عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Morocco: Face Masks Made Compulsory in Public

Morocco: Face Masks Made Compulsory in Public
TT
TT

Morocco: Face Masks Made Compulsory in Public

Morocco: Face Masks Made Compulsory in Public

Moroccan authorities said that people who leave their homes without wearing face masks risk facing a prison sentence and a fine. But a large number of Moroccans were unable to secure the mandatory masks as they were sold out around the country.

On social media, many expressed that they were unable to purchase masks and that they preferred not to leave their homes. Local traders reported that they had received limited quantities that ran out quickly.

Authorities said the face masks would be sold at the subsidized price of $0.08 each in order to maximize the number of people who have access to them.

Despite the price set by authorities, many people who resorted to local pharmacies found that prices of face masks varied according to quality.

Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani reassured citizens that factories will produce approximately 2.5 million masks daily.

In a cabinet meeting, Othmani said that many small and medium enterprises submitted proposals for production and distribution that the government adopted and supported to meet the needs of the country.

Mohammed Abdennabaoui, president of the Prosecutor General's Office, directed the judiciary to work on strictly implementing the law when it comes to punishing those who violate orders to wear face masks in public.

Those who do not abide by the policy will face prison sentences of up to three months and fines of 1300 dirhams (USD 127).

Morocco is currently under a month-long lockdown in which movement is restricted domestically. Moroccans are only permitted to leave their homes to shop for food and medicine, or to go to work with the required permits issued by authorities.

More so, the Moroccan Ministry of Health issued a set of directions that citizens must adhere to when wearing masks.

The issued recommendations must be taken into consideration in order to properly use face masks, in addition to washing hands with soap and water, or an alcohol-based antiseptic.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Lebanon to Request One-month Truce Extension in Israel Meeting

Diggers remove the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes as they look for survivors buried underneath in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
Diggers remove the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes as they look for survivors buried underneath in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
TT
TT

Lebanon to Request One-month Truce Extension in Israel Meeting

Diggers remove the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes as they look for survivors buried underneath in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
Diggers remove the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes as they look for survivors buried underneath in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)

Lebanon will request a one-month extension of the ceasefire during its meeting with Israel in Washington on Thursday, a Lebanese official told AFP.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the topic, said "Lebanon will request an extension of the truce for one month, an end of Israel's bombing and destruction in the areas where it is present, and a commitment to the ceasefire".

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that "contacts are underway to extend the ceasefire period", which began last week and is set to expire Sunday.

Israel to Lebanon: Cooperation Required on Your Side

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, speaking to diplomats during an event marking the 78th anniversary of Israel’s “independence” on Wednesday, called on Lebanon to cooperate and make joint efforts to confront Hezbollah.

Saar said: “Tomorrow, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon will resume in Washington. I call on the Lebanese government to cooperate with us against the state of terrorism that Hezbollah has built on your territory.”

He added: “This cooperation is required more from your side than from ours. It requires moral clarity and the courage to take risks. But there is no real alternative to ensuring a future of peace for you and for us.”

Lebanon and Israel have been formally at war since 1948. Israel took control of additional areas in southern Lebanon after the Iran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets toward Israel in support of Tehran on March 2.

The war between Hezbollah and Israel has resulted in the deaths of more than 2,400 people and the displacement of around one million on the Lebanese side.

Despite a ceasefire being in effect, Israeli forces still occupy areas in southern Lebanon and continue to operate there.

Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that his country would use its “full force” in Lebanon if its soldiers were threatened.

Under the terms of the truce, Israel says it retains the right to act against “planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”

The Israeli army announced last week the establishment of a “yellow line” separating areas in southern Lebanon, similar to the line that separates its forces from areas controlled by Hamas in Gaza.

Arab World

Report Says US Blocked $500M Cash Shipment to Iraq Over Pro-Iran Attacks

An Iraqi man walks past shops in the Jamila food market in Sadr City, east Baghdad on April 13, 2026. (AFP)
An Iraqi man walks past shops in the Jamila food market in Sadr City, east Baghdad on April 13, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Report Says US Blocked $500M Cash Shipment to Iraq Over Pro-Iran Attacks

An Iraqi man walks past shops in the Jamila food market in Sadr City, east Baghdad on April 13, 2026. (AFP)
An Iraqi man walks past shops in the Jamila food market in Sadr City, east Baghdad on April 13, 2026. (AFP)

The United States blocked a plane carrying nearly $500 million in banknotes from delivering the cash to Iraq, US media reported on Tuesday, piling pressure on Baghdad to fight Iran-backed armed factions. 

The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington has suspended cash shipments to Iraq and frozen funding for security programs following attacks on US interests in the country by groups showing solidarity with Iran. 

Iraq has long walked a tightrope between the competing influences of its allies, neighboring Iran and the United States. 

However, Iraqi leaders have struggled to maintain that delicate balance as war engulfs the Middle East. 

The US State Department said this month it had summoned Iraq's ambassador to Washington to express "strong condemnation" of attacks by pro-Iran groups on US interests, "including the April 8 ambush of US diplomats in Baghdad". 

The Wall Street Journal reported that the US Treasury Department blocked a shipment of nearly $500 million in cash from Iraqi oil sales, quoting US and Iraqi officials. 

AFP has contacted the Treasury Department for comment. 

The United States has leverage over Iraq because the country's oil export revenue is largely held at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, under an arrangement reached after the 2003 US invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. 

The Wall Street Journal quoted unidentified US officials as saying that the suspension on cash shipments was temporary. 

The Central Bank of Iraq has not commented specifically about the reports. 

However, it said on Tuesday it was not lacking US dollars and that it had "fulfilled all requests from banks and exchange companies for US dollars, which are intended for pilgrims, travelers and foreign transfers." 

The funding freeze to security programs includes training for Iraq's army and counterterror efforts against the ISIS group, The New York Times reported. 

Arab World

Israeli Strike on Lebanon's Bekaa Kills One Despite Truce

A young boy walks amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
A young boy walks amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
TT
TT

Israeli Strike on Lebanon's Bekaa Kills One Despite Truce

A young boy walks amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
A young boy walks amid the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)

An Israeli drone strike on Lebanon's Bekaa region killed one person and injured two others on Wednesday, Lebanese state media reported, despite an ongoing truce between Israel Hezbollah.

"One person was killed and two others were wounded as a result of an attack carried out by an enemy drone at dawn on the outskirts of Al-Jabur in West Bekaa," the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

However, the Israeli military said it was unaware of the ‌strike.

Hezbollah on Tuesday said it had launched rockets and attack drones at a site in northern Israel in response to "blatant" Israeli ceasefire violations, which it said included "attacks on civilians and the destruction of their homes and villages.”

The Israeli military said that day that Hezbollah "launched several rockets" towards soldiers stationed in south Lebanon and that the military struck the launcher in response.

NNA on Wednesday reported Israeli artillery shelling and demolitions in southern towns Israel continues to occupy.

Israel conducted huge strikes across Lebanon and invaded the south after Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in support of its backer Iran on March 2.

Despite the truce which began on Friday, Israeli soldiers are still active in south Lebanon, with Defense Minister Israel Katz saying on Sunday that they would use "full force" if threatened.

Under the truce terms, Israel says it reserves the right to act against "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.”

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,454 people since the start of the war, a Lebanese government body said in its latest toll.