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

Moroccan French player Medhi Benatia might have his Juventus contract extended

French-Moroccan footballer Medhi Benatia might have his contract with Italian club Juventus extended, says Football Italia on Sunday quoting sports newspaper Tuttosport. It has been reported that the 31-year-old World Cup player would leave Turin this summer for Germany and North London. Benatia made 32 appearances with Juventus and scored four goals last season with the Italian club. He joined Juventus in 2016 after playing for Bayern Munich. Benatia is the captain of the Moroccan team

Hirak : Thousands rally in Casablanca to denounce the heavy sentences

Thousands of people took the streets Sunday, 8th of July, in Casablanca, denouncing the heavy sentences Hirak detainees were handed down by the city's Court of Appeals. Several organizations, political parties, and trade unionists, including the Federation of the Democratic Left (FGD), the Democratic Way and the Democratic Confederation of Labour (CDT), participated to the march. Protesters rallied from Place de la Liberté in Derb Omar, heading to Mohammed V square in down town

Macroeconomic risks remain «broadly moderate», says Morocco's central bank

Macroeconomic risks remain broadly moderate amid stronger global economic activity, Bank Al Maghrib (Morocco's central bank) said. In terms of external conditions, the current account deficit narrowed in 2017, mainly due to easing trade deficit and higher travel receipts and transfers from Moroccans living abroad, the bank said in a press release following the 7th meeting of the Coordination and Systemic Risk Monitoring Committee held in Rabat. Under these conditions, net international

2030 World Cup : Tunisia to consider the idea of a North African bid along Morocco and Algeria

Tunisia might consider the idea of a North African joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup with Morocco and Algeria, reported the BBC on Thursday. President of the Tunisian Football Federation Wadie Jary announced that Tunisia «haven’t received any official offers, but [it is] open to the idea and would like to see it happen». Algeria’s sports minister, on the other hand, said last week that Algiers is studying the idea. After Morocco failed to get enough votes to host

A Moroccan national convicted in Germany for using 23 fake IDs

A Moroccan national was sentenced to two years in prison by a German court on charges of membership of a terrorist group and plotting violent acts, says Asharq Awsat. The 29-year-old defendant told the court that he fled German law enforcement using 23 fake IDs from Morocco, Syria, Iraq and Algeria. On the other hand, he denied having been planning violent attacks. Identified as Abdulrahman D., the Moroccan man said he used fake IDs to receive social aid from several German cities.

Rabat : A sit-in to show support for convicted journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui

A solidarity committee that backs journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui and Hirak detainees organized on Friday, 6th of July, a sit-in in front of the parliament to denounce sentences handed down by the court of Casablanca. According to Arabic-language newspaper Hespress, protesters called for the release of El Mahdaoui. The latter was sentenced by the Casablanca Court of Appeals to three years in prison and fined 3000 dirhams on Thursday, 28th of June. Speaking on Friday in Rabat, Hamid El Mahdaoui's

Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity and UNICEF join forces in a new agreement

The Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) signed a memorandum of understanding to promote education and children's rights in Morocco, says a joint statement by the Foundation and UNICEF, received Friday by MAP. The Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity, represented by the members of its board of directors, Mohamed El Azami and Azeddine Benmoussa, and UNICEF, represented by the Fund's representative in Morocco, Regina Dominicis, have signed this

Bank Al-Maghrib : Morocco's net international reserves increases by 10.7%

Morocco's net international reserves amounted to 227.6 billion dirhams until June 29, 2018, recording a 10.7% year-on-year increase, Morocco's central bank (Bank Al-Maghrib) said. During the week of June 28-July 4, Bank Al-Maghrib injected 62 billion dirhams. As for the interbank rate, it remained at 2.29%, while the average trading volume increased from 4.4 billion Dirhams the week before to 5.8 billion Dirhams, the source added. During the same period, the Dirham appreciated by 0.20%

German coalition parties sign an agreement on migration

Germany’s coalition parties have reached an agreement on migration, coalition sources told Reuters on Thursday. The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the International Democrat Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), have agreed to speed procedures when «returning migrants who have already sought asylum in other European Union countries», speeding the radds the same source. This measure will be adopted only if Germany has bilateral agreements with

Bulgaria : Three Moroccan nationals arrested at a border checkpoint for presenting fake IDs

Three Moroccan nationals were arrested on Thursday, 5th of July, by Bulgarian police for carrying fake documents, says Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry quoted by Focus news agency. The three individuals were detained at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint, bordering Turkey. They have given the authorities Italian ID cards and Italian resident permits which were «forged and sought through the Schengen system», said the same source. An investigation carried by the police revealed that

Amine Harit reaches settlement with the family of the victim killed in the car accident

Moroccan World Cup football has reached a settlement with the victim killed in a car accident he was involved in last weekend in Marrakech, says Al Akhbar quoted by Le 360. Harit «offered the family a fairly significant amount of money», says the same source. «Negotiations were not easy and Harit’s lawyer managed to bring the two parties together». The same source quotes sports director Christian Heidel who reports that Harit had to «answer two or three

Hervé Renard has been offered by Egypt a higher salary than the one he receives in Morocco

After participating to the 2018 World Cup, French coach who currently manages the Morocco national football team has been offered to run the Egyptian squad. Member of the Egyptian football federation Hazem met Hervé Renard and offered him a higher salary than the one he receives from the Royal Moroccan football federation, reports Egyptian media on Thursday. The French former footballer has also offers from the Algeria national team. However, on Monday, Renard denied the fact that

Spain : A Moroccan «drug dealer» wounded in a gangland shooting

A Moroccan drug dealer was shot, Wednesday, near a nightclub in Benidorm, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Spain, says the Daily Mail on Thursday. The man was left with superficial wounds in a suspected gangland shooting, says the same source, which reported that a Briton tourist was accidentally injured in the same incident. According to local sources, relayed by the Daily Mail, the Moroccan national «was linked to the sale of drugs in the area». A third man was also

Morocco and the UK sign an agreement in their first Strategic Dialogue session

The Morocco-United Kingdom Strategic Dialogue was launched, on Thursday in London, by the signing of an agreement in the form of an exchange of letters. It was inked by minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Boris Johnson. On this occasion, Morocco and the United Kingdom recalled the depth of the relations that have united the two countries for 800 years, as well as their traditional

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is sad because African teams left the World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he was feeling sad that African teams couldn’t make to the 2018 World Cup knock-out stages, reports BBC on Wednesday. «The World Cup is for the whole world and the African teams were very, very close at the end», replied Infantino when asked about what he felt when the continent left the international Tournament earlier than expected. «An Asian (team) made it - an African not - but I think they will be ready soon for the next

Morocco and the UK to hold their first session of the Strategic Dialogue in London

Morocco and the United Kingdom will hold their first session of the Strategic Dialogue on Thursday in London, chaired by minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, and his counterpart, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Boris Johnson. The Moroccan delegation will also include Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mounia Boucetta, and Secretary of State for Investment, Othmane El Firdaous, as well as other senior officials from various

Morocco inaugurates two new aeronautical facilities in Casablanca

Minister of Industry, Investment, Trade and Digital Economy Moulay Hafid Elalamy inaugurated on Wednesday, 4th of July, in Casablanca two new aeronautical plants, says MAP. The first plant is an STTS aircraft painting facility, a SATYS French subsidiary and the second one is a logistics platform for the Société fronco-marocaine de logistique aéronautique (SFML), based in Nouaceur. Speaking during the inauguration, Elalamy said that the two facilities are part of the

Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi to be loaned for two years to German club Borussia Dortmund

Moroccan-Spanish World Cup player Achraf Hakimi is to join German club Borussia Dortmund (BVB) in a loan contract, reports German online newspaper Aachener Nachrichten. The 19-year-old right-back will be lent for two years to the German club and would later return to his current club Real Madrid. The financial details of the loan have not been revealed, indicates the same source, adding that the Real Madrid and BVB are still to confirm the deal. The Madrid-born player has been playing for the