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China invites Morocco to BRICS economic forum

On September 10 and 11, the Chinese city of Xiamen hosted the BRICS Forum 2024 on Partnership for the New Industrial Revolution. Morocco was represented by its Minister of Industry and Commerce. «This was a valuable opportunity to share Morocco's industrial achievements and explore potential collaboration with BRICS countries», wrote Riad Mezzour on the X platform. Held under the theme «Fostering High-Quality Partnership and Embarking on a New Journey Towards New

Morocco allocates over 7 million dirhams for 68 cultural projects

The Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication has allocated over 7 million dirhams (MDH) to support 68 projects in the fields of music, song, performing arts, and choreography for 2024. The commission responsible for supporting cultural and artistic projects in these sectors met between July 10 and September 2, 2024, to review the applications. According to a press release from the ministry, the commission's secretariat received 216 applications via its digital platform. These projects

Gastronomic Encounters Sète-El Jadida to be held on September 12

On Thursday, September 12, 2024, the town of El Jadida will host the Gastronomic Encounters Sète-El Jadida, initiated by the twinning committee and the French town hall. This rapprochement between the two municipalities will also be placed under the banner of the culinary arts, with a focus this year on the preparation of tielle, a Sète specialty made from wheat dough, tomatoes, and octopus. The idea is to «introduce and share Sète's famous regional specialty with

Vox demands Moroccan ambassador summoned over Barbate Civil Guard killings

Spain's Vox party has officially called on the government to summon the Moroccan ambassador to Spain, Karima Benyaich, in order to «exert diplomatic pressure» and «arrest the criminal who killed Civil Guards in Barbate», a Spanish municipality in the Province of Cádiz, the party's spokesperson for congress, Pepa Millan, said on Tuesday. According to Spanish media, Millan criticized the government, accusing them of being unable to «lift a finger» to

Ireland : Moroccan Ambassador meets with Wexford County officials

Morocco's ambassador to Ireland, Lahcen Mahraoui, held a meeting on Tuesday in Wexford, a town in southeast Ireland, with senior officials from the Wexford County Council, the Moroccan Embassy announced in a Facebook post. During this meeting, Ambassador Mahraoui also held talks with members of the Moroccan diaspora in Wexford. In its statement, the Moroccan diplomatic representation in Ireland reported that the meeting «provided an opportunity to discuss potential cooperation and

Digital Transition Minister honors Moroccan students' bronze win at Informatics Olympiad

Ghita Mezzour, Minister of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, received on Tuesday, September 10, members of the Moroccan team that won the bronze medal at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), held this year in Cairo, at the Ministry's headquarters in Rabat. The event brought together around 390 participants from 96 countries, and Morocco performed brilliantly, according to a press release by the ministry. In her speech, delivered in the presence of the families and

Morocco and OECD conclude Country Program II

The Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, held talks in Rabat on Wednesday with the Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Mathias Cormann. During these talks, he praised the ongoing and fruitful cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and this international organization. These talks provided an opportunity to announce the closure of the Country Program II between Morocco and the OECD. This program aimed to strengthen support, partnership, and

Morocco-UK power cable project faces local opposition in Devon

A proposed power cable project connecting Morocco to the UK has raised concerns among residents in north Devon (A region in southwest England). The Xlinks Morocco-UK Power Project, aimed at providing electricity for seven million UK homes by the early 2030s, has been declared a project of national significance by the UK government, according to the BBC. The scheme involves laying four cables over about 2,500 miles (4,000km), coming ashore near Abbotsham in north Devon. James Humfrey, CEO of

Egyptian FM meets Algerian counterpart following talks with Morocco

Algeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, met with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdel Ati, in Cairo on Tuesday, September 10. The discussions were held privately, away from the media and other ministers attending the Arab League's Executive Council session that same day. Algerian diplomacy shared a video on social media of Attaf's «meetings» with several ministers, showing the room where the talks took place. The Egyptian side released a statement on the meeting between

Heavy rains and storms forecast for Morocco on Wednesday and Thursday

Thundershowers, accompanied by hail and gusty winds, are forecast for Wednesday and Thursday in several Moroccan provinces, according to the Directorate General of Meteorology (DGM). The DGM issued a «red» alert for the Figuig province, predicting showers of 70-90 millimeters from Wednesday 1 PM to Thursday 3 AM. An «orange» alert was issued for the provinces of Jerada, Boulemane, Midelt, Errachidia (50-70 mm), Oujda-Angad, and Taourirt (30-50 mm), anticipating similar

China confirms it does not recognize the Polisario’s «republic»

A week after Beijing hosted the China-Africa Summit, which excluded the Polisario Front despite Algerian pressure, China reaffirmed its non-recognition of the separatist front's «republic». «Fifty-three out of 54 African countries and the African Union participated in the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation», Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Li Jian stated in a tweet. The African Union has 54 member states, including the Polisario Front, which joined the

Family urges repatriation of Peruvian father after Morocco flood tragedy

Manuel Alejandro Chegne Tiburcio, a Peruvian mine worker, is one of the 18 identified victims of the recent floods in Morocco. His family in Peru has issued a public plea through local media to expedite the repatriation of his remains and allow for a dignified Christian funeral. A 56-year-old father, Chegne had been working for FTE Drilling in Morocco since last March. He was tragically swept away by a landslide on Sunday while trying to escape from his truck. According to RPP Rotafono,

UN Human Rights chief ignores Polisario again

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, once again ignored the positions of the Polisario during the opening of the 57th ordinary session of the Human Rights Council, being held from September 9 to October 11 in Geneva. Instead, the Austrian focused his speech on restrictions on the exercise of freedom of expression in countries such as Azerbaijan, Mali, Uganda, Venezuela, Tunisia, Nicaragua, Vietnam, and China. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Folklorissimo festival to celebrate 60 years of Moroccan-Belgian ties

This September, Brussels will host the Folklorissimo festival, highlighting the longstanding connections between Morocco and Belgium. The event marks the 60th anniversary of bilateral agreements that brought Moroccan workers to Belgium, as reported by the Belgian newspaper Bruzz. According to the festival organizers, Folklorissimo will take place on September 21 and 22, 2024. The highlight of the celebration will be a grand procession on Sunday, coinciding with Brussels' Car-Free Sunday. This

Agriculture Minister announces emergency plan to address flood damage in Morocco

The Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fishing, Rural Development, and Water and Forests, Mohammed Sadiki, visited Ouarzazate province to assess the impact of recent torrential rainfall on agriculture and infrastructure. He announced an Emergency Action Program to mitigate the damage. Accompanied by local officials, the Minister visited the Oum Rman site to assess the damage caused by flooding, which affected hydraulic infrastructure and fruit trees. Based on a preliminary assessment, the

Morocco’s water reserves boosted by recent heavy rains

The hydraulic situation in Morocco has improved since August 22, with all dams reaching a filling rate of 27.9% as of September 10, compared to 26.7% on the same date last year, according to the Ministry of Equipment and Water. The very heavy rains and thunderstorms experienced by the country have significantly improved the situation at certain dams, the Ministry explained in a press release, adding that six of the country's ten hydraulic basins have seen improvement. According to the same

The Polisario embarrassed by its exclusions from summits with Indonesia and China

Brahim Ghali, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, chaired a meeting of the permanent office of the General Secretariat on Sunday following his return from a visit to East Timor. In a statement, the body welcomed the «SADR's participation in the Africa-Japan Summit», held in Tokyo from August 23 to 25. The Polisario even praised the «significant achievements obtained by the Sahrawi cause» during this event and acknowledged «the efforts of sister

Spanish opposition demands aid for Sahrawi refugees

In Spain, the People's Party (PP, opposition) is demanding that the Sánchez government allocate an «extraordinary fund» to assist Sahrawi refugees facing a food emergency in the Tindouf camps in Algeria, report Iberian media. The PP is urging the government to include an article in the upcoming finance bill to guarantee food and basic products for approximately 180,000 Sahrawi refugees. The group of PP deputies justified their proposal due to a 30% reduction in emergency