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Morocco: Toxic alcohol kills 19 in Ksar El Kebir
At least 19 people have died and dozens of others were hospitalised after consuming toxic alcohol from a roadside kiosk in northern Morocco, local media reported Wednesday. Police arrested a 48-year-old suspect in connection with the incident, the Directorate General...
Morocco: Death of a girl ignites debate over abortion rights in Morocco
Dozens of feminist activists demonstrated Wednesday in Morocco's capital, calling for legalised abortions after a teenage girl died following a clandestine procedure, AFP reporters said. Protesters gathered outside the parliament, some holding placards denouncing the...
Economy: Morocco’s central bank ups interest rates to slowdown surge in inflation
Morocco's central bank on Tuesday raised interest rates by 50 basis points to 2.0 percent in an effort to slow down a surge in inflation. The Bank Al-Magrib (BAM), after a board meeting, said the economy remains "deeply marked by the aftermath of the (coronavirus)...
Algeria officially invites Morocco’s King Mohammed VI to Arab summit
Morocco said Algeria on Tuesday invited its King Mohammed VI to attend an Arab League summit in Algiers in November, at a time of tensions between the North African neighbours. The foreign ministry in Rabat said visiting Algerian Justice Minister Abderrachid Tabi had...
Moroccan man who fought against Russia expresses sympathy with Ukrainian people
A Moroccan prisoner of war released as part of an exchange between Moscow and Kyiv said he wanted to draw attention to the "struggle" of Ukraine as he returned home Saturday. "I'm happy to come home after going through very difficult times," said Brahim Saadoun, 21,...
Morocco: Dozen undocumented Sudanese migrants get 3 years in Moroccan prison
A Moroccan appeals court has sentenced 12 Sudanese migrants to three years in jail over violence in the run-up to a June 24 border tragedy in which two dozen migrants died, a rights group said Friday. Around 2,000 people, many of them Sudanese, stormed the frontier on...
Moroccan court sentences French narcotrafficker Sofiane Hambli to 20 years in prison
A Moroccan court has sentenced a French drug boss to 20 years in prison on a string of narcotics charges, a court official said Friday. Sofiane Hambli had skipped bail in France in March last year while on trial over an alleged cannabis shipment, but he was...
Podcast: Algeria-Morocco rivalry intensifies, with no end in sight
The escalating rivalry between Algeria and Morocco has had a destabilizing effect on the Maghreb region of North Africa. In fact, the entire western Mediterranean region is feeling the impact of the two countries’ strange competitive postures. Instead of cooperating...
How the Western Sahara conflict has become a thorny issue for a neutral Tunisia ($)
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Morocco punishes government critic Saida El Alami with an extra year in her two-year prison term
A Moroccan appeals court on Wednesday extended by another year the prison sentence of an activist tried for criticising government officials on social media, her lawyer said. Saida El Alami, 48, a vocal human rights activist with regular online presence until her...
Energy: Morocco and Nigeria sign MoU for a gas pipeline
A memorandum of understanding was signed Thursday for the development of a project to pump gas from Nigeria to Morocco via West Africa and then to Europe, the parties said. The agreement to go ahead with the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project was inked in Rabat by...
Western Sahara: Diplomatic battle over the Western Sahara continues with rumors of Kenya dropping support to independence movement
There was confusion on Wednesday over whether Nairobi had cut ties with the contested Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in Western Sahara after Kenya's new president announced the break but then deleted his tweet. Earlier in the day, Ruto said on Twitter after...
Morocco: Israel’s ambassador to Morocco defends himself against “smear campaign” in alleged sexual misconduct
Israel's ambassador to Morocco, who was recalled last week amid an investigation that media linked to alleged sexual misconduct, has dismissed the accusations against him as "a smear campaign". A letter from the lawyer representing ambassador David Govrin, obtained by...
Western Sahara: Polisario warns car race against crossing in the disputed territory
Western Sahara independence movement the Polisario Front has warned organisers of the Africa Eco Race not to pass through the territory disputed with Morocco, describing it as a "war zone". The organisers had announced the October 15-30 auto rally would cross through...
Israel and Morocco face public relations problem in Morocco after Israeli envoy recalled over sex abuse allegations
Dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested outside Morocco's parliament Friday against the kingdom's normalisation of ties with Israel after the Jewish state recalled its top envoy from Rabat amid a probe, AFP correspondents said. Around 100 people chanted...
Western Sahara conflict worsens regional diplomatic relations, amplifies instability
By Paul Raymond A bitter showdown between Morocco and its arch-rival Algeria over the disputed Western Sahara territory is causing diplomatic rifts with other nations and even risks sparking a full-blown conflict, analysts say. "We're seeing a diplomatic war, where...
Morocco: Israel recalls Morocco envoy amid sexual misconduct allegations
Israel has recalled its top envoy to Morocco amid an internal investigation, a diplomatic source told AFP Thursday, amid media reports that it was tied to allegations of sexual misconduct. Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported Monday that a foreign ministry...
Morocco reacts to deepening social crises with ineffective minimum wage increase ($)
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Western Sahara: UN envoy holds talks with Polisario chief in Algeria
The UN's Western Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura met Sunday with the leader of the Polisario independence movement leader in Tindouf, Algeria, as part of a regional tour, Algeria's state news agency said. The discussions with Polisario chief Brahim Ghali took place...
Western Sahara: Tit-for-tat diplomatic row erupts between Morocco and Tunisia
Tunisia announced Saturday the recall of its ambassador to Morocco for consultations, a day after the kingdom did the same in response to Tunisia's president hosting the Polisario movement's leader. The Polisario wants an independent state in the Western Sahara, a...
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