Maroc Telecoms Posts Poor Year-End Accounts

Maroc Telecom’s (Maroc) revenues sagged 3.2 percent in 2012 to MAD 29.85 billion ($3.5 billion), battered by mobile price cuts at its home market, Morocco’s biggest telecoms company said on Thursday. But group customer base rose by 13.5 percent over 2012 to 33 million customers, led by the international customer base, up 30 percent to 13.1 million customers. The telecoms operator – which is 53 percent owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA and 30 percent owned by the Moroccan government –...

Read More

Soultana: ‘The Voice of Women’ Raps in Morocco

Soultana and her band won Morocco’s biggest amateur music competition a few years back and promptly became the most recognized female rap group in Africa. Soultana’s hit single “The Voice of Women” is her anthem. “She gave him money, love and life,” Soultana raps. “He gave her lies and violence. This is the Moroccan woman. This is one of a million.” Soultana raps about the challenges facing women in this North African country: illiteracy, poverty, domestic violence, and daily harassment on...

Read More

Two years too long – repression of protests must end

Two years after thousands of people took to the streets of Rabat, Casablanca and other cities in Morocco calling for reform, repression of protests in Morocco remains routine, said Amnesty International. To this day, dozens of activists affiliated with the 20 February movement are reported to be detained for peacefully expressing their views. Some have said they were tortured and ill-treated in custody. The 20 February movement, which was formed in the wave of popular uprisings in the Middle...

Read More

On the Road to a More Progressive Morocco

I just returned from a trip to Morocco sponsored by the State Department and Legacy International. No, this is not a travelogue. And I didn't ride on camels or play tourist. My Republican colleague, Rich Galen and I met with political leaders, new women members of parliament, young activists and social service organizers. We had a wonderful dinner with Sam and Sylvia Kaplan at the ambassador's residence in Rabat and met with embassy staff and the Consul General in Casablanca. We met with business...

Read More

European Film Festival comes back to Morocco

Morocco will host the 22nd edition of the European Film Weeks from 4 to 12 March in Rabat and from 6 to 14 March in Casablanca, with 8 European art films. The event will open with 'Reality', by Italian director Matteo Garrone (Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012). According to the Enpi website (www.enpi-info.eu), by choosing to show demanding, personal and high-quality movies, the European Film Weeks have imposed themselves over the years as an event with a rigorous editorial line,...

Read More

South Korea and Morocco cooperate on thin-film solar research

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Morocco’s Research Institute of Solar Energy and New Energy (IRESEN) have announced a collaboration on thin-film research. Managed by Morocco’s Ministry of Energy Mines, Water and Environment, Korea will send academics to Morocco to train researchers and engineers in order to complete IRESEN’s goal of setting up a national research, development and innovation laboratory for thin-film technology. The research centre will be located in Benguerir,...

Read More

Azerbaijan to implement charter flight to Morocco

In connection with Novruz Holiday, Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) will implement charter flights to Morocco’s Agadir city. The charter flight will be implemented to Agadir on March 18 and in the opposite direction –on March 25: “Minimum price of tour package is AZN 1,350. The tour package includes ticket, one-week accommodation, transfer from airport to hotel and in the opposite direction, insurance and vise fee”. |apa....

Read More

Meteorites slam into Russia

A meteor streaked across the sky above Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday morning, causing sharp explosions and injuring more than 500 people, many of them hurt by broken glass. Fragments of the meteor fell in a thinly populated area of the Chelyabinsk region, the Emergency Ministry said in a statement. About 6,000 square feet of a roof at a zinc factory collapsed, but it was unclear whether that was caused by meteor fragments impacting the building, or by a shock wave from a nearby impact. "There...

Read More

We're not the Brotherhood: Morocco's Islamist PM

Morocco's Islamist premier, Abdelilah Benkirane, denied links with the Muslim Brotherhood, Arab press reported on Tuesday. Benkirane, head of the ruling Islamist Justice and Development party, emphasised that Islamist movements have "their own political thought". "People voted for us as a political party as Moroccans are Muslims by nature; the government does not plan to Islamise society or interfere in people's personal lives," he said. Benkirane expressed firm rejection of the so-called...

Read More

Morocco: can the amended law change the society?

Moroccan society was shattered by the shocking suicide of 16-year-old Amina Filali, who was raped by a criminal and then forced to marry her rapist. Rights activists, feminists and bloggers have launched a campaign to sign an online petition addressed to the government demanding that the Criminal Code be amended to prevent rapists' escape from punishment if they marry their victim. A Facebook account was set up called We Are All Amina Filali. The internet is filled with outrage on the subject....

Read More

Louvre to run Ryad Mogador hotel chain in Morocco

Louvre Hotels Group has signed a partnership agreement with Ynna Holding to rebrand 12 Ryad Mogador hotels, totalling 3000 rooms, as "Mogador Hotels by" Tulip Inn, Golden Tulip or Royal Tulip depending on the type of property. The agreement, running for a renewable eight-year period, covers the management, operation and marketing of the Ryad Mogador Hotels chain and will reportedly make Louvre Hotels Group one of the largest hotel groups in Morocco with nearly 4600 rooms open and 1600 rooms...

Read More

Morocco Boasts 'Spiritual Diversity' at Synagogue Renewal

King Mohammed hailed the "spiritual wealth and diversity" of Morocco at a ceremony on Wednesday to mark the end of the restoration of a 17th century synagogue in the city of Fez. The ceremony was held in the medina, old city of Fez, a UNESCO world heritage site, before more than 200 people including the country's Islamist prime minister and German parliament speaker Norbert Lammert, whose country part-financed the work. The two-year restoration of Slat Alfassiyine synagogue bore "eloquent...

Read More

“Soul of Morocco”, a new album by the Moroccan singer Oum

The Moroccan Sahrawi singer Oum announced the release of her new album entitled “Soul of Morocco” in France. With the variety of music styles incorporated in her new album, including Hassany langauge, African beats, Jazz, Soul, Amazigh and Sufi music, Oum sung all her songs in Moroccan dialect with delicateness and artistic talent. Produced by Lof Music and recorded at the famous Parisian studio Davout, the Moroccan singer with her bewitching voice will release her new third album entitled...

Read More

Moroccan Councillor undresses after debate with the prime minister

The Moroccan Councillor Idriss Radi from the Constitutional Union Party, undressed Tuesday Feb 12,2013 at the upper house of the Parliament of Morocco ''House of Councillors'', to Protest against the prime minster Abdelilah Benkiran who described him as a ''Corrupt person'....

Read More

Goodbye Morocco: The Movie

Inspired by real events, this multi-layered suspense thriller is part murder mystery, part film noir and part dysfunctional love triangle. Set in contemporary Tangiers and Casablanca, it subtly interweaves a broad cast of characters from different ethnic, cultural and class backgrounds. Written and directed by the French-Algerian Nadir Moknèche, this Franco-Belgian co-production earned a special mention from the jury following its world premiere at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival earlier this...

Read More

Moody's changes outlook on Morocco's Ba1 rating from stable to negative

Moody's Investors Service has changed the outlook on Morocco's Ba1 government bond rating to negative from stable. The Ba1 rating itself remains unchanged. The key drivers of the decision to change the outlook to negative are as follows: The significant deterioration in the government's fiscal metrics, as reflected in rising budget deficits since 2011. This is due to the country's decision to increase public-sector wages and let the subsidy bill rise in response to rising oil prices so as...

Read More

Morocco to host next Nations Cup in 2015

MOROCCO accepted a symbolic flag from South Africa to signify the handover of the hosting of the African Nations Cup, but with two years to go there are few details of their plans for the 2015 tournament. Officials have confirmed they will use four venues and are considering choosing to play outside both the capital Rabat and the main commercial centre Casablanca. Morocco, like South Africa, has no infrastructure issues, with its stadiums ready built. The North African country continued to...

Read More

Morocco oil explorers could see step up in farm-outs and possibly M&A - Citi

Morocco’s emerging oil industry could see a step-up in corporate activity, according to investment banking heavyweight Citi. In a note today Citi said it sees the potential for an increase in farm-outs with new entrants buying interests in projects and possibly in smaller companies as well. Analyst Michael Alsford describes Morocco as an ‘under-explored hydrocarbon province’ and he says it offers ‘high-impact exploration opportunities across multiple play-types’. Additionally he points out...

Read More

Ten Documentary Projects Selected For DOCmed 2013 in Morocco and Neighbours

DOCmed is a workshop for documentary filmmakers, now in its 3rd year. The program's goal is to assist producers and director-producers from Arabic-speaking countries in the South Mediterranean region, to develop their documentary projects, with aim towards putting each project in a position to attract international co-production/financing. DOCmed holds sessions in documentary production, creation, financing, and exploiting latest technologies. This year, 10 projects from Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia,...

Read More

Morocco’s Eminent Return to the African Union Should be A Priority

Morocco was one of the first African states that have contributed to the establishment of the Organization of African Unity. However Morocco pulled out of the then Organization of African Unity in 1984 to protest against the admission of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic within the continental body. Since then, there have been increasing calls for Morocco to return to its natural place in the Union. Recently a group of African intellectuals issued a communiqué urgin Morocco to reconsider...

Read More

Bombardier Starts Production in Morocco

Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier has started production of its components in Morocco at a temporary facility without waiting for the completion of construction works of its principal plant. Hence, the first Bombardier components made in Morocco started coming out from the transitional manufacturing site operating with a small local group of aircraft assemblers trained at the nearby Institut des Métiers de l’Aéronautique (IMA). “This is a very exciting milestone for us as we start to...

Read More

Air France sued after pilot ‘insults’ king of Morocco

A group of Moroccan passengers are taking Air France to court after a pilot joked that 'His Majesty the King of Morocco' was delaying their flight from Casablanca. An Air France pilot has landed the company in hot water after joking about the king of Morocco while waiting to take off at Casablanca airport. Passengers complained after the pilot announced that the presence of the king’s personal jet on the runway was delaying the flight. “The control tower won’t let me take off until 'His Majesty...

Read More

Pope Benedict XVI To Resign at End of Month

Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he would resign on Feb. 28 because he was simply too infirm to carry on — the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years. The decision sets the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope before the end of March. The 85-year-old pope announced his decision in Latin during a meeting of Vatican cardinals on Monday morning. He emphasized that carrying out the duties of being pope — the leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics worldwide — requires “both...

Read More

GDF Suez to build Africa's largest wind park in Morocco

French utility GDF Suez has announced the construction of the 300MW Tarfaya wind farm in Morocco, which will be the largest wind project in Africa. The project is owned in partnership with Nareva Holding, a Moroccan energy company. The Tarfaya plant has been contracted to supply electricity to the Moroccan state utility Office National de l’Electricité et de l’Eau Potable (ONEE) under a 20-year long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) on a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis. Full...

Read More

Rihanna to perform at Mawazine Festival in Rabat, Morocco

Mawazine Festival’s has confirmed that Rihanna will perform at this year’s festival as part of her Diamonds World Tour. The festival will take place in Rabat and Rihanna will be the main attraction of the opening night, on May 24. ''The Morocco Culture Association is pleased to announce that the singer Rihanna will perform at the 12th annual Mawazine Festival, Rhythms of the World. Rihanna will perform on Friday, May 24, 2013 on the stage of the OLM Souissi in Rabat. Each year in May, this...

Read More

Les Chevaux De Dieu Revisits Casablanca Attacks

A new film by acclaimed Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch shows how fundamentalism can corrupt the minds of young people. "Les Chevaux de Dieu" ("The Horses of God") by Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch presents a compelling story about how shantytown boys become terrorists. In making the film, Ayouch returned to the Casablanca slum of Sidi Moumen and met with residents and community organisations, the director told a press conference that coincided with a film screening in Casablanca on January...

Read More

Why Morocco Holds Mixed Fortunes for Investors

The uprisings of the Arab World reshuffled the political landscape in North Africa, toppling dictators in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. But Morocco is one country that has been able to resist the wave of revolutions, and holds mixed fortunes for foreign investors. "The jury is still out as to whether Morocco can remain fully insulated from what's going on in neighboring North African countries and more recently Mali, which has increased the political and social risk of all of North Africa," Slim...

Read More

Fisheries negotiations with Morocco on track

The head of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Magrama), Miguel Arias Cañete, expressed having "the impression" that Morocco and the European Union (EU) "may soon reach an agreement”. The Spanish minister said during an interview with Onda Cero that many vessels of Andalusia, the Canary Islands and Galicia are now "at a standstill", so the resumption of fishing "can come in handy" to Spain. "Morocco has superb relations with Spain at this time," said the minister. The...

Read More

Spectrami expands and sets up new base in Morocco

Spectrami, the leading value added distributor in the MENA region announced the opening of its new office in Morocco as part of its expansion strategy in the region. The new office is based in Casablanca and will serve the fast growing market for technology products and solutions in North Africa, which according to several independent reports is estimated well above $4bn. "The Morocco operations for Spectrami are led by a team of senior IT professionals who brings with them decades of relevant...

Read More

Skyfall

Skyfall is the twenty-third James Bond film produced by Eon Productions. It was distributed by MGM and Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2012. It features Daniel Craig's third performance as James Bond, and Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the film's antagonist. The film was directed by Sam Mendes and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. The film centres on Bond investigating an attack on MI6; the attack is part of a plot by former MI6 operative Raoul Silva to humiliate, discredit and...

Read More

Morocco Islamists Warn of Unrest

Morocco likes to project itself as unique in the Middle East in finding a third way between revolution and repression amid the uprisings of the Arab Spring. The nation's largest opposition Islamist group is challenging that view. In an interview with The Associated Press, Fathallah Arsalane, political leader of Al Adl wal Ihsan, or the Justice and Charity movement, warned that Morocco is at serious risk of a popular revolt if the state doesn't recognize the demands of the Arab Spring and implement...

Read More

Body found under parking lot is King Richard III, scientists prove

DNA tests have confirmed that human remains found buried beneath an English car park are those of the country's King Richard III. British scientists announced Monday they are convinced "beyond reasonable doubt" that a skeleton found during an archaeological dig in Leicester, central England, last August is that of the former king, who was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Mitochondrial DNA extracted from the bones was matched to Michael Ibsen, a Canadian cabinetmaker and direct...

Read More

IMF gives thumbs up to Morocco's economic strategy

The International Monetary Fund said on Monday it had completed the first assessment of Morocco's economic program under a two-year precautionary credit line, indicating the country had met all the performance criteria of its $6.2 billion loan. Nemat Shafik, the IMF's deputy managing director, said the Moroccan authorities' economic strategy was "built appropriately on fiscal consolidation, structural reforms and prudent monetary and financial policies." But the IMF urged the government to move...

Read More

Jailed Moroccan rapper ‘on hunger strike’ #Feb20

Moroccan rapper Mouad Belghouat, jailed in July for defaming the police, has begun a hunger strike in protest at the conditions of his detention, several friends said on Monday in claims denied by the prison. “He decided to begin a hunger strike on Monday after a series of provocations and in the absence of a response to his demands to meet the prison director as well as a doctor, as he feels physically weak,” Maria Karim, a close friend and activist with the February 20 protest movement told...

Read More

Only Couples Allowed To enter #MoroccoMall

Morocco Mall has made a New Rule that Forbid Young Moroccan Between 18 and 25 to enter without a Partner to The Biggest Commercial Center in Africa without any explanation. Saturday Feb 2, 2013 the mall received more visitors, but the Security was clear: "Guys, come back and bring a girl to enter'...

Read More

Songs for the Atlas Lions of Morocco

Despite high hopes, Morocco’s Atlas Lions crashed out of Afcon 2013, but that didn’t prevent young Moroccans from bumpin’ and groovin’ to radio pop. First up is the internationally renowned and veteran Algerian crooner, Khaled, known for hits like “Aicha” and “Didi.” In late 2012, Khlaed released a new album with a new single, “Hiya Hiya,” which features American rapper/songwriter Pit Bull. Then’s there’s Rihanna’s “Diamonds.” We sure hoped that our national team would “shine bright like...

Read More

Morocco OFPPT Picks Microsoft Suite

Morocco's Office of Vocational Training and Employment Promotion (OFPPT) has chosen the world's largest software maker Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) for deploying vocational education across 35 fields of study through its 327 training institutes across the African nation. Morocco's OFPPT opted for Microsoft Office 365 software to improve its education and vocational training offerings provided to students in the country. The OFPPT will create 100 new Microsoft IT Academies throughout the country....

Read More

Remnants of Abandoned Star Wars Sets in Morocco and Tunisia Reminiscent of Ancient Ruins

Italian, New York-based photographer Rä di Martino rouses the Star Wars fan in all of us in Every World’s A Stage, a series of photos of the abandoned Hollywood sets constructed for the epic George Lucas film. Martino spent over a year traveling throughout the desert towns of Morocco and Tunisia, exploring these massive structures that stand almost like ancient ruins. Martino found the juxtaposition of these cinematic byproducts with the actual ruins existing in these towns quite fascinating—and...

Read More

After Girl's Death, Morocco Will Change Rape Laws

Last spring, a 16 year old Moroccan girl named Amina Filali killed herself after being forced to marry the man who raped her. In the Kingdom of Morocco, as in many Arab countries, rapists can often escape jail if they agree to marry their victim. Amina killed herself after her husband-rapist beat her. Amina’s parents later claimed that upon notifying the court of their daughter’s rape, the prosecutor himself suggested the young girl marry her attacker. Amina’s suicide drew widespread attention,...

Read More

Morocco’s ‘Little Switzerland’ hosts snow festival

Known as ‘Little Switzerland’, the Moroccan town of Ifrane is high up in the Atlas Mountains. Built by the French in a European style, the town was once a summer resort for colonial families and has long been a popular winter destination for ski-lovers. This year, the local authorities decided to hold the town’s first ever snow festival in a bid to widen the resort’s appeal and attract larger numbers of tourists. “This festival has many objectives for the local population in the fields of...

Read More