News Flash

Businesses in Ceuta close their doors to settle down in Morocco

Spanish companies based in Ceuta are «planning to leave the autonomous city for Morocco,» reported Thursday, March 29th, El Confidencial. The economy of the entire city depends on the daily flow of goods at border posts. The website states that «60% of the goods the city imports are destined for resale in Morocco». Several stores and businesses are starting to go bankrupt. This is notably the case of a shop tht sells perfumes operating for more

Italy : A Moroccan national arrested 27 years after killing his brother-in-law

A Moroccan national who lives in Italy was recently arrested for a murder he committed in 1991 in Veneto, Susegana. The man had «broken the skull» of his brother-in-law during a fight. Following the incident, he had disappeared, said Treviso Online. The victim succumbed to his injuries and died two days later. Later on, investigators in Treviso have managed to arrest the fugitive. The Moroccan had meanwhile moved to Agrigento, «where he has lived quietly with his family for

After Morocco questions impartiality, Infantino won’t meddle in the 2026 World Cup bids

At a briefing held Tuesday in Casablanca, Morocco bid chairman Moulay Hafid Elalamy questioned the impartiality of the FIFA president Gianni Infantino, reports Associated Press on Thursday. The FIFA responded stressing that its president won't meddle in the 2026 World Cup bids. «It’s very serious if the opinion of a president could change strategic opinions», said Elalamy referring to Infantino’s comments on the North American bid. In a press conference held in Dubai,

The police arrests the man believed to film the viral sexual assault video

After the police announced on, Wednesday, that they have arrested a 21-year-old man suspected of attempting to rape a 17-year-old girl in a video that went viral on the internet, the other individual believed to film the assault was also captured Thursday in Rhamna, reports Telquel. The authorities are looking for a third individual, accused of not reporting the assault. He is currently on the run, said the same source. The two arrestees will have to appear in court today in

Morocco dismantles an eight-member terror cell in Tangier and Oued Zem

The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) dismantled on Thursday a pro-ISIS terror cell made up of eight people who were operating in the cities of Oued Zem and Tangier, the Interior ministry announced. Investigations revealed that the members of this cell were looking for raw materials used for manufacturing explosive devices and belts with the aim of carrying out terrorist operations against sensitive sites in several Moroccan cities as part of ISIS terror agenda, the source

Police arrests a driver who attempted to ram soldiers in France

On Thursday morning, a stolen car tried to ram French soldiers near Varces (Isère), reports Le Dauphiné libéré, quoting sources close to the file. No one was injured in the attempted attack, said the same source, adding that the police is looking for the assailant who is on the run. Quoted by the newspaper, the public prosecutor in Grenoble, Jean-Yves Coquillat, said that «we must remain cautious regarding the motives of the attacker». An investigation

Jerada : Talks between the police and Hirak members to be launched Thursday

Discussions between the police and Hirak members in Jerada will start Thursday, 29th of March. «Since the creation of the Hirak dialogue committee, high ranked police officers in the region wanted to immediately start the meeting yesterday», said a source from Jerada to Yabiladi. The meeting did not take place at the end of the day. The Hirak movement representatives refused to go to Oujda in order to attend the meeting. For the record, members of the Hirak movement in Jerada

Algeria’s Belloumi offered to be ambassador for Morocco’s World Cup bid

Algeria’s best football player of all time Lakhdar Belloumi has reportedly been offered to be the 2026 World Cup ambassador for Morocco, reports Wednesday TSA quoting the Algerian TV channel Ennahar. Belloumi who was a former football player and manager has refused the Kingdom’s proposal at the begining and requested to get his country's blessing before giving his final word. «The republic’s presidency has accepted the Moroccan request and endorsed the

Morocco's National Investment Company changes its name to Al Mada

The National Investment Company (SNI) announced on Wednesday, 28th of March that it is changing its name to Al Mada. SNI's Board of Directors met on the same day and voted for renaming the firm. The SNI’s international activities contribution to its net income has reached 26% in 2017 against 11% in 2013. The large private Moroccan holding company mainly owned by the Moroccan Royal family is intending to increase its international presence, said a press release issued by the company

Twenty Moroccan nationals rescued off Spanish coast

The Spanish maritime rescue services rescued, Wednesday 28th of March, twenty Moroccan migrants who were carried by a boat, said EFE. They were heading to the Tarifa coast, Spain but got later transferred to Ceuta. Tarifa Regional Maritime Rescue & Coordination Center (Cádiz province) has been alerted that a boat was sailing at the Strait of Gibraltar’s territorial waters, a spokesman for the maritime rescue services told EFE. The boat was located at 4:30 am, about

Morocco seized over 470 kg of hard drugs in 2017

Customs services seized 476.7 kg of hard drugs in the past year, according to the 2017 activity report of the Customs Administration. In 2017, Customs services also seized 33.74 tons of cannabis resin (chira) and 140,000 psychotropic pills. They also seized 22.92 million units of cigarettes against 12.5 million in 2016, an increase of more than 83.5%. During the 2017 fiscal year, Customs services seized various goods, excluding cigarettes and narcotics, worth 557.1 million dirhams (MDH)

Fisheries agreement : Morocco accepts relaunching negotiations with the EU

Morocco has agreed to relaunch negotiations with the European Union, with the objective of concluding a new fisheries agreement. This was announced yesterday, 27th of March, in Cadiz, a city in southern Spain, by the EU Director General of Maritime and Fisheries Affairs, Joao Aguilar, reports Spanish radio Cadena Ser. On the 16th of April, the EU Council of Fisheries Ministers will meet in Brussels to give the European Commission the go ahead to start negotiations with the Kingdom, said the

The authorities arrest the man believed to sexually assault a girl in a viral video

The local authorities in the Rehamna Province, near Marrakech, have managed to identify and arrest, Wednesday 28th of March, an individual who appeared in a video trying to rape a young girl, said a communiqué issued by the Ministry of Interior and sent today to Yabiladi. The video which has gone viral on the internet emerged yesterday,27th of March, showing a man who was holding a girl to the ground. Trying to rape her, the young girl who was also identified by the authorities, was

A French-Moroccan photojournalist expelled from Mauritania

French-Moroccan photojournalist Seif Kousmate arrived, Saturday 25th of March, in Casablanca after being detained for three days in Nouakchott. He was deported by the Mauritanian authorities for conducting an investigation on slavery in the country. The journalist was arrested on March the 20th near «the borders with Senegal where he had to fly back to Morocco», a report issued by Reporters Without Borders (RWB) said on Tuesday. Transferred to Nouakchott, he was detained and his

Suspected Moroccan ISIS member arrested in Italy

A Moroccan-Italian national was arrested on Wednesday morning, March 28th, in Turin, said La Repubblica. He is suspected of being an ISIS member. Identified as Elmahdi Halili, 23, accused of being the one behind translating into Italian a propaganda text issued by the terrorist organization. Several Italian converts to Islam and other foreign citizens are also involved in the same case. They are suspected of leading a radicalization campaign on social media. Shortly after the death of Syrian

A Moroccan imam will be expelled from Torcy

A Moroccan imam, settled down in Torcy, was arrested on the 28th of March in front of his house, reports Europe 1. He will be «expelled to Morocco on the same day». The arrestee identified as Mohammed Tlaghi, an imam at the Rahma mosque in Torcy, was arrested after a request for expulsion was issued by the Ministry of Interior «because of his radical sermons», said Le Parisien. The Rahma mosque was closed on April the 10th 2017, after being considered as «a

2018 World Cup : Atlas Lions defeat Uzbekistan 2-0 in a friendly

Morocco's national football team defeated, Tuesday in Casablanca, Uzbekistan 2-0 in a friendly match held to prepare for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, MAP news agency reported. Ayoub Kaabi scored the first goal (4th minute) with the help of his teammate Hakim Ziyech while defender Marouane Da Costa did the same three minutes before the end of the game's first half. The match was an opportunity for the Atlas Lions to better their performance before the international competition, scheduled for

London earmarks £ 3 billion to British companies wishing to export to Morocco

A £3 billion budget has been allocated by the UK authorities to support companies wishing to export their products to or settle down in Morocco. This announcement was made Tuesday in London by representative of the UK Department for International Trade in Morocco, Jason Ivory, at the Moroccan-British forum on trade and investment, held at Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London. The allocation of such large sum by UK Export Finance, a government agency