Olathe, Kansas- The annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) (November 19-21, 2014), in Marrakech, will feature a workshop that will focus on the advancement of women entrepreneurs.

King Mohammed VI and President Obama determined that the annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit would be hosted in Morocco this year, showcasing Morocco’s marvelous history, heritage, and growing economic engine, on the world stage.

This fifth annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit will convene thousands of participants and will highlight the impact of technology on modern entrepreneurship. The 2014 Summit takes place during Global Entrepreneurship Week, making it the largest of the thousands of entrepreneurship events taking place around the world that week. Entrepreneurship creates opportunity. It is a key to unlocking economic growth, creating jobs, and empowering populations.

“Accelerating Success: Mentoring Workshop for Women Entrepreneurs” will be presented on November 21, 2014. The goal of this Workshop is for each participant to gain a strong understanding of the power and process of mentoring, to optimize their business success. Mentoring provides a structured relationship that brings people together with experienced individuals who offer guidance, support, and encouragement. It can be a highly effective way to improve business performance. A business mentor is someone whose hindsight can become your foresight.

The Mentoring Workshop will bring women entrepreneurs (or “would-be entrepreneurs”) together with women already established in their fields. Mentors provide practical information, advice, and support to their Mentees. The orgaizers will address what Mentorship is, what makes a successful mentoring relationship, goal setting, and boundaries. Then, most importantly, they will conduct a Mentoring Rotation, providing participants with an opportunity to meet with mentors, share their business challenges, and implement what they have learned in the workshop.

The “Accelerating Success: Mentoring Workshop for Women Entrepreneurs” will be presented by Laura Owen, CEO of Ponscio (former Secretary of Commerce for the State of Kansas), and Yasmine El Baggari, Founder of Voyaj (native of Morocco).

“Women are at a tipping point, worldwide, to launch and grow their businesses, and attain great success” stated Laura Owen, CEO of Ponscio. “Mentoring can ignite a business and serve as its compass, to optimize an entrepreneur’s success.”

Women (and men) who wish to attend the Mentoring Workshop can register at: http://bit.ly/1tRoI7p

Experienced businesswomen who wish to participate as Mentors in the Mentoring Workshop are encouraged to submit their bios (or resumes) to info@ponscio.com for consideration. This Workshop provides successful women with a way for them to pay it forward, and help other women envision and achieve their success.

Participants that have paid the registration fee to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit ($100) can attend this Workshop at no additional cost. It is recommend that participants preregister for the Workshop. University students (with university IDs) may apply to have this entry fee (to GES) waived.

Washington - US Vice President Joe Biden will lead the American delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit slated in Marrakech on Nov. 19-21, the White House announced on Monday.

Vice President Joe Biden to lead US delegation to Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Marrakech, White House

US president Barack Obama has announced the holding of this forum in Morocco, the first of its kind in the African continent, during his speech at the US Africa Business Forum last August as part of the first USA-Africa Summit.

Rabat- thirty-year-old woman was caught last Friday taking pictures of naked women in a Hammam (public bath) in the Oulfa neighborhood of Casablanca.

According to the Moroccan daily Assabah in its October 28 issue, a young woman living in the old neighborhood of Lissassfa was caught taking shots of other women with a smartphone inside the steam room.

The ritual of the Hammam and its relaxing atmosphere turned into a nightmare for these innocent women when they learned that someone was taking compromising photos.

One of the women in the steam room noticed the perpetrator’s strange behavior as was trying to take shots of women. She informed other women of this mischievous act and called the police.

The police arrested the woman, seized her smartphone, and took her to the a police station .

With an order from the public prosecutor, the Casablanca police managed to recover the memory card of the smartphone, which contained ten photos of naked women shot inside the Hammam.

Marrakech- In a long and detailed letter to the Moroccan religious scholars, Mr. Bensalem Himmich, a philosopher, writer, and former Minister of Culture, launched an unprecedented appeal for the erection of statues and busts on Moroccan avenues, and in squares and gardens.

In his letter, Mr. Himmich expressed his wonder and regret for not creating statues. . He said Morocco should s build statues of widely known philosophers and thinkers who have made an impact in Morocco. Among them is Ibn Khaldoun, who grew up in Fes searching for knowledge. Tunisia erected a statue for Ibn Khaldoun in the Alhuriya square, also known as “freedom square.”

In addition to this, Mr. Himmich finds the decorations in Moroccan open spaces, such as fountains, primitive and boring. He compares them to their counterparts in several Arab and Western countries that have very beautiful and artistic antiques.

He pointed out the hypocrisy and contradiction in such issues by mentioning several human and animal statues in Moroccan museums, such as the archeological museum in Rabat. Such statues also exist in cities, such as the idol of Lion in the open-air square in Ifran.

He also called upon the Fuqaha Alddin to rethink the prohibition on the creation of statues, as he clarified that our era is very different from the era of “Lat and Uzza and Manat,” pre-Islamic idols.

He further explained that everything depends on intentions. Idols associated with worshipping and praying are different from statues that are meant for decoration and beauty. It would be silly to suggest that some people will begin to worship these statues if Morocco builds them.

Therefore, according to Mr. Himmich, religious people should follow the example of other Islamic countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, and cease the prohibition of such artistic endeavors. He said we should focus on “realizing the values of goodness and beauty, and removing all signs of primitiveness in our urban centers and lives.”

In conclusion, Mr. Himmich underlined the fact that by “adopting sculptural art in our education, Morocco will promote confidence in our sculptors and probably discover more talented youths who are interested in this art, thus create markets with new employment prospects that can compete nationally and internationally in the field.”

Edited by Timothy Filla

Rabat- After more than ten months since issuing the 2014 financial law, the government Council today finally approved the decree that provides direct support for widows fixed at MAD350 per month for each orphan.

During a meeting Thursday, the Council of the government endorsed draft decree No. 2-14-791, which determines the conditions and criteria upon which widows in difficult situations can benefit from government’s direct social aid.

A ministerial committee was formed to review and decide on the amount and methods of distributing these allocations.

On the sidelines of the Council meeting, Mustapha Elkhalfi, Minister of Communication and the government spokesman, said in a meeting with the press that this project has ben prepared by the Minister of Economy and Finance and aims at benefiting orphaned children.

The Minister added that this project would provide social funds fixed at MAD 350 per month for each orphan under 21 years.

The Minister said that there is “no age limit if the orphan is disabled”.

The direct social fund allocated to orphans was a “secretive surprise” that Abdelilah Benkirane promised Moroccans just before the general strike that took place on Monday, October 29.

Edited by Timothy Filla

Geneva - Morocco received Thursday in Geneva the UN INSARAG certification of classification for complying with the Unite Nations standards on disaster management, delivered by the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG).

The award ceremony of the UN prestigious certification took place in Geneva following three days of high-level exercise on intervention in case of earthquake in the presence of international observers.

A special unit of Morocco’s Civil Protection, led by General Abdelkrim El Yaacoubi, Inspector General of Civil Protection, took part in this high-level exercise in line with HM King’s instructions.

The Moroccan heavy team is the first among the INSARAG classified units to deploy all its human and material resources outside the national territory to participate in this exercise initiated under the auspices of the UN Office for the Coordination of humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The primary intention of the INSARAG certification is to provide better understanding of the individual abilities of urban search and rescue teams (USAR) making themselves available for international assistance, according to INSARAG.

Having teams classified according to a standard enable disaster affected countries to prioritise acceptance of international response support from USAR teams who can add proven value to their national capacity, the same source added.

By Hind Ibrahimi

Rabat- The Local Committee "Les Ambassadeurs", a part of AIESEC Morocco, is organizing a large annual conference, known as KICK-OFF, on the 28th and the 29th of November, 2014.

Approximately 500 attendants are expected, including national and international facilitators who will share their experiences and knowledge throughout their sessions.

At the end of our event, we hope that we will be able to provide a rewarding and original experience to each of the delegates. Through the success stories of our speakers, we will build and clarify their visions of the future. We will know how to show enthusiasm and motivation necessary to awaken excellence.

About AIESEC

AIESEC - International Association of Students in Economic and Commercial Science - is the world’s largest apolitical and non-profit organization that is managed by students. It is an international platform for the students to get a taste of the professional world in a young and dynamic framework at the international level.

AIESEC’s activities focus on an international internship exchange program. The organization’s network accounts for 100,000 members in 125 countries, distributed at more than 2400 universities, and AIESEC completes more than 17000 exchanges annually.

AIESEC maintains official relations with agencies of the United Nations, enjoys consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, the International Labor Organization (ILO), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as well as with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Since its creation in Morocco in 1986, the organization has hosted several generations of students, who are later often called to key positions in national and international companies.

AIESEC Morocco currently has a national office, which administers contracts and plays the role of intermediary between the national and the international levels of the organization. It has five local offices located in Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech and Ifrane, three special units in Fez, Tangier, and Mahdia, as well as a wide network of alumni who are leaders on the economic and social scene.

What is the goal of this organization?

In association with several corporations (such as General Company, Alcatel-Lucent, Google, HP Invent, Microsoft, and Sagem) and higher education institutions, AIESEC offers its members the opportunity to receive an international experience, access to a learning environment, and overall have a positive impact on the companies and initiate the students’ professional lives.

This international network supports young people during their integration into society through experiences that develop the leadership potential. AIESEC allows young people to be citizens of the world and more than just students. Thanks to AIESEC, students can learn to surpass themselves, get out of their comfort zone, and cope with difficult situations that they might encounter in the professional world.

To fulfill its commitments, AIESEC has offered its members a wide range of opportunities to obtain an international perspective through internships abroad, missions, conferences, seminars, career opportunities, and leadership positions.

Rabat - The Moroccan Export Promotion Centre (Maroc Export) organizes from November 6 to 20 in Moscow "Morocco's Grand Export Festival," an event aimed at introducing Moroccan products directly to Russian consumers.

Some 26 Moroccan companies will take part in this event to be organized in 36 big-box stores across the Russian capital, a statement of Maroc Export said.

Morocco grand export festival is an opportunity for Russian consumers to discover new and authentic products from Morocco, the same source added.

Some Moroccan products are already well known in Russia. Morocco exports more than 60 % of its citrus production to this country which makes the Kingdom Russia's first citrus supplier.

Rabat- A picture of Mohammed Idammar, a member of the Party of Justice and Development (PJD) and the head of the urban municipality of Tetouan, giving a chicken to an elderly woman went viral on social networks.

In the picture, Mohammed Idammar perhaps inadvertently joined a trend that Moroccan FaceBook users call "chufuni,” or "watch me giving charity.” The trend features politicians who exploit poor people for political interests.

Several artists and celebrities have already published their own pictures providing assistance to the poor. For example, last July a member of the Socialist Union Party posted a picture of herself giving yogurt to a poor woman.

Moroccan FaceBook users condemn such behavior, as they find it unacceptable to take advantage of poor people for political campaigns.

But unlike other politicians who posted their charity pictures on their Facebook accounts, it is unclear whether the picture was posted by the PJD member himself or was taken by someone else without his knowledge.

Last summer, pictures of Hamid Chabat, the Secretary General of the Istiqlal Party, praying at his house, and pictures of the Parliamentary Councilor Latifa Ziouani posing for the camera as she handed food to a beggar caused controversy on Moroccan social media.

As pointed out at the time by Moroccan Magazine Telquel, Chabat and Ziouani posted pictures of themselves on their public social media profiles, “in a bid to exploit social media in order to gain more popularity.”

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Geneva  -  The World Trade Organization (WTO) sees Morocco as a crucial partner in Africa and appreciates the Kingdom's contribution to its actions, said on Wednesday WTO director general Roberto Azevedo.

 The WTO chief was speaking at a meeting with Mohamed Aujjar who handed him his credentials as Morocco's permanent ambassador in Geneva.

 Azevedo also commended the decisive role by Morocco, in its capacity as the African Group Coordinator in 2013, in ensuring the success of Bali ministerial conference last December.

Morocco is attached to a bilateral economic policy through the conclusion of free trade agreements with leading economic actors as the USA and the EU, Aujjar said, voicing the country's satisfaction with its partnership with the said organization and its wish to benefit from WTO's expertize.

Marrakesh - Anfass, a Moroccan Movement for Democracy, demands a constitution that promotes secularism, according to a news release on November 5, 2014.

According to Anfass, the implementation of secularism must be based on three themes: freedom of belief, citizenship regardless of religion, and civil legitimacy of the state. In addition to educating generations on the values of modernity, Anfass aims to transition the country from a constitutional to a parliamentary monarchy by maintaining the religious functions of the Emirate Al Momineen.

“The purpose is to allow Moroccan society have the modern values and work to implement them in the Moroccan education. These Values (rationality, Liberty, Democracy...) become collective maxims of all Moroccans, not only utterances of some elites without social roots,” said the news release.

Anfass’ advocacy is based on the argument that many wars and conflicts have broken out in the name of religion throughout history, and many tyrants have governed people using the excuse of a pervasive or obliging religion. According to the movement, history is full of examples of Injustices and wars that were caused by a combination of governing and religion.

Anfass defines secularism as “separation of worldly matters, and religious and spiritual affairs," and considers it one of the pillars of democracy.

“Involving religion in politics can negatively affect religion, because it leads to the misunderstanding of thoughts and beliefs. This makes religion a contributor to the failure of states, as each religious group considers its perspective the only correct one, and then exploits it for personal interests,” the movement emphasizes

The movement calls for a review of legislative requirements that are not compatible with civil rights and the adoption of cultural community-based projects that consolidate the spirit of freedom and equality on the basis of tolerance.

“This requires a reform of education and the media in particular, focusing on the democracy, human rights, and thinking and creativity,” it concluded.

Edited by Timothy Filla

Marrakech- opposition Equatorial Guinea's main opposition party has published a strongly-worded statement criticizing the president of the country, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, and the head of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Issa Hayatou, for allowing Equatorial Guinea to host the African Cup of Nations (CAN) 2015, after Morocco asked to postpone it

President Nguema, who agreed that his country host the CAN instead of Morocco, “approves indirectly exposing his people and the peoples of neighboring countries to the risk of Ebola," said a news release published by Convergencia Para la Democracia Social, the main opposition party.

"That decision has created exasperation in the country. People are terrified. Without consulting anyone, guided by his craving for Pan-Africanist fame, President Obiang has made a personal decision, obviously not aware of the danger of exposing, not only to his own people, but also those of neighboring countries, Gabon and Cameroon to the risk of this terrible virus" said the release.

The head of the CAF also bore the brunt of the opposition’s criticism for not not attaching any importance to the well being of the Equatorial people.

“The decision to host the CAN 2015 is highly irresponsible and reckless, because in a moment when public health in Africa is at risk because of the spread of the Ebola virus, its celebration can cause problems to a population as vulnerable as that of Equatorial Guinea.”

In the same vein, a leading human rights group expressed its disappointment at the CAF for granting Equatorial Guinea the rights to host the 30th edition of the African Cup of Nations, describing it as a “terrible news” for the people of the country, according to Goal.com.

"At a moment when Equatorial Guinea desperately needs to move from dictatorship to democracy and at a moment when we in Equatorial Guinea and beyond should be concerned with political and economic reforms that would transform the riches of our nations into sustainable economic development for all, it is unfortunate to see the Caf and other institutions acting in complicity with the government of Equatorial Guinea to entrench corruption and bad governance," Tutu Alicante, executive director of EG Justice was quoted by Goal.com as saying.

Rabat- Amid a growing number of pedophilia crimes in Marrakech, one of the world's foremost tourist destinations, another pedophile was brought before the court of the Red City on Thursday for abusing 11 children.

The judiciary police of Marrakech heard eleven children aged 12 to 16, claiming they had sexual relations with defendant for money or gifts such as bicycles.

According to Minister of the Interior Mohamed Hassad, the pedophile is a 60-year-old French national, and has been living in Morocco for about 30 years.

The suspect was arrested on Monday when he was found with a 16-year old child on Giliz Avenue, Marrakech. The child confessed to police that he has been having sexual relations with the suspect for more than two years.

According to the victim, the suspect was offering minors MAD 200 ($22) to satisfy his extreme sexual desires. The child also revealed that his younger brother, 14, was also a victim of the accused pedophile.

The teenager reportedly revealed during the investigation, the mother of one of the victims was aware that her son was being abused.

However, she did not file a law suit against the suspect since he offered her a sheep on the eve of Eid Al Adha in return of her silence.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed.

'Happy New Year', a heist drama with dollops of dance and music, will be screened in the non-competition section of the Marrakech film festival, Indian media reported.

Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani and Vivaan Shah, HNY has recently made it to the Oscar library.

Multiple Indian reports said that the film will be screened on the Jemaa El Fna Square December 6, the day of the Official Royal Dinner hosted by the president of the Festival Foundation, Prince Moulay Rachid.

Times of India  quoted the film director Farah Khan as saying that she is delighted that ’’HNY is being showcased in Marrakech.’'

“Marrakech has become a festival of repute and it’s an honor to take our film there,” Farah Khan added.

Mélita Toscan du Plantier, director of the Marrakech Film Festival, on the other hand, said that Shah Rukh Khan has a special relationship with the festival and Morocco.

“He came for a Tribute in 2011 and for the Centenary of Indian Cinema in 2012. He was also decorated by HRH Prince Moulay Rachid on behalf of His Majesty King Mohammed VI,” Melito added.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

New York - The Associated Press confused the principality of Monaco with Morocco, erroneously saying that the North African country is expecting to celebrate the birth of royal twins.

Most Moroccans living in the United States will tell you that they have come across Americans who confuse Morocco with Monaco.

While this confusion is common among the average citizen and can be blamed on the ignorance of people and their indifference toward the rest of the world, it is uncommon to see large media corporations making the same mistake.

On Saturday night, the Associated Press published a story reporting that Prince Albert of Monaco and his wife are expecting twins.

But when publishing the story, they said, “Morocco to celebrate birth of its royal twins.”

The story was immediately reported by several news outlets, which published the story with same title, such as the My Foxal, the Item live and Tricities, and many others. At the time of writing, those websites have still not corrected the title of the news story.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed.

Rabat - Moroccan Minister of Minister of Equipment, Transport and Logistics, Aziz Rebahh has arrived in Tichka, a village near Marrakesh in order to oversee the massive task of rehabilitation and reconstruction in the aftermath of the devastating floods that hit the region today.

Unlike other ministers who used Facebook and other social media to show their sympathy with the flood-affected people, Aziz Rebbah decided to visit Tichka, one of many areas in the southern Morocco that was hit by floods during the past 48 hours.

Rabat  -  the General de Corps d'Armée Bouchaib Arroub, Inspector General of the FAR and Commander of the Southern Zone met Monday at the FAR General Staff headquarters in Rabat Admiral Bernard Rogel, Chief of Staff of the French Navy.

The talks focused on assessing the Moroccan-French military cooperation, particularly at the level of the navy and means of developing this cooperation to the level of partnership relations between the two countries, a statement of the FAR General Staff said, noting that cooperation relations between the two parties includes mutual support, organization of joint naval exercises and training.

The two military officials particularly discussed means of promoting interoperability between the Royal Navy and the French Navy through exchange of experiences and expertise.

The acquisition in 2013 by the Royal Navy of the French multi-mission FREMM frigate, named "Mohammed VI" came to strengthen the various exchanges part of the military cooperation between the two countries, the same source added. 

Admiral Bernard Rogel is on a working visit to the Kingdom from November 23 to 25 along with a military delegation.

Military cooperation between Morocco and France is governed by a several agreements and technical arrangements. Joint military commissions held regular meetings in Rabat and Paris every two years.

Rabat - The prestigious French auction house "Artcurial" organized on Tuesday in Paris the sale event "Moroccan Spirit: 1874-2014", an event celebrating 140 years of art and creation in Morocco.

The sale event presented nearly 120 art works, offering a complete panorama from the fantasy vision of 19th century orientalism through the modern art to the younger generation of contemporary Moroccan artists, said Artcurial in a statement.

The auction has reportedly brought 1, 594.971 euros, especially from the selling of art works by Moroccan painters from the younger generation: Hassan El Glaoui, Jilali Gharbaoui, and Louardiri Ahmed.

Organizers said a work of Hassan El Glaoui was sold for 52,600 euros, while ‘Composition’ by Jilali Gharbaoui was awarded for 41,500 euros.

An art work by Ahmed Louardiri was sold for 73,700 euros while initial estimate for his work were between 12,000 and 18,000 euros.

Cesar, an art work in the form of a buildup of Moroccan flags was sold for 169,200 euros, while it was estimated at first at only 35,000 euros.

According to "Artcurial", the sale event, entirely dedicated to the extraordinary richness of Moroccan art, witnesses the arrival and recognition of Moroccan modern art and contemporary Moroccan artists to the international art market.

"This sale is an opportunity for collectors and enthusiast to discover the richness of the Moroccan creation over time and create bridges between the classical period and the contemporary period," highlighted the French auction house.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed.

Rabat - Morocco has dispatched royal donations to Sierra Leone and Liberia in support of international efforts aiming to stem the spread of the Ebola virus.

“Upon King Mohammed VI's instructions, Morocco has dispatched royal donations to the republics of Sierra Leone and Liberia,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.

"These humanitarian aids, consisting of 12 tons of medicines and medical equipment, including 6 tons for Sierra Leone and 6 for Liberia, are part of cooperation ties between Morocco and friendly African countries, and reflect the universal values of solidarity and support to international efforts aimed at stemming the spread of the deadly Ebola hemorrhagic fever", the statement pointed out.

In order to facilitate the shipment of this aid to these sister countries, a coordination has been established with the World Health Organization (WHO) which will supervise coordination and distribution operations in Sierra Leone and Liberia, according to the same source.

The competent authorities in Morocco have delivered these donations to the WHO representative in Rabat, today at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca.