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Morocco
Two four-story buildings collapsed overnight in the Moroccan city of Fes, killing 19 people in the second fatal collapse there this year, authorities said on Wednesday. Morocco's state news agency reported the two residential buildings housed eight families. Sixteen people were injured in the collapse and sent for treatment at a nearby hospital. Authorities said the neighbourhood had been evacuated and search and rescue efforts were ongoing. It was unclear what caused the collapse or how many people were unaccounted for on Wednesday morning. Fes is Morocco's second-largest city and one of the hosts of this month's Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup. It is best known for its walled city packed with medieval souks and tanneries. But beyond tourism, it's also one of the country's poorest urban centres, where aging infrastructure is common in many neighbourhoods. Another collapse in May killed 10 people and injured seven in a building that had already been slated for ...
Refusing to let the coming wave of fanfare around December's Africa Cup of Nations overshadow their demands, protesters in Morocco urged a boycott of soccer matches at the country's new stadiums. On Saturday, they reiterated previous demands and called for the release of demonstrators arrested during earlier Gen Z 212 protests. After an eight-day pause, hundreds of young demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday as part of an effort to show they remained committed to protesting corruption and subpar healthcare and education. In several cities -- including Casablanca and Tangier -- hundreds of young protesters once again voiced anger at elected officials, demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, who they called corrupt. The protests, smaller in numbers, came eight days after King Mohammed VI in a speech at Morocco's parliament did not address the Gen Z 212 protests directly. He neither touched on their demands to dismiss Akhannouch nor the stadiums being built for
Anti-government demonstrators in Morocco filled the streets for a fifth straight night on Wednesday, as protests over the state of public services descended into deadly violence. Police opened fire at the protesters in a southern town, reportedly in self-defence, killing two people. The deaths in Leqliaa, about 500 kilometres (312 miles) south of the capital of Rabat, were the first fatalities as anger mounts across this North African country over conditions and government spending. Morocco's state news agency, MAP, cited local authorities as saying the two troublemakers were killed by police acting in self-defence. It said those shot were attempting to seize police weapons, though no eyewitnesses could corroborate the report. There were no further details. The demonstrations, organised by a leaderless movement dominated by internet-savvy youth, have taken the country by surprise and emerged as some of Morocco's biggest in years. By midweek, they appeared to be spreading to new ...
India and Morocco on Monday inked an agreement to boost military cooperation following talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Moroccan counterpart Abdeltif Loudiyi. Singh is currently on a visit to Morocco. "Had a very productive meeting with Morocco's Defence Minister Mr. Abdeltif Loudiyi and we signed an MoU on cooperation in field of defence," he said on 'X'. The MoU will provide for an institutional framework to expand and deepen bilateral defence engagement, including exchanges, training, and industrial linkages, officials said. "India's ties with Morocco are growing remarkably over the years. We discussed ways to deepen collaboration in key areas, including counter-terrorism efforts, maritime security, cyber defence and capacity building," Singh added. Singh's visit to Morocco is the first-ever trip to that country by an Indian defence minister. Ties between India and Morocco have gained momentum since King Mohammed VI's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Mo
Moroccan authorities this month arrested a dozen people they said were planning attacks on behalf of the Islamic State in the Sahel, a region south of the Sahara Desert, officials said on Monday. The discovery of the terrorist cell and what authorities called an imminent dangerous terrorist plot reflect the expanding ambitions of extremist groups in the region. Authorities did not provide details of the suspects' motives or their plot, beyond saying they planned to set off bombs remotely. They released photographs and videos showing officers raiding terrorist cells throughout the country. The images showed weapons stockpiles found during police raids, Islamic State flags drawn on walls, and thousands of dollars of cash. Morocco remains a major target in the agenda of all terrorist organisations operating in the Sahel, Habboub Cherkaoui, the head of Morocco's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, said at a news conference. Militant groups have been expanding their presence in
Pakistan on Thursday said that a boat carrying 80 migrants attempting to reach Spain capsized near Morocco, with over 40 Pakistanis reportedly among the dead. Migrant rights group Walking Borders said as many as 50 migrants may have drowned. Moroccan authorities rescued 36 people a day earlier from a boat that had left Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis. Forty-four of those presumed to have drowned were from Pakistan, Walking Borders CEO Helena Maleno said on X. They spent 13 days of anguish on the crossing without anyone coming to rescue them, she said. The Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement that its embassy in Morocco was in touch with the local authorities. Our Embassy in Rabat (Morocco) has informed us that a boat carrying 80 passengers, including several Pakistani nationals, setting off from Mauritania, has capsized near the Moroccan port of Dakhla. Several survivors, including Pakistanis, are lodged in a camp near Dakhla, it said. It
After African countries struggled to get testing kits during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials vowed to make the continent less dependent on imported medical supplies. Now, in a first for Africa, a Moroccan company is filling orders for mpox tests as an outbreak continues. Moroccan startup Moldiag began developing mpox tests after the World Health Organisation declared the virus a global emergency in August. Africa's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 59,000 mpox cases and 1,164 deaths in 20 countries this year. The WHO has also announced a plan to provide mpox tests, vaccines and treatments to the most vulnerable people in the world's poorest countries, after facing criticism for moving too slowly on vaccines. It recommends all suspected mpox cases be tested. But in some far-flung areas of the mpox outbreak, tests have to be delivered to distant labs for processing. Most of Congo's 26 provinces don't have such facilities. And some areas have no tests.
Morocco's Fatima Ezzahra El Idrissi smashed the world record in the women's marathon for runners with visual impairments on the last day of the Paralympic Games. El Idrissi finished in 2 hours, 48 minutes, 36 seconds on Sunday, beating the previous record from Japan's Misato Michishita in Hofu City in December 2020 by nearly six minutes. I wasn't running for a time, only for a medal," the 29-year-old Moroccan said. "I wasn't aiming to get the world record, just to get the gold, and now I have both." Compatriot Meryem En-Nourhi was just over nine minutes behind, followed by Michishita, almost 15 minutes behind the winner. Elena Congost thought she'd won bronze, but the Spanish runner was later disqualified for releasing the tether to her guide, Mia Carol Bruguera, before the finish. Michishita only found out she was upgraded to bronze while on her way to doping control. I just couldn't believe it, said the Japanese runner, who said she got injured after winning the last edition in
Moroccan officials are aiming to turn the country into an aviation hub, luring investors aiming to spread out their supply chains to more nations with available and affordable workers. The North African kingdom is among a longer list of countries vying for contracts with big manufacturers aiming to speed up production and deliver more planes to meet demand. Companies like Boeing and Airbus as well as the manufacturers that build their components are outsourcing design, production and maintenance to countries from Mexico to Thailand. In Morocco, efforts to grow the country's USD 2 billion-a-year aerospace industry are part of a years-long push to transform the largely agrarian economy through subsidising manufacturers of planes, trains and automobiles. Officials hope it dovetails with efforts to grow Moroccan airlines, including the state-owned Royal Air Maroc. The needs are huge and we are in a very good position, said Hamid Abbou, the airline's CEO. Most of the big suppliers in .