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

U.S. clothing retailer Gap criticized for releasing a new campaign featuring a little girl in hijab

American clothing retailer Gap released its back-to-school campaign, on July 24th. The ad featured a veiled little girl, which sparked tension on social media, reports TV channel LCI. The little girl was wearing a blue scarf in the campaign released in the United States and published on the brand’s Twitter account and website. LCI said, however, that it is impossible to purchase the same veil on the brand’s website. «We're a company that makes clothes. We're also a

Two Moroccans arrested in Spain for sexually assaulting a British tourist

Two young Moroccan nationals were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a British tourist in the seaside resort of Playa de las Américas, located on the island of Tenerife in the archipelago of Canaries, police sources told Spanish news agency Europa Press. One of the two young men is in an irregular situation. The victim first met one of the two suspects on Saturday 4th, and went out with him the next day to a nightclub; he then came with a friend. During the evening, the

A Moroccan woman allegedly raped by a 40-year-old Emirati man with AIDS

An Emirati man with AIDS has been accused of raping a 24-year-old Moroccan woman in Dubai, UAE, reports online newspaper Khaleej Times on Thursday. The man is standing trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance. The 40-year-old suspect said he was innocent, stressing that he was sick. Indeed, medical examinations report revealed that he has AIDS and other «transmittable diseases», says the same source. During a hearing held in the Emirati court, the victim said she was stalked by

MPs from the UK's Conservative Party annoyed by Boris Johnson’s burka comments

British politician Boris Johnson’s remarks on the full-face veil have angered members of his party. British Prime Minister Theresa May said that the former London mayor and former foreign Minister «has caused offence by saying that Muslim women who wear burkas look like 'letterboxes' or 'bank robbers'», reports the Guardian. «Nobody is allowed to tell a woman how to dress», stressed May, referring to Johnson’s language. Meanwhile, Sayeeda Warsi, member of

Ceuta : A Moroccan national arrested for murder and international drug trafficking

A Moroccan national who has been wanted in the Kingdom for drug trafficking and homicide was arrested on Wednesday, 8th of August, in Ceuta, says Spanish press agency Europa Press. On the run since March, the man carried a fake Spanish ID. He was identified after the Moroccan and Spanish authorities collaborated, exchanging information on his file. A court in Spain decided to extradite the suspect to Morocco, concludes the same source.

Alexandre Benalla is believed to be hired by French reality TV star Ayem Nour

Filmed while beating protesters on May the 1st, Alexandre Benalla continues to make headlines in France. Indeed, Emmanuel Macron's former top bodyguard have reportedly found a new job and is currently in Marrakech.  The information was revealed on an Instagram account dedicated to French reality TV stars. According to TvRealityFr, Alexandre Benalla was hired as Ayem Nour’s bodyguard, a former reality TV star and a TV host, as well as her son. The same source indicates that Ayem

Summer season : Several Ryanair flights canceled and Morocco is affected

Royal Air Maroc is no longer the only airline company affected by a social crisis during the current summer season. 250 Ryanair flights departing and coming from Germany will be canceled on August 10th, the Irish low-cost airline announced on Wednesday. The Irish company had, previously, revealed that 146 of its flights will canceled due to a cabin crew strike on August 10th in Sweden, Belgium and Ireland, reports Le Point. The Belgian media RTBF states that these 104

Mauritanian Foreign Affairs Minister attends a reception on the Throne Day

Mauritania’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed attended a reception hosted last week in Nouakchott by the Moroccan ambassador, to commemorate the day of the King Mohammed VI’s accession to the throne. The Mauritanian senior official was accompanied by several other officials from the ministry. The presence of Ould Cheikh Ahmed at the throne celebration is a turning point in the Moroccan Mauritanian diplomatic relations. Isselkou Ould Ahmed Izidbih, the former

A Canadian politician of Moroccan descent runs for election to help Muslim women

Aziza Dini is a 34-year-old politician who is running for the Quebec’s provincial election, scheduled for October. The Canadian citizen of Moroccan descent, who is a member of the Quebec Green Party (PVQ), is the first veiled woman to stand for election in the French-speaking province. In a recent interview with the Belgian online newspaper La Libre, Dini says she is «proud» to be a veiled female politician in Quebec, stressing that one must «be careful with

A Swiss journalist launches «Swiss Stop Islam Award» to honor Islamophobic personalities

An anti-Islam Swiss free-lance journalist, named Giorgio Ghiringhelli and known as «Il ghiro», has launched the «Swiss Stop Islam Award», to honor personalities fighting against «Islamic colonization» in Switzerland, reports French-language Swiss online newspaper Le Matin. The Islamophobic award is part of a campaign initiated by a Swiss platform known as Tell-Geschoss.ch. «Swiss Stop Islam Award» and as its title suggests, will award every

Importing U.S. poultry is part of a 2006 agreement, says Morocco’s Agriculture Ministry

For Morocco’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, importing American poultry products to the Kingdom is part of the free-trade agreement signed in 2004 and implemented in January 2006, said the department in a statement sent Tuesday to Yabiladi. The Ministry’s explanation comes as the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced, Tuesday, that Rabat will start importing American poultry products for the first time in 2018. In its

Alleged ISIS member arrested in Spain in collaboration with Morocco

The Spanish Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday the arrest in Vitoria (north of Spain), in collaboration with the Moroccan authorities, of an alleged member of ISIS terrorist organization for which he was carrying out tasks related to indoctrination and recruitment. The suspect is a 21-year-old man of Moroccan nationality, said the same source in a statement, adding that he was known for his membership in radical groups with jihadist ideology in Algeciras (South), the city where he

Will Morocco, Spain and Portugal submit a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup ?

The front-page topic of the press conference held in Rabat by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (FREF) was a possible joint bid by Morocco and Spain to host the 2030 World Cup. The main topic of the conference was, however, dedicated to the Spanish Super cup in Tangier, scheduled Sunday, August the 12th. Speaking during the conference, FREF President, Luis Manuel Rubiales told the Spanish news agency EFE : «We will work on everything

The ports of Tarifa and Algeciras linking Spain to Tanger-Med set new traffic record

The ports of Tarifa and Algeciras, linking Spain to Morocco’s Tanger-Med have set new traffic record on Sunday, 5th of August, reports Spanish online newspaper Andalucia Informacion. According to numbers released by the Port Authority of Algeciras, on Sunday 11,000 vehicles and 45,000 passengers entered the Tanger-Med port through the two Spanish ports. In Spain, the Crossing the Strait Operation, was kicked off on the 15th of June to facilitate the crossing of tourists visiting the

UK : Former London mayor Boris Johnson accused of Islamophobia

Former London mayor Boris Johnson has been accused of Islamophobia after saying that Muslim women wearing burkas «look like letter boxes», says the BBC. Although he spoke in a Telegraph column against the full-face veil ban, implemented in Denmark, he described the dress as «absolutely ridiculous». Responding to Johnson’s remarks, the Muslim Council of Britain accused the former foreign minister of «pandering to the far right». The council added

Morocco to start importing American poultry products

Morocco will start importing American poultry products for the first time, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Tuesday, 7th of August, reports Reuters. Morocco expects an initial annual shipment estimated at about $10 million after it lifted the ban on U.S. poultry, implemented due to safety concerns. USTR and USDA worked with the Moroccan government «to provide insurance on the safety of U.S. poultry», says the same

The Polisario and Botswana establish diplomatic ties at ambassadorial level

The Polisario and Botswana signed on Monday, 6th of August, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a joint statement «on the establishment of diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level», reported the Front’s «news agency», SPS. Lamine Baali, the Polisario’s «ambassador» to Ethiopia and the African Union, and Botswana’s ambassador to the continental organization Mmamosadinyana Molefe met in Ethiopia’s capital for the signing of the

Chief Rabbi of Morocco Aharon Monsonego passes away

Chief Rabbi of Morocco Aharon Monsonego passed away, Tuesday 7th of August, in the Shaarei Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem, reports Israeli online newspaper Jerusalem Post. The 90-year-old man’s health condition deteriorated on Monday and was taken to the hospital, where his death was pronounced the following day. Monsonego was head of the Rabbinical Court in Morocco and his father served before him as the Rabbi of Fes, says Kountrass. He met King Mohammed VI in 2008, during the throne day