Morocco's exports surge 5.3% to 331 billion dirhams  (Read more...)

A 22-year-old Moroccan man convicted in Dubai for offering sexual services on Snapchat

A Moroccan man was sentenced to one year in prison for «offering sexual services on Snapchat», reports online newspaper Gulf News. A lieutenant at Dubai Police’s Cybercrime section stumbled upon the man’s profile while on a cyber-patrol mission, says the same source. On the spot the man in question confessed to having «created a Snapchat account, published pornographic photos and promoted prostitution with men,» said the same source. The Dubai Court of

King Philippe of Belgium sends his sister Astrid on a mission to Morocco

The sister of King Philippe of Belgium, Princess Astrid, is expected to visit Morocco from the 25th to the 30th of November, announced Friday the Belgian Royal Palace. In an economic mission to Morocco, Princess Astrid will visit, along with several federal and regional ministers, the cities of Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier, says DenD. She will also be accompanied by representatives of the Walloon Agency for Export and Foreign Investment (AWEX) and those of the Brussels Invest & Export

Ceuta : The Spanish government explains why it expelled 116 migrants

After returning the 116 migrants who forced their way into Ceuta to Morocco on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister of Spain Carmen Calvo reacted to the decision in a press conference, reports TVE. The Spanish Socialist Workers Party politician said that people should make a difference between land and sea illegal migration. «Legally, it is very different to save someone at the sea, in a situation of humanitarian emergency, and expel someone who is violently attacking your

USA : A Moroccan jihadist’s widow sued for supporting ISIS

Samantha Marie Elhassani, known as Samantha Sally, appeared before the US federal court on Wednesday, 23rd of August, supporting ISIS.   The 32-year-old woman is the widow of Moroccan jihadist Moussana Elhassani, who was killed in Syria. She has been on trial since last month for involvement in terrorism, as well as false giving false information to the FBI. Quoted by the Chicago Tribune, a statement by the US District Attorney for the North District Court of Indiana, Thomas Lee Kirsch

Australia's first Muslim senator warns against normalization of racism

55-year-old Mehreen Faruqi is the first Muslim woman to be part of the Australian senate. She was elected on August the 15th as a senator, representing the New South Wales state, reports the Guardian. On Tuesday and during her inaugural speech, she delivered a strong message, denouncing institutionalized racism in Australia. «I am a brown, Muslim, migrant, feminist woman», she proudly stated. «The existence of racism, sexism and other discrimination is not new, but what has

Morocco’s Sofyan Amrabat signs a four-year contract with Belgium’s Club Brugge

Dutch-born Moroccan footballer Sofyan Amrabat has joined the Belgian league after his former club Feyenoord Rotterdam reached an agreement with Club Brugge on Friday, 24th of August, says the Belgian club on its website. The midfielder signed a four-year contract with the club for a 2.5 million-euro deal. The 22-year-old player joined the Dutch club Feyenoord in 2017, where he made 21 appearances and scored one goal. He played four seasons, before that, with FC Utrecht. Although he was

ISIS claims responsibility over a Knife attack that left two dead near Paris

Two people were killed and one «badly injured» in a knife attack Thursday in Trappes, a suburb west of Paris, according to France's National Police. The attacker was also killed, police said. «After the attack, he ran into a house to hide. He left shortly afterward and threatened police before being neutralized», police added. The two people who were killed were the attacker's mother and sister, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry told reporters. Interior Minister

«Modern slavery in France» : A court rules in favor of the four Moroccan lumberjacks

A labor court in France has ruled in favor of four Moroccan nationals who left the Kingdom for Indre, a department in central France, to work as lumberjacks, reports France bleu. The four workers, namely Driss, Rashid, Mustapha and Hamid claimed in June that they have been exploited by their employer, who paid them 2,000 euros for working one year for him. The latter was found guilty by the Conseil des Prud'hommes in Châteauroux on Thursday, 23rd of August. The employer will have

Marrakech : Traditional wooden spoons, manually carved to serve Ramadan’s famous dish

In Marrakech wooden spoons are skillfully carved by the local craftsmen. Using their hands, feet and some woodcarving tools, these men manage to create 120 spoons a day. The traditional spoon carving process is showed in a video shot by a tourist and made public on August the 16th. The footage dates back to 2016, but showcases a craft that has survived nowadays' technology. Made from rough wood, a carver starts by giving the spoon its shape using a small axe then another craftsman carves the

Two Moroccan architects awarded in New York by the 2018 Architizer A + Awards

Moroccan architects Tarik Zoubdi and Mounir Benchekroun were awarded at the 2018 Architizer A + Awards in New York, reports Huffpost Morocco. The two men were granted the jury and public prize for the «primary and secondary schools» category. Indeed, Zoubdi and Benchekroun designed a secondary school for the children of OCP Group employees in the city of El Jadida. The school was dubbed «The Wall of Knowledge», adds the same source. «This is a great victory for

Police seize 160 kg of cannabis resin at the Tangier Med port

Police and customs officials at the Tangier Med port have seized, Wednesday night, 160 kg of cannabis resin, known as chira, aboard a commercial Belgian-plated car, reports MAP press agency. After researching the car, the drug carefully hidden inside was found, added the same source. The driver, who is Moroccan, was arrested. The suspect, aged 39, was placed in custody and an investigation was launched to determine the circumstances surrounding this operation.

Germany bans a Moroccan national involved in the Sept. 11 attacks from entering its territory

Convicted in Germany of helping three of the suicide pilots in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, Moroccan national Mounir al-Motassadeq is banned from entry the country for 90 years, reported German media on Tuesday. The inmate was convicted in 2007 of «membership in a terrorist organization and accessory to murder for aiding the three hijackers who lived in Hamburg», says the same source. After being deported to his country of origin, Mounir al-Motassadeq

A Moroccan-Belgian national arrested in the Kingdom over terrorism

Dutch-language Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws wrote Wednesday, August 22nd, that Said EA, a 32-year-old Moroccan national, was arrested earlier this month while he was on holiday in Morocco, reports Belga. Originally from Merksplas, a Dutch-speaking municipality in the Flemish region, the man was reportedly arrested at the border. Since then, he has been imprisoned in a Moroccan prison. Saïd E.A. is one of the four alleged terrorists suspected of being responsible for recruiting

Morocco’s forward Aziz Bouhaddouz joins Saudi Arabia’s Al Baten

Moroccan footballer Aziz Bouhaddouz has officially joined Saudi Arabian club Al Baten, tweeted on Wednesday, 22nd of August, former Moroccan international Mustapha El Hadaoui. Bonne chance à notre lion de l’Atlas. Aziz Bouhadouze rejoint officiellement le club Saoudien Al Baten pic.twitter.com/cTlwpYqRL1 — Mustapha El Hadaoui (@ElhadaouiM) 22 août 2018 The club has also announced the transfer on its Twitter account. «The club has finalized a deal with

Facebook removes 5,000 ad targeting options based on religion and ethnicity

Facebook announced on Tuesday, 21st of August, that it will remove 5,000 ad targeting options to avoid discrimination. The social media platform will exclude factors related to religion and ethnicity when targeting users for advertisement, says French newspaper Le Monde. This decision comes after media published surveys showing that Facebook’s ad targeting options are discriminatory as they target only certain categories based on their ethnicity and religion for teh purchase of

A group of young people kidnap, rape and torture a teenager for more than a month

A girl was kidnapped, raped and tortured by 13 young people in Oulad Ayad (Beni Mellal-Khénifra region), reported the Tahadi association for equality and citizenship. Raped by her kidnappers, the teenager was abducted for more than a month. She was also «burned with cigarettes and other sharp devices and tattooed», says Spanish newspaper ABC. After escaping, the victim’s mother lodged a complaint, said the same source. Eight of her kidnappers have already been

King Mohammed VI pardons dozens of inmates convicted on Hirak-related charges

On the occasion of Eid al-Adha, King Mohammed VI has granted his pardon to 160 inmates convicted on Hirak-rekated charges, reports French-language online newspaper Le Desk. The information was revealed through the country’s news agency (MAP), which stated, Tuesday 21st of August, that the sovereign has pardoned 886 prisoners in total. Other sources bring a different number, stating that only 140 Hirak detainees were covered by the royal pardon. The National Human Rights

Canada’s Nova Scotia and Morocco partner to search for oil

Canadian maritime province Nova Scotia is teaming up with Morocco in a bid to find petroleum riches, says Canada’s CTV News on Monday 20th of August. The two lands were considered were one 200 million years ago, before they broke apart. A group of researchers in each territory will be conducting a study to find offshore petroleum resources. In Morocco, the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines signed a memorandum of understanding with the Offshore Energy Research