Tag Archives: WorldNews

Aldi plans to add 100 new stores in the U.S. and expand curbside pickup

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The German supermarket chain Aldi currently has more than 2,000 stores in 37 states.

Morocco to Launch Online Platform to Improve Services for Moroccan Diaspora

Rabat – The deputy minister in charge of Moroccans living abroad, Nezha El Ouafi, has announced the launch of an online platform designed to improve administrative services for the Moroccan diaspora.

The platform will give Moroccans living abroad access to many services, including those related to passport renewal, tax payment, and civil status.

Speaking during an oral questions session at the Parliament on February 8, El Ouafi announced that the platform is ready and that it will be made available to all national embassies.

She said the initiative is the first of its kind and that many national institutions have contributed to its success.

El Ouafi also emphasized that a network of over 600 lawyers will offer Moroccan diaspora their government-paid assistance in legal issues. She also noted that the ministry has set up a call center whose primary function is to redirect calls to Moroccan embassies and consulates. The center can receive up to 8,000 calls a day.

Alluding to the event that took place in Las Palmas, where hundreds of Spaniards protested against the increasing numbers of Moroccan immigrants, the Moroccan official emphasized that more than 108 embassies and 50 consulates work continuously to offer innovative solutions to issues facing Moroccans living abroad.

The digital platform, which is set to be available in the coming weeks, is in line with the ministry’s efforts to digitize its services, stressed El Ouafi. The website will also serve as a  follow-up to the online platform “Bladifqalbi” that the ministry launched on January 25.

Read also: Morocco Launches Digital Platform To Strengthen Communication With Its Diaspora

“Bladifqalbi” aims to strengthen communication between the government and Moroccans living abroad. It also seeks to serve as a space for suggestions, as well as sharing ideas and experiences to maintain or reinforce Moroccan disapora’s attachment to Morocco. The government initiatives come as authorities acknowledge the crucial contributions of the diaspora to the Moroccan economy.  

The World Bank’s 2019 Migration and Remittances report which indicates that remittances from Moroccans living abroad contributed to Morocco’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 6.2% in 2018.

Most recently, Moroccans living abroad increased by 4% their financial transfers to Morocco at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout 2020, according to statistics from the Moroccan government. For El Ouafi, this increase in remittances during an unprecedented health crisis highlights the diaspora’s commitment to national solidarity and prosperity.

The post Morocco to Launch Online Platform to Improve Services for Moroccan Diaspora appeared first on Morocco World News.

Moroccan Seasonal Farmers Participate in French Harvests

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More than 250 Moroccan seasonal harvesters  arrived in France on Tuesday  to participate in France’s upcoming harvesting season.

This will be the third harvesting operation organized since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This season, Moroccan seasonal workers will mainly participate in harvesting clementines in Upper-Corsica (Haute-Corse) and in the South-East region of France. 

Didier Leschier, the director of the French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII) announced on Monday February 7, that workers will be subject to PCR tests prior to their arrival, during their work periods, and at the end of the harvest season. 

In fact, the OFII provided PCR tests to the 250 workers in Casablanca, as well as a second test upon their arrival to France. 

Authorities advise travelers to take PCR tests 72 hours before departure as part of the preventive policy against the spread of COVID-19.

The workers will then remain in quarantine for a week before receiving a third PCR test  to  start working in the fields. 

“Moroccan workers are highly qualified and hard to replace. They have been coming to France for years and are vital to our agriculture” Leschier announced to French media. 

In March 2019, French crops suffered a shortage of Moroccan workers due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions. 

Between October and December 2019, a total of 900 Moroccan seasonal farmers departed for the South of France. 

As part of France’s policy to protect Moroccan seasonal workers, French police recently dismantled a network of illegally hired Moroccan farmers in Tarn-et-Garonne.

The post Moroccan Seasonal Farmers Participate in French Harvests appeared first on Morocco World News.

Coronavirus tracker: California reported 346 new deaths, but a continued drop in hospitalizations as of Feb. 8

Hospitalizations across the state continue the decline, marking on Monday, Feb. 8, a 47.9% drop in the number of people needing hospital care from a Jan. 6 high of 22,853.

There were 181 fewer hospitalizations on Monday, than there were the previous day, lowering the total number of hospitalizations to 11,904, according to end-of-day totals from California public health websites.

California communities reported 16,415 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 3,410,992, according to California public health websites.

The 14-day average of 15,596 daily new cases is down 63.3% from the Jan. 1 high of 42,468.

There were 356 new deaths reported Monday, for a total of 44,483 people in California who have died from the virus.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins University, the World Health Organization, the California Department of Public Health, The Associated Press, reporting counties and news sources

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