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

Terrorism : A Moroccan national from Tetouan arrested in Spain

A Moroccan national, who has a legal status, has been arrested for terrorism in Spain. The arrest of Abdelouahed Bourras, a 34-year-old Tetouan native, took place on Monday in Madrid, indicates El Pais. The suspect is both homeless and jobless and he lives in occupied houses. The man has been radicalized, adds the same online newspaper that quotes sources close to the investigation. The Moroccan man is accused of belonging to a terrorist organization. The investigations that preceded his

Madrid II Women’s Half Marathon : Kaoutar Boulaid finishes first

The Moroccan athlete Kaoutar Boulai won on Sunday 29th of October the 2nd edition of the EDP Madrid Women’s Half Marathon. Boulai finished in 01h 12min 43sec, reports on Monday the Spanish sports platforms. Kaoutar Boulai who lives in Catalonia (northern Spain), crossed the finish line with 15 seconds ahead of the Ukrainian competitor  Viktoriya Kalyuzhna, while Kenyan Naomi Nduta came third in 1h 12min 59. Some 2,500 athletes from around 40 countries participated to the marathon,

Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean : Amir Peretz entered the kingdom using a Moroccan passport

The controversy surrounding Amir Peretz and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean is still ongoing. The event took place between the 9th and 10th of October in Rabat in partnership with the World Trade Organization (WTO), to discuss ways to facilitate «trade and investment in the Mediterranean and African region». The former Israeli Minister of Defense (in office between 2006-2007) entered the kingdom using a Moroccan passport bearing his first and last name, Armond

«Who is Kabour», Hassan El Fad’s new show on a world tour

The fictional character, Kabour from the Ramdan series «L’couple» (the couple) made Moroccans laugh hard every night after breaking the fast during the holy month. Hassan El Fad is now on a tour to Africa and the world bringing life to his character in «Who is Kabour», said a press release sent on Monday to Yabiladi. The Moroccan actor and standup comedian is expected to visit west Africa, Europe, Canada, the United States and tour all over the

Turkey : Five Belgian nationals of Maghrebi origins file a complaint after being imprisoned on suspicion of terrorism

Five Belgian nationals originally from the Maghreb region have filed a complaint against X. They have joined as a civil party to the investigation for being treated in an inhuman and degrading way. An action that follows their imprisonment in Turkey for almost a week, in September, while they were on a holiday in the seaside resort of Bodrum, according to the RTBF. The complaint was lodged in Brussels following their holidays that ended sadly «on suspicions of being a

Netherlands : Badr Hari to go back to Morocco after being released from prison

The Moroccan-Dutch kickboxer super heavyweight kickboxer is likely to be released on Friday 3rd of November after serving seven months in jail and is expected to visit Morocco; AD newspaper quoted his manager Jacques de Wit.   «After his release, he will go immediately to Morocco, where he will live now and where his family is settled down», said Jacques de Wit. The Hague Supreme court found Hari guilty, on February the 7th, and sentenced the kickboxer to six months in

Commemorating the disappearance of Mehdi Ben Barka in front of the Lipp brasserie in Paris

As every year, members of the Ben Barka family, his relatives and human rights activists gathered in front of the Lipp brasserie in Paris, where the kidnapping of third-world activist Mehdi Ben Barka took place on the 29 October 1965. On Sunday and in a Facebook post Ben Barka’s son Bachir urged the public opinion «to continue fighting for truth and justice for the victims of enforced disappearance», demanding that «all the light should be shed on the kidnapping and the

Abu Dhabi : A Moroccan Joduka refuses to shak hands with her Israeli opponent

Moroccan Judoka Aziza Chakir left by the end of the fight she lost at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam 2017, to avoid greeting her Israeli opponent, Shira Rishony. The latter simply shrugged her shoulders. This situation was not the only problem for the Israeli delegation. France TV Info reported that the 12 members of the Israeli team had to compete wearing kimonos that did not have the SRI sign (the three letters designating Israel in sports competitions),and wore instead ones that had the

International figures demand the release of Hirak detainees through a call of solidarity

Eighteen members of the European Parliament, eighteen others from national legislative assemblies, dozens of trade unionists, dozens of academics and many public figures including Noam Chomsky, Ken Loach and Arundhati Roy have signed a call for international solidarity to demand the release of Hirak detainees, said a communiqué sent on Saturday to Yabiladi. The petition was also supported by the Paris section of the AMDH (Moroccan human rights association), who included the full list of

Canary Island : Four Moroccan nationals arrested for sexually assaulting a tourist

Four Moroccan nationals were arrested in Gran Canaria, one of the islands of the Spanish archipelago Canary Islands, for raping and sexually abusing a female tourist in an island holiday resort, The Sun reports. The incident occurred on the 26th of December last year, almost one year before the Police managed to catch the perpetrators. The attack was recorded on CCTV (Closed Circuit TV), showing the assailants taking turns to force themselves on the victim. According to the same source a fifth

Sahara or Catalonia, Morocco will never recognize unilateral declarations of independence

The Kingdom of Morocco, which has been itself facing a separatist threat for several years, does not recognize and will not recognize in the future, the unilateral declaration of independence of Catalonia, said on Friday a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (DFAIT). It also stressed that Morocco understands the reaction of the Spanish authorities and expresses its full solidarity with them. «In these particular circumstances in neighboring

Mustapha El Khalfi : Abdelkader Messahel’s accusations are childish

Morocco has firmly replied to the «reprehensible, irresponsible, unacceptable and childish» accusations of the Algerian Foreign Minister, said on Thursday the Minister in charge of Relations with Parliament and Civil Society in a press conference. These comments «which included false allegations, will not affect the place of the Kingdom neither in Africa nor in the world», said Mustapha El Khalfi and international institutions, such as the World Bank and

Moroccan women farmers fight against drought using their own seeds

Moroccan women in Dar Bouazza, a municipality near Casablanca, are sowing the seeds to save water and fight against drought. Led by Leila Harris, a Casablanca native, women farmers in the village grow their own 100% organic vegetables. In a video published on 26th of October, Leila speaks about her initiative. «I got engaged and encouraged other women to do the same», she said adding : «I told them to stop buying vegetables when they can grow their own». Helping other

Africa : Morocco is a country with a strong maritime connectivity, according to UNCTAD

Morocco is the country with the strongest maritime connectivity in Africa, thanks to its strategic positioning, according to a UN study released on Thursday. In 2017, the Kingdom improved its performance scoring 67 points out of 100, ahead of Egypt (54.6) and South Africa (37.4), as reported by the 2017 Maritime Connectivity Index conducted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). «Morocco has improved its status in the Index thanks to its

2017 Karate World Championships : Sanae Agalmam wins bronze medal

Moroccan Karateka, Sanae Agalmam (kata / -21) won a bronze medal at the 10th World Championships (Junior &Cadets), organized in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Spain, the Moroccan Royal Karate Federation said on Thursday. This is the first time that a Moroccan Karateka wins a medal in the world championships. To achieve this performance, Agalmam defeated other Karatekas from Luxembourg (4-1) in the first round, England (4-1) in the second round, Japan (3-2) in the quarter-finals before losing to a

Al Hoceima : The authorities decide to ban protests scheduled for 27 and 28 of October

The provincial authorities in Al Hoceima have decided to ban all protests scheduled for the 27th and 28th of October after the Hirak National Support Committee called for demonstrations on social media to commemorate the death of Mohcine Fikri said on Thursday a statement issued by the province’s prefecture in Al Hoceima. Calls from anonymous sources and others from outside the province were published recently on social media calling all citizens to participate to demonstrations on

UK : The Home Office rejects asylum claim by a homosexual Moroccan national

The UK’s Home Office has refused to grant asylum to a Moroccan national who received death threats in Morocco for being gay, the Guardian reports on Thursday. The man who is HIV-positive has reportedly faced backlash and verbal abuse for his sexual orientation when he was living in Casabalanca. According to the same source, the 25-year-old Moroccan’s asylum application was refused because «claimed treatment does not amount to persecution», while his «appeal was

Morocco : Green Power group to acquire 48% stake in Masdar Energy

Enel Green Power SpA, an Italian multinational renewable-energy corporation, headquartered in Rome, is to acquire 48 % stake in the Moroccan firm, Masdar Energy while Marita Group, a Moroccan holding operating in the real estate, energy and education industries will control the remaining 52%, reports Trend Online. This operation, which includes an investment plan of 1.7 billion Euros by 2023, is expected to create 7,600 jobs. Masdar Energy has signed an agreement with