Rabat - Morocco is planning to submit its candidature to host the 2026 world cup.

According to media reports, the President of the Moroccan Royal Football Federation (FRMF), Faouzi Lakjaa, discussed the matter with FIFA President Joseph Blatter in Zurich, Switzerland.

The governing body of international football will award the competition to an African country following the principle of rotation of continents established since early 2000s.

Morocco had already tried to host the global competition in 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010.

This time, however, Morocco's chances to obtain the hosting rights of the prestigious sporting event will get better mainly because of the available infrastructure and the country's expertise in organizing international competitions such as the FIFA Club World Cup in 2013 and 2014.

The post Morocco Seeks to Host the 2026 FIFA World Cup appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat- Moroccan Chief of government, Abdelilah Benkirane, said that one of the secrets of his success was that he understood from the very beginning that there will be no future for his party, the Party of Justice and Development (PJD), if they conflicted with King Mohammed VI.

Speaking during the 10th annual Harvard Arab World Conference (HAWC) organized by the Harvard Arab Alumni Association in the capital Rabat, Benkirane said that the most important decision the sovereign had taken during the Arab Spring was to recognize the "real" results of the 25th November, 2011 parliamentary elections, which saw the Party of Justice and Development winning 107 seats in the parliament and also the right to form a coalition government in January 2012.

Benkirane told the audience during the opening of the HAWC that the kingdom was built on legitimacy and not only on power and authority, adding that King Mohammed VI was quick in responding to the demands for democratic reforms by appointing a commission of experts to draft a new constitution.

The Moroccan premier said that working hand in hand with the king has yielded positive results, stressing that the Party of Justice and Development “would either rule with the king or leave office, but not conflict with the king.”

In his speech, Benkirane relied on religious references to explain his relationship with the palace, saying that their relationship is that of "ease and not difficulty, obedience and not protest, and we obeyed his majesty the king," he added.

The 10th annual Harvard Arab World Conference was also marked by the presence of the king's cousin Moulay Ismail and Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan along with 300 leading professionals from the Middle East, Europe and the US.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

The post We Will Either Rule with the King or Leave Office: Benkirane appeared first on Morocco World News.

Taroudant - Casablanca will restore the Temple Beth El synagogue, the most famous Jewish place of worship in the city, according to the Italian news agency ANSAmed. The renovation of the Jewish synagogue is part of large scale project to renovate and restore the old medina of Casablanca. 

Home to a sizable and centuries-old Jewish community, the kingdom aims to renew their places of worship where most of the Jewish celebrations are held.

“The inclusion of the synagogues in the medina restoration is a strong sign that Morocco wants to make itself even more visible with initiatives that elsewhere would cause alarm, but that in Morocco is simply the continuation of a decades-long tolerance policy,” the Italian agency said.

With its spiritual wealth and cultural diversity, the kingdom is deeply permeated with the values of coexistence, tolerance and harmony between the different components of its social fabric.

According to La Vie Economique, “a tender was launched for restoration of the Medina as well as the restoration of the Ettedgu synagogue, including its garden and surrounding area.”

In 2013, Morocco, with the contribution of Germany, finished a two-year long renovation of the synagogue “Slat Alfassiyine” of the Jewish community of Fez, which was until the last century one of the largest in the country.

Among the thirty synagogues located in Casablanca, the Temple Beth El synagogue is probably the most beautiful. Beth El or "Beit El", also called the Algerian Temple, is also the venue where Jewish community celebrate their religious events.

With its stained glass windows, giant chandeliers and its unique architecture, made of white and gilded plaster, the synagogue is among the city’s best tourist attractions. According to TripAdvisor, it is ranked 32 of 131 tourist attractions in Casablanca.

[video id="6RQ7Ft4XX1w" type="youtube"]

The post Morocco to Renew Casablanca’s Synagogues appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - Morocco is among Germans' favorite vacation destinations in 2015, a new survey has revealed.

Morocco has been awarded the 'destination that made the biggest breakthrough in 2014' award by the German weekly Stern and the German monthly Geo Saison.

The award was presented to Karim Harouchi, a delegate of the Moroccan National Office of Tourism (ONMT) in Germany.

The choice of Morocco was based on the results of a survey of more than 6,000 readers conducted by Stern and Geo Saison.

Stern is a German weekly news magazine and a subsidiary of media giant Bertelsmann.

Geo is an educational monthly magazine known for its detailed reports and pictures. It is published by Gruner +Jahr, a publishing house owned by Bertelsmann.

The post Morocco, Among Germans’ Favorite Destinations in 2015 appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - Morocco is the second largest importer of arms in Africa during the period 2010-2014, a Swedish think tank has said.

According to a new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), arms purchases by Morocco accounted for 26 per cent of the continent's overall imports between 2005-2009 and 2010-2014. Morocco is preceded by Algeria, the largest arms importer in Africa, with 30 per cent of imports and Sudan (6 per cent).

The kingdom's arms imports increased elevenfold, says the report. Morocco received 1 frigate from France, the country's first arm supplier, for an estimated 470 million Euros. Morocco's weapons imports also come from other countries mainly, the United States, Italy and Germany.

Morocco's neighbor to the east Algeria managed to increase its arms imports by 3 percent between 2005-2009 and 2010-2014. Major deliveries to Algeria included 1 helicopter carrier from Italy, the last batch of 48 air defence systems from Russia and an estimated 50 self-propelled guns from China. The report added that Algeria has several major outstanding arms orders. These include orders placed in 2014 for 2 submarines and 42 combat helicopters from Russia and 926 APCs from Germany.

Arms imports to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states increased by 71 per cent from 2005–2009 to 2010–14, accounting for 54 per cent of imports to the Middle East in the latter period, says the report.

"Mainly with arms from the USA and Europe, the GCC states have rapidly expanded and modernized their militaries’, said Pieter Wezeman, Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme.

"The GCC states, along with Egypt, Iraq, Israel and Turkey in the wider Middle East, are scheduled to receive further large orders of major arms in the coming years."

Saudi Arabia rose to become the second largest importer of major weapons worldwide in 2010–14, increasing the volume of its arms imports four times compared to 2005–2009.

India, Saudi Arabia, China, the UAE and Pakistan accounted for 33 percent of the total arms imports during the period.

Overall, the volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons grew up by 16 percent between 2005-2009 and 2010-2014, SIPRI said.

The biggest exporter in 2010-2014 was the United States of America.

American arms exports accounted for 31 per cent for all exports during the period. It is followed by Russia, China, Germany and France. Together, they accounted for 74 per cent of the volume of arms exports. Combined, the USA and Russia supplied 58 per cent of all exports.

The post Morocco, Second Arms Importer in Africa: Survey appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) is holding its annual Global Marketer Week in Marrakech from March 16 to March 20, 2015.

The event, which will be co-hosted with the Moroccan Association of Advertisers (GAM), will bring together global marketing leaders from 30 countries, including the world's biggest brands.

“Twenty-Fifteen is an important moment in the history of the WFA because it's the first time we've held Global Marketer Week on the African continent," said Stephan Loerke, Managing Director of the WFA.

"Marrakech was chosen because of the rising interest in the growth prospects of both Morocco in particular and the African continent as a whole. We're very excited to be organizing a week of stimulating events in close collaboration with the Association of Advertisers in Morocco."

The Global Marketer Week is celebrated in a different city each year. It was organized in Sydney in 2014, in Brussels in 2013 and in New York in 2014. This is also the first time to see Global Marketer Week in the African continent.

This year's edition will address the key challenges facing advertisers globally and inspire marketers with success stories from some of the world's biggest brands. The programme will also include a special focus on Africa and the opportunities in the region.

The post Marrakech Hosts Global Marketer Week appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - Head of government Abdelilah Benkirane has revealed that he was the target of potential threats as a result of the reforms he is undertaking along with the other members of his cabinet.

During a pre-election rally over the weekend in Errachidia, southern Morocco, head of government and Secretary General of the Party of Justice and Development (PJD), Abdelilah Benkirane, said that his life was threatened because of drastic reforms, including lifting subsidies of vital products such as premium gasoline and fuel oil.

He said that when King Mohammed VI was informed on the matter, he gave his instructions to the Interior Minister in order to increase the level of his protection by assigning four bodyguards to accompany him.

The post Morocco’s Head of Govt. Says His Life is Under Threat appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - The number of inhabitants in Morocco has reached 33,848,242 in September 2014, announced on Monday, the High Commissioner for Planning Ahmed Alami Lahlimi.

In an address to King Mohammed VI for the presentation of preliminary indicators on the legal population of the Kingdom, as reflected in the Sixth General Census of Population and Housing (RGPH 2014), which took place 1 to 20 September 2014, Lahlimi Alami stressed that the legal population of the Kingdom has reached 33,762,036 citizens and 86,206 foreigners.

The 2014 census shows that the number of households reached 7,313,806 in September 2014, added Lahlimi, pointing out that the urbanization rate in Morocco reached 60.3% in 2014, against 55.1% in 2004.

The post Morocco Population Reached 33,8 Million in September 2014: Census appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - Morocco's trade deficit has narrowed to 20.51 billion Dirhams by the end of February against 32.64 billion dirhams a year earlier, latest figures from the Exchange Office have revealed.

Imports decreased by 15.2 per cent moving from 63.18 billion dirhams to 53.56 billion Dirhams.

The decrease in imports was mainly due to the falling oil prices which also led to a decline in the country's imports of energy (93.8% of the total decline of imports).

The import-export ratio has reached 61.7% against 48.3% by the end of February, the Office said. The change is also due to the 8.2% increase in exports.

Exports increased 33.04 billion Dirhams against 30.54 billion Dirhams during the same period last year.

The performance in exports originates from the increase in sales of phosphates and derivatives (20.4), the automotive sector (+MAD 10,1) and those of agriculture and Agri-food (10.4%).

10 MAD = 0.99 USD

The post Morocco Improves Its Trade Balance appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - The remittances of Moroccans living abroad have increased by 6.9 per cent to reach 9.48 billion Dirhams by the end of February compared to 8.86 billion Dirhams during the same period a year earlier, new figures from the Exchange Office have revealed.

The same source added that travel revenues were down 8.2 per cent while expenses increased by 9.2 per cent by the end of February, 2015.

Direct foreign investments in Morocco were down 15.2 per cent from 4 billion Dirhams to 3.4 billion Dirhams between February 2014 and February 2015. This is mainly due to a 13.9 per cent decrease in revenues which exceeded the decrease in expenditures (-8.9 per cent), said the Exchange Office which has just published the preliminary indicators of foreign trade for the year 2015.

The post Remittances of Moroccans Living Abroad Reach MAD 9.4 Billion in February appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - Morocco is expecting a good harvest this year. Thanks to the best weather and a good distribution of rainfall, the Ministry of Agriculture is optimistic about the outcome of the 2014-2015 crop year.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Fisheries, the national average cumulative rainfall as of March 13, 2015 amounted to 318.9 mm, a 12% compared to a normal year (285.8 mm) and + 50% compared to last year (212.8 mm).

Morocco’s main dams reached 10.29 billion cubic meters of water on December 2, 2014, recording an occupancy rate of 65.7%. Nine dams reached a 100% occupancy rate.

The ministry added that the use of certified seeds increased, which will help to improve plant performance. Of the 1.9 million quintals available, 1.45 million quintals were sold, marking a 12% increase from the previous season.

The Climatic conditions have created an ideal context for the growth of cereals. Grain planting cover about 5.02 million hectares, or 98% in the current crop year, with soft wheat (42%), barley (33%) and durum wheat (22%).

The post Morocco Expects An Exceptional Crop Year appeared first on Morocco World News.

Dubai - Minister for Equipment, Transport and Logistics showcased in Dubai on Tuesday Morocco’s strategy to revamp the railway sector whose total cost is estimated at $20 billion.

Speaking at a conference on railways in the MENA region, Rebbah said that the strategy is designed to be completed by 2035.

He added that the strategy aims at developing 1500 kilometers of high speed rail links and 2,743 of conventional railways as well as a logistics platforms linked to the railway network.

In this respect, he added that the Casablanca-Tangier high speed rail link will be extended to the south between Marrakech and Agadir as well as to the eastern city of Oujda.

The post Morocco’s Railway Development Strategy to Cost $20 Billion appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - There is not text in the Quaran or any prophetic saying that provide specific guidance on whether to prohibit or allow the termination of pregnancies in Islam, said Ahmed El Khamlichi, Director of Dar Al Hadith Al Hassania during a meeting on reforming the Moroccan law on abortion organized on Monday by the Moroccan Association of the Fight Against Clandestine Abortion (AMLAC) in the capital Rabat.

El Khamlichi's comments on the issue which he emphasized do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Dar Al Hadith Al Hassania, a school of Islamic Studies, indicate that there is far from a consensus that Muslims oppose to abortion.

Between those who say that supporting abortion rights can be compatible with Islam and call for its legalization on different grounds like ensuring that it is done in healthy conditions, or others who think that abortion is a punishable sin that is not compatible with being a devout Muslim, the door for debate and exchange of opinions on the issue remains wide open.

According to news website Alyaoum24, El Khamlichi said that there is no explicit provision on abortion in the Quran, the Muslim's holy book, or in the prophet's hadiths (sayings), adding that abortion is a social problem that develops over time and which has shown that applying a single religious text on it could be a very laborious task.

He cited verses of the Quran which he said were narrowly interpreted by some scholars. He added that among the scholars there are those who prohibit abortion once the egg is fertilized and others who argue that abortion can be permissible during the first 120 days of the pregnancy.

Recent figures have revealed that 24 out of 153 babies born out of wedlock every day in Morocco are being abandoned. The study conducted between 2003 and 2004 estimates the number of unwed mothers in Morocco at 200 thousands and the number of births out of wedlock at 500 thousands.

The percentage of children born to unmarried mothers currently stands at 13.46 percent of the total births in the kingdom, added the study.

AMLAC estimates the number of abortions carried out by doctors each day at 600, and some 200 non-medical abortions.

The post No Text in Quran Prohibits Abortion: Moroccan Scholar appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat- King Mohammed VI chaired, on Tuesday at the Mechouar Square in the Casablanca Royal Palace, the official welcome ceremony for Sheikh Mohammed Ben Zayed Al-Nahyane, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Sheikh Mohammed Ben Zayed Al-Nahyane arrived, Tuesday afternoon in Casablanca, for an official visit to Morocco at the invitation of King Mohammed VI.

He is accompanied by a strong delegation, including notably Sheikh Hamdan Ben Zayed Al-Nahyane, representative of the governor of Abu Dhabi in the western region, Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, Sheikh Saif Ben Zayed Al-Nahyane, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Sheikh Abdellah Ben Zayed Al-Nahyane, Foreign minister.

The post King Mohammed VI Offers Official Welcome Ceremony to Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - A new tension between Morocco and Spain has surfaced and this time over territorial waters.

According to media reports, Morocco has requested the United Nations to reject a Spanish proposal to expand the maritime borders off the Canary Islands.

The move will open the way for Spain to explore for oil and gas off the coast of the archipelago, the site of important energy reserves.

Morocco reportedly sent a letter to the United Nations last week protesting Spain's plans to expand the maritime borders off the Canary Islands on the grounds that the area in question is part of the Moroccan continental shelf and that is located where territorial waters between the two countries are undefined.

The kingdom announced a year ago that it will assign a team of specialists to carry out the delimitation of its maritime territory.

It is also reported that Morocco was considering the purchase of an oceanographic vessel from France to help in the effort of redrawing its territorial waters.

Spain is expected to defend its proposal next July before the UN's Commission on Limits of Continental Shelf, known as CLCS.

The post Morocco Reject Spain’s Project to Expand Maritime Borders Off Canary Islands appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - Religious figures in Morocco are leading campaigns throughout the country condemning Shiism as straying from the path of Islam.

Islamists from both ends of the spectrum are putting aside their differences to confront what they describe as "the threat to the entire Sunni community.

According to news website Yabiladi, Salafist Mohamed Maghraoui, better known for his fatwa on allowing the marriage of underage girls, was invited to speak in a meeting on the dangers of Shiism on the individual and society. Participants in the meeting organized in the region of Safi, southern Morocco, estimated that the followers of Shia Islam are trying to mislead people.

In fact, the Sunni-Shia controversy in Morocco has intensified following the founding of a Shiite group in the northern city of Tangier. The group called Al-Khat al-Rissali for Studies and Publishing was the target of harsh criticism from many Moroccan Salafi groups which deemed the presence of such group in the kingdom as destabilizing the "religious security of Moroccans and contributes in fracturing unity and weakening the Moroccan national fabric."

The "anti-Shia" campaign in Morocco also comes in the wake of the release of a classified report by the South African intelligence Agency (NIA). The report made public by Al Jazeera network outlines the efforts made by Iran to export the Iranian revolution principles and stir up Shia Muslim groups in several African countries, including Morocco, through the use of a variety of organizations that are concerned with realizing the Iranian objectives in the continent.

The same source added that the Unification and Reform Movement, a movement close to the ruling Party of Justice and Development (PJD), also invited scholars to talk on the dangers of Shiism in the capital Rabat. In the southern city of Agadir, Abdellah Nahari, a Moroccan scholar, blasted young Moroccans who embrace Shiism on Iranian Television, warning against the Shiite threat on the security and stability of Muslim countries.

Morocco is among countries which regard Shia Muslims as a threat to regional stability and serving Iranian interests. Malaysia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have all seen similar campaigns against Shiism. Ousted Egyptian President, Mohammed Morsi, is reported to have said once that Shia Muslims are more dangerous to Islam than zionists.

The post Moroccan Islamists Warn Against ‘Shia Threat’ in Morocco appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - A delegation from the American Jewish Committee (AJC), a leading global Jewish advocacy organization, hailed Morocco's economic and political progress and its security partnership with the United States of America.

In a meeting with Chief of Government Abdelilah Benkirane and other senior Moroccan officials, the 12-member delegation conveyed messages of support for the efforts of King Mohammed VI in combating extremism and advance regional peace and prosperity.

"In an era of turmoil across the Arab world, Morocco, an exemplar and defender of moderation, plays an increasingly vital role?," said Jason Isaacson, AJC Associate Executive Director for Policy.

The American Jewish Committee reaffirmed its support for Morocco's territorial integrity of the historic kingdom, including its sovereignty with local autonomy in the Western Sahara region.

AJC expressed support for Morocco's security and its strategic cooperation with the United States and participation in the anti-ISIS coalition.

The delegation also expressed solidarity with the two-millennia-old Moroccan Jewish community, and met with its leaders and visited Jewish sites in five Moroccan cities?.

AJC maintains a formal association agreement with the ?Communauté Juive Marocaine, headed by Ambassador Serge Berdugo.

The American Jewish Committee was established in 1906 to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and to advance human rights and democratic values for all.

The post American Jewish Delegation Visits Morocco, Supports Its Territorial Integrity appeared first on Morocco World News.

The post Casablanca: King Mohammed VI, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Inaugurate Sheikh Khalifa Hospital appeared first on Morocco World News.

Taroudant - The 39th Annual World Finals of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest 2015 will take place on May 16-21 in Morocco.

Hosted by the Moroccan Association for Computing Machinery, Mohammed V University, Al Akhawayn University and Mundiapolis University Contest, the contest, a sort of world cup of computer engineering, is sponsored by IBM.

Morocco is the first Arab, Mediterranean and African country to host this global event, which brings together the world’s best young programmers.

Two Moroccan teams, one from and While (true) from Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane and the other from Cadi Ayyad University ENSA in Marrakech, are participating in this global contest.

“The world programming championship is designed to generate ever more sophisticated generations of programmers who will be able to solve technical problems at a higher level,” said Dr. Bill Poucher, executive director of the competition.

For his outstanding service to the ICPC as founder of the Africa & Middle East Region in 1998, Sidi Ali Maelainin, President of the Moroccan ACM, will be presented with an award at the ACM-ICPC World Finals Opening Ceremony on May 20.

A team from Peking University (PKU) in China won the first gold medal in the 38th Annual World Finals of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC), held in Ekaterinburg, Russia from June 22 to June 25.

Sponsored by IBM, ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC) is the most influential collegiate programming contest among college students of the world.

The post International Collegiate Programming Contest Set for May in Morocco appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - Gunmen killed at least eight people in Tunisia, including seven foreigners and a Tunisian national at the National Bardo Museum near the country's parliament, Tunisian officials said. 

According to France24, the assailants, who are believed to have also taken hostages, are being surrounded by security forces at the famed National Bardo Museum, a popular attraction among tourists for its archeological and Roman mosaics collections.

The Tunisian Interior Minister said that security forces are surrounding two Islamist militants in military garb inside the museum that shares grounds with the country's parliament.

The country's government building was reportedly evacuated shortly after noon Wednesday.

In February, Tunisia's Interior Ministry announced that authorities arrested over 100 alleged extremist who were planning terrorist attacks.

2.500 to 3,000 Tunisians are believed to have joined the ranks of extremist groups in Iraq and Syria, mainly the so-called Islamic State.

Interior Ministry spokesperson: 8 tourists killed in Bardo museum "@RadioMosaiqueFM: ???? ??? ?????? : ???? 8 ????? ?? ?????? " #Tunisia

— Farah Samti (@Farah_SamT) March 18, 2015

Les forces de sécurité à l'intérieur du musée #Bardo via @TUNISCOPEcom pic.twitter.com/CXk2AaP7J4 — Khaled Belkhodja (@KBelkodja) March 18, 2015

#Tunisie #Tunisia another pic for the safe tourists now . God bless us god Bless Tunisia pic.twitter.com/e5Hmx2uwcV — Farouk Afi (@farouk3afi) March 18, 2015

One security officer killed during confrontation with the attackers in Bardo #Tunisia #Bardo — Farah Samti (@Farah_SamT) March 18, 2015

Photo by AFP/ FETHI BELAID

The post Gunmen Attack Tunisian Museum, 8 People Killed appeared first on Morocco World News.