First Independent Mena Newspaper
FIFA has apologized for how it handled its proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise project, confirming the initiative has been withdrawn at an emergency meeting held in Rabat on Wednesday, the football governing body said in a statement, in an episode that briefly rattled relations between FIFA’s leadership and its member associations. The statement, released after the […]
A visit by a senior Moroccan delegation to the US National Archives in Washington last April has brought renewed attention to the documentary record behind the 1786 Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Morocco and the United States, according to Medias24, which examined the holdings identified by the archive. The April visit, led by Minister […]
Lifelong singlehood is rising sharply in Morocco, with more than one in ten women remaining unmarried by age 50, according to the High Commission for Planning’s latest social indicators. The rate of permanent celibacy at 50 reached 12.4% among women and 9.7% among men in 2024. Three decades earlier the figures were just 0.8% and […]
Morocco’s government is targeting economic growth of 4.1% and a budget deficit of 3% of gross domestic product in 2027 as it seeks to balance major infrastructure and social spending programs with fiscal discipline ahead of legislative elections, according to budget guidelines issued by Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch. The assumptions are outlined in a circular, […]
Morocco scored 70 points in the 2026 Trade Freedom Index, up from 67 a year earlier, placing the kingdom 93rd out of 175 economies worldwide and exactly at the global average, according to the index published by The Global Economy using data from the Heritage Foundation. Singapore topped the ranking with 95 points. The index […]
The ministerial meeting on supporting Al-Quds and its holy sites, held on Wednesday in Amman in the presence of ministers from several Arab and Islamic countries, emphasized the importance of the role played by Al-Quds Committee, chaired by King Mohammed VI, and Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency, the executive arm of Al-Quds Committee. The communiqué […]
Mauritania’s unemployment rate increased to 13.12% in the fourth quarter of 2025, up from 12.29% during the same period in 2024, according to the Central Bank’s annual report for 2025. The report also showed a decline in the employment rate, which fell to 43.45% from 44.37% a year earlier, with the services sector remaining the […]
Libya’s House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh received the country’s final state accounts from the Head of the Administrative Control Authority, Abdullah Qaderbouh. The meeting, held in Al-Qubbah on Wednesday, August 5, focused on strengthening oversight mechanisms, improving institutional performance and enhancing transparency in the management of public resources. According to the Speaker’s Media Centre, […]
For decades, launching an innovative business in Morocco meant being in Casablanca, Rabat or Marrakech, where investors and major clients were concentrated. That model is starting to shift, according to Ali Kettani, an investment banker specializing in startup and SME financing across Morocco and Africa, who argues artificial intelligence and digital tools are opening new […]
The FIFA Management Board has reaffirmed full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations. The supportive standing was made during an emergency crisis meeting convened Wednesday in Rabat, Morocco. In turn, the FIFA President reiterated his full support for the FIFA Secretary General and the […]