First Independent Mena Newspaper
The silent diplomatic row between Morocco and Spain over Ceuta and Melilla may worsen as the Spanish Defense Ministry considers deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to patrol the borders of the exclaves in northern Morocco. Enlisting airborne surveillance at Spain’s land borders with Morocco aims at reducing the numbers of Spain’s border guards, reports Spanish news […]
The Moroccan government released its GDP growth forecasts for 2018, which expects the economy to grow by 3.2% down from 4.8% this year. The Head of the Government office said in a statement that the forecasted rate is higher than the one announced by the government’s statistics agency (HCP), which said that Morocco’s economy will […]
UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced Wednesday the appointment of Horst Köhler, former President of Germany, as his Personal Envoy for the Sahara. Mr. Köhler brings more than 35 years of experience in government and international organizations, including as President of the Federal Republic of Germany (2004-2010), said the UN spokesman in a statement. He served […]
The African Union called on Morocco to bring logistical support for the Sahel G5 anti-terrorism force in the wake of the terrorist attack on a restaurant in Burkina Faso leaving 20 dead. The African Union Chairman, President of Guinea Alpha Condé called on Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria and South Africa to offer logistical support to […]
A diplomatic frost is silently developing between Rabat and Madrid, after Spanish media spoke of an upcoming visit by the Queen of Spain to the enclave of Ceuta on September 9. The Spanish-occupied city of Ceuta is yet again at the heart of a new row after Morocco protested in 2007 against a visit by […]
Morocco rejected the accusations by Reporters without Borders (RSF) on press freedom in the Rif region, saying that allegations concerning obstacles to reporters are “biased, unfounded and lacking in credibility and proof.” This came in a statement by the Culture and Communication Ministry in charge of accrediting national and international reporters in the country after […]
In their quest to reach the European Eldorado, migrants are increasingly shunning the Libyan routes for security reasons in favor of the closer and less risky Moroccan-Spanish land and sea borders. Deaths in sea embarkations, almost impenetrable six-meter high fence and heavily patrolled land borders on the Moroccan and Spanish sides seem not dissuading thousands […]
McDonal’s has opened its first restaurant in the largest city in the Southern Provinces, Laayoune, on a surface area of 1,137 square meters. The restaurant lies at the heart of the city adjacent to the Dcheira Battle square and employs 200 people in direct and indirect jobs. The project is the fruit of the investment […]
The city of Marrakech is undertaking a pioneering experience at the national level by introducing electrical busses to replace diesel ones in a bid to reduce pollution, noise and enhance urban transportation. After a delay of a year in launching the E-busses, tests are ongoing with the goal of officially operating the busses by the […]
One year after it lifted visa requirements for Chinese nationals, Morocco is steadily tapping into the Chinese tourist market with arrivals by July 2017 rising to 50,000 compared to 10,000 in the whole year of 2015. Soon after the visa exemption decision was taken during King Mohammed VI’s visit to Beijing, the number of Chinese […]