First Independent Mena Newspaper
The Algeria-backed Polisario separatists have once again failed to practice their “political piracy” as they did in South Africa last May. Last week, it was in Latin America, precisely in Uruguay, that the Polisario attempted to incite a Uruguayan court to order the seizure of a 300-ton shipment of Moroccan phosphate. But, although Uruguay backs […]
Illicit cigarettes accounted for over 20% of consumption across the Maghreb region in 2016. However successful prevention strategies have resulted in a 24% decline since 2015, said the Amsterdam based professional service and auditing company KPMG in a recent study. The study, dubbed “Illicit Cigarette Trade in the Maghreb Region,” shows the 13 billion smuggled […]
A plan to set up financial incentives to attract more international filmmakers to Morocco was unveiled in Rabat with the aim of tripling investments by foreign producers in the Kingdom. Speaking at a conference, Director General of Morocco’s cinema center (CCM) Sarim Fassi Fihri underscored the plan’s beneficial impact on job creation notably in the […]
Head of the International Organization for Migration William Lacy Swing, who visited Libya this week, said this North African country remains a top priority for the UN agency. Swing, who is accompanied by Vincent Houver, IOM deputy director for Emergencies, Othman Belbeisi, IOM Chief of Mission in Libya and other IOM Libya staff, met with […]
Algeria, Africa’s largest country, shares borders with 6 countries, all of them are closed with the exception of its land frontiers with Tunisia. This closed-border attitude is reflective of a lack of a neighborhood policy in an increasingly integrated continent where collective efforts are the best means to countering trans-border challenges. With Morocco, the borders […]
Head of the Moroccan Government, Saad Eddine El Othmani, announced that a set of measures will be taken to implement the directives laid down in the speech, delivered by King Mohammed VI on the occasion of Throne Day. In the speech, the Monarch lambasted public officials and the civil service for falling short of fulfilling […]
In defiance of the International Criminal Court (ICC) indictment, Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir flew on a private visit to Tangier in northern Morocco where he met King Salman of Saudi Arabia, who is holidaying in the city, media reports said. The Sudanese President was accompanied by a delegation of Ministers and was received at […]
Son of former Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi Thursday indicated that Italy, by deploying warships into Libyan territorial waters, is looking to re-colonize Libya by, repeating the colonization and fascist strategy of the past. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi reportedly said Italy wants to re-colonize Libya as it used to consider Tripoli beaches as Rome’s colony. According to […]
Algerians wishing to study in France have seen conditions to get a visa toughened as the French general consulate in Algiers imposes payment of at least 30 per cent of hotel bookings in advance. Student associations in the North African country have slammed the decision, which they deem discriminatory as the same decision has not […]
Morocco’s spending on cooking gas and sugar subsidies rose sharply to nearly $700 million in the first half of 2017, compared to $481 million in 2016, the subsidy fund, Caisse de Compensation, said. During the first half of 2017, spending on cooking gas increased 70 percent year-on-year from $310 million to $525 million, while spending […]