First Independent Mena Newspaper
The coronavirus pandemic hit the income of many Moroccans with 1.05 million people expected to fall into poverty, the high commission for planning said. Poverty may grow in Morocco to 6.6% of the population this year, said a report co-drafted by the high commission for planning, the World Bank and the UN. Morocco has undertaken […]
As governments around the world are racing to ensure early access to COVID-19 vaccines currently in trials, Morocco does not stand idly by as it is actively working to secure coronavirus vaccines to protect its citizens. Health Minister Khalid Ait Taleb said Monday that the North African Kingdom will take part, along other countries, in […]
Morocco will have to act quickly to respond to the scale of changes in the lives of individuals and in several sectors of its economy, particularly that of the informal sector, recommends a report released Monday August 17. COVID-19 presents a systemic risk creating vulnerabilities, widening inequalities and hindering the achievement of the Sustainable Development […]
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting small businesses in Morocco to withstand the coronavirus pandemic impact with a €40 million loan, approximately 430 million dirham, to CaixaBank’s Morocco branch. The EBRD loan will help CaixaBank to increase much-needed funding for local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to address companies’ needs. In […]
Four Moroccan writers, who previously applied for the Sheikh Zayed book award, announced their withdrawal from the competition in protest over the normalization of diplomatic ties between the UAE and Israel. The Israeli-UAE deal stirred mixed reactions in the region between countries that welcomed the deal such as Egypt, Oman, Bahrain and Mauritania and those […]
Moroccan authorities announced on Monday the seizure of nearly three tons of cannabis in two separate anti-drug operations carried out in the cities of Agadir (southern Atlantic coast) and Nador (North eastern region). In Agadir, two people, aged 37 and 39, were arrested by the local security agents at a road checkpoint .They were on […]
After many neighborhoods were locked down in big cities, Moroccan authorities closed some beaches in Sale near Rabat where vacationers do not abide by protective measures. Tangier beaches also remain closed as the city is one of the most infected by the virus in the country. Tangier together with seven other cities including economic powerhouses […]
The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), an Australian think tank based in Sydney, ranked Morocco as the safest country in Africa in a benchmark index measuring peace in 172 independent states and territories. Morocco was ranked 83rd globally ahead of Tunisia 92nd and Algeria 117 and the sixth in the Arab region where it […]
Following the breakthrough announcement by Abu Dhabi and Israel to normalize ties, the Washington Post said that Morocco is among the MENA region countries that might follow suit along with Oman and Bahrain. The UAE and Israel said on Thursday they will forge a broad new relationship under a deal that US President Donald Trump […]
The European Union (EU) has again called for an accurate assessment of the fate of the European humanitarian aid sent to the Tindouf camps and of the beneficiaries of this aid, in the absence of reliable statistics and an official census of the population held in captivity in Tindouf. In response to an MEP’s question, […]