CDE News - The Dispatch

Morocco to raise minimum wage for public, private sectors

RABAT (Reuters) - The Moroccan government announced on Saturday a raise in the minimum wage of public and private sector workers, the prime minister’s office said in a statement. The minimum monthly…

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Tension flares up between Algeria and Morocco

Algeria condemned what it called an attack by Morocco against a convoy of trucks in the border area between Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara, saying it…

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Spanish PM to visit Morocco on Thursday as ties improve

The Moroccan royal palace said that King Mohammed VI will meet Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday in Rabat, as the two countries seek to patch up a diplomatic…

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EU targets 8.4 bln euros in Morocco investments over next 7 years

RABAT, (Reuters) - The EU has revised upwards its investments in Morocco over the next seven years to 8.4 billion euros ($9.2 billion) to support job creation, sustainable agriculture and renewable energy,…

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‘Catastrophic’ Moroccan drought to boost import, subsidy costs

The worst drought in decades has left Moroccan farmers facing what one industry official dubbed a "catastrophic year" that will force the government to hike grain imports and subsidies. Rainfall…

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Morocco to spend $1 bln to mitigate drought impact- palace

RABAT, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Morocco will spend 10 billion dirhams ($ 1.07 bln) on a national plan to mitigate the impact of drought on farmers and the economy, the royal palace…

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Morocco prepares to bury ‘little Rayan’

Morocco prepared Monday to bury "little Rayan", the five-year-old boy who died trapped in a well despite a days-long rescue operation that gripped the world. The child's fate drew global…

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Heartbreak and shock in Morocco after death of boy in well

Morocco was in shock Sunday after emergency crews found a five-year-old boy dead at the bottom of a well in a tragic end to a painstaking five-day rescue operation that…

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Update – Moroccan boy trapped in well dies before rescue

RABAT, Feb 5 (Reuters) - A small boy trapped in a well in northern Moroccan for five days died before rescuers were able to reach him late on Saturday and…

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Morocco gripped by rescue operation of five-year-old stuck in a well

Rescuers in Morocco raced against the clock on Friday to save a young boy trapped in a deep well for almost three days, in an operation that has gripped the…

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Morocco to end two-month flight ban on February 7

Morocco will reopen its airspace for international flights starting Feb. 7, the state news agency (MAP) reported. Morocco banned all inbound international passenger flights in November due to concerns over…

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Morocco’s tough COVID restrictions hammer tourism sector

RABAT, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Businesses working in Morocco's key tourism sector say the country's tough COVID-19 restrictions, including a full flight ban, are undermining its competitiveness compared to rival…

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Morocco extends flight ban because of coronavirus

Morocco has extended the suspension of commercial flights to and from the North African country until January 31. The decision comes almost a month after the Interministerial Covid Monitoring Committee…

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Morocco and Israel sign defence MOU in Rabat, Israeli spokesperson says

Morocco and Israel signed a defence memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Rabat on Wednesday, opening the way for possible military sales and cooperation after the countries upgraded diplomatic ties last…

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Morocco plans additional airport COVID testing amid Europe surge

Morocco will conduct rapid COVID-19 tests to passengers arriving in its airports and ports, and will deny access to any visitor with a positive result, the government said. The measure,…

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Morocco to focus on wind energy in sustainable energy drive

Morocco will mobilize global investment of around 14.5 billion dirhams ($1.6 bln) in a wind energy programme, its foreign ministry said in a tweet on Tuesday. The integrated wind energy program will be fully commissioned…

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Royal Air Maroc source says only 15 flights affected by Algeria airspace closure

A source at Royal Air Maroc (RAM) said Algeria's closure of airspace to Moroccan aircraft from Wednesday would only affect 15 flights weekly linking Morocco with Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt.…

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Liberals win most seats in Morocco’s parliamentary election, routing Islamists

Morocco's liberal RNI party has won most seats in the country's parliamentary elections followed by another liberal party, PAM, while co-ruling moderate PJD Islamists suffered a crushing defeat, preliminary results…

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Moroccans vote in parliament election under new voting rules

Moroccans started voting on Wednesday in a parliamentary election under new rules that were expected to make it much harder for the moderate Islamist PJD to remain as the biggest…

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Algeria says cutting diplomatic ties with Morocco

ALGIERS, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Algeria is cutting diplomatic relations with Morocco, Foreign Minister Ramdane Lamamra said on Tuesday at a news conference, accusing its neighbour of "hostile actions". Morocco…

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Morocco reinforces vaccine campaign with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccinations

Morocco received on Friday a shipment of 600,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as it expands its inoculation campaign to younger people amid a recent surge in new cases, said…

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Israeli airlines start direct flights to Morocco

Two Israeli carriers on Sunday launched nonstop commercial flights to Marrakesh from Tel Aviv following the upgrading of diplomatic relations last year between Morocco and Israel. Israel and Morocco agreed…

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Morocco economic growth to slow to 2.9% in 2022

Morocco's economic growth is expected to slow to 2.9% in 2022 from a forecast 5.8% this year, the planning agency said on Monday. The forecasts signal a recovery in domestic…

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Migration: Morocco’s action in crisis was unacceptable, Spanish PM say

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described Morocco's actions during a crisis two weeks ago when thousands of would-be migrants crossed into Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta as unacceptable and an assault…

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Spain hopes for swift end to spat with Morocco as more migrants sent back

Morocco’s ambassador to Madrid warned that if Spain allows the leader of the Western Sahara independence movement to leave Spain without informing Rabat it will worsen the diplomatic crisis between…

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Spain accuses Morocco of ‘blackmail’ over Ceuta migrant surge

Spain’s defence minister accused Morocco of “blackmail” over its passivity in the face of a surge in migrant arrivals in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta earlier this week. The rush…

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Beyond Migration – Western Sahara leader’s treatment in Spain angers Morocco

Brahim Ghali, leader of the Polisario Front which wants independence for Western Sahara, is receiving medical treatment in Spain, angering Morocco which annexed the former Spanish colony decades ago. Here…

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Photo Story – 5,000 illegal Moroccans have entered Ceuta

Hundreds of young Moroccans wait to cross the border with Spain in the town of Castillejos, also known as Fnideq, Morocco, 17 May 2021. The Spanish Government Delegation in Ceuta…

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VIDEO: Over 2,700 migrants illegally enter Spain’s Ceuta enclave

Over 2,700 Moroccan citizens on Monday illegally entered Spain's northern Africa enclave of Ceuta, several Spanish outlets reported citing information from the Spanish government's delegation in Ceuta. Among the 2,700 migrants, there were around…

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Morocco’s vaccination drive bypasses undocumented migrants

Morocco is further ahead with its COVID-19 vaccination programme than any other African country, but undocumented migrants are not a part of its plans, potentially undermining efforts to come to…

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Morocco suspends contact, cooperation with German embassy, organizations

Morocco has told government departments to cease cooperation and contacts with Germany’s embassy in the North African kingdom due in part to Berlin’s stance over Western Sahara, a senior Moroccan…

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Morocco set to legalise cannabis production for medical use

Morocco plans to allow the farming, export and domestic sale of cannabis for medical and industrial use, the government said, a move it hopes will help impoverished farmers in the…

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Morocco hosts Israeli envoys, Kushner to hammer out new ties

RABAT (Reuters) - Israeli envoys arrived in Morocco on Tuesday to meet its king and hammer out an upgrade of ties that was forged by the White House in a…

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Morocco refuses EU request to re-admit third-country migrants

Morocco has rebuffed a European Union request to take back third-party nationals who reach Europe from the North African kingdom, its interior ministry said. EU migration commissioner Yiva Johansson visited…

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Western Sahara, an old conflict on the verge of explosion

A dispute over Western Sahara threatens to result in a new round of conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front independence movement. Here are some facts about the territory, the…

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Polisario leader says Western Sahara ceasefire with Morocco is over

The leader of the Polisario Front, Western Sahara’s independence movement, announced the group had ended a 29-year ceasefire with Morocco to resume its armed struggle following a border confrontation. A…

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US signs 10-year military cooperation deal with Morocco

The United States and Morocco at the beginning of the weekend signed an accord that aims to strengthen military cooperation and the North African kingdom’s military readiness over the next…

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Morocco introduces tougher rules to curb Covid-19

With air and sea borders closed for months and eight cities barring people from entering or leaving, Morocco has been pulling out the stops to stanch the spread of coronavirus.…

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Morocco orders COVID-19 vaccine as cases approach 100,000

Morocco signed a deal with Russia's R-Pharm to buy a COVID-19 vaccine produced under a licence from Britain’s AstraZeneca, the health ministry said, as its total number of cases approached…

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EU Bank provides €100 million in emergency funding to help Morocco combat COVID-19

Mohamed Benchaaboun, the Moroccan Minister of Economy, Finance and Administration Reform, and Emma Navarro, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), announced the release of €100 million to finance the Kingdom of…

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Morocco rejects normalizing ties with Israel

Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Dine El Otmani on Sunday rejected any normalization of relations with Israel. “We refuse any normalisation with the Zionist entity because this emboldens it to go…

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Peru, Morocco to test China Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 3 trial

Authorities in Peru and Morocco have approved Phase 3 clinical trials for a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by China National Biotec Group (CNBG), the company said late on Thursday on…

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Morocco may reimpose full lockdown as COVID-19 cases surge

Morocco could return to a complete coronavirus lockdown as cases continue to spike, Moroccan King Mohammed VI said on Thursday, warning of severe economic repercussions. The warning came as a…

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Starvation looms for Morocco’s horses as tourism collapses

The prospect of starvation looms for carriage horses and other animals normally used in Morocco’s tourist mecca, since visitors have vanished during the coronavirus pandemic. The Society for the Protection…

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Morocco plans $12.8 bln stimulus to aid recovery from COVID-19 crisis

Morocco will inject a stimulus of 120 billion dirhams ($12.8 bln), representing 11% of its gross domestic product, into the economy to help it recover from the coronavirus crisis, King…

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Morocco shuts down major cities after spike in coronavirus cases

Morocco will stop people entering and leaving some of its biggest cities from today to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, the interior and health Ministries announced. The cities to…

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Morocco to resume domestic flights starting June 25

Morocco will resume domestic flights starting June 25, the state news agency said on Sunday, citing the ministry of tourism, air transport, handicrafts and social economy. Earlier today, the government…

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Morocco records biggest single-day rise in COVID cases

Morocco’s Health Ministry reported 539 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the biggest daily rise so far, most of them in a cluster north of Rabat. There are now 9,613 confirmed…

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Morocco’s King undergoes successful heart surgery

King Mohammmed VI of Morocco had successful heart surgery on Sunday in Rabat, state news agency MAP said. The King was treated for a heart rhythm disorder known as…

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Royal Air Maroc mulls state loan guarantee to withstand coronavirus losses

Morocco's Royal Air Maroc (RAM) may seek a state loan guarantee to help cover June expenses as it struggles with $5 million in daily losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic,…

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Morocco hopes to boost domestic tourism to save sector

Morocco's government and tourism industry hope to encourage more Moroccans to explore the ancient souks of Marrakech and the beaches of Agadir this year, to make up for the collapse…

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Morocco’s central bank asks banks to halt dividends during coronavirus pandemic

Morocco's central bank has asked banks to withhold dividends this year so they are better placed to deal with any fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The request to withhold payments…

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Moroccan prison becomes country’s coronavirus hotspot

Sixty-eight people, mostly staff, have come down with the coronavirus at a prison in the southern Moroccan city of Ouarzazate, prison authorities said on Tuesday, without reporting any deaths.…

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Morocco extends lockdown by another month

Morocco has extended its lockdown measures by another month. Morocco will extend lockdown measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus for another month until May 20, the government said…

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Morocco has started manufacturing its own ventilators with oxygen masks

Morocco has started manufacturing its own ventilators with oxygen masks, with 500 expected to be ready by mid-April to help meet demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Industry Ministry…

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Morocco to spend $200 million to brace health system for coronavirus

Morocco will spend an initial 2 billion dirhams ($200 million) to help its health system cope with the coronavirus outbreak, the finance ministry said on Friday as the number of…

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Morocco suspends all international flights as cases increase

The Moroccan government suspended all international air routes to and from its territory until further notice. Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the decision in a press release on Sunday,…

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