News Flash

After Bachir Sayed, a Polisario official warns of Front's potential collapse

In the Tindouf camps, Bashir Mustapha Sayed's warning about the «disappearance of the Polisario Front» was echoed by another senior official, Oubi Bachir. Claiming to be the Front's representative in Switzerland, Oubi Bachir expressed his concern on X about the «problems observed» within the Polisario, which he described as «multiplying in a worrying way» and serving as «a precious gift for the propaganda of the Moroccan occupation». He

Euro 2024 : Moroccan Lamine Yamal leads Spain to victory over France

Spain defeated the French national team in the semifinals of the European Football Championship (Euro 2024), held in Germany, by a score of two goals to one (or 2-1). La Roja's first goal was scored by Spanish-Moroccan winger Lamine Yamal in the 21st minute. Just four minutes later, Dani Olmo followed up with a second goal, securing Spain's place in the final of this continental competition. According to Le Figaro, Lamine Yamal's goal against Les Bleus made him the youngest scorer in the

Morocco makes historic first legal cannabis export to Switzerland

For the first time, Morocco has legally exported cannabis. A shipment of resin, with less than 1% THC (the psychoactive molecule), was sold for between 1,400 and 1,800 euros per kilogram, destined for Switzerland in the second quarter of the year, reports French newspaper Le Monde. Since the 2021 law allowing cannabis for medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial purposes, the sector has experienced significant growth, with around 200 operators now active. This positions Morocco as a rising

«Sahara Escobar» : The Oriental Regional Council elects successor to Abdenbi Bioui

The Oriental Regional Council elected a new president on Tuesday, July 9. Mohamed Bouarourou, also from the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), succeeded Abdenbi Bioui, who is being prosecuted for drug trafficking as part of the «Sahara Escobar» case. Bouarourou's bid to replace Bioui received 44 votes, while the opposition did not present any candidates at the voting session chaired by the governor of Berkane. In his new position, Bouarourou will be assisted by Omar Hjira of

Morocco celebrates Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka

In tribute to Nigerian writer and 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Wole Soyinka, a round table was organized on Tuesday at the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco's headquarters in Rabat. Born on July 12, 1934, in Abeokuta, Nigeria, Soyinka attended Government College and University College Ibadan before earning a degree in English from the University of Leeds in England in 1958. Upon returning to Nigeria, he founded a theater company and wrote his first major play, The Swamp Dwellers

UK : Polisario leader courts new left-wing PM

Following the Labour Party's landslide victory in the July 4 UK general election, the Polisario leader congratulated Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In his message, Brahim Ghali emphasized that «the Polisario Front is a sister organization to the Labour Party, expressing his hope to continue and deepen the existing relations between the two organizations in their pursuit of a better world where international solidarity, justice, human rights, and the right of peoples to self-determination

Moroccan taekwondo star Oumaima El Bouchti secures spot in 2024 Olympics

Moroccan taekwondo athlete Oumaima El Bouchti (-49 kg) has secured her qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, scheduled from July 26 to August 11. El Bouchti earned her second ticket to the Olympics based on her latest world ranking (No. 8), following her withdrawal from the under-49kg category of the Oceania zone Olympic qualifiers. Driss El Hilali, President of the Royal Moroccan Taekwondo Federation, emphasized that Oumaima El Bouchti's qualification for the Olympics, alongside

Morocco education minister reports 12% drop in school dropout rates

Around 50,000 students who had dropped out of school were able to return to classes, Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports Chakib Benmoussa said on Monday. Responding to a question at the House of Representatives on «the fight against school dropouts», Benmoussa stated that the number of students dropping out of school had fallen by 12%, from 334,000 during the 2021-2022 season to 294,000 for the 2022-2023 school year, although this figure remains

PJD calls for early legislative elections in Morocco, inspired by France

The PJD is calling for early parliamentary elections, a stance expressed by Abdellah Bouanou, president of the party's deputies, on Monday, July 8. In his speech at the opening of the PJD's weekly deputies' meeting, Bouanou emphasized that this call is «not based on any partisan logic and is not meant to create confusion within the government, but rather as an exercise in democracy». Bouanou defended his proposal by citing examples from the UK and France, where a loss of public

Belgian-Moroccan kickboxer Jamal Ben Saddik arrested for kidnapping and assault

Belgian authorities have arrested 33-year-old former world kickboxing champion Jamal Ben Saddik as part of an investigation into a kidnapping and assault. Local media reports confirm that the Antwerp-born boxer is in jail after allegedly ordering the kidnapping and assault of a dock worker at the port of Antwerp. The worker reportedly accepted an advance payment to extract a shipment of cocaine but failed to do so. Consequently, the criminal gang kidnapped and beat him. Chris Loix, Ben

Reda Bennani, first Moroccan in 20 years to win at Wimbledon Juniors

Moroccan tennis player Reda Bennani, seeded No. 14, qualified for the Wimbledon Juniors round of 16 on Monday, beating Britain's Oliver Bonding in three sets (6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (10-6)). With this victory, Bennani becomes the first Moroccan boy to win a junior main draw match at Wimbledon in 20 years, according to the official X account of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The last similar win was by Mehdi Ziadi in 2004. Additionally, Bennani is only the fifth Moroccan junior player

Morocco's Houcine Ammouta new coach of Emirati club Al Jazira

Houcine Ammouta has been named new coach of UAE side Al Jazira. He will take charge of the club on a contract that runs until 2026. Ammouta played in the UAE Pro League (formerly known as the UAE soccer league) as a player for Sharjah in the 2002-2003 season, before embarking on a successful spell in Qatar with Al Sadd as both player and coach. Before joining Al Jazira, Ammouta made rose to fame as coach of the Jordanian national football team, leading the «Nashama» (The Falcons)

Rotterdam : Arson suspected in fire at Dutch-Moroccan Deputy Mayor's home

A fire broke out on Saturday in the house of Faouzi Achbar, the Dutch-Moroccan Rotterdam Deputy Mayor for the center-left political party THINK (Dutch: DENK), according to a Monday report by the Netherlands' national broadcaster NOS. The fire, believed to be arson, started around 22:30. Fortunately, Achbar and his family were not home at the time. It is unknown who started the fire and why the alderman was targeted, NOS explained, adding that the police say they are currently investigating the

Morocco : Heatwave alert issued, temperatures up to 47°C expected

An orange vigilance heatwave is forecast from Tuesday to Friday in several provinces of Morocco. Temperatures will vary between 39 and 47°C, according to a Monday announcement by the Directorate General of Meteorology (DGM). Here's a breakdown of the expected temperatures by province: Figuig, Jerada, Zagora, Tinghir, Errachidia, and Tata will experience temperatures between 41 and 45°C on Tuesday. From Wednesday to Thursday, Ouezzane, Guercif, Taourirt, Oujda-Angad, Jerada, Figuig,

After life sentence, wealthy Italian fugitive believed to be on the run in Morocco

The escape of a notorious Italian fugitive has triggered an international manhunt. Italian media reports reveal that entrepreneur Giacomo Bozzoli is believed to have fled to Morocco by boat from Spain. In 2015, Bozzoli was sentenced to life imprisonment for the grisly murder of his uncle, whom he allegedly disposed of by throwing into a furnace at the family foundry in Marcheno. According to Il Messaggero, Giacomo Bozzoli initially went into hiding in Switzerland to secure his assets and

Two more Saharawis seek asylum in Spain during Madrid stopover

Following the case of Youssef El Mahmoudi, who identifies as a «Saharawi activist», two other Sahrawis applied for political asylum in Spain on Monday, July 8th, at Madrid's Barajas airport. They were traveling from French Guiana to Casablanca with a layover in Madrid, where they seized the opportunity to submit their asylum applications, according to Spanish media. These applications will first be reviewed by the Sub-Directorate of Borders under the Ministry of the Interior, and

Moroccan AI influencer Kenza Layli wins world's first AI beauty pageant

Moroccan AI influencer Kenza Layli has claimed victory in the world’s first-ever AI beauty pageant. «While I don’t feel emotions like humans do, I’m genuinely excited about it», said the Hijabi Instagrammer in an interview with New York Post on Monday. The lifestyle influencer secured the $20,000 grand prize for her human creator, winning over 1,500 computerized challengers. This beauty pageant is part of the inaugural World AI Creator Awards (WAICAs), in

Morocco's Q2 2024 inflation drops to 0.7%, nearly halved

According to the Haut-Commissariat au Plan (HCP), inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, fell by almost half in the second quarter of 2024 compared with the first quarter, dropping to 0.7% from 1.2%. This decline was driven by a 0.5% fall in food prices, while non-food prices accelerated by 1.5%, following a 0.9% increase in the first quarter, according to the HCP's second-quarter 2024 business review and third-quarter 2024 outlook. Underlying inflation, which excludes prices set