News Flash

Morocco : Women in Jerada took their anger to the streets on Women’s Day

On the 8th of March, Women’s Day, Women at the city of Jerada took their anger to the streets. Women marched in the main streets of the mineral town and gathered at a square downtown. The participants chanted protesting against the death of coal miners and the situation in Jerada. Thus, the protesters reiterated their demands for dignity and social justice, callin for the establishment of an economic alternative to develop their province and be able to work at income-generating

Morocco : A Swiss National arrested for sexually exploiting minors

Rabat police department arrested, Thursday, a 58-year-old Swiss national who has been the subject of an international arrest warrant for sexually exploiting minors. In a statement, the national police (DGSN) said that the Swiss judicial authorities had issued an international arrest warrant against the suspect for his alleged involvement in crimes of sexual exploitation of underage girls in his country of origin, adding that the arrest warrant had been issued internationally by Interpol before

SDX Energy makes a new gas discovery in the Sebou project

SDX Energy, a British oil company operating in both Egypt and Morocco, announced on Thursday, 8th of March, that it has made a new discovery onshore Morocco, most precisely in the SAH-2 well at the Sebou project, reports Proactive Investors. The SAH-2 well, which will be completed and tested before the start of production operations, was drilled down to 1,304 meters and contained up to 5.2 meters of net conventional gas pay, across the two zones of Guebbas and Hoot. According to the same

Taoufik Bouachrine’s hearing postponed to March 15th

Akhabr Al-Youm columnist and publisher Taoufik Bouachrine’s trial was postponed to the 15th of March after it was opened Thursday, 8th of March, at the Casablanca Appeal court, reports Jeune Afrique. Arrested on the 23rd of February, the journalist is accused of several heavy criminal charges. Three days after his arrest, the attorney general at the same court decided to prosecute Bouachrine for human trafficking, exploiting and taking advantage of unfortunate people, using power to

Saham group sells its insurance business to South Africa’s Sanlam

South-African group Sanlam, SAHAM’s partner since February 2016, will increase its stake in the capital of SAHAM Group’s insurance subsidiary, from 46.6% to 100%, Saham Group announced on Thursday. Listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange, Sanlam is a leading Pan-African financial services group with a market capitalization of over US$16 billion. The Group intends to strengthen its position on the continent with this transaction. SAHAM’s insurance business, which

African Union : Rex Tillerson received by Moussa Faki Mahamat and Smail Chergui

United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was received Thursday morning at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat. «Fruitful discussions with US Secretary of State Tillerson focused on Peace and Security, including AU-led initiatives to fight terror, governance and the continental free trade agreement. We also discussed how to reinforce our partnership based on mutual priorities», Faki Mahamat wrote

Blatter : The North American bid seems «afraid» of losing to Morocco

According to the former president of FIFA Sepp Blatter, the North American bid to host the 2026 World Cup is «afraid» of losing to Morocco, reported the Associated Press on Thursday. Blatter was referring to the change that occurred this week regarding the North American joint bid. In fact, the USA, Canada and Mexico have now equal status in the bid, limiting the role of Sunil Gulati, a former president of the American soccer federation and a senior American in FIFA. «They

Spain : A Moroccan woman awarded for helping refugees

The work of Souad Benkaddour, a Spanish citizen of Moroccan origins, has just been awarded by the Rodolfo Benito Samaniego Foundation. She was indeed granted the 2018 Values of Conviviality Award. As La Luna de Alcalá explains, the awards given by the foundation reward individuals and groups who work on strengthening the values of coexistence and tolerance in society. For Souad Benkaddour, everything started in September 2015, as she explained to El País. Her neighbors had asked

The Atlas Lions to play friendlies against Serbia and Uzbekistan

The Morocco national football team, qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, is to play against Serbia on March the 23rd in Turin, Italy and will face Uzbekistan in Casablanca on the 27th of the same month, reports the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Wednesday, on its official website. The Federation is using the two friendlies to help the Atlas Lions get ready for their opening game with Iran on the 15th of June in St Petersburg, Russia, said the BBC sports. The two teams are both part of

Washington : Lalla Joumala Alaoui and Christine Lagarde chair a ceremony to celebrate Morocco and its History

Morocco’s ambassador to the United States, Lalla Joumala Alaoui, and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, chaired on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., a ceremony celebrating the Kingdom of Morocco, its culture, traditions and history. Speaking on this occasion, the Moroccan diplomat expressed her pleasure «at taking part, alongside the Moroccan community working in the IMF and the World Bank, in this event which celebrates our rich Moroccan

Taoufik Bouachrine’s trial : Five NGOs show support for the alleged victims

A few hours before the trial of journalist Taoufik Bouachrine, his alleged victims managed to get the support of a number of human rights associations. The Moroccan Organization for Human Rights (OMDH) praised in a statement the «courage» and «boldness» of these women, «knowing that beforehand these kinds of acts were not revealed to the public». The NGO, close to the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) party, denounced strongly the hate campaign

The Malian Prime Minister in Morocco for a working visit

The Malian Prime Minister, Soumyelou Boubeye Maïga, has arrived in Morocco Thursday for a work visit, an official source from Bamako told MAP news agency. During the two-day visit, Maïga and the Moroccan Prime Minister, Saadeddine El Othmani, will discuss ways and means to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries, find solutions for security and peace issues, and fight against terrorism, climate change and migration, said a statement issued by the Malian

Poland accuses a Moroccan national of belonging to «ISIS»

Polish prosecutors have accused a Moroccan national for being a member of ISIS, reports Associated Press. The man identified as Mourad T. was operating in Poland and other European Union countries as well as Serbia and Turkey before his arrest in September 2016, said the prosecutor’s office on Wednesday. The Polish authorities believe that the Moroccan man had collaborated with Abdelhamid Abbaoud, an ISIS fighter known as the leader of the November 2015 Paris attacks. According to the

2018 Forbes ranking : Aziz Akhannouch is the wealthiest man in Morocco

Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Agriculture, Sea Fishery, Rural Development, Water Bodies & Forests is the richest man in Morocco, according to the 2018 Forbes ranking «The World’s Billionaires». With $ 2.2 billion real time net worth, the businessman is ranked 1103th in the world and 12th in Africa. Akhannouch was able to top the national list after his fortune prospered throughout the year. According to Forbes the Minister went from $ 1.4 billion in March 2014 to over

Brussels : Saudi Arabia to give up control of Belgium’s largest mosque

The Belgian federal government is finally implementing the recommendations set by a parliamentary inquiry committee on terrorist attacks. According to Echo, a Belgian online newspaper, «the government will formally agree, this week, to the suspension of the lease that allows Saudi Arabia to manage the Grand Mosque of Brussels». Thus, a one year notice was given to Saudi Arabia to give up control of the Mosque after 49 years. In fact, Belgium leased the Grand Mosque to Riyadh in

Saad Lamjarred to visit Morocco «this week»

Moroccan pop singer Saad Lamjarred accused of allegedly raping a French girl in October 2016, is to visit Morocco, reports AFP on Tuesday quoting several sources. On his social media accounts, (Instagram and Facebook) the 32-year-old declared on Monday that he is «temporarily vising Morocco in the coming days», to launch his new song «Ghazali Ghazali». Meanwhile, contacted by the French news agency Lamjarred’s father Abdou Bachir confirmed that his son is

A Moroccan national found dead in Italy

The body of a young Moroccan man was found, Monday evening, in an irrigation canal in the municipality of Albino (northern Italy), according to the regional newspaper L’Eco di Bergamo. Firefighters and the police officers went on scene to retrieve the body of this homeless 24èyear-old young man. For now, the causes of his death remain unknown, even if the murder hypothesis seems to be rejected. According to the first elements of the investigation, the individual stole a mobile

Spain : Two Moroccan nationals admit they were members of a terrorist group

Two Moroccan nationals have admitted in front of a Spanish court that they have been part of a local terrorist cell affiliated to ISIS, EFE said yesterday. The two men were particularly operating through social media, looking for potential recruits. Abdelillah Migou and Anouar Merabet were facing respectively 9 and 11 years in prison. The second one was also involved in a drug trafficking case. Their sentences were revised during the trial at the National Hearing after the two men