Saudi Arabia scored a major win in its campaign to attract major sports events to the kingdom when it was formally appointed as the 2034 World Cup host on Wednesday.

France's counterterrorism prosecutor says authorities foiled three plots to attack the Olympic Games in Paris and other cities that hosted events this summer.

A year after a deadly earthquake struck Morocco's High Atlas mountains, reconstruction efforts are slowly moving forward.

The United States was eliminated from the Olympic men’s soccer tournament after a 4-0 loss to Morocco in the quarterfinals.

The head of Argentina’s soccer federation says the chaotic ending to its Olympic soccer match against Morocco “makes no sense,” and Argentina’s coach called the scene “a scandal.”.

Stunning goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Michael Olise helped France to a 3-0 victory over the United States in the Olympic men’s soccer tournament.

Morocco fans crashed the pitch to protest a late goal by Argentina at the opening match of the Paris Olympics men’s soccer tournament.

Golden fields of wheat no longer produce the bounty they once did in Morocco.

A fan at the Saudi Super Cup final lashed an Al-Ittihad player with a whip during a confrontation moments after the match Thursday night.

Spain’s Supreme Court has ruled that Spanish authorities acted illegally when they sent unaccompanied child migrants back to Morocco in 2021.

Matteo Garrone's migration odyssey “Io Capitano” played at the Marrakech International Film Festival this weekend, returning to the country where pivotal scenes were shot.

Archaeologists have unearthed more ancient ruins of what they believe was once a bustling port city near the capital of modern-day Morocco.

The International Monetary Fund says Middle East economies are gradually recovering as external shocks from the war in Ukraine and global inflation fade.

The International Monetary Fund warns that the world economy has lost momentum from the impact of higher interest rates, the invasion in Ukraine and widening geopolitical rifts.

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank are holding their annual meeting in Morocco, one month after an earthquake killed nearly 3,000 people in the North African country.

It’s Day 6 of the U.N. General Assembly high-level meeting that brings world leaders together at U.N. headquarters in New York.

The earthquake that struck Morocco late Friday has killed more than 2,100 people and the toll is expected to increase as rescuers reach hard-hit remote mountain areas.

The United Nations has doubled down on its pledge to revive stalled negotiations over the disputed Western Sahara in a visit to the region this week in which its top negotiator met with officials on all sides.

Many teams headed home from the Women’s World Cup with uncertain futures.

France has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup by beating Morocco 4-0.

Change is happening fast in women’s soccer and a leveling of the playing field is being showcased across the globe in the biggest Women's World Cup to date.

Two-time champion Germany was eliminated in a wild finale to the group stage of the Women’s World Cup, while low-ranked Morocco advanced to the knockout stage.

Nouhaila Benzina will make history when she steps onto the field for Morocco’s first match of the Women’s World Cup against Germany — and not just as a player for the first Arab or North African nation ever in the tournament.

The United States will host the Club World Cup in 2025.

Several British supermarket chains have limited the amount of some fresh fruits and vegetables that customers can buy amid shortages blamed on bad weather in Spain and Morocco.

Mohamed Afsha has scored on a deflected shot in the 88th minute and sent Al Ahly into the Club World Cup semifinals after beating the Seattle Sounders 1-0.

The major political group embroiled in a massive European Union corruption scandal will seek this week to insulate itself from further fallout in the cash-for-influence affair linked to Qatar and Morocco.

Lionel Messi stands of the brink of a long-awaited World Cup winner’s medal as Argentina faces defending champions France in the final.

FIFA has described this World Cup as the best ever.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos has quit after eight years in the job and five days after Portugal’s exit from the World Cup in the quarterfinals.

A cold virus has run through the France squad though coach Didier Deschamps expects all his players to be healthy for the World Cup final against Argentina on Sunday.

Morocco made history, but couldn’t make it past Kylian Mbappé and France.

Yassine Bounou stretched out his arm with everything he had trying to get something in the way of the ball.

France and Kylian Mbappé are headed back to the World Cup final for a much-anticipated matchup with Lionel Messi after ending Morocco’s historic run at soccer’s biggest tournament.

Kylian Mbappe has attended to a fan who was apparently struck by a stray practice ball ahead of the World Cup semifinal match between France and Morocco.

Morocco has defied expectations and broken down barriers by becoming the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals.

Morocco coach Walid Regragui has guided his team to the World Cup quarterfinals.

The next World Cup will be the biggest ever after world soccer body FIFA took the leap from a 32-team field to 48 teams in 2026.

Two soccer games on Tuesday will define the last two spots in the World Cup quarterfinals, which include eight countries.

Morocco pulled off another shock at the World Cup by beating Belgium 2-0 and leaving Kevin de Bruyne and the 2018 semifinalists in peril of a group-stage exit.

Morocco held 2018 finalist Croatia to a 0-0 draw at the World Cup in another strong performance by a team from an Arab country.

Millions are at stake in retail sales for this year’s World Cup in Qatar and soccer fans have been playing rate the shirt.

The U.S. announced its providing an additional $625 million in military aid to Ukraine, a package that includes additional advanced rocket systems credited with helping the country’s military gain momentum in its war with Russia.

Moroccan Eggplant

Moroccan soldiers are joining firefighters in efforts to contain three wildfires in the north of the country.

The United States will play Japan and Saudia Arabia in its last two World Cup warmups.

U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter did not have forward Christian Pulisic and midfielder Tyler Adams dress for a World Cup warmup against 170th-ranked Grenada in the CONCACAF Nations League.

U.S. captain Christian Pulisic was critical of the level of American support from the crowd of 19,512 at TQL Stadium during a 3-0 win over Morocco on in the first of four World Cup warmup matches in June.

Renewable energy's potential across the African continent remains largely untapped, according to a new report by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Hundreds of people have tried for a second day to climb over the fences that separate a Spanish city in North Africa from Morocco.

The World Health Organization says the global risk from the omicron variant of the coronavirus is “very high” based on early evidence.

Cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in countries on opposite sides of the world Sunday and many governments rushed to close their borders.

Spain has sent another member of its government to Algeria to seek guarantees that its supply of natural gas won't be impacted when Algeria closes its pipeline through Morocco on Sunday.

The International Organization for Migration says migrant deaths along the Atlantic route from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands reached a record high last month with 379 lives lost at sea.

A group of at least 40 migrants has attempted to swim from Morocco into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta.

Algeria has formally broken off diplomatic relations with neighboring Morocco, with the foreign minister citing a series of alleged hostile acts.

Spanish officials are seeking to justify their policy of sending unaccompanied child migrants back to Morocco.

The U.N. migration agency says the number of migrants and refugees who died while attempting to reach Europe on dangerous sea routes more than doubled so far this year compared to the first six months of 2020.

Miles de migrantes que se han convertido en peones en una disputa diplomática entre Marruecos y España despertaron el miércoles con un futuro incierto, después de dormir donde pudieron tras llegar al enclave norteafricano de Ceuta en el país europeo.

FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2014 file photo swaths of cannabis are pictured n the village of Bni Hmed in the Ketama Abdelghaya valley, northern Morocco. Morocco's government on Thursday approved a landmark bill that would legalize non-recreational uses of marijuana. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar, File)RABAT – Morocco’s government on Thursday approved a landmark bill that would legalize nonrecreational uses of marijuana. If it passes, Morocco would be one of the few countries in the region or in the Arab world to legalize the drug for nonrecreational use. Morocco is seeking to establish a regulatory framework for the entire chain of cultivation, production, processing and marketing of cannabis for medical, cosmetic and industrial uses such as textiles or paper.

Workers cart boxes into the West Wing of the White House, as offices in the White House complex are being packed up and moved out, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has awarded a top U.S. honor to King Mohammed VI of Morocco, citing his decision to begin normalization of relations with Israel. Morocco’s ambassador to the U.S., Princess Lalla Joumala, accepted it on his behalf in a private ceremony, according to a White House statement. Earlier this week, Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, one of his fiercest GOP allies, in a private ceremony at the White House. The White House also announced this week that Trump would be awarding New England coach Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl winner, the Medal of Freedom.

Tunisian authorities say 20 African migrants have been found dead after their boat, which was trying to reach Europe, sank in the Mediterranean Sea. Five survivors were rescued Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020 and authorities are searching for up to 20 others believed missing. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios, File)TUNIS – About 20 African migrants were found dead Thursday after their smuggling boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach Europe, Tunisian authorities said. Five survivors were rescued and the Tunisian navy is searching for up to 20 others still believed missing. According to survivors, the migrant smuggling boat was carrying about 40 or 50 people heading toward Italy, Ben Zekri said.

(AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)RABAT – Morocco has imposed a curfew, closed restaurants in major cities and banned public and private gatherings for three weeks — including the usually festive New Year's Eve — to curb the spread of the virus. The curfew between 9 p.m and 6 a.m went into effect Wednesday night and is set to last until Jan. 13. All restaurants in the cities of Casablanca, Marrakech, Agadir and Tangier must close for that period, according to government orders this week. The new restrictions come as Morocco prepares to launch a massive COVID-19 vaccination campaign using two different vaccines, one developed by China’s Sinopharm and the other by Britain’s Oxford University and AstraZeneca. The government had promised to start the vaccinations this month but the launch date for the campaign remains unknown.

DUBAI – Bahrain said Sunday it approved the use of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine, following its earlier approval of a vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. Bahrain's state-run news agency said the Sinopharm vaccine would be available in the island kingdom off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain said over 7,700 signed up to take part in a trial of the Sinopharm vaccine in the kingdom. Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month that’s relying initially on the Sinopharm vaccine. On Sunday, Kuwait's state-run KUNA news agency announced the oil-rich country's Health Ministry had granted emergency use for the Pfizer vaccine.

The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, that a Chinese coronavirus vaccine by Sinopharm tested in the federation of sheikhdoms is 86% effective, though it released few details. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, File)DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday a Chinese coronavirus vaccine tested in the federation of sheikhdoms is 86% effective, in a statement that provided few details but marked the first public release of information on the efficacy of the shot. The UAE, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, conducted a trial beginning in September of the vaccine by Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm involving 31,000 volunteers from 125 nations. The Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for emergency use in a few countries and the company is still conducting late-stage clinical trials in 10 countries. Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month that’s relying initially on the Sinopharm vaccine.

Hong Kong on Wednesday reported an additional 100 cases, bringing its two-week total to 1,274. Hong Kong has reported a total of 7,075 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic, with 112 deaths. The Texas Department of State Health Services also said 9,028 people were hospitalized across the state. Since late November, the new daily cases have soared past 10,000 on several days, with 15,103 new cases reported Tuesday, according to state health officials. ___BOISE, Idaho — Idaho public health officials abruptly ended a meeting Tuesday evening after the Boise mayor and chief of police said intense anti-mask protests outside the health department building — as well as outside some health officials’ homes — were threatening public safety.

(AP Photo/Javier Bauluz)MADRID – The Spanish government is ratcheting up its response to the steady build-up of migrant arrivals to the Canary Islands from Africa, including a fresh diplomatic offensive. Moroccans have been the most numerous among recent migrant arrivals to the Spanish archipelago, whose nearest islands lie around 70 miles (110 kms) west of the north African nation. Around half of those arrivals —and most of the deaths— have been in the past 30 days, a spike that has strained resources on the Canary Islands. Spanish Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos, also on the island, pledged more resources to the stretched maritime rescue services. The IOM's Spain envoy, María Jesús Herrera, who was on a field visit in the islands this week, described the situation as “critical."

The establishment of a second temporary migrant processing center on the island of Gran Canaria comes amid increasing criticism from local authorities and human rights groups. A pier on the quiet southwest coast of Gran Canaria has become the center of Spain’s ongoing humanitarian crisis. The new camp opening Wednesday will be able to hold 800 people in tents, according to the Interior Ministry. “The Canary Islands are a powder keg. With at least 493 deaths recorded so far this year, the route to the Canary Islands has seen proportionally more deaths per every arrival than the Central Mediterranean journey from Libya to Italy or Malta.

While Mediterranean crossings are down this year, arrivals on the Canary islands across a treacherous part of the Atlantic Ocean are up nearly 700% on the year. Beefed-up security in the Mediterranean has reduced migration from Africa to the Spanish mainland and the Balearic Islands in 2020, with 30% fewer arrivals between January and mid-October compared to a year earlier. But the surge in traffic to the Canary Islands comes at a high cost in human lives. Arguing that they lack enough resources, local and regional officials in the Canary Islands have asked the Spanish government for more help, including the use of two military facilities to process the migrants. Prime Minister Sánchez told parliament Wednesday that “we have to do much more” in the Canaries.

Moroccans wear face masks and pray respecting social distancing at the great Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco, Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. In Morocco today, around 10,000 mosques have opened their doors for the faithful to perform the Friday. For the first time since the outbreak of coronavirus in March, Morocco has allowed mosques to reopen for Friday prayers. Morocco announced the suspension of prayers in mosques back in March to limit the spread of the coronavirus, including the five daily prayers and the important Friday prayers. The restrictions were lifted for 10,000 mosques across the country Friday, but another 40,000 remain closed because of growing new infections.

Abebe Bikila was the only marathoner in history to win an Olympic gold medal running barefoot, but that fact hides the more significant question: Someone actually won an Olympic gold medal in the marathon running BAREFOOT?

European Union envoys are close to finalizing a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed back into Europe once it begins lifting coronavirus-linked restrictions. The United States appears almost certain not to make the list, as new infections surge and given that President Donald Trump has imposed a ban on European travelers. Importantly, the countries are also expected to drop any travel restrictions they have imposed on European citizens. Infection rates in Brazil, Russia and India are high, too, and their nationals are also unlikely to make the cut. Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzlez Laya said the EU is considering whether to accept travelers from China if Beijing lifts restrictions on European citizens.