Morocco

MARRAKECH, Morocco, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Arab countries and Russia agreed on Wednesday to boost cooperation on international issues, including addressing the Gaza crisis, at the 6th Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum held in the southern Moroccan city of Marrakech.

The meeting gathered foreign ministers of participating countries, including Russia's Sergey Lavrov, in addition to Hossam Zaki, assistant secretary-general of the Arab League.

RABAT, December 2. /TASS/:  Israel has banned trucks with humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the WAFA news agency reported, citing the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

"Israel has informed that it banned humanitarian aid trucks from entering the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing until further notice," the PSCS said.

Israel has ordered that the Palestinian side of the crossing be cleared of trucks as soon as possible.

RABAT, December 2. /TASS/: The death toll in the Gaza Strip since the escalation of the conflict with Israel began on October 7 has exceeded 15,000, the Palestinian enclave's Health Ministry told the Al Jazeera TV channel.

"The number of fatalities of the Israeli aggression since it began has reached 15,207," the ministry said. The number of wounded has reached 40,652, it added.

MOULAY BRAHIM, Morocco (AP) — When a historic earthquake struck Morocco in September, Ahmed Aazab tightly hugged his wife and four children as their home’s brick walls tumbled around them.

The roof collapsed, shattering clay pots in the kitchen and trapping picture frames and homework assignments beneath rubble. When the ground finally stopped shaking, the construction worker shepherded his five loved ones to a park. Then he rescued his father, mother and aunt, who were trapped in his childhood home nearby.

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Arab nations that have normalized or are considering improving relations with Israel are coming under growing public pressure to cut those ties because of Israel’s war with Hamas.

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Rabat and other Moroccan cities in support of the Palestinians. In Bahrain — a country that almost never allows protest — police stood by as hundreds of people marched last month, waving flags and gathering in front of the Israeli Embassy in Manama.

Marrakesh, Morocco (AP) — The world economy has lost momentum from the impact of higher interest rates, the invasion of Ukraine and widening geopolitical rifts, and it now faces new uncertainty from the war between Israel and Hamas militants, International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday.

The IMF said it expects global economic growth to slow to 2.9% in 2024 from an expected 3% this year. The forecast for next year is down a notch from the 3% it predicted back in July.

RABAT, Oct 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — King Mohammed VI of Morocco, who chairs the current session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the ministerial level, has called for an emergency meeting to deliberate on ongoing Gaza Strip attacks by the Israeli military as a retaliation for the Hamas invasion.

MARRAKESH (Morocco), Oct 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The IMF and World Bank gather in Morocco Monday for their first annual meetings on African soil in 50 years, under pressure to reform to better aid poor nations blighted by debt and climate change.

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank traditionally hold their annual gathering of finance ministers and central bank governors outside their Washington headquarters every three years.

The southern Moroccan city of Marrakesh was supposed to host it in 2021, but the gathering was postponed twice because of the Covid pandemic.

06 October 2023; MEMO: Morocco, on Friday, began disbursing a monthly stipend of 2,500 dirhams, or $250, to families hit by last month’s deadly earthquake, villagers told Anadolu.

The government had promised compensation for quake victims on 6-16 October, and families who do not receive the amount can submit a petition to relevant regional committees, Anadolu Agency reports.

02 October 2023; MEMO: Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour refused on Saturday to speak in French when a journalist asked him to do so, amid tension between the two countries over France’s decision to tighten visa requirements on three north African countries including Morocco.