in the provinces of Oued Ed-Dahab, Youssoufia, Fquih Ben Salah, Meknès, Errachidia, Khénifra, Khouribga, Aousserd, Settat, Fès, Sefrou, Chichaoua, El Kelaa des

Former Bar president Mohamed Ziane sentenced to five years in prison

On Saturday, July 19, the Rabat Court of Appeal sentenced the former President of the Bar, Mohamed Ziane, to five years in prison and a fine of 5,000 dirhams. The lawyer was prosecuted following a complaint lodged by the Rabat section of the Free Liberal Party (PLL) for «misappropriation and squandering of subsidies granted by the State to the party». He headed the party from 2002 to January 2021. The court also handed down the same sentence to the ex-treasurer of the PLL, while a

US Ambassador : Recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over Sahara is «historical fact»

As her term ends, US Ambassador to Algeria Elizabeth Moore Aubin addressed the US position on Western Sahara in a recent interview with Algerian media. She acknowledged the recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara by former President Donald Trump in 2020. «This proclamation hasn't been changed by the Biden administration because it's considered a historical fact», she explained. However, Ambassador Aubin emphasized the Biden administration's different approach.

Morocco's Nadia Annouz elected to African Union anti-corruption body

Morocco's Nadia Annouz, Vice-President of the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and Fight against Corruption, was elected to the African Union Advisory Board on Anti-Corruption (AUABC) on Friday. The election took place during the 45th session of the AU Executive Council held in Accra, Ghana. Annouz will serve a six-year term. Running for the position reserved for the continent's northern region, Annouz secured a strong victory with 35 votes. This result, according to Moroccan news

African Union meeting in Ghana hosts Algerian-Polisario talks

The recent ordinary session of the African Union's Executive Council in Accra, Ghana, facilitated a meeting between Algeria's Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, and his Polisario «counterpart», Mohamed Sidati. On July 19th, the two officials held a private working session away from media scrutiny. According to the Polisario Front's press agency, the discussion focused on topics related to the African Union session's agenda, developments in the Western Sahara issue on the diplomatic

2030 World Cup : Morocco hosts 6 of 20 stadiums in joint bid

Following the presentation of their joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup, Morocco, Spain, and Portugal have unveiled the number of stadiums that will be hosting the games, according to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). Spain is proposing 11 stadiums, Morocco 6, and Portugal 3, thus respecting the limit of 20 sites set by FIFA. Among the proposed venues, Spain plans to use two stadiums in Madrid (Bernabeu and Metropolitano) and two in Barcelona (Camp Nou and Cornellà-El

Casablanca union protests dean's denial of Keffiyeh-wearing student's award

On Friday, July 19, 2024, the Casablanca branch of the National Syndicate for Higher Education staged a protest at the Faculty of Sciences Ben M’sik. They condemned the Dean's refusal to award a prize to a High School of Technology student for wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh. The union called the Dean's action «a dangerous breach of academic ethics and internationally recognized freedoms». They further described it as «reckless, disrespectful, and an insult to the

Global outage : National cybersecurity agency issues recommendations for Moroccan users

Morocco’s General Directorate of Information Systems Security (DGSSI) has issued a series of recommendations for Moroccans potentially impacted by the recent Microsoft IT outage that occurred on Friday. This outage caused disruptions in various parts of the world, affecting airlines, banks, businesses, and even emergency services. In its note, the DGSSI, an entity affiliated with the National Defense Administration, acknowledged the outage that left several users disconnected from their

British national arrested in Marrakech for UK drug trafficking

On Thursday, July 18, Marrakech security officers apprehended a 31-year-old British citizen wanted internationally. The man was arrested at Marrakech Menara Airport after authorities discovered an Interpol warrant for his arrest issued by the National Central Bureau in Manchester. The suspect is suspected of involvement with a Scottish criminal network engaged in international cocaine, hashish, and synthetic drug trafficking (including diamorphine and amphetamines). He is also accused of