Tag: Morocco

Moroccan police disperse protesting teachers with water cannons

RABAT, Morocco (AFP) – Baton-wielding riot police used water cannons to disperse teachers protesting in the Moroccan capital on Saturday night to demand better conditions. Several thousand young teachers calling for permanent work contracts had marched peacefully through the streets of central Rabat chanting slogans such as “freedom, dignity, social justice”. As night fell, demonstrators held aloft candles and used their mobile phones as torches, before setting up a makeshift camp in front of parliament. […]

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Harry and Meghan in Morocco on last official trip before birth

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived Saturday night in Morocco for their last official trip abroad before the birth of their first child, which is due in spring. The royal couple, Harry in a light grey suit and Meghan in a red dress, were welcomed with a tray of dates, a traditional ritual of hospitality in Morocco, after they landed in Casablanca. “Medical provisions” have been made for the pregnant former American actress, who […]

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15 suspects brought before Morocco judge over hiker murders

RABAT, Morocco (AFP) — A Morocco prosecutor on Sunday presented to an anti-terror judge 15 people suspected of links to the murder of two Scandinavian women in the Atlas Mountains, Rabat’s attorney general said. The prosecution asked that the suspects be investigated for “setting up a gang to prepare and commit terrorist acts”, “premeditated attacks on life” and “advocating for terrorism”, the attorney general said. Seven other detainees will be referred to the prosecution in […]

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Morocco will not host 2019 Africa Cup of Nations: minister

RABAT, Morocco (AFP) — Morocco will not be a candidate to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations after Cameroon was stripped of the tournament, the country’s sports minister Rachid Talbi Alami said on Wednesday, while Egypt expressed an interest in hosting the finals. “Morocco does not intend to run for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and will not do so,” he told AFP. Morocco and South Africa had been seen as the front-line […]

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Fugitive US priest sent home to face sex abuse charges

  LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A Catholic priest on the run for more than 25 years has been arrested in Morocco and extradited to the United States to face charges that he sexually assaulted a young boy in the 1990s, federal prosecutors in New Mexico said Friday. Arthur Perrault, now 80 years old, stands accused of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 12 on several occasions in 1991 and […]

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Anger in Morocco over jailing of protesters

  RABAT, Morocco (AFP) – The jailing of demonstrators for up to 20 years over unrest in 2016 sparked anger in Morocco on Wednesday, with some warning it could threaten further instability. At the end of a nine-month trial the figurehead of the Al-Hirak al-Shaabi or “Popular Movement”, Nasser Zefzafi, was sentenced to 20 years along with three others for “plotting to undermine the security of the state”. A further 49 people were sentenced late […]

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Morocco out of World Cup contention after 1-0 defeat to Portugal

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Morocco are out of contention for the World Cup in Russia after Portugal beat the north African side 1-0 in their Group B match on Wednesday. Cristiano Ronaldo gave the European champions the lead with a header in the fourth minute and Herve Renard’s side could not respond, leaving them with no mathematical chance of reaching the knockout stage.  

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FIFA to choose North America or Morocco for 2026 World Cup

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — FIFA members vote Wednesday on whether to award the 2026 World Cup to a slick North American bid or to Morocco, which has African support to bring football’s showpiece event back to the continent. On the eve of the 2018 World Cup, delegates from 207 nations gathered in Moscow are faced with a clear choice. The United States, Mexico and Canada are the frontrunners, boasting modern, established stadiums and well-developed transport links. […]

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In Moroccan desert, meteorite hunters seek to strike it rich

https://youtu.be/axUOKaHzOLM   by Hamza Mekouar Agence France Presse ZAGORA, Morocco (AFP) — They roam Morocco’s southern desert, braving the searing heat to scour the undulating sands for bounty fallen from the sky. These celestial treasure hunters are searching for meteorites to sell on a burgeoning international market. Equipped with a “very strong” magnet and magnifying glass, retired physical education teacher Mohamed Bouzgarine says that discoveries “can be more valuable than gold”. The price “depends on […]

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Blocked from Europe, migrants settle in Morocco

by Sophie Pons Agence France-Presse RABAT, Morocco (AFP) – Unable to reach Europe in search of a better life, Aliou Ndiaye settled in Morocco instead, giving up on his original goal like thousands of other sub-Saharan African migrants. “Everyone has the right to go to another country to try their luck,” the 31-year-old former fish exporter from Senegal told AFP. “Lots of people are trying to reach Europe, but some end up staying to make a living.” […]

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Morocco’s king warns Trump against Jerusalem embassy move

RABAT, Morocco (AFP) — Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Tuesday warned US President Donald Trump against moving the American embassy to the contested city of Jerusalem. Trump informed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas by phone of his intention to move the embassy from Tel Aviv, Abbas’s office said Tuesday. In an open letter to the American president, the Moroccan king expressed his “deep personal concern” and “the great concern felt by Arab and Muslim states and peoples” over […]

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Relatives mourn Morocco stampede victims

by Hamza Mekouar © Agence France-Presse ESSAOUIRA, Morocco (AFP) — Mourning relatives on Monday started burying the victims of a stampede that killed 15 women during a food aid delivery near the popular tourist town of Essaouira on Morocco’s coast. “It’s a tragedy,” said the husband of one of the victims, breaking down in tears after burying her. Hundreds of women had gathered on Sunday at a marketplace in the village of Sidi Boulaalam, around 60 kilometres (35 […]

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