Morocco's Arrabet and Skaleet partner for a new neo-bank offering in Africa  (Read more...)

Football : Munir El Haddadi to join Alavés

The football player, Munir El Haddadi, has left FC Barcelona to join Departivo Alavés. The right winger is member of the Spanish club since Friday, the daily newspaper L’Equipe said. The Spanish player of Moroccan origin was loaned to the club of Valencia with an option of purchase during the last season. Yet the Spanish club did not take advantage of this opportunity. The 22-year-old striker had many contenders in recent months, as our colleagues from Huffpost Morocco have

Professor Driss Guerraoui is now a member of Lisbon Academy of Sciences

Professor Driss Guerraoui was elected a member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, becoming the first Moroccan to join this prestigious institution, founded on 24 December 1779 during the reign of Mary 1 of Portugal. The Academy of Sciences is a scholarly society dedicated to the advancement of science and learning, with the goal of promoting academic progress and prosperity in Portugal.  It includes the fields of the exact sciences such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, medicine and

Morocco-Japan : Attijariwafa Bank joins Sumitomo Corporation Europe Limited for Africa

Attijariwafa Bank and Sumitomo Corporation Europe Limited, a direct branch of the Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo Corporation, signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the end of July, Attijariwafa Bank said on Monday. Through the Memorandum signed by Boubker Jai, Managing Director of Attijariwafa Bank and Bin Hafa, CEO of Sumitomo Corporation Europe Limited, both parties agreed to develop a long-term partnership for large-scale operations in Africa. The memorandum aims at promoting cooperation

Sweden puts on hold plans of building a youth care center in Morocco

The project of building care homes for Moroccan youths whose asylum applications have been rejected by Sweden has not seen any progress, Chinese news agency Xenhua reports today. Sweden’s plan is meant to help Moroccan asylum seekers return to their country with the help of Germany. According to the same source, last February both Sweden and Germany declared that they would collaborate to construct youth centers in Morocco for migrants deported from the two countries. Unfortunately

Two Moroccan twins awarded in Canada for their graduation projects

Two Moroccan students named Ibtissam and Ikram Benzian, twin siters, have won two prizes for their graduation projects in electrical engineering at Polytechnique Montreal, an engineering school affiliated with the Université in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Middle East Monitor reports. According to the same source, Ibtissam «won the first prize for two separate projects that she accomplished in electrical engineering courses» and her twin sister Ikram was «ranked third

Morocco is the most prolific exporter to Spain according to Fepex

Morocco is the most prolific exporter to Spain according to recent data issued by the Fepex, Fruitnet reports. The kingdom shipped during the first semester of the current year 404 million Euros fresh vegetables and fruits to Spain. According to the same source the exports to Spain resulted in growth of 33 per cent. The organization said that the Spanish imports from Morocco, Costa Rica and Brazil «came in at 859 million Euros for the six-month period, representing 63.45 per cent of

Two Sub-Saharan migrants tried to cross from Morocco to Spain on a surfboard

Two Sub-Saharan migrants tried on Wednesday to cross the 10-mile distance between Morocco and Spain (Tarifa) using a surfboard, The Sun reported yesterday. The two men were rescued by the Spanish Maritime Rescue Services. According to the same source, one of the two migrants was wearing only trunks when saved from the choppy waters near the coast of Tarifa. For the record, on the 30th of August Spanish coastguard saved 125 Sub-Saharan migrants who were on a boat trying to travel to Europe.

The Executive Broad of the IMF concludes the second review of Morocco's economic performance

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a body responsible for conducting the day-today-day business of the international organization headquartered in Washington D.C, announced on the 1st of August 2017 that it concluded the second review of Morocco's economic performance maintained via a two-year Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL) program, African review reports. The program according to the same source is set to provide financing, help resolve crises, and serve as

Donald Yammoto is the new Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Africa in  Trump’s administration

Donald Yamamoto, who worked previously as an Ambassador in Africa, will take office as Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Africa on the 5th of September, reports Allafrica. He was the US ambassador to Ethiopia (2006-2009) and Djibouti (2000-2003). He also traveled to Eritrea (1997-1998) as an interim ambassador. With this choice, the White House gives priority to the situation in the Horn of Africa. John Peter Pham of the Atlantic Council, a foreign affairs think tank, who published a

The President of the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec was victim of a hate crime

The vehicle of the President of the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec (CCIQ), Mohamed Labidi, was set on fire during the night of August 5th to 6th, when he was parked close to his residence, reports Radio Canada. It was a little before 1.30 am on Sunday that the incident occurred. Firefighters took about 30 minutes to control the fire and the police are still looking for one or more suspects. No person related to the event has been arrested until today. «A police investigation is

Australia : The Embassy of the Kingdom organized an open house week for schools and universities

The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Australia organized the Embassy's Academic Week from 22nd to 28th of August, opening its doors to students from schools, universities and institutes located in Canberra. The initiative holds the objective of strengthening the Embassy’s openness to students and schools in Australia. The Moroccan Ambassador Karim Medrek gave a lecture at the Australian National University, where he shed light on the political reforms and socio-economic development

Italy : A Moroccan national tried to enter the Aviano Air Base using a fake badge

A young Moroccan national residing in Conegliano, a town and commune of the Veneto region, Italy was arrested by the police after he attempted to enter the Aviano Air Base using a fake bade, Il Messaggero said on Wednesday.   The 25-year-old was driving a BMW 318 and was accompanied by two American soldiers. Although the base is geographically and tactically very important, the Moroccan man succeeded in entering it twice despite the reinforced security measures. «He used a fake

Netherlands : Tarik Chadlioui, a Belgian-Moroccan preacher will be extradited to Spain

The Belgian-Moroccan preacher Tarik Chadlioui, also known as Tarik Ibn Ali, will be extradited to Spain by the Dutch authorities on the 26th on September for allegedly participating in radicalizing a group of young people, local media said on Wednesday quoting a source from the Police. Tarik Ibn Ali, who has a dual nationality namely Moroccan and Dutch, was the subject of a «lengthy investigation» conducted by the Spanish judicial authorities. According to the same source, the

Morocco : The controversial cover of Jeune Afrique magazine

The last cover of Jeune Afrique, a weekply magazine based in Paris has made headlines in Morocco. On a red background, with a green cross inspired by the Moroccan flag the Magazine wrote «Terrorism : Born in Morocco». The cover contains also photos of terrorist cell’s members who carried out the twin attacks in both Las Ramblas and Cambrils, Catalonia. On Tuesday, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) denounced Jeune Afrique’s cover by

54 Sahrawis started a hunger strike at Barajas airport for not receiving asylum

54 young Sahrawis who have applied for asylum in Spain ten days ago, have begun a hunger strike at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport, Spain, a spokesman of those affected told Eldiario Spanish online newspaper. «We are 54 Sahrawis who have been on hunger strike since yesterday, without food and without water», stated Saad Asman, one of the asylum seekers who raised worries regarding the health of some of people who started feeling dizzy as they suffer from diabetes. Thr

Catalonia attacks : The man suspected of supplying the terrorist cell was arrested in Morocco

A man suspected of supplying the terrorist cell that carried out the attacks in Barcelona earlier this month was arrested in Morocco, a source close from the investigation told Reuters yesterday. The arrested is suspected of giving gas canisters to the jihadists. According to the same source, «the cell accumulated around 120 canisters of butane gas at a house in a town south of Barcelona with which, police say, it planned to carry out a larger bomb attack». The man was arrested in

Catalonia Attacks : Two other suspects arrested in Morocco according to Juan Ignacio Zoido

Two men suspected of being linked to the two terrorist attacks in Catalonia on the 17th and 18th of August were arrested in Morocco. The Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said on Tuesday during an official visit to Rabat, reports the Spanish online newspaper Panorama, quoting AFP. «Thanks to the ongoing cooperation between the two countries, the Moroccan security services have managed to arrest two individuals linked to the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils,» the

Juan Ignacio Zoido : Cooperation between Spain and Morocco is «continuous, loyal and fruitful»

Cooperation between Spain and Morocco is «continuous, loyal and fruitful», declared the Spanish Interior Minister, Juan Ignacio Zoido, during a press briefing held Tuesday in Rabat attended by his Moroccan counterpart, Abdelouafi Laftit.   The Spanish official said he hopes to strengthen the collaboration between the two countries to fight against terrorism. Spain is looking for improving its cooperation with the Kingdom, making it official and developing the methods of