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

Bank al-Maghrib sets dirham band on the first day of the new exchange rate regime

As announced on Friday, 12th of January, Morocco is adopting a new exchange rate. On the first day of this new regime, the dirham is determined within a band of 8.9969-9.4524 Moroccan dirhams to the U.S. dollar set by Bank al-Maghrib, reports Reuters on Monday. This was revealed also by Medias 24, which indicates that every morning; Morocco’s Central Bank will have to determine the currency reference exchange rate against the dirham on the basis of quotations from banks with the status

Orlando Bloom celebrates his 41st birthday in Marrakech

Orlando Bloom, a British-born Hollywood actor, celebrated his 41st birthday in Marrakech, attending the third race of the Formula E season on Friday, 12th of January, reports E News. Accompanied by his famous friend, Leonardo DiCaprio, the star mostly known for his epic role in the film series Lord of the Rings, quad biked in the desert all while posing with Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO of Formula E. He also drove one of the race cars with the help of Sam Bird, ABB FIA Formula E Champioship

Morocco is in the process of launching a $4.6 billion natural gas project

Morocco will soon accept bids for a $4.6 billion natural gas project, reports Bloomberg on Sunday quoting Energy Minister Aziz Rabbah. In an interview in Abu Dhabi, he said that the Kingdom is intending to «process gas for power and provide gas to industry». «This is a project to build an integrated plant to process gas», he said indicating that the bid will be for a group to build the industrial unit as the financial and technical consultants were chosen. The

Toronto : Schoolgirl gets her hijab cutt off

On her way to school, a young girl was assaulted on Friday in Toronto because of her hijab, reports The Guardianaq and La Presse. Khawlah Noman, 11, was approached by an individual in his twenties. The latter cut off the girl's veil using a pair of scissors, according to Toronto police. Je pense de tout cœur à Khawlah Noman, qui a lâchement été attaquée ce matin à Toronto. Le Canada est un pays ouvert et accueillant. Les attaques de ce genre ne

A train crashes into fence in Casa Port railway station

In the afternoon, a train coming from Settat crashed into fence on Saturday at the Casa Port train station in Casablanca. A source at the station told Yabiladi that the passengers were safe and sound. The Moroccan National Railways Office (ONCF), on the other hand, did not explain the reasons behind this accident, but our source told us that it was due to a brake problem, which prevented the train from stopping completely. The fence was hit and the locomotive was damaged. The same source

CHAN Morocco-2018 : Morocco beats Mauritania (4-0)

The Moroccan football team of local players beat its Mauritanian counterpart by 4 to 0, on Saturday at the Mohammed V sports complex of Casablanca, in a game of the first round of the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN-Morocco), that will run from Jan. 14 to Feb. 4. Morocco scored its goals thanks to players Ayoub El Kaabi, Ismail El Haddad and Achraf Bencharki. This victory helped the Atlas Lions to rank first, awaiting the second game that will be played by Guinea and Sudan.

The last repatriation operation of Moroccans stuck in Libya is launched

The third and final repatriation operation of Moroccans stranded in Libya was launched Friday evening. It will include 338 people, who will be transported to the Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca via two planes by the Libyan airline company Afriqiyah, said in a statement the Ministry in Charge of Moroccans Living Abroad and Migration Affairs. This operation, the third in five months, comes after the repatriation of 200 Moroccans on the eve of Aid Al Adha who were brought to

High planning committe : Morocco's economic growth to slowdown in 2018

In a press conference, HCP chief Ahmed Lahlimi Alami reviewed the main macroeconomic indicators in 2017 and 2018, highlighting some factors that still hamper the potential of the Moroccan economy, and reiterating his recommendations for improving the competitiveness and diversification of the Moroccan economy through reforms, reports MAP news agency. Lahlimi said that the value added of the primary sector will decline by 1.3% in 2018 against a rise of 13.6% in 2017. According to HCP

The most expensive gift given to Barack Obama is from King Mohammed VI

While in office, Barack Obama received several gifts from foreign governments, but the most expensive one of them all is King Mohammed VI's. According to federal documents made public on Wednesday by the State Department’s Protocol Office, the most valuable single gift given to the Obamas in 2016 «came from the king of Morocco». Reported on Friday by Fox News, the sovereign «presented the first family with an ornate gold-plated brooch adorned with diamonds and rubies, a

Morocco to launch a new exchange rate regime on Monday

The Ministry of Economy and Finance, after consulting with Bank Al-Maghrib (central bank), has decided to adopt, on Monday, a new exchange rate regime where the parity of the dirham is determined within a band of fluctuation of ± 2.5%, against ± 0.3% currently, compared to a central rate set by the Bank Al-Maghrib on the basis of a currency basket composed of the euro and the US dollar by up to 60% and 40% respectively. Under the new regime, Bank Al-Maghrib will continue to

Morocco hires international strategy consultants to manage its 2026 World Cup bid

Morocco is hiring international strategy consultants to manage its 2026 World Cup bid, reports Associated Press. VERO, a London-based consulting firm, which was in charge of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid, said that it is intending to «shape the vision of the expanded 48-team tournament in the Kingdom», said the same source. The United States of American, Mexico and Canada were the first nations to announce their wish of hosting the 2026 World Cup, submitting a joint bid on

Interior Minister receives new UNSG special representative and head of Minurso

Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit received on Friday the new special representative of the UN Secretary General for the Sahara and Head of the MINURSO, Colin Stewart. At this meeting, Laftit assured the UNSG special representative of the support of the Moroccan authorities in carrying out his functions, underlining that the Kingdom will continue its support to the MINURSO in fulfilling its mandate. Laftit reiterated Moroccan authorities’ warning against continued provocations and

UN-AU : After Paul Kagamé, Köhler meets Moussa Faki

Horst Köhler’s wish to give the African Union the chance to interfere in the Sahara conflict is becoming more visible these days. The UN Personal Envoy met on Friday, 12th of January, Moussa Faki Mahamat, a Chadian politician and the current Chairperson of the African Union Commission. The meeting comes only a few hours after the UN official held talks with the Rwandan President Paul Kagamé. In a few days, the latter will chair the Conference of Heads of State of the

Italy : Two teenagers are suspected of killing a homeless Moroccan man in December

The Italian police have managed to indentify two teenagers who were behind the death of a homeless Moroccan man near the northern city of Verona, reports Associated Press on Friday. A 13-year-old and a 17-year-old boy have set 64-year-old Ahmed Fdil on fire on December the 13th, said the same source quoting L’Arena di Verona, an Italian daily newspaper. «It was a joke», said the younger boy to teh police insisting that they did not intend to kill the man. Speaking to RAI, an

Guantanamo : Donald Trump sued by eleven detainees who accuse him of being anti-Muslim

On Thursday, 11th of January, eleven prisoners detained at the Guantanamo US military prison, located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base filed a lawsuit against the US President, saying that they are illegally detained because they are Muslim, reports AFP. In their complaint, the prisoners refer to Donald Trump’s tweets and statements, they consider as Islamophobic. They are based on the arguments put forward by the opponents of the presidential decree against immigration, which

The U.S. new travel warning : Morocco is on the lowest advisory level for safety and security risk

The U.S. state department revealed on Wednesday, 10th of January, an updated travel warning system, reports AFP, a Paris-based French weekly newspaper. Featured on the states’ official website, the American government divided countries in the world into four main categories : «Exercise normal precautions, Exercise increased caution, Reconsider travel and Do not travel». Morocco is part of the first list, which is dedicated to the safe countries where U.S. citizens are

Mehdi Benatia voted best Maghreb player in 2017 by France Football magazine

Mehdi Benatia, a Moroccan-French footballer who plays for Italian club Juventus has been voted best Maghreb player in 2017 by France Football, a French weekly magazine containing football news from all over the world, ahead of Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez and the Dutch-Moroccan player Hakim Ziyech.   «Trained at OM (Olympique de Marseille), the Juventus center back made a name in Italy before playing for Bayern de Guardiola. Despite his mid-October knee injury», he performed

Moulay Hafid Elalamy to chair Morocco’s 2026 World Cup bid committee

As part of the preparation for Morocco’s bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Chairmanship of Morocco’s Bid Committee has been assigned by King Mohammed VI to My Hafid Elalamy, reports MAP news agency. Elalamy’s work consists in providing all the necessary support to the Moroccan Royal Football Federation (FRMF) and the specific division created within the FRMF, in accordance with FIFA guidelines and specifications. He will act as the Government’s interlocutor for