Rabat - Government Chief Abdelilah Benkirane chaired, here Wednesday, the signing ceremony of the documents related to the investment contracts concerning the Safi thermal power plant at a total cost of 2.6 billion dollars (around 23 billion dirhams).

The plant, the largest in Morocco, will provide an annual production covering around 25 percent of the national electricity demand by 2018, with an aggregate capacity of approximately 1,386 MW.

This latest-generation plant, which is part of the national strategy to meet the growing electricity at the lowest cost and the environmental demand, is characterized by optimizing the environmental performance and efficiency high in comparison with conventional plants. It will enable a significant reduction in CO 2 and a reduction in costs associated with fuel.

The plant will be built by the OEM South Korean Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. The construction contract thereto, an amount of 1.8 billion U.S. dollars, was signed on August 9, 2013 between the manufacturer and the company SAFIEC.

From the beginning of its construction, and throughout the period of its operation, the plant will contribute significantly to the dynamics of economic and social development of the Kingdom, and particularly that of the region of Safi and this, particularly in terms of job creation and use of the services of local SMEs.

It will also allow the development of existing or under construction port, rail and power infrastructure, including the new port of Safi to house the coal dock that will supply the plant with coal and the construction works were initiated by King Mohammed VI in April 2013.

The commercial operation of the plant will begin in 2017.

Fez- To tighten its grip on extremists who seek to join the ranks of the Islamic State (IS), the Moroccan government reportedly asked Turkey to require a visa for Moroccans wishing to visit or pass through Turkey, Moroccan newspaper Akhbar Ak Youm said in its Thursday edition.

According to the same source, the Moroccan authorities aim to curb the flow of Moroccans joining IS, most of whom travel to Syria and Iraq through Turkish territory.

The fact that Moroccans don’t need a visa to enter Turkey makes it easier for some extremists to get through its borders and join the ranks of this terrorist organization.

The same source added that Turkey does not seem to be enthusiastic about the Moroccan request for political and economic reasons.

The political reason is related to Ankara’s reluctance to fully engage in the international coalition led by the United States to destroy IS.

The second reason is related to the importance of the Moroccan market for the Turkish tourism sector.

More than 100,000 Moroccans visit Turkey every year. This has a positive impact on the country’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism. If the Turkish government meets the request made by its Moroccan counterpart, the number of Moroccans tourists who visit Turkey is likely to plummet, which will have a negative impact on its economy.

A report published by CNN earlier this month said that over 1,500 Moroccans have joined the ranks of terrorist groups in Syria, including IS.

The same report ranked Morocco third in terms of countries that have sent the most jihadists to Syria. 1,500 Moroccan jihadists are fighting in Syria, followed by Russia (800 jihadists) and France (700 jihadists).

Rabat - Secretary General of the opposing party Istiqlal, Hamid Chabat has reportedly promised that his party will defeat the Justice and Development Party, in the next Parliamentary elections scheduled in 2015, stressing that he will be the next head of government.

Hamid Chabat told Hespress that it is impossible for the Justice and Development party to win another five-year term as the ruling party, since it failed to keep the promises it made in 2011.

He stressed that his party (Istiqlal) will win a resounding victory in Morocco's parliamentary elections, in 2015, and will lead the government with a different mentality.

“Because of its daily contact with the Moroccan citizens, Istiqlal party will be named Morocco’s ruling party, in 2015,” Chabat said.

“Then, we will do our duty, and do our bests to bring back the stability to the Moroccan streets,” he added.

Hamid Chabat goes on to add that his party will open a dialogue with all the organizations and labor unions, in order to preserve stability and make sure that Moroccan citizens live comfortably.

The head of the opposing Istiqlal party said that the two years leading up to the next Moroccan parliamentary elections will be “hot.”

He stressed that the Istiqlal party has developed plans to defeat the PJD’s party’s “invalid” policies, such as the new overall project to reform the retirement system, which he claims “will ruin the lives of Moroccans,” and pressure the government into decreasing the living costs.

Rabat - The 19th Chella Jazz Festeval kicked off in Rabat on Wednesday. This major event combined melodies from Moroccan and European artists, to use music as a vehicle for communication and dialogue between peoples.

According to the festival's press release, the 19th session hosts 15 bands and 53 musicians coming from 15 European countries and from Morocco carefully selected for their high musical quality. They are performing for an audience estimated at more than 7000 people.

On Wednesday, the festival kicked off with a Dutch trio, De Jongens Driest Van Strien Janfie: saxophone, Joop van der Linden: trombone and Arno Bakker: sousaphone.

The festival continues with different sounds and musicians from Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria, United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, Finland, Poland, and Spain, together with artists from Morocco.

I attended the festival’s first day, and these are photos of the opening concert.

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RABAT - A Moroccan city has banned olive trees because of pollen-linked allergies and set an end-of-the-year deadline for residents to remove them, media reports said Thursday.

The town hall in Oujda, a city of half a million in northeast Morocco near the border with Algeria, has ordered their removal from all areas, whether it be around private homes, on pavements or in public gardens.

The pollen during the flowering season in the spring is "one of the main causes of seasonal respiratory allergies," said the mayor, Omar Hijra, a professional pharmacist.

He told the website Media 24 that olive trees accounted for as much as 90 percent of all trees planted in some areas.

If the trees are not removed by December 31, the municipality will carry out the work and charge the home owner, he said, adding however that the whole operation could take up to five years in public areas because of the number of trees.

In theory, the owners are meant to replant the olive trees outside the city or sell them.

Taroudant, Morocco- In an attempt to tighten its grip on extremists who seek to join the ranks of the Islamic State (IS), the Moroccan government strengthened its anti-terrorism legislation on Thursday by adopting a bill to fight against jihadism in Syria and Iraq.

The new bill includes a new section of the Criminal Code providing for prosecution against anyone who "endorses or tries to rally individually or collectively . . . entities, organizations, bands or terrorist groups," "even if terrorist acts are not intended to carry out harm to Morocco or its interests."

An amendment to the Code of Penal Procedure allows the kingdom also to prosecute foreign terrorists present on its territory.

After the weekly meeting, Mustafa Ramid, the Minister of Justice and Liberties, said, "The bill was adopted by the Council of Government in order to protect our young people, to prevent them from traveling to war zones.”

"Anyone who seeks to join these dangerous areas will be put on trial," he added.

A report published by CNN earlier this month said that over 1,500 Moroccans have joined the ranks of terrorist groups in Syria, including IS.

The same report ranked Morocco third in terms of countries that have sent the most jihadists to Syria. 1,500 Moroccan jihadists are fighting in Syria, followed by Russia (800 jihadists) and France (700 jihadists).

Edited by Elisabeth Myers

Geneva - British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of human rights, Baroness Anelay, praised here Thursday, Morocco's interaction with the UN human Rights mechanisms.

Moroccan-British cooperation is "dense and fruitful" in the promotion of democratic debate, political dialogue and human rights, Anelay said at a panel on the "follow-up of the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR)", jointly held by the Permanent Missions of Morocco and Great Britain at the United Nations, on the sidelines of Human rights Council sessions.

"We work together to promote the message and the cause of human rights," Anelay said, noting the complementarity between implementing UN recommendations and taking into account the concerns of civil society.

During this panel, diplomats and experts exchanged ideas about the best practices and approaches to interact with UPR mechanisms, as well as the role of civil society and parliaments in monitoring the resulting recommendations.

Rabat- Iraq’s Ambassador to Vatican, Habeeb Al Sadr has reportedly said that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has plans to assassinate Pope Francis upon his anticipated visit to Albania, a Muslim majority country.

The Iraqi Ambassador, Habeeb Al Sadr reportedly warned the Pope Francis of a possible attempt of assassination by ISIS’s “band of extremists”, ahead of his visit to Albania, this weekend.

The Iraqi Ambassador said  that the terrorist group had spoken of its plan to assassinate the pope as he has voiced support to the American intervention in Syria and Iraq, according to the Italian newspaper La Nazione, cited in Emirate’s TV channel, Erem News.

 “What the ISIS said is clear. They want to assassinate Pope Francis. The threats against the Pope are credible, “Habeeb Al Sadr said. “ I think they could try to kill him during one of his overseas trips or even in Rome.”

The Ambassador goes on to reveal that the ISIS has foreign members - Canadian, American, French, Britain and even Italians. “The group can instruct this band of criminals to assassinate the pope as the opportunity arises.”

The Vatican, meanwhile, is not beefing up security to protect Francis during his upcoming trip to the majority Muslim country on Sunday.

“There are no apparent reasons to fear for the life of the Pope, nor credible information about the ISIS' plan of assassination,” Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman told the Catholic News Agency.

Geneva- Morocco condemned, here Thursday, Algeria's position on human rights in the Western Sahara, criticizing its "hostile and irresponsible attitude".

"We reject Algeria's false allegations concerning alleged violations of human rights in the Sahara," chargé d'affaires of Morocco in Geneva Hassan Boukili said before the UN Human Rights Council in a reaction to the statement of the Algerian ambassador, in which he accused Morocco of human rights violations in its southern provinces.

Boukili reminded the Algerian delegation that the neighboring country has refused, for years, to grant access to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) "fearing that it reveals the bitter reality of arbitrary detention in Algeria".

"Before criticizing Morocco in light of the WGAD visit report, Algerian authorities should at least let this UN mechanism visit the country as did the Kingdom," he noted.

Taroudant, Morocco - Tom Cruise’s son Connor Cruise has reportedly left the scientology Church in favor for a spiritual journey in the Moroccan desert.

The young man, who is the adoptive son of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, is exploring other “spiritual paths, currently looking into Islam in Morocco,” the Inquisitr said.

A source close to the Cruise family told RadarOnline, “Connor is in Morocco right now doing some soul searching.”

“He is on a spiritual journey,” the source said, adding that the young man “has distanced himself from the Church of Scientology, a movement of which the hero of Mission Impossible 5 is considered number 2.

Connor Cruise, 19, posted to his Instagram a picture of himself on a camel in the Moroccan desert along with the statement,” Epic time riding camels in the desert! So fun!” and the following hashtags: #CamelLife #Sahara #Desert #Morocco

Tom Cruise's son has already posted a photo to his Instagram four days ago with the Palestinian scarf round his neck. With one word statement "Simplicity" and the hash-tags #Africa #Morocco #Kasbah , the photo was apparently token in a Kasbah in the south east of Morocco.

Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise is in Morocco to shoot scenes of the fifth installment of “Mission Impossible 5”.

Marrakech- Marrakech’s bus transport system will be upgraded in 2015, according to a report in L’Economiste. A rapid bus service will be launched from departure points at Koutoubia and Bab Doukkala to the main city suburbs.

The first two new routes are planned for 2015, with service to the suburbs of Mhamid Guemassa, Massira, and Sidi Youssef Ben Ali. The new bus station will be located on Boulevard Allal El Fassi.

There will be an expanded public transportation network to outlying urban networks, including Tammansourt.

Main roads and avenues have already been widened, and the new transit system is expected to help to reduce the congestion on Marrakech’s roadways. The rapid bus service is planned will have buses arrive less than 5 minutes apart during peak hours and a maximum of ten minutes during off peak periods.

Special bus-only lanes will be created alongside two lanes for four-wheel vehicles and one lane for two-wheel vehicles such as motorbikes, the article reports. It will be interesting to see whether car and motorcycle drivers will keep to the allotted lanes.

The Spanish bus company ALSO will implement urban transportation plan. The current service is often overcrowded. New models of buses are being phased in and the population will welcome the new bus service if its frequency and punctuality can be increased.

New lanes for buses, cars, heavy commercial vehicles, and motorbikes will hopefully mean that traffic will flow more freely, and traffic jams, which afflict all cities, will be reduced. The plan is further evidence of Marrakech’s development as a major urban center. One question that has yet to be answered is how much the new tickets will cost. Although the current bus service suffers from old vehicles and a lack of seats, the service is regular and the bus fare is four dirhams one way.

France- Supporters of Scottish independence reacted with bitter disappointment on Friday after their hopes of breaking away from Britain were dashed, with some breaking down in tears in the streets of Edinburgh.

"My feeling was just crushing, quite devastating," said 16-year-old Charlotte Darroch, who was watching the count in the capital wearing her school uniform, pinned with lots of "Yes" badges and with a Scottish flag wrapped around her shoulders.

"We all felt it was going to go the other way. I genuinely thought the feeling on the ground was different. I don't think people realised quite how important this was," she said.

Darroch said she was "very attached" to the cause and would not give up hope after a large minority -- 1.5 million people, or around a third of the electorate -- voted "Yes".

"This isn't the end of the 'Yes' campaign," she said.

In the city centre near Edinburgh Castle, tartan-wearing activists surrounded by "Yes" slogans were seen crying in the rain at the end of an all-night party that saw separatists cheering and waving flags ahead of a hoped-for victory.

Iain, a 21-year-old student, said: "I am incredibly disappointed."

Independence "was so close," he said, adding: "For the last six months we had hopes for a better life."

Jeoffrey Siaber, an English pensioner living in Scotland, came to commiserate with the young independence supporters.

"I know that there is a great sense of injustice here (at) being ruled from far away," he said.

"It would be healthier if Scotland ruled itself."

At Haymarket station, 23-year-old commuter Danny Trench said he was "a little bit upset".

"But things will be as they were, so my life is not going to change.

"I can't see another referendum, you never know what will happen in 20 years, but I can't see it now," he said.

At a coffee shop in the city centre, 38-year-old Brazilian Andreia Rodrigues said she had voted in favour of independence but understood why economic fears had swayed the vote.

"I don't think that Scots want really to be in the union but they were afraid of things like the currency," she said.

"I don't blame them. I'm Brazilian and when you change currencies it's a pain in the neck," she said, referring to devaluations and currency changes in her homeland.

In contrast, there were scenes of jubilation in Glasgow at a "Better Together" party with union supporters cheering, hugging, dancing and crying after the momentous result.

And in Edinburgh, "No" supporter Louise Fleming, 21, said she was "relieved" at the result and would head off for a fried breakfast before going to bed.

"It's been such a divisive referendum, we have seen the outcome, we can't expect everything to be great tomorrow but the right outcome has occurred."

Rabat- Amid the growing number of Moroccans who travel to Syria and Iraq in order to join the Islamic State’s ranks, the Moroccan government has passed a new law, on Thursday that criminalizes traveling to the tension areas.

In a press conference on Thursday, Minister of Justice and Liberties Mustafa Ramid stated that the new bill aims at protecting the Moroccan youth from “being lured to the tension areas, where killing and beheading happens, every day.”

The Minister of Justice added that whoever attempts to travel to these areas will be detained, under this new bill, “since the intention of traveling to the tension areas is always baked by terrorism intentions”.

This new law aims at facing the growing number of ISIS-linked cells that brainwash the Moroccan youth into joining the Islamic State ranks for Jihad.

The new law includes an article, which allows the arrest and the trial of any Moroccan in Morocco or abroad, for committing a terrorist crime, outside Morocco.

“This new law criminalizes forming any all the organizations, inside Morocco or abroad which aims at carrying out terrorist operations, or the cells that trains Moroccan youth in order to send them to the terrorist ranks,” said Mustafa Ramid.

Under this law, whoever was detained for one of these charges mentioned above, will be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, and a fine of up to MAD 5000 (580 USD).

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Marrakech - The BBC reported that the referendum results from all 32 council areas, the "No" side won with 2,001,926 votes over 1,617,989 for "Yes." The margin of victory for the no vote was 55 to 45 %. The turnout was high at nearly 85%.

This was a blow for Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond who had run a very slick publicity campaign which made it look as if those backing independence might win, forcing the leaders of all three of Britain’s parties, David Cameron of the Conservatives, David Clegg of the Liberal Democrats and Ed Milliband of the Labour Party to appear in Scotland on the same day to defend the Union.

Alex Salmond called for national unity and said that the referendum was a triumph for the democratic process. Prime Minister David Cameron said the three main unionist parties at Westminster would implement their pledge of increased powers for the Scottish Parliament."We will ensure that those commitments are honored in full," he said.

At least the Scottish Nationalists can take comfort in the substantial measures for autonomy granted by the British government as can Northern Ireland and Wales. The constitutional changes are taking place without a breakup of the United Kingdom.

This has come as a huge relief to the business community and the European Union. Royal Bank of Scotland and the Lloyds Banks confirmed that they would not now move their operations to London. Sterling rose sharply against the Euro following the referendum vote.

President Obama had said earlier that he hoped the United Kingdom would remain United. The question of the Trident Nuclear deterrent at its Faslane base in Scotland is now settled. Former defense chiefs including General Mike Jackson had said that the British army’s effectiveness would have been adversely affected if Scotland chose independence.

In the end economic factors and the pledges by the UK government of substantial autonomy swayed the voters and the silent majority spoke. Questions still remain like the Lothian question about whether Scottish or Welsh MPs can vote or should vote on measure’s which affect English constituents only and this will have to be resolved.

In a fast changing world where national borders are changing rapidly many will take comfort in this historic vote and the preservation of national unity. It also shows that autonomy and regionalization can be a solution to local aspirations.

Rabat-  Morocco and Spain signed, here Friday, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in public service and administration modernization.

Signed by Minister-delegate for public service and administration modernization Mohamed Moubdi and Spain's Secretary of State for Public Administration Antonio German Beteta Barreda, the agreement provides for promoting know-how exchange in public governance, public service reform, modernization of human resources management and reinforcing cooperation between the National School of Administration and the National Institute of Public Administration in Madrid.

 To implement and follow-up this MoU, a joint steering committee will be established to elaborate a detailed work program at the earliest opportunity.

 On this occasion, both officials stressed the excellent relations between Morocco and Spain, expressing their wish to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas of common interest.

Rabat- Morocco's national consumption of sugar has reached 1.2 million tons per year with an annual increase of 1.2 percent, said the Ministry Delegate for Public Affairs and Governance in a recent statement.

1.2 million tons per year is equivalent to 36 kilos per capita, per year. The Minister noted that the prices of sugar, all kinds of sugar, are regulated by the state and are subsidized by the Compensation Fund. All prices have remained stable and have had no official increase since August 2006.

Sugar products receive MAD 2,847 per ton in subsidies, which amounts to 2.8 dirhams per kilo, according to the statement.

The total amount of subsidies in 2013 was MAD 3.5 billion, according to Ministry data.

Rabat- Sindibad Amusement Park of Casablanca, Morocco’s only amusement park, will officially reopen in the first quarter of 2015, with a complete package of entertainment, according to Telquel.

The Sindibad Amusement Park originally opened in 2006, before it had to close its doors for modifications. Today, the park seems to be ready to host hordes of tourists and locals who will come to enjoy a variety of traditional rides and activities, according to the owner of Group Alliances, Alami Lazrek.

In a press release, Alami Lazrek said that prices will be affordable for everyone. “The ticket prices have been determined to be estimated at MAD25 ($2.90 US) per person and MAD 70 ($8.10 US) for a family of four members.”

Lazrek added that the Sindibad Park includes free games, along with paid games whose ticket price will be estimated at MAD 15 ($1.80 US).

The Sindibad Amusement Park has been given a new lease on life. In addition to the amusement park that attracts visitors with the enjoyable rides such as the roller coaster, dizzying dodgems, slides and paddle boats, there will be a zoo, and an archaeological park.

The zoo is said to cover the half of the whole park, and will exhibit animal species from five continents.

The project will also offer hotels located near the coast, with views of the bay of Casablanca, in addition to shops, a clubhouse, a beach club, and a forest with picnic areas, as well as circuits dedicated for walking and cycling.

Edited by Elisabeth Myers

Rabat-  The American singer Lady Gaga, who was in Istanbul to perform in a concert, was seen wearing an Islamic headscarf and a long black dress in the streets of Ni?anta??, one of the busiest places in Turkey.

While the pop diva entered many shops incognito, she did not leave Istanbul’s busiest neighborhoods unnoticed.

The photo of the pop star was shared widely on twitter.

?stanbul konserinde sahnede soyunan Lady Gaga bugün kapal? olarak görüntülendi. pic.twitter.com/0Kd08GOO33 — REPORT TURK (@reportturk) September 18, 2014

During her recent visit to the United Arab Emirates, Lady Gaga has reportedly said that ‘it is important to respect other cultures and not force them to adhere to the beliefs of your own country.”

While the American singer appears in Turkey with decent dress, the photos she posts on her Instagram are believed to be mainly provocative.