Rabat – French Moroccan film maker Kamal Hachkar will be awarded the 2015 Pomegranate Award for Artistic Achievement in acknowledgment for his achievements in the arts and film.

The director of “Tinghir-Jerusalem: Echoes from Mellah” will be honored during the 18^th annual NY Sephardi Film Festival to be held from March 12-19, 2015 at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan. According to the organizers, the festival provides viewers with an understanding of the rich mosaic culture of Jews from the Middle East and greater Sephardic Diaspora.

“Tinghir-Jerusalem: Echoes from Mellah” will also be screened this month in several American and Canadian cities.

The documentary which explores the Jewish quarter (Mellah) in the director’s village in Tinghir, eastern Morocco, and how it was once home to a substantial Jewish population, will be screened in Princeton, New Jersey on March 11, Long Island City, New York on March 12-13 and in Toronto, Canada on March 29. Other projections are expected to take place at the University of Delaware near Washington, Columbia, Quebec and Montreal.

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Casablanca- King Mohammed VI, accompanied by Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, Prince Moulay Rachid, Princess Lalla Salma, Princess Lalla Meryem, Princess Lalla Hasna and Lalla Oum Keltoum, spouse of Prince Moulay Rachid, offered, Wednesday at the Royal Palace of Casablanca, an official dinner in honor of King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein and Queen Rania Al Abdallah of Jordan.

The dinner was attended by Prince El Hassan Ibn Talal, and members of the delegation accompanying King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, notably Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein Ibn Talal, Prince Rached Bin Al Hassan Ibn Talal and Princess Zeina Rached.

It was also attended by Government Chief, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the King's advisors, cabinet members, presidents of constitutional bodies, representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Morocco and several other civil and military figures.

On this occasion, the two Royal Families posed for a souvenir photo.

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Washington D.C. - Last week, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. government’s development finance institution specializing in investing in the private sector abroad, announced that it will double or even triple its $200 million investments in Morocco.

On the sidelines of a meeting with the General Confederation of Moroccan Businesses (GCEM) last Wednesday in Casablanca, OPIC said that its objective is to reach $500 to $600 million in engaged capital, slightly more than MAD 5 billion. The Americans are eyeing several strategic sectors in the kingdom, including renewable energy, infrastructure, and tourism.

“We intend to diversify our portfolio in Morocco with priority sectors,” said Elizabeth Littlefield, CEO of OPIC. “We are very responsive to the funding requests by investors,” she added.

At the meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce and CGEM, the organization representing Moroccan businesses, Ms. Littlefield addressed “OPIC’s offering of development financing and political risk insurance to U.S. connected private investors seeking to expand to the region.”

Last August, OPIC finalized an agreement with Attijariwafa Bank Group on the sidelines of the first U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington, D.C., in which nearly 50 African nations participated.

Morocco World News interviewed a consultant about what had gone on behind closed doors during the OPIC meeting. He spoke with us on condition of anonymity about the implications of “political risk” to U.S.-connected private investors. Citing a number of risks that may affect U.S. companies’ investments, including tax policies that may change with Morocco's upcoming elections next year, he emphasized the importance of good governance for political stability and said that “USAID spent $2.9 million in 2013 for programs on good governance.”

He expressed concern, however, that the Moroccans did not allocate any of those dollars to training government officials on anti-corruption measures. He also said that USAID’s work matters because “countries with ineffective government, corruption, and weak rule of law have 30 to 45 percent higher risk of civil war and criminal violence,” than those without those characteristics.

On the same note, a U.S. commercial delegation of ten leading security industry firms led by Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis, Marcus Jadotte, was in Morocco last week.

The delegation’s visit provided an opportunity to present the latest technologies geared towards infrastructure security and safety in Morocco. The visit also aimed to support the efforts that have been undertaken in Morocco with respect to improving infrastructure, notably at ports and airports, according to Assistant Secretary Jadotte. Securing the infrastructure will have a positive impact on trade between the two countries, he said.

The U.S. commercial delegation included representatives of leading U.S. security and safety industry firms namely: Comm Port Technologies, Inc. (Cranbury, N.J.), Galaxy Control Systems (Walkersville, Md.), Gichner/Kratos Modular Systems Division (Dallastown, Pa.), Lenco Armored Vehicles (Pittsville, Mass.), Louisiana State University-National Ctr for Biomedical Research & Training (Baton Rouge, La.), Morpho Detection, LLC. (Wilmington, Mass.), Motorola Solutions, Inc. (Washington, D.C.), Navajo Fabrics (Westerly, R.I.), NBC Security (Great Falls, Va.), Prism Lighting Services, LLC. (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Tactical Electronics Corporation (Melbourne, Fla.)

“The safety and security product and services sectors are in high demand in this region,” according to Assistant Secretary Jadotte who was was quoted by the International Trade Administration (ITA). Jadotte added: “I am pleased to lead this impressive group of U.S. companies that offer world-class products and services to strengthen security and provide enhanced safety to citizens in North Africa."

The statements of both delegations emphasize the need for a serious effort to tackle the issue of corruption in Morocco, all the way from small localized incidents such as requests for bribes by officials at Mohamed V International Airport, about which MWN exclusively reported last week, to larger endemic corruption.

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Rabat- The testimony of an Egyptian girl who says she was raped in custody by three police officers at Al-Marj police station in Cairo has sparked uproar in Egypt.

In a phone call, the 18 year-old young woman, who identified herself as Fatima, told her tragic story to Haitham Abu Khalil in his TV show entitled "Our Rights" aired on Al-Sharq TV channel.

Fatima said that she was arrested from her home on January 30, at six p.m., and was attacked in front of her family. She added "that she was transferred to Al-Marj police station in Cairo where police officers tortured her using electric detonator before they rape her."

She said that "Mahmoud Hosseini" and two other police officers "harassed her" in the cell at Al-Marj police station where she had been detained for more than a month.

“I say to the officer who raped me: you have done everything possible to stop me from speaking the truth - but I will go on speaking out until the truth emerges and I have retribution," Fatima said.

Speaking to the same TV Show, a man, introduced by Fatima as her brother, said, "What can we do? Is this permitted or prohibited? Where are our rights? Who should we report this to and against who? They are killing people everywhere. We are in a jungle."

The case of Fatima went viral on social media. Thousands of users denounced the fact that law enforcement officers are allowed to commit crimes with impunity.

The story of Fatima triggered reactions on Twitter using the hashtag #??????_????? (The rape of Fatima).
“The rape of Fatima is a rape of Egypt by a gang in authority by force of arms.”

#6?????#??????_????? ???????? ?????? ????? ????? ?????????? ????? ??? ?????? ... ??? ?? ?????? ???? #????????_??????http://t.co/UmCx4xcWFA— A6M???? ???? 6 ????? (@shabab6april) March 11, 2015

[video id="9UNQiLhIHmQ" type="youtube"]

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Rabat – Police in Marrakech arrested 13 people accused of using an abandoned network of underground tunnels to hide drugs and weapons. The tunnel network was dug out during the shooting of Tom Cruise’s blockbuster movie “Mission Impossible 5," daily newspaper Al Massae reported.

The drug gang members, aged between 20 and 30, were arrested last week in the city of Marrakech after showing “strong resistance”, added the newspaper.

The same source said the authorities discovered that the aforementioned gang was using the network of abandoned tunnels already meant for the shooting of scenes from the movie Mission Impossible 5 featuring American actor Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt to hide drugs, stolen goods and white arms (knives) imported from outside the country. The weapons were used for “theft” and “robbery”.

Besides Marrakech in which he closed a highway bypass section to leave space for the shooting of his film, Tom Cruise also shot scenes for the fifth installment of the Mission Impossible franchise in other Moroccan cities including, Casablanca and Rabat.

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Rabat - The number of abandoned babies in Morocco is on the rise.

Moroccan activist and champion of single mother's rights, Aicha Chenna, has revealed on Wednesday that 24 out of 153 babies born out of wedlock every day in Morocco are being abandoned and waiting to be claimed.

Speaking during the National Meeting on Abortion organized in the capital Rabat on Wednesday, Aicha Chenna, the founder of Solidarité Feminine Association, quoted a study conducted between 2003 and 2009 that estimates the number of unwed mothers in Morocco at 200 thousands and the number of births out of wedlock at 500 thousands. She added that the percentage of children born to unmarried mothers currently stands at 13.46 percent of the total births in the kingdom.

Labeled as the Moroccan "Mother Teresa," Chenna stressed during the meeting that the lack of sex and preventive education in schools in addition to what she described as "societal hypocrisy" with regards to illegal sexual practices, especially among young people, are the main reasons behind the rise in numbers of abandoned and undocumented babies.

During her intervention, Chenna called on religious scholars and Imams to use mosques not only to tell people about hell and heaven and the afterlife, but also to play a greater role in consolidating the foundations of sexual education among Moroccans from religious texts, adding that Islam is very advanced in terms of sex education.

Chenna, who in 2009 was awarded the world's largest faith based prize for entrepreneurship, the Opus Prize, for her life achievement as a social activist, explained her stance on the termination of pregnancies in cases of malformation or rape and incest, calling for unrestricted right for women to have abortions or not.

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Paris - French president Francois Hollande bestowed, here Wednesday, France's highest award, the Legion of Honour, to former Moroccan athlete and Olympic champion Nawal El Moutawakel.

This award is in recognition of the strong ties between France and Morocco, and reflects the bonds of friendship between King Mohammed VI and the French president, former Olympic champion in 400m hurdles in Los Angeles in 1984 said.

El Moutawakel also expressed her condolences to France and the families of the three French athletes, Florence Arthaud, Camille Muffat and Alexis Vastine, victims of the helicopters’ collision in Argentina.

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Rabat - The days of Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid are numbered unless the Italian gains back control over the team and snatch it from its recent free fall following the defeat against Schalke that almost see the Los Blancos crashed out of the Champions League's quarter finals.

The job of the former PSG boss at Real Madrid is on the line, according to Spanish Sports magazine MARCA. The club's president Florentino Perez reportedly demanded Ancelotti to take immediate action in order to put an end to the current crisis, especially that the team are no longer La Liga leaders in the wake of the 1-0 loss against Athletic Bilbao.

"Do whatever you want, change whoever you want and play however you want, but you have to sort this out", the president told the coach after the Schalke loss.

Despite the defeats in la Liga and in Champions League, the team's president and the board still have faith in Ancelotti, MARCA added. They believe that sacking the Italian at this stage and bringing a new coach would have very little chance of success.

However, Ancelotti must seize the team's trip to the Camp Nou on 22nd March to revive the squad that had won 22 consecutive games earlier this season. MARCA estimates that El Classico match against eternal rivals and current La Liga leaders Barcelona could seal Carlo Ancelotti's fate at the club.

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Rabat - Maroc Cultures Association has announced the participation of American singer Usher in the 14th edition of the Mawazine Rhythms of the World Festival. The R&B star will be performing live at the OLM stage on Friday, June 5th 2015.

Usher rose to the limelight in the late 1990s with the release of his second album "My Way". With his countless successes and over 52 million fans on Facebook, Usher is among the key figures of the American music scene.

Usher is currently working on his 8th studio album which is set for release later this year. He also completed the filming of his role in the upcoming film "Hands of Stone" featuring Edgar Ramirez and Robert De Niro.

The 14 edition of Mawazine Festival which is scheduled to take place between May 29th and June 6th, 2015 in Rabat will also see the participation of Akon, American Pop Rock band Maroon 5, English Alternative rock band Placebo and Nigerian duo P-Square

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Rabat - After the aid embezzlement scandal revealed by the European Union's anti-fraud Office OLAF, the European Parliament has adopted on Thursday a new report, which analysts see as “new blow” to Algeria and the Polisario Front.

The European Parliament has adopted the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the world. The report, which was approved by 390 votes to 151 with 97 abstentions, hailed Morocco's efforts in promoting human rights and rejected amendments introduced by the opponents of Morocco to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (Minurso) to include human rights monitoring mechanism.

The report, authored by socialist Italian MP Pier Antonio Panzeri, expressed support for Morocco in its efforts to consolidate human rights in the country. This is also the first time that the southern provinces of Morocco are not textually mentioned in the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World.

"It is absolutely essential that our societies evolve in the full respect of individual rights. The annual report on human rights is an important evaluation instrument that Parliament uses and it is a basis for defending the right of every individual to be part of humanity" said the author of the report, Antonio Panzeri.

Another report by the EU's anti-fraud Office (OLAF) has revealed “well-organized, year’s long” embezzlement by the Polisario Front of humanitarian aid designated for Sahrawi refugees in the Polisario-run camps in Tindouf, Algeria.

The OLAF report, conducted in 2007 and disclosed recently, slams Algeria and the Polisario for embezzling humanitarian aid for decades to the detriment of the Sahrawis living in the Tindouf camps. Following the release of these findings, the European Union has decided to “drastically” reduce the 10 million Euros humanitarian aid allocated to the Tindouf camps.

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Rabat - The Berlin-based company Kaymu, Africa’s leading online marketplace, which provides consumer to consumer and business to consumer sales services via Internet, has expanded operations to Morocco.

The ecommerce platform, which is similar in design to eBay, gives sellers the opportunity to list their items and choose the right pricing methods either via auction or fixed price listing.

Users can choose to purchase from an abundant selection of products, including electronics, gadgets, books, furniture, cars or fashion products they want, as well as the method of payment and delivery they wish.

The platform now has about 5,000 items listed in various galleries and the site is reportedly going to increase the number of items and choices to more than 10,000 items in the near future.

According to their official website, “Kaymu is the leading online shopping community in Morocco.”

The e-commerce platform confirmed that they “do not have a stock of goods,” but they offer a “meeting online platform between buyers and sellers.”

Believing that the, “internet is able to erase economic barriers and advance trade practices,” Kaymu aims to enhance the activity of local entrepreneurs by helping them develop their online stores, while making shopping easy and accessible to all.

Today, with the launch of Kaymu.ma, Rocket Internet, founded by Germany’s Samwer brothers in 2007 and headquartered in Berlin, will grow to include over 50 portfolio companies in over 40 countries.

The company already operates in Morocco through Hellofood.ma, Lamudi.ma, and Jumia. These serve as websites for food delivery service, real estate ads, and an online shopping center respectively.

According to Sami Louali, CEO and co-founder of Jumia and Kaymu in Morocco, the platform claims to be the "eBay of the emerging markets," adding that Kaymu has a, "head start over most competitors."

Last year, on September 16, the leading online marketplace Kaymu, won the E-Commerce Company of the Year and Department Store awards of commendation respectively at the Online Retail Awards in London.

This startup exists not only in Morocco, but also in other North African countries with Kaymu Algeria and Tunisia Kaymu.

The easy access to internet as well as the flexibility of payments introduced by e-commerce platforms and safe delivery help increase the online transactions operated on the Moroccan online marketplaces.

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Rabat- During the official working visit to Morocco by King Abdullah II of Jordan and Queen Rania Al Abdullah, the Jordanian Hashemite royal house has published a photo album in high definition documenting all the moments of meetings of the two royal families at the royal palace in Casablanca.

Queen Rania of Jordan also posted on her Facebook account many photos of her with the princess lalla Salma.

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Rabat- France is likely to name the diplomat Jean-Francois Girault as ambassador to Morocco to replace Charles Fries.

According to the weekly Jeune Afrique, the current director of the North Africa and Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since June 2012, Jean-François Girault, could be appointed as the new ambassador of France to Morocco.

Former Ambassador to Syria and Iraq, the veteran diplomat has long worked with Jacques Chirac, as a diplomatic adviser.

Girault, 59 years old, is considered "an expert of the Arab world."

Marked by a year of tension, the relations between France and Morocco have resumed their normal course since the signing of judicial cooperation agreements between the two countries on 31 January, and the meeting between King Mohammed VI and President Francois Hollande in Paris in early February.

During his visit to Morocco on March 9, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that Paris aims to “reinforce and give new impetus” to the friendship ties between the two “exceptional” partners.

“My visit to Morocco aims to reinforce and give new impetus to the close and enduring friendship ties between our two countries”, Fabius underlined at a press briefing following a meeting with Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar.

During the same visit, France also reiterated its support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco as a serious and credible basis for a negotiated solution to the Western Sahara issue, according to a joint French-Moroccan statement issued last Monday.

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Rabat- Chief of Government Abdelilah Benkirane's approval rating hit 60 percent for the first time since the summer of 2013. His approval rating has risen eleven percentage points just a few months into the regional and municipal elections, according to a new Tizi/Averty poll. 

The last time Benkirane hit the 60 percent mark was in July 2013. The poll, whose content has been reported by news website Media24, has shown Benkirane's approval rating getting slightly better. The poll shows that 62 percent of people surveyed in 2015 are still satisfied with the job Benkirane is doing as chief of government, compared with 51 percent in July, 2014.

Benkirane's approval numbers are mainly driven by the youth. According to the poll, 70 percent of people aged between 18 and 24 still trust Abdelilah Benkirane, while 63 percent are the people aged between 25 and 35, and 64 percent for the people aged between 44 and 55-years-old. Overall, 58 percent of the Moroccans surveyed by the poll believe that Benkirane has not fallen short of their expectations.

The poll has also revealed the names of the other ministers in Benkirane's cabinet who are most appreciated by their fellow Moroccans. Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries scored the highest with 7.2 out of 10. He is followed by Health Minister Lhoucine Louardi with a score of 6.8 out of 10, Mbarka Bouaida, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation 6.7 out of 10, Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid 6.3 out of 10 and Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Minister of Industry, Trade, Investment and the Digital Economy with a score of 6.2 out of 10.

As for the most "famed" ministers, Mohamed El Ouafa, Minister of General Affairs and Governance comes first with 80 percent of the votes. He is followed by Communication Minister Mustapha El Khalfi (76%), Transport and Logistics Minister Aziz Rabbah (75%), Health Minister Lhoucine Louardi (75%) and Nabil Ben Abdellah Minister of Housing and Urbanism (74%).

The poll was conducted by Averty Market Research & Intelligence, an independent pollster and a member of the World Association of Market Research (ESOMAR), in partnership with independent citizen's network Tizi. The poll surveyed 1,086 respondents online between January and February, 2015 in 39 Moroccan cities.

Another survey conducted earlier this year by L’Economiste-Sunergia showed that Benkirane enjoys a wide popularity among the Moroccans, compared to his predecessors and political opponents. He was voted the best Prime Minister by 37% of the respondents surveyed by the French-speaking daily newspaper.

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Rabat - Morocco's Miloud Chaabi is Africa's richest real estate magnate, according to the 2015 Forbes Billionaires list. The owner of Ynna Holding topped the list of Africa's richest businessmen whose assets in real estate have contributed significantly in making their fortunes.

Lamudi, a global real estate network analyzed the property portfolios of Miloud Chaabi in addition to some of the continent's billionaires who have made their fortunes in real estate.

Miloud Chaabi's interests in real estate are worth an estimated $US one billion or more. The octogenarian has a diverse real estate portfolio. His Holding company Ynna has a property division, Chaabi Lil Iskane. He is also the owner of the Ryad Mogador hotel chain, which opened its first hotel in the city of Essaouira in 1999, and the Aswak Assalam supermarket group.

Sudhir Ruparelia from Uganda is the second richest African businessman in terms of real estate. He has a net worth of $US 1.1 billion and he is the majority shareholder of the companies in the Ruparelia Group, including the real estate company Meera Investments, a company which invests on property development and construction in Uganda's capital, Kampala.

He is followed by Egypt's Samih Sawiris. The head of Orascom Development which specializes in building resorts in Egypt, the Middle East, Montenegro and Switzerland, has a net worth estimated at $US 1.5 billion. Sawiris also owns about 10 percent of the construction firm OCI N.V. which was founded by his father and is currently run by his brother Nassef.

Another Moroccan has made it to the list. Anas Sefrioui, the head of the homebuilding company Group Addoha, has focused his property business on building low-cost housing for Moroccans. Sefrioui, whose net worth is estimated at $US 1.1 billion, has announced plans to expand across Africa including Mali, Ghana, and Chad.

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Dakhla, Morocco - The 25th Crans Montana Forum kicked off Friday morning in the Moroccan southern city of Dakhla, under the high patronage of King Mohammed VI.

The opening ceremony was marked by a message of HM King Mohammed VI to the participants, read out by Government Chief Abdelilah Benkirane.

This edition of Crans Montana Forum on Africa and South-South Cooperation is dedicated to energy access through renewable energy, with a special focus on wind farms.

The Forum brings together illustrious figures from 36 African, 30 Asian, 31 European and 15 America countries, as well as more than 20 regional and international organizations.

Founded in 1986 in Switzerland, the Crans Montana Forum is a non-governmental organization aimed at encouraging international cooperation, dialogue, development, stability, peace and security in the world.

[caption id="attachment_153851" align="aligncenter" width="913"] The prime minister of Guinea , Mohamed Said Fofana[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153852" align="aligncenter" width="960"] The President of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov.[/caption]

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Rabat - Geert Wilders, anti-Islam and anti-immigration Dutch politician, has called for the deportation of two Moroccan football players who were arrested Thursday on grounds of assaulting a female police officer.

The incident took place on Thursday when three Ajax Amsterdam youth team players were arrested for assaulting an off-duty female police officer among them are two Dutch players of Moroccan origins Zakaria El Azzouzi and Ashraf El Mahdioui, both 18. The third player is 19-year-old striker Samet Bulut of Turkish origin.

Wilders tweeted on the issue saying that the players, if found guilty, should be stripped of their Dutch nationality and "immediately" sent to Morocco.

According to preliminary Dutch media reports, the three players allegedly blocked the road with a black Mercedes. When the police officer horn at their car, the three went out of the car and allegedly pulled the woman out of her own vehicle, and then assaulted her.

Unlike what some reports claimed, the woman, who did not identify herself as a police officer, was not thrown out of her vehicle and she had no broken bones or fractures. However, the woman is reported to have a bruised shoulder from the incident and that she is planning to make a formal complaint.

The three players from Ajax A1 youth team were reportedly released on Friday. One of them, however, is still a suspect in the case and he is ordered to make an appearance before the court. The two others will not face any charges.

"An 18-year-old man from Amsterdam is ordered to appear before the court for common assault," the prosecutor said. "The other two men, aged 18 and 19 years, were released without a summons because they were not involved in the assault. They are no longer suspects and will not be prosecuted."

Ajax Amsterdam football club has suspended the trio pending an internal investigation. “The club takes this very seriously, and is making every effort to find out what happened as quickly as possible,” Ajax released in a statement. “Then, Ajax will determine if and what appropriate action will follow. Until then, the players will not be involved in football activities organized by the club.”

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Rabat - Health Minister Hossine El Ouardi has announced on Friday that more than 60 percent of Moroccans have now access to health coverage.

Speaking during the opening session of an international seminar on health coverage for disadvantaged groups in the capital Rabat, the minister said the number of Moroccans who are now enrolled has expanded to reach 62 percent of the population. He said that 34 percent of them have picked health insurance plans through the compulsory health insurance system which has been available since 2005 while 28 percent through the Medical Assistance Plan known as RAMED.

The Minister added that 40 percent of Moroccans are still in need of health insurance for themselves and their families including self-employed professionals working in the private sector as well as students. He said that the Health Ministry is putting the final touches on a draft law that would allow Moroccans working in the private sector to also be included in the health insurance system. They are to be provided with health insurance later this year, the minister said.

In his evaluation to the Medical Assistance Plan (RAMED) initiated three years ago, El Ouardi said that the system is still facing a number of drawbacks which reduces its effectiveness, including poor infrastructure, acute shortage in human resources, funding shortages and the lack of governance and management.

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Rabat - Chief of government Abdelilah Benkirane's approval rating in 2015 among 18-to 24-year-olds is a staggering 70 percent, a new poll conducted by Averty Market Research & Intelligence in partnership with the Tariq Ibn Ziyad Barometer Initiative (Tizi) has revealed.

Despite some of the reforms deemed unpopular by his opponents, Benkirane is still widely popular among one of the main demographic groups that helped elect him in the wake of the so-called Arab Spring. His approval rating among the aforementioned youth category is five percentage points higher than the 65 percent reported only six months ago. As for the young people aged between 25 and 35, 63 percent of them said they have faith in Benkirane against 55 percent six months ago. This is an 8 percentage points increase.

Benkirane's approval rating seems to be in good shape also among the slightly older demographics just few months into the regional and municipal elections. 64 percent of the people aged between 44 and 55 said they approve the way Benkirane is handling his job. An earlier poll found that Benkirane's approval rating with 44-and 55-year-olds stood at 35 percent. The category's confidence of Benkirane has almost doubled.

The poll has documented an increase in the youth's confidence of Moroccan politics. 58 percent of the people aged between 18 and 24 said they are confident, compared to 39 percent six months earlier.

The increase in confidence has also been observed in the other categories. As for those aged between 25 and 34 their confidence of politics has increased by 11 percentage points, moving from 32 percent to 43 percent. The same thing goes on with the 35-to 44-year-olds. Their confidence jumped 14 percentage points to stand at 55 percent instead of 41 percent. 58 percent for the people aged between 45 and 54 compared to 29 percent and 49 percent for the over 55-year-olds against 43 percent.

The Tizi/Averty poll used a sample of 1,086 respondents who were surveyed online between January and February, 2015 in 39 Moroccan cities.

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Rabat - Morocco’s Minister of Tourism Lahcen Haddad said that Morocco’s Dakhla has come under the spotlights for hosting Crans Montana Forum, which brings together highly ranked personalities from over 112 countries.

Talking to Morocco World News on the sideline of Crans Montana’s opening ceremony, Lahcen Haddad stressed the importance of Crans Montana Forum. He said that it gives Morocco “high exposure around the world,” as it brings together important figures from over 112 countries.

Morocco is on the agenda and Dakhla is at crossroads of all the debates regarding south-south Corporation, one of the most important themes for sustainable development, in addition to security and infrastructure questions,” Lahcen Haddad told MWN.

With a constant water temperature all year round (25°C), Dakhla has become a promising sports and sightseeing destination.

“Dakhla is an emergent destination. It’s also a sports and sustainable development destination. It’s a meeting point with the desert and the ocean, and it also enjoys a rich culture, which is the Hassani culture,” says Minister of Tourism.

Lahcen Haddad revealed to MWN that his Ministry aims to improve the touristic infrastructures in Dakhla, adding that it plans to increase the number of beds to 4,000 beds.

He also referred to his intention to inaugurate new air routes between Dakhla and other cities around Europe.

“Currently, Casablanca-Dakhla is the only air route between Dakhla and the rest of the world. Yet, we want to open new air routes between Dakhla and Europe in order to make it easier for European tourists to come to Dakhla,” Lahcen Haddad added.

“A flight between Paris to Dakhla is an air route that we consider. Flights from Germany, Spain or UK to Dakhla will also be available in the future,” Lahcen Haddad concluded.

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