A total of 24,823,511 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while the number of fully vaccinated people (1st and 2nd doses) has reached 23,304,005, the ministry pointed out in its daily COVID-19 bulletin, noting that 6,369,803 people have received the third dose of the vaccine.

According to the same source, the number of COVID-19 cases reported since the start of the outbreak of the virus rose to 1,166,628 while recoveries increased to 1,149,601, i.e. a recovery rate of 98.5%.

The new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the regions of Casablanca-Settat (31), Rabat-Salé-Kenitra (27), Marrakech-Safi (24), Souss-Massa (06), Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (04), the Oriental (03) et Fez-Meknes (03).

As for coronavirus-related fatalities, they stood at 16,075 (fatality rate of 1.4%) with no new death recorded in the last 24 hours.

The number of active cases dropped to 952, while no severe case has been reported in the last 24 hours.

During these talks held on Thursday by videoconferencing, the two parties affirmed the strength and depth of relations between the two countries under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI and His brother HM King Hamad Ben Issa Al Khalifa, as well as their willingness to continue to work for the development of these relations and raise them to higher levels.

The two parties also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two brotherly countries, said the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication in a statement.

After stressing that the Kingdom of Morocco is working to consolidate cooperation with the Kingdom of Bahrain to serve the aspirations of both countries and peoples brothers, Bensaid presented to his Bahraini counterpart the programs and projects on which his department works, the statement added.

For his part, the Bahraini minister presented the most important programs and initiatives that his country offers to the youth sector, as well as the most important achievements of the Bahraini youth in various fields.

These talks were an opportunity for both parties to affirm their willingness to develop joint action in the youth sector through an exchange of expertise and experience, according to the same source.

In this context, and on the eve of the launch of the Operation "Marhaba 2022", a mobile consulate was carried out in Saint-Étienne for, in particular, the delivery of various administrative and consular documents to their holders, said a statement from the diplomatic representation.

This mobile consulate was also an opportunity for the Consul General Zouhair Jibraili to meet and discuss with members of the Moroccan community living in the Loire department on ways to facilitate and fluidify the administration relations for the benefit of Moroccan citizens residing in AURA, concludes the statement.

According to preliminary data, the injured person was in the company of four other individuals near the officer's home in Beni Mellal's Chraibi neighborhood, said a National Police (DGSN) statement.

A conflict broke out between the police officer and these people following the night disturbance they caused, after which the police officer used his individual weapon provided to him for the purpose of his duties and shot the individual in question, said the same source.

The injured person was transferred to the University Hospital of Casablanca to receive the necessary care, while the police officer and the rest of the individuals were placed in custody, except for a minor.

The minor was placed under supervision, as part of the judicial investigation ordered by the prosecutor's office to clarify the ins and outs of this case and to unravel the circumstances of the weapon use, concludes the statement.

The work of this conclave was marked by the election of the Kuwaiti Abdelhadi Chabib new president of the Arab Union for a term of four years (2022-2025), succeeding the Bahraini Sheikh Mohammad bin Ali bin Rached Al Khalifa.

Bouchra Hajij, who had held several responsibilities in the committee in charge of the development of women's sports and the Arab Volleyball Union, participated in a series of workshops on improving the image of women in the sports sector.

She was also appointed member of the Development Commission of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA).

She was reappointed by the International Olympic Committee as a member of the Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission and is a member of the ANOCA Gender Commission.

During the 33rd emergency meeting of the Arab Parliamentary Union (APU) held on Saturday in Cairo, Ghobash highlighted the role of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in the defense of the Holy City.

In addition, the chairman of the National Council recalled the positions of his country which, along with other Arab countries, reacted politically and diplomatically to all Israeli measures and decisions aimed at changing the identity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, or the legal and historical status of Al-Quds, and its Arab and Islamic character.

He called, in this sense, to put an end to Israeli practices that lead to a dangerous escalation and threaten the security of the whole region, stressing the need to adhere to the mechanisms for implementing a permanent and just solution to the Palestinian issue, in accordance with the three fundamentals.

These fundamentals are, namely, the relevant international references, the Arab Peace Initiative and the establishment of the State of Palestine on the basis of the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Al-Quds as its capital.

Morocco took part in this meeting with a delegation including the Speaker of the House of Councillors, Naama Mayara and the Moroccan Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom to the League of Arab States, Ahmed Tazi.

According to a statement from the Ministry, Belfkih highlighted before the conference the Moroccan experience in managing the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the resilience of the health system by taking advantage of the proactive vision of HM King Mohammed VI.

On the sidelines of this event, initiated by the Czech Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health, on the occasion of Africa Day, the Moroccan delegation held meetings with a number of officials of the host country: Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Marian Jurecka, and the Deputy Minister of Health.

The delegation reviewed, during these meetings, the major projects initiated in the health sector, as well as focused its contacts on the prospects of bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them.

In addition, Meziane Belfkih held talks with the Ivorian Minister of Health devoted to bilateral cooperation relations, in particular the social protection councils and the promotion of the health system. He also met with the Senegalese and Zambian Ministers of Health.

The Moroccan delegation also held meetings with several Czech companies operating in the health sector. On this occasion, the Secretary General of the Ministry highlighted the potential and opportunities offered in terms of investment in this sector in full expansion thanks to the Royal High Directives.

These statements came during the 26th ordinary session of the General Conference of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), held in Tunis, where Morocco was represented by the Secretary General of the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Youssef Belqasmi.

On this occasion, the Moroccan official explained that the Kingdom, based on the special interest that His Majesty King Mohammed VI grants to ALECSO, remains concerned about promoting these areas.

In this sense, the official stressed that HM the King has included these areas among the priorities of the Kingdom.

He also praised the remarkable work done by the Executive Council of the organization in the preparation of documents concerning in particular the modernization of the working mechanisms of the organization and the improvement of its performance.

The official said that the working methodology adopted is likely to raise ALECSO to the rank of international organizations pioneers.

Led by Belqasmi, the Moroccan delegation was composed of Hassan Tariq, Moroccan Ambassador in Tunis, Jamal Eddine El Aloua, Secretary General of the National Commission for Education, Culture and Science and Ben Taleb Mohamed, legal adviser and head of the division of education, culture, waqfs and Islamic affairs at the General Secretariat of the Government.

Held for the first time in an intermediate city, the Summit was an opportunity to take stock of the knowledge and experience accumulated around the world on the theme of intermediate cities.

In the final declaration, the African mayors, local and regional elected representatives and leaders of local and regional authorities in Africa stressed that Africa can be the continent of resilience and become a model for other regions of the world. To this end, they called for more efforts in Africa and beyond with the support of States, the African Union, international partners and diasporas.

They expressed their wish to make intermediate cities structuring poles for the sustainable development of Africa, by giving them a prominent place in regional planning. It is also a question of creating new territorial dynamics favoring links of exchange and articulation between the rural and urban environment.

Affirming the will to establish a constructive political dialogue between the different spheres of government in order to respect the principle of subsidiarity, they undertook to give priority to urban planning as an instrument for controlling the growth of urban and peri-urban territories by putting in place the institutional, legal, regulatory and operational instruments as well as the conditions for a participatory dialogue with the population.

They also called for the strengthening of links between intermediate cities and with the capitals of the States through the construction of secure road networks, rail infrastructures and air links.

The Africities Summit is the most important democratic meeting in Africa, bringing together the most elected officials from the largest number of countries. The 9th edition highlighted the network of cities and territories that form the backbone of the continent.

It was a question of deepening the approach of the Africa Regional Forum of Intermediate Cities organized by UCLG and UCLG Africa, in May 2017 in Odienné in Côte d'Ivoire, in order to take stock of the implementation of global agendas in intermediate cities.

The theme of the Summit was further developed in four points, namely a specific development and planning program for intermediate cities, a revision of planning and development methods in Africa, a redefinition of the African urban framework giving greater visibility to African intermediate cities and a refocusing of African development on the territories.

Nearly 5,000 African and international participants, including mayors and presidents of cities and local authorities, ministers, local elected officials, representatives of central and regional administrations, and experts, took part in this summit, which was an opportunity to take stock of the knowledge and experience accumulated around the world on the theme of intermediate cities.

Several sessions, workshops and side-events held during the Summit focused on the issues of climate, culture, urban development, women and youth.

"We advocate this cooperation which allows us to strengthen our culture of belonging to Africa," Bouaida said in an interview with MAP on the sidelines of her participation in the 9th Africities Summit, which ends Saturday in Kisumu.

In all his speeches, His Majesty King Mohammed VI never ceases to insist on South-South cooperation and the interest we take in our African brothers, she noted, adding that the Kingdom has always been present as a leader at the continental level on many aspects.

These include aspects related to development and reforms undertaken by the Kingdom, which are now recognized as examples for African countries, said the President of the Guelmim Oued-Noun region.

Referring to the strong presence of Morocco at the Africities 9 Summit, she recalled that the Kingdom had hosted the 8th edition of the Summit in 2018, which makes it a co-organising country of the current edition.

Morocco helped a lot to make this event a success, which explains the importance of the Moroccan delegation and also the interest in the Morocco Pavilion, she noted.

Through this presence, Morocco also aims to establish links between Moroccan regions, municipalities and communities and those of the rest of Africa, she added, noting that during the summit, African local authorities showed great interest in getting closer to their Moroccan counterparts.

Referring to the main achievements and experiences that Morocco can share with sister countries, Bouaïda said that the Kingdom is keen to share its experiences, such as that of advanced regionalization.

In the environmental field, Morocco is emerging as a model country at the continental level, she added, mentioning the ambitious shift to renewable energy, the desire to reach a renewable energy share of 64% of the national electricity mix by 2030, as well as the commitment to carbon emissions.

"Morocco has never been a passive country, it has always been an entrepreneurial country," said Ms Bouaida, welcoming the experience of Benguerir, a green city which was the subject of a presentation during the Summit.

On the economic front, Morocco has made a great deal of effort in terms of financing entrepreneurship, which is no longer a problem, thanks in particular to the financial arrangements that facilitate fundraising.

The tools that promote exchanges of experience and expertise must be put together collectively, she stressed, citing the example of the African Support Fund for International Decentralised Cooperation of Local Authorities (FACDI).

"We can also innovate other mechanisms in partnership with our African brothers, such as a network of African regions that could promote advanced regionalisation and provide a platform for exchange and reflection on joint projects," she said.

It is also possible to create a network of African green cities, where some cities would serve as models, like Benguerir, she suggested, adding that the creation of project banks common to all African countries is able to strengthen economic cooperation between African communities.

The interest of major events, such as the Africities Summit, is to create these links, to encourage exchange and to capitalise on the achievements, explained Ms Bouaïda, insisting on the need to define a common interest and to structure it around an operational tool accessible to all.