News For Morocco

  The Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco , has been recently rebuilt and inaugurated on September 4, 2025, by Crown Prince Moulay Hassan . This state-of-the-art sports facility is part of Morocco's efforts to become a major sports hub in Africa, hosting key matches during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup . *Stadium Features:* - *Capacity*: 68,700 seats - *Design*: Inspired by palm leaves , with a roof covering the seating area - *Pitch*: Hybrid natural turf , combining natural grass and synthetic fibers, meeting FIFA specifications - *Technology*: Advanced lighting system with high-definition LED screens, modern sound system, and smart crowd management technologies - *Sustainability*: Incorporates solar energy sources and eco-friendly materials *Sports Complex:* - *Athletics Stadium*: Stade Olympique de Rabat with 22,000 seats - *Indoor Arena*: Salle Moulay Abdellah arena - *Olympic Swimming Pool*: Included in the complex - *Football Training ...

  The famous Jemaa El Fna Square , the vibrant heart of the city of Marrakech and a true jewel of the Kingdom's heritage, is about to undergo a major transformation. A true living symbol of the Kingdom's history, culture, and oral traditions , this legendary site will undergo a major rehabilitation project as part of the urban upgrading program for the Ochre City , reports the daily newspaper Les Inspirations Éco . The completion deadline has been set at seven months, and the award of the public contract is scheduled for May 9, 2025. From an aesthetic perspective, Les Inspirations Éco reports, the square will receive a new natural cut stone surface, chosen to enhance its traditional character and visual appeal. Targeted improvements will complete this urban facelift, including the creation of a dedicated space for horse-drawn carriages , which will be able to accommodate up to 28 traditional vehicles. In addition, the reception infrastructure will be redesigned: restrooms will...

 The holy month and fasting began on Saturday, March 1st, marking the start of Ramadan in Morocco . Ramadan began on Saturday, March 1st. The administration ofmorrocan  islamic institute had announced it well in advance using astrological calculations and confirmed this date during the Night of Doubt . Ramadan lasts until Eid al-Fitr , the " Feast of Breaking the Fast ," the date of which will be confirmed at the end of March. The schedule for prayer and breaking the fast is fixed, based on the times of sunrise and sunset, as well as the total duration of daylight. The article below provides a summary.

The US government has mobilized 6.6 million dirhams to support efforts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in Morocco .  This support from the United States, through the Contingent Infectious Diseases Emergency Reserve Fund of the American Agency for International Development (USAID), will help Morocco and other partner countries to prepare their laboratories for carrying out  large-scale testing of the Covid-19;  implement a public health emergency plan for points of entry;  activate case finding and event-based epidemiological surveillance for influenza-like viruses;  train and equip rapid response teams ;  investigate cases and seek contacts of infected people, and adapt training materials on the Covid-19 for the benefit of health workers.  “With long-standing partners like Morocco, we are working together to improve the global capacity to contain epidemics at their source and to minimize their impact.  These investments - and ...

Cold weather, snowfall and strong gusts of orange level winds are expected from Sunday 19 January in several provinces of the Kingdom.  In a special weather report, the Directorate of National Meteorology indicates that the provinces of Al Haouz, Azilal, Midelt, Ifrane, Boulmane, Tinghir, the reliefs of Beni Mellal and Chichaoua, Ouarzazate, Figuig, Taourirt, Jerada, Sefrou,  El Hajeb, Khenifra Taroudant and El Houceima are affected by cold weather from Monday January 20 until Wednesday January 22.  According to the same source, the provinces of Al Haouz, Azilal, Tinghir, Beni Mellal, Midelt, Ifrane, Khenifra, Sefrou and Boulmane will be affected by snowfall from 1,200m from Sunday to Tuesday January 21.  Some snowfall (less than 20 cm) will also be expected in the provinces of Taourirt, Taza, Figuig, El Hoceima and Ouarzazate during the same validity.  In addition, strong gusts of wind (75/95 km / h) will affect, on Sunday, the provinces of Al ...

The national cycling selection will participate in the 15th edition of the Amissa Bongo cycling tour (Tour of Gabon), Africa Tour event which will be contested from 20 to 26 January, we learned from the Royal Moroccan Cycling Federation (FRMC)  ).  The Moroccan delegation to take part in this competition is made up of runners Adil El Arbaoui, Houcine Sabahi, Mohcine El Kouraji, Oussama Khafi, Youssef Bdadou and Yasser Tahiri, framed by national trainer Ahmed Rahili, said a press release from the Federation on Friday.

Morocco and Turkey agreed on Wednesday in Rabat to revise the terms of their current free trade agreement for "more balanced, more important and good quality" trade.  Under the terms of the joint declaration made public after a business meeting, initiated on the sidelines of the 5th session of the joint monitoring committee of the Morocco-Turkey Free Trade Agreement, the two parties also  agreed to immediately initiate work on the topics agreed upon during the work of this meeting and assess the progress made up to the date January 30, 2020.  During this session of the Moroccan-Turkish joint committee (January 14 and 15) co-chaired by the Minister of Industry, Trade and the Green and Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, and the Turkish Minister of Trade, Ruhsar  Pekcan, the two sides also agreed to bring bilateral trade to a "more balanced level and encourage Turkish investors to invest in Morocco in the production industry as well as encourage Morocca...

The one-year prison sentence imposed by the Salé court against rapper L’Gnawi was confirmed on appeal on Wednesday for "contempt of public official".  The rapper, 31, had in a "live" video on his Instagram account, insulted the police, explaining later, having experienced a police check as a "humiliation".  However, according to his lawyer, he "was above all condemned for his last title," Long live the people "(3ach cha3b), which he interprets with two other rappers, denouncing" injustice "and" grabbing wealth  ".

The amphibious helicopter carrier Diksmuide, a command and projection tool for French Navy forces, docked at the port of Casablanca on Wednesday for a three-day stopover.  For the occasion, the French Embassy gave a reception on board this flagship of the French navy in the evening, in the presence of several civil and military figures from the two countries.  Ambassador Hélène Le Gal said, on the sidelines of this reception, that this stopover is part of ambitious cooperation activities between the two countries aimed at exchanging technical and operational know-how, increasing interoperability and promoting  regional security in the maritime sector.  It is also an opportunity to work with the Royal Navy on ways to strengthen this "extremely strong" partnership for both parties, she said.  "We are delighted with this partnership we have with Morocco, which also results in the presence of French military aid workers in certain Moroccan schools and Mo...

Some 13,000 people will benefit from the complementary rehabilitation and enhancement program for the old medina of Essaouira, said Al Omrane group chairman Badr Kanouni on Wednesday.  This program, which covers 30 ha for investments of around 300 million dirhams, benefits the 13,000 inhabitants of the old medina of Essaouira, said Badr Kanouni, during the King's visit  Mohammed VI at the old medina of Essaouira.  This complementary program, which is part of the rehabilitation and enhancement programs of the old medinas carried out under the supervision of the Sovereign, is a global program that revolves around four axes, namely the rehabilitation of the  urban space, the restoration and enhancement of the historic heritage, the promotion of access to social services and the strengthening of the tourist and economic attractiveness of the old medina of Essaouira, he explained.  A total of 26 projects will be carried out within the framework of this progra...

 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and African Cooperation and Moroccans residing abroad makes crisis cells available to Moroccans in Iraq and Syria.  "Following the latest developments in the crisis in Iraq and Syria, and in the context of monitoring the situation of Moroccan citizens abroad and providing them with consular protection, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs puts at their disposal  cell number layout, "said a tweet from the ministry.  - Central cell: +212661336854;  - Cell in Syria: +963933885838;  - Second cell number in Syria: +96181762258;  - Cell in Iraq: +9647902292250;  - Cell in Amman: +962797777896.    Morocco Diplomacy  Following the latest developments in the crisis in #Irak and #Syria, and in the context of monitoring the situation of our fellow citizens abroad and providing them with consular protection ... https: // bit  .ly / 36CVOxl  Information on Twitter Ads and Confidentiality...

Some 734,402 Moroccans were legally established in Spain in the first half of 2019, up 2.9% from January 1 of the same year, said the National Institute of Statistics (INE) on Wednesday. Moroccans maintain their leadership position regarding foreign communities legally established in Spain, according to the INE.  734,402 of our nationals hold a residence permit with our neighbors to the north, a figure up 3.7% in the first half of 2019. Moroccans are ahead of Romanians, who, with 669,222 people, come in second place, followed by  British (295,067), Italians (256,269), Colombians (227,102), Chinese (193,207), Venezuelans (158,218) and Germans (139,201), says the same source. Spain had 47,100,396 inhabitants on July 1, an increase of 163,336 people compared to January 1, 2019, according to the INE, which notes that the Iberian country has crossed the barrier of 47 million for the first time.  This increase in the population residing in the Iberian country is main...

The economic relations between Morocco and Turkey are not tense, but are not calm either.  If the kingdom has decided to review certain provisions of the free trade agreement (FTA) with Turkey, concerning textiles and steel in particular, it seems that the former Ottoman Empire plays the card of seduction for  which is from the tourism sector.  Morocco has released fangs to protect its economy from the flooding of the national market with Turkish products.  Indeed, Moulay Hafid Elalamy (MHE), Minister of Industry, Trade and the Green and Digital Economy did not take it easy during the 34th session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of  the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC), held last November in Istanbul, to indicate to the Turkish side that Morocco will no longer make concessions in the face of commercial pressure.  The minister mentioned a revision of the FTA, following numerous "disputes" between the two c...

The British company operating in gas exploitation, Sound Energy PLC, continues to be seduced by Moroccan potential.  The company intends to continue operating the Tendara well, judging by recent negotiations with the National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water.  Sound Energy is in the negotiation phase with ONEE, which represents the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), concerning its exploitation of the gas well of Tendara, in the Oriental region.  The British company aspires through this memorandum of understanding to expand its presence within the kingdom, while continuing its actions based on the provisions of a similar agreement, concluded last October.  Through these negotiations, ONEE, with its status as a public entity, will undertake to acquire the entire production of the well.  It should be noted that the previous agreement involved production of 48.4 million cubic feet per day for a period of ten years.  The new ag...

The Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (RSK) region has secured funding for its project to organize a waste collection and recovery sector in urban areas, after submitting to the call for projects "Sustainable cities in Africa  Launched by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The project, initiated in partnership with the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, will allow us to experiment with a system for sorting and collecting waste with a view to recycling it in a context of increasing urbanization of cities in Morocco, says a press release from the region.  from RSK.  As part of the regional development plan, this project will be launched in February 2020 and will be operational in October 2021.  Funding was obtained following the submission by the region of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to the call for projects "Sustainable cities in Africa" ​​for 2019, launched by the French Ministry of  Foreign Affairs, with a view to supporting the decent...

77 MDH were spent by Moroccans who did not obtain the visa.  From 2020, you will have to pay fees of 80 € instead of 60 € and children 40 € instead of 35 €.  SchengenVisaInfo.com statistics show that in 2018, Schengen embassies and consulates in Morocco processed 662,585 visa applications, of which 119,586 were rejected, marking a rejection rate of 18%.  France was the preferred country for the submission of visa applications.  362,425 applications submitted to Morocco concerned Schengen visas for France, followed by Spain with 200,968 and the Netherlands with 29,808 applications.  In terms of spending, in 2018, Moroccans spent 39,755,100 euros (nearly 424 MDH) on visa applications for Europe, including 7,175,160 euros (or nearly 77 MDH) by applicants whose visa  was refused.  Changes to procedures and fees in 2020  Moroccans will be subject to several changes in terms of visa application procedures, rules and benefits, starting Mon...

Saudi Arabia opens its borders to international tourists holding Schengen visas, from the United Kingdom and the United States.  The new measure has just come into force.  Moroccans are concerned.  The decision had been taken at the end of September 2019 but it has just been implemented.  Saudi Arabia activated its new tourist visa system in early January.  The aim is to place the tourism sector at the top of the main sources of revenue in the kingdom.  Marking the official start of this new system, the Saudi General Aviation Committee activated a clause, in coordination with national and international air carriers, aimed at facilitating the entry of holders of Schengen visas, or issued by the United Kingdom  and the United States, all nationalities combined.  The visas concerned are those of tourism and commerce.  The holders of these visas will therefore not be affected by the electronic visa.  A 90-day stay in one visit...

It is this Monday, January 6, that the singer Dounia Batma, at the heart of what is now known as the "Hamza mon bb" scandal, will know whether she will be prosecuted in detention, or her ban on leaving the territory formally signified.  This case, which has kept public opinion in suspense for a certain time already, concerns names known to the Moroccan artistic scene and people, notably Dounia and her sister Ibtissam Batma, who are, in fact, living a real  descent into hell.  Started as a "mediocre little joke" on social networks for the defendants in this case, they ended up in court and with heavy charges on their backs.  Blackmail, defamation… there is everything.  For those who do not know when and how the “Hamza mon bb” affair quickly degenerated, Hespress Fr looks back at the main offenses committed by the administrators of the Hamza mon BB account, on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, responsible for finding and sharing “  scoop ”on Moroccan c...

Dozens of Moroccan books are among the collections of the digital library "Arabic Collections Online" carried by the University of New York and recently unveiled.  Arabic Collections Online is a digital library accessible, free of charge, to the public, with content in Arabic.  It provides digital access to 11,566 volumes all old, rare editions or manuscripts  Moroccan titles are among the published collections, including in particular الحركات الاستقلالية في المغرب العربي by Allal El Fassi (1948).    These are copyright-free books from NYU and partner institutions, collected over the centuries by specialists from each institution for their "academic quality and relevance to intellectual and literary research".  Created with the support of NYU Abu Dhabi, and supported Arcadia, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin, and Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Arab Collections Online aims to present up to 23,000 volumes from the collec...

In its Mohammed V Complex, the Wydad of Casablanca has the opportunity to take first place in La Botola, this Sunday at 5 p.m., facing the Renaissance of Zemamra.  At 7 p.m., Berrechid's Youssoufia will attempt to exit the red zone during the reception of Hassania d'Agadir.  The crossover continues in the heights of the Botola between the Renaissance of Berkane, undefeated leader, and the Wydad of Casablanca.  This Sunday, the WAC is out for a late game of the 9th day that could allow it to resume control of the championship.  Faced with the Renaissance of Zemamra, Zoran Manojlovic should contend with a group decimated by the numerous injuries and the suspension of Ismail El Haddad which is added to the departure of Ayoub El Kaabi to China.  The Serbian coach should therefore line up a fairly inexperienced team against a formation of Zemamra who comes to change his coach.  Now on the bench of RCAZ, Said Chiba will aim to bring a positive result of h...