News Flash

USA : A Moroccan national shot dead in Houston

A 23-year-old Moroccan national was qhot dead in Houston, Texas, said Hespress on Friday. The Marrakech native, identified as Saber Zaari, moved to the United States two years ago after applying for the Green Card Lottery, according to his brother Youssef Zaari. «Saber was a young man full of live. We spoke to him just before he left for work, around 5 pm», he said. The circumstances surrounding the murder have not been revealed yet. The US online newspaper ABC 13 said that two

After the Amir Peretz’ crisis, PJD MPs attend the Inter-Parliamentary Union with their Israeli counterparts

After protesting against inviting the former Israeli Defense Minister to the Moroccan parliament, a number of PJD MPs are taking part in the 137th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union which is held from the 14th to the 18th of October in St. Petersburg, Russia. A communiqué issued by the presidency of the Upper House revealed that two members of the PJD are traveling to Russia, namely: MP Abdelaziz El Omari (former Minister of Relations with the Parliament during the Benkirane

Standard & Poor's credit rating : Morocco stands at BBB- with stable outlook

Standard & Poor’s, an American financial services company and one of the Big three credit-rating agencies, confirmed on the 6th of October that Morocco stands indeed at BBB- with stable outlook, as reported on Sunday by Le Point Afrique. The information was first announced in August by the Moroccan Minister of Economy and Finance, Mohamed Boussaid. Morocco’s outlook is supposed to be stable for the two upcoming years while the GDP is expected to reach 4.5 % in 2017. According

Morocco to host the 5th edition of CHAN 2018

The African Football Confederation (CAF) announced on Saturday in Morocco that it would organize the 5th edition of the African Championship of local football players (CHAN) scheduled from January 12 to February 4, 2018, said on Sunday the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF). The CAF has chosen Morocco because of its «infrastructure, sports complexes, training stadiums, hotel units, hospitals and means of transportation,» said the FRMF in a statement. The Moroccan file was

Boxing : Ahmed El Mousaoui defeats his Mexican opponent Carlos Molina

The Moroccan boxer, Ahmed El Mousaoui won his fight against Carlos Molina, a Mexican professional boxer in the Light Middleweight division and a former IBF Champion, on Saturday evening at Zénith Paris, reports his manager via a statement sent to Yabiladi. A deserved victory after a 10-round confrontation, widely against the 34-year-old veteran, 25th in the world. «Ahmed El Mousaoui unveiled his intentions in the first rounds and was able to impose his rhythm, with precise

Muslim tombs vandalized in a cemetery in Switzerland

Muslim graves in the Bois de Vaux cemetery in Lausanne, a city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland were vandalized on Friday night according to Tribune de Geneve. A man who visits the Muslim square every Saturday has discovered the act of vandalism. «On my way and on the ground I saw tags saying 'Muslims get out'», the man told the same source which indicated that flowers next to graves were torn and some wooden parts were also destroyed. The Muslim square in Lausanne was

Audrey Azoulay is the new Director General of Unesco

France's Audrey Azoulay was appointed on Friday evening as the new Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) by the Executive Council of the organization which is currently holding its 202nd session in Paris. The candidate from France obtained 30 votes out of the 58 at the Executive Council, against 28 votes for counterpart rival Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari (Qatar). The appointment of Ms. Azoulay to this post should be submitted to the

Global Hunger Index : Morocco maintains the same status reported in 2016

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has published on the 12th edition of the Global Hunger Index (GHI). Morocco is ranked 44th out of 119 countries, between Malaysia (44th) and Thailand (46th), scoring 10,2. On the 11th edition of the GHI, Morocco was ranked 42nd behind Moldova and ahead of Malaysia. It had a score of 9.3 points, considered «low» by the GHI (less than or equal to 9.9 points). The GHI annual report suggests that hunger levels in East and

Rabat : e-Salama, a new program to protect children from the dangers of internet

The program dedicated to protecting children from the dangers of the Internet, dubbed e-salama, was launched on Friday by the Ministry of Family, Solidarity, Equality and Social Development with the help of the European Council. This program aims at structuring the initiatives of actors working in the field of child protection and involving civil society and the private sector. The objective is to create a dynamic cooperation in protecting children from the non-secured use Internet. This

Two new direct flights linking Morocco to Hungary by the end of October

Two new direct flights are created to link Morocco and Hungary starting from October the 30th, the director of the National Tourist Board (ONMT), Abderrafie Zouitene, said on Thursday 12th of October in Rabat. «Starting from October the 30th, two airlines, Ryanair and Wizz air, will launch their direct routes to connect Morocco and Hungary, from Budapest to Marrakech and from Budapest to Agadir», Zouitene said in a press conference after meeting with the Ambassador

The Moroccan ambassador is accredited, according to the Mauritanian government spokesman

Mauritanian government spokesman, Mohamed Lemine Ould Cheikh said on Thursday afternoon in a press conference that the Morocco’s ambassador to Nouakchott was officially accredited. «For the Moroccan ambassador proposed by the Kingdom of Morocco, indeed he had the official accreditation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania», he said during a press briefing. Mohamed Lemine Ould Cheikh added that the diplomatic relations between Rabat and Nouakchott are considered as

King Mohammed VI to preside over the opening of the parliamentary year

King Mohammed VI will preside over on Friday, October 13th «the opening of the parliamentary year», says the Ministry of Royal Household, Protocol and Chancellery in a statement quoted by MAP news agency. «On this occasion, His Majesty the King, God glorify him, will deliver a speech before members of both Houses in the Parliament : the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors. The Royal Speech will be broadcast live on the radio and on television starting from 5

Audrey Azoulay might be the next Unesco director general

Audrey Azoulay, the former French Minister of Culture, arrived at the top and on an equal footing with the Qatari candidate after the third round of electing the next Director-General of the United Nations for Education, Science and Culture (Unesco), reports AFP, the French news agency. Only five candidates are in contention «after the withdrawal on Wednesday of the Vietnamese representative». Audrey Azoulay and the Qataru diplomat Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari have collected

Casablanca : The best junior company in 2017 awarded by Injaz Al-Maghrib

Handy Voice of Rabat was named as the best junior company on Tuesday in Casablanca by Injaz Al-Maghrib, a national competition initiated by Injaz Al-Maghrib, an association that was founded 10 years ago. The winning firm received the best young high school award for creating a mobile application dedicated to help deaf mutes communicate. Meanwhile, Titrite that manufactures tourist monuments miniatures with a multilingual application that tells the story of every building was granted the best

IMF : Morocco's economic growth to reach 4.8% in 2017

Morocco’s economy to grow in 2017 reaching 4.8 compared to 4.4% scored in the last 6 months, said the International Monetary Fund, an organization that fosters global monetary cooperation, secures financial stability, facilitates international trade, promotes high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduces poverty around the world. In its latest biannual report on the world economic outlook published Tuesday in Washington, the Bretton Woods institution has also lowered its

A Moroccan national expelled from Italy for alleged links with Jihadists

The Italian authorities have expelled on Thursday 12th of October, a Moroccan national who is considered as a threat to the internal security of the state, said the Italian Ministry Interior in a statement, reported by EFE news agency. The Moroccan man is suspected of having links with people affiliated to the jihadist movement. The 43-year-old man was repatriated by plane from Milan Malpensa International Airport to Casablanca. According to the Ministry, the Moroccan national for whom an

Maroc Numeric Fund among the 50 Most Active Investors in the Arab World, according to Forbes ME

Forbes Middle East, an American business magazine operating in the Middle East, has issued this month a list that contains the 50 Most Active Investors in the Arab World, including North Africa and the Middle East. The ranking features, Maroc Numeric Fund, the first Moroccan firm specialized in seed, startup and growth capital investments, which was positioned 34th. According to the Magazine, the Moroccan company is a venture capitalist with an estimated investment of USD 5.4 million. It is

Tangier : Siemens Gamesa to inaugurate a wind turbine blade factory in Morocco

Siemens Gamesa, Spanish manufacturing company principally involved in the fabrication of wind turbines and the construction of wind farms, inaugurated on Wednesday, 11th of October, a new factory in Tangier, according to Medias 24. The event was chaired by Moroccan Minister of Industry, Investement, Trade and Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid Elalamy and Markus Tacke, President and CEO of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. The factory will be the first wind turbines manufacturer in Africa and the