Belgium : A terrorist will not be extradited to Morocco over fears of being tortured

A Belgian judge refused the extradition of a Belgian resident sentenced for terrorism to Morocco over «fears of being tortured», said on Friday La Libre. Bilal, who visited Syria in September 2015, was arrested months later in Brussels and was sentenced to 5 years in prison. He had links with the terrorist cell of Khalid Zerkani, described by the Belgian media as the most famous jihadist recruiter in Belgium. Released in June 2017, the Belgian Immigration Office was intending to

Melilla : A sub-Saharan hidden in a car whose driver fled to Morocco

The Guardia Civil found, on Thursday, a sub-Saharan migrant hiding in the trunk of a car which was intending to enter Melilla through the Farhana border crossing, said EFE. This occurred yesterday around 11am when members of the Spanish Guardia Civil were checking cars at the border crossing, Abdelmalik El Barkani, government delegate in Melilla. The driver of the car, a Moroccan national, however managed to escape returning to Morocco. «The Moroccan authorities have told us

Morocco submits its fifth World Cup bid to the FIFA

Morocco submitted on Thursday, 15th of March, its fifth bid to host the World Cup to the FIFA in Switzerland, announced the Morocco's 2026 World Cup Bid Committee in a statement sent to Yabiladi. Morocco's file contains 24 segments related to sustainable development as well as technical data concerning the country. It includes pieces of information on the stadiums to host matches, transportation means, training sites and accommodation, said the same source.   Moreover, the

An ECOWAS parliamentary delegation to visit Morocco on March 20-25

A delegation made up of 22 members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) parliament will pay a visit to Morocco on March 20-25, Speaker of the ECOWAS parliament, Moustapha Cissé Lo, announced on Thursday. A delegation of the ECOWAS parliament will pay a visit to Morocco on March 20-25 at the invitation of Speaker of the House of Representatives (Morocco’s Lower House), Habib El Malki, Cissé Lo told radio program «Carrefour de l'info» aired on

Jerada : Protesters take the streets heading to the mine where the two brothers died in December

Despite the ban, the inhabitants of Jerada are taking their anger to the streets at the moment. «They are young people from different neighborhoodsin the city who started walking towards the mine where the brothers Houcine and Jedouane died last December,» said a source in the city. The mine is located in a neighborhood called Ghazi. «For the moment, members of the security forces are just watching the situation and Police vehicles pass by the protesters without

Morocco can take its time with currency reforms, according to IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday that Morocco can take its time when it comes to currency reforms, launched this year by the government to boost the country’s economic competitiveness, reports Bloomberg. «Unlike other emerging economies, Morocco didn’t loosen currency restrictions under pressure, so authorities can take their time with future steps», said  Nicolas Blancher, the IMF’s mission chief for Morocco, during a conference call

A Moroccan man is behind a foiled attack in Bogotá

Colombian police announced on Thursday the arrest of a man who was planning a terrorist attack, with the help of a Moroccan national targeting the US embassy staff in Bogotá, reports El Tiempo. The man from Cuba is residing illegally in the country. He was plotting to kill officials from the American embassy using a homemade bomb on the 13th of the current month. The plot was foiled thanks to an alert from Washington. The suspect was targeting a restaurant where American officials from

Tense calm prevails in Jerada after yesterday’s clashes

After the violent clashes that erupted, Wednesday, between protesters and members of the security forces, tense calm prevails in the city of Jerada. «Shops and cafes are closed. We are facing an unpredicted strike, especially because the Hirak did not call for one», said a source in the city to Yabiladi. «The heavy police presence prevented the Hirak committee from meeting last night. Under these conditions, the press conference scheduled for Thursday could be canceled or

FIFA ranking : Morocco retains 42nd position

The Moroccan football team has retained its 42nd position (694 points), according to the March rankings unveiled Thursday by world football’s governing body (FIFA). At the continental level, the Atlas Lions, qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, still rank 4th, behind Tunisia (23rd), Senegal (27th) and DR Congo (39th). Internationally, Germany is still in the lead with a total of 1,609 points, followed by Brazil (1,489 pts) and Portugal (1,360 pts).

Dutch-Moroccan footballer Ismail H’Maidat is behind bars

The Dutch-born Moroccan footballer, Ismail H’Maidat has been behind bars since March the 13th, according to the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, quoted by So Foot magazine. The international player is suspected of having participated in five armed robberies near Turnhout (Belgium). The events took place on New Year’s Eve and on January the 6th, said Sud Info. For now, he is the only one that got arrested. The police are still investigating whether other accomplices are