Morocco expels two Norwegians from Laayoune  (Read more...)

FIFA task force in Morocco to assess its ability to host the 2026 World Cup

A task force sent by FIFA has arrived Monday in Morocco to evaluate the country’s ability to host the 2026 World Cup, said Morocco’s bid committee in a statement sent to Yabiladi. «Today, the committee is set to receive 5 members from the Task Force as well as others from the FIFA administration for a three-day-visit», said the same communiqué. The FIFA delegation is expected to travel from the 17th to the 19th of April to several cities in the

Arab Summit unanimously supports Morocco’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Nasser Bourita announced, Sunday, that the 29th Arab Summit, held in the Saudi city of Dhahran, unanimously affirmed its support for Morocco’s bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Bourita told the press after the Summit that the latter «unanimously affirmed its support for Morocco’s bid to host the 2016 FIFA World Cup and called on all States to provide full and unwavering support to this bid.» The 29th Arab

When Gad Elmaleh teaches Jimmy Fallon how to hip thrust like a Moroccan

On April the 11th, Moroccan actor and stand-up comedian Gad Elmaleh was Jimmy Fallon's guest on NBC's The Tonight Show. Promoting his new show the “American Dream”, the bilingual actor showed everyone there the steps of a Moroccan dance. After talking about cinema, the French version of Saturday Night Live and the American comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Jimmy Fallon carried on his interview with Gad while dancing to some Moroccan music. “Dancing is very important to me”

Italy: In Bologna, a library is named after a Moroccan woman

This incredible story is that of Khaoula, a young woman of Moroccan origin who lived in Bologna, Tangier and London. Khaoula was born in Morocco. A few months later, she moved to Bologna with her parents. "We were five living in a two-room apartment. And so, there was no space to study"she recalls. However, even if the school allowed students access on weekends, Khaoula could not get there: "My parents were working and could not pick me up, so I did not go there

The life of a Korean Youtuber in Morocco

In one month, Naelle Song, a YouTuber who has recently started her channel on the video platform, has succeeded to attract many netizens. The 24-year-old South Korean mixes French and Darija to tell her story about her life in Morocco. Naelle started posting videos last month. She has amassed more than 225,000 views. Three of these videos are dedicated to Morocco and accumulate an average of 40,000 views each. Her most watched video is titled "Three Moroccan items I use every

Prohibition on the entry of two MEPs to Al Hoceïma: El Khalfi denounces a fake news

After the two Dutch politicians announced their prohibition of access to the city of Al Hoceïma, the spokesman of the Moroccan government, Mustapha El Khalfi, finally reacted. At a press conference held in Rabat on Thursday, El Khalfi said that "there has been no ban. We have not issued a prohibition decision". The minister also denounced a fake news, adding that this clarification intends to "cut short statements designated to circulate false information". As a reminder, Kati

France : The police falsifies migrant children's birth dates in order to return them to Italy

The European Commission had received from seven Italian associations about the practices of the French police against minor migrants, reported the British Newspaper The Guardian. Indeed, these NGOs have accused the French police for falsifying the dates of birth of minor migrants, making them pass for adults, in order to be able to return them to the border with Italy. Cited by Le Point which quotes The Guardian, the said associations have alerted the European Commission and the

Fisheries agreement : Spain wishes to start negotiations «soon»

The Spanish government is looking forward to launch negotiations with Morocco on a new fisheries agreement, «as soon as possible». A position expressed yesterday by the Spanish Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Isabel García Tejerina, report Iberian media. The official wished that the fleet of his country won't be affected by a possible «suspension» of activity in the Atlantic waters of Morocco. The 2014 agreement is to expire on July 14th. On 17th

Morocco: Two Dutch politicians denied entry to Al Hoceïma

Moroccan authorities have banned Dutch politicians and MEP Kati Piri and the former Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, from traveling to the Rif region as part of an "investigation commission", said by the news agency EFE. In a statement issued yesterday morning from Morocco, Kati Piri and Lilianne Ploumen, both members of the Labor Party, indicate that the local authorities "prevented [them] from accessing the city of Al Hoceïma", where they

Spain: Five Moroccan nationals arrested for planning terrorist attacks in Barcelona

The Spanish court sentenced ten members of a cell affiliated with the terrorist organization "Daesh" to eight to twelve years in prison, on Wednesday. "They planned to commit attacks in Barcelona or a filmed execution", said AFP. Among the convicts are five Moroccans, four Spanish and one Brazilian. The judgment issued by the National court, specialized in cases of terrorism says that the members of this cell were "willing to carry out, at any time, an attack against institutions such as the

Morocco : Ukranian Chicken is coming soon to the market

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukrain announced that an agreement had just been signed between the two countries. After the Russian meat, Morocco should open its national market to Ukranian chicken and meat.  "The State Service on Food Safety and Consumer Protection of Ukraine and the competent authority of the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to a veterinary certificate for the export of meat and poultry products from Ukraine to Morocco", says the communiqué of the

Sambo's Kharlempiev World Cup: Four medals for Morocoo

Last weekend, Moroccan athletes were awarded four medals at Sambo's Kharlempiev World Cup competitions, two silver and two bronze medals. The performance of the Moroccan athletes at this edition, organized by the Russian Federation under the aegis of the International Sambo Federation, was the achievement of Anouar El Brizzi and Badreddine Diani. Both of them took the second places of the podium respectively in the categories less 100 kg and over 82 kg, says a statement of the Moroccan Royal

Islamic Finance: Morocco is planning to issue its first sukuk

Morocco declares that it is going to launch its sukuk, in partnership with specialized banks of the field, more than one year after Bank Al-Maghrib granted licenses to five local banks to set up their Islamic finance subsidiaries, reported Bloomberg. Hicham Talby, who heads the Financial sector department at the Ministry of Finance, indicates that the financial instruments will be operational this year, including Ijara, Wakala, Musharaka and Murabaha. By harmonizing the traditional capital

Finland : The Moroccan knife attaker’s trial starts Monday

The trial of Abderrahman Bouanane, a Moroccan asylum seeker accused of killing two people and injuring 8 others during a stabbing attack on the 18th of August in Turku, has opened Monday, 9th of April, in Finland, said the Associated Press. The accused was taken today to a courtroom in Turku, where the attack took place. Bouanane, 24, is charged with «two counts of terror-related murder and eight counts of attempted murder with a terror-related motive», said the same source. The

Spain : The government questioned about the safety of Spanish fishermen in Morocco

Spanish Socialist deputies in Huelva, Malaga and Lugo have submitted a series of written questions to the government to know if the Spanish government will ask the European Union to negotiate the security conditions Spanish fishermen are exposed to when operating in Morocco under the fisheries agreement, said Europa Press. Negotiations between the EU and Morocco will start on the 16th of April, the three MEPs Pepa Gonzalez Bayo, Miguel Angel Heredia and Margarita Perez Herraiz said.

«Deep State» : A series produced by Fox and shot in Morocco

«Deep State» is the first big-budget drama series in the U.S. produced by Fox Networks Group Europe & Africa and shot in Morocco. The shooting which started in May 2017 was mostly taking place in Morocco, and most precisely in Casablanca. The city was chosen to represent the «hot and dusty» climate of Beirut where the story’s events take place. As described by the series' lead actor Mark Strong, who plays the role of Max, «Morocco is an instant scene

For some Muslim scholars Queen Elizabeth is descended from the prophet Mohammed

Allah save the Queen, who is apparrently a descendant of Prophet Mohammed, at least this is what some Muslims think. Queen Elizabeth's alleged Muslim origins are making headlines again, reports The Economist. In the Middle East and North Africa several scholars and journalists are trying to figure out whether the 91-year-old monarch is truly of a Muslim ascendence. Referring to an article by Moroccan newspaper Al-Ousboue published March in Casablanca, The Economist suggests that the Queen

Münsten: The assailant is believed to be psychologically disturbed

A van drove into the crowd Saturday, 7th of April, in the city of Münsten (Germany) killing three people and injuring many others. According to several German sources, the driver is a 49-year-old man who is psychologically disturbed. «The assailant has tried before to commit suicide», according to ZDF TV channel while Süddeutsche Zeitung, a German daily newspaper said that the authorities have not found elements proving that it was a terror attack, reports Midi