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Rabat

Morocco

February 12, 2026

Rabat 1:09 pm

19°C

Archaeologists at the entrance of the Contrebandiers (Smugglers) Cave, some 12 miles from the Moroccan capital, Rabat, Sept. 18, 2021.

Culture

Fossil discovery repositions Morocco at center of human evolution 800,000 years ago

Once overlooked, Morocco has emerged as a focal point of human prehistory, with new discoveries and a landmark report reshaping what we know about our species’ evolution.

An emergency vehicle drives through flood waters as residents are evacuated and relocated to other towns as preventive and emergency evacuations are carried out to move residents living near flood-prone areas following the weather alert and the rise in the water level of the Loukkos River, with flooding expected in the coming days, in Ksar El Kebir on Feb. 1, 2026.

Storm Leonardo displaces 140,000 as heavy floods hit northern Morocco

Heavy rains from the storm have flooded northern Morocco, prompting mass evacuations and straining emergency services.

From Egypt to Lebanon: What’s at stake for regional states on Trump’s visa ban list?

The State Department claimed that citizens from the affected countries are more likely to use social welfare services at a high rate.

A customer browses books at a bookshop in the Moroccan capital Rabat on August 9, 2018. On the main arteries of old Rabat, dozens of itinerant booksellers offer books in French, Arabic, and sometimes in English, up to ten times cheaper than their originals. Despite being prohibited, the pirated-books market is largely tolerated in cities across the North African kingdom. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Morocco’s next generation of writers fights for a place on the shelf

A new book fair in Casablanca spotlights the country’s rising talent and the obstacles that still define Morocco’s fragmented publishing world.

Latest News

Morocco’s markets rise as World Cup spending fuels largest IPO in decades

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO - AUGUST 20: In this handout image from Populous, digital renderings of the proposed Stade Hassan II stadium in Morocco, projected to be the largest football stadium in the world with 115,000 capacity are depicted on August 20, 2024 in Casablanca, Morocco. The stadium design is by Populous and Oulalou + Choi (Photo by Populous via Handout/Getty Images)

Culture

World Cup: Iran fumes over LGBTQ+ themes as Jordan qualifies for first time

A fan waves a Pride flag before the soccer match between the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers at Lumen Field, on June 3, 2023, in Seattle, Washington.

Spain, Morocco dismantle drone network flying hashish across border

The Civil Guard, in a joint operation with the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie, has dismantled a criminal organization dedicated to smuggling hashish into Spain using drones, on Nov. 11, 2025.

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Why canceled Arab League summit should worry Israelis

Morocco’s decision not to host the Arab League summit has unexpected implications for Israel.

A memorial still remains outside as workers return to work for the first time at the Inland Regional Center (IRC) in San Bernardino, California, January 4, 2016. The office building in San Bernardino, California, where 14 people were massacred last month by a married couple inspired by Islamist militants, reopened on Monday. Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, stormed into a holiday party attended by his co-workers from a San Bernardino County social services agency and opened fire on Dec. 2, k

Congress seeks to punish countries that fail to hinder foreign fighters

The House Foreign Affairs panel will vote this week on a plan to combat international travel by terrorists.

Hannibal Gaddafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, attends the signing agreement ceremony between Libya's Shipping Corporation and STX Europe to build a cruise ship, in Tripoli June 30, 2010. Oslo-based STX Europe, the world's largest vessel building group, will provide Libya with the first Arab cruise liner. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS MARITIME TRANSPORT) - RTR2FYOE

Who kidnapped Hannibal Gadhafi, and why?

The mysterious kidnapping of Hannibal Gadhafi in Lebanon has raised numerous scenarios about the motives behind the operation.

A man takes part in a demonstration in support of Western Sahara's independence, in Madrid November 16, 2014. Thirty-nine years after Spain left Western Sahara in the hands of Moroccan troops, two thirds of its territory still remain under the rule of Rabat. The leader of Polisario Front and president of the The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, demanded the mediation of Spanish authorities in a conflict that started when the former colony was abandoned days before the death of Spanish Di

Moroccan anger over Western Sahara baffles Sweden

The Moroccan government has called for an economic boycott against Sweden for allegedly changing its position to back Western Saharan independence.

Moroccan cartoonists fight for their right to express themselves

It doesn’t seem like Morocco is the perfect place to be for daring caricaturists and satirical writers, but despite restrictions, some are still fighting for freedom of expression.

Lobbying 2015: Morocco courts US backing in Sahara dispute

Morocco is spending upwards of $3 million a year to convince US politicians – including presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton – to back its claims over the disputed Western Sahara. So far, it’s working.

Moroccan Salafist preacher Hassan al-Kettani speaks during a demonstration against an anti-Islam film made in the U.S. that mocks the Prophet Mohammad outside a mosque in the impoverished Rahma neighbourhood of Sale, September 21, 2012. The banner reads, "There is only one God and Mohammad is his prophet". REUTERS/Stringer (MOROCCO - Tags: RELIGION CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3890E

How Morocco plans to contain its Salafists

Several prominent Salafists in Morocco have surprised the nation by joining mainstream political parties.

Moroccan Amazigh Berbers march during a protest calling for the release of political prisoners and demanding more rights, in Rabat February 3, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (MOROCCO - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST SOCIETY) - RTR3DBGE

Morocco’s Amazighs still feel marginalized

It has been four years since the Amazigh language was officially recognized by the Moroccan Constitution, but there is still no law in place to guarantee the cultural minority’s rights.

Morocco battles Islamic State cells

After attacks in neighboring Tunisia, Morocco is doing all it can to crack down on Islamic State sympathizers.

United Arab Emirates

Mohammed Maazab, a Libyan member of the General National Congress (GNC) and head of the talks with the United Nations, adresses journalists on March 12, 2015 in Skhirat, near the Moroccan capital Rabat, where a new round of UN-mediated crisis talks between representatives from Libya's rival parliaments is supposed to start. Libya's internationally recognised parliament which is based in the eastern city of Tobruk confirmed they requested to postpone the start of the talks in Morocco aimed at forming a unity

Morocco, Algeria compete over Libya

Morocco may be exploiting Algerian weaknesses to raise the stature of its foreign diplomacy by hosting the UN-sponsored dialogue between the conflicting Libyan parties.

Morocco's King Mohamed VI and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) speak during the presentation of a solar energy project in Ouarzazate November 2, 2009. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante (MOROCCO ROYALS POLITICS ENVIRONMENT) - RTXQ9YQ

Is Hillary Clinton taking 'blood phosphate' money from Morocco?

Critics of a $1 million Clinton Foundation gift see a ploy to build support for illegal exploitation of the "last colony in Africa."

Sahrawis shout slogans for the freedom of Western Sahara before a demonstration organised by officials from the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) to show the hazards of mined territory near Tifariti, in the Sahara desert in southwestern Algeria, February 28, 2011. Over 150,000 Sahrawis live in several refugee camps dispersed in the Algerian desert 35 years after Morocco annexed the disputed territory of Western Sahara. REUTERS/Juan Medina (ALGERIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTR2J9HB

Russia shows interest in Western Sahara

Russia's desire to play an active role in the Middle East extends beyond Cairo and Damascus to longstanding issues further south.