News Flash

Amine Adli hails Walid Regragui as a «big brother» to players

Amine Adli, the 24-year-old Moroccan forward, is in a unique position, benefiting from the guidance of two highly regarded coaches in the world of football. As reported by The National, Adli is thriving under both Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen and Walid Regragui with the Moroccan national team. On the international stage, Adli has found equal success under Regragui, who led Morocco to a historic World Cup semi-final appearance in Qatar in 2022. Regragui's achievements have been recognized

Moroccan drivers in Italy struggle with license conversion delays

Moroccans residing in Italy are still awaiting progress in converting their Moroccan driving licenses. The process has been delayed since 2019 due to Morocco's switch to biometric licenses, which are not covered by the 1991 bilateral agreement, Italian media reported. On July 18, 2023, Moroccan Houcine Fatih, president of the Atlas Association of Trento, made a public appeal to resolve the issue. However, despite a new agreement signed on March 27 between Moroccan Ambassador Youssef Balla and

Morocco secures first gold medal at Paris 2024 Paralympics with Mouncef Bouja's 400m victory

Moroccan athlete Mouncef Bouja won a gold medal on Thursday at the Paralympic Games currently taking place in Paris, after claiming victory in the 400-meter race in the T12 category. Bouja secured the win with a time of 48.62 seconds. The silver medal was awarded to American Noah Malone with a time of 49.35 seconds, while the bronze medal went to Tunisia's Rouay Jebabli, who finished with a time of 49.56 seconds. Bouja had qualified for the final round on Wednesday after finishing first in

Severe thunderstorms expected in Morocco this weekend

Very heavy thundery showers are expected in some Moroccan provinces on Saturday and Sunday, according to a statement by the Directorate General of Meteorology (DGM) on Wednesday. These showers, which could locally exceed 50 mm in 24 hours, are expected to affect the provinces of Azilal, Midelt, Tinghir, Errachidia, Zagora, Ouarzazate, Tata, and Taroudant, the DGM indicated in a pre-warning bulletin. This pre-warning will be followed by meteorological alert bulletins providing more details on

Algeria lowers presence at Indonesia-China forums amid Polisario exclusion

In response to the Polisario's exclusion from the Africa-Indonesia forum and the Africa-China summit, Algeria lowered the level of its representation at both events. Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf abstained from attending the Bali meeting, held on August 2-3 in Indonesia, and the delegation was instead led by Yacine El Mahdi Oualid, Minister of Knowledge Economy, Start-ups, and Micro-enterprises. In his speech, Oualid defended the Polisario's cause, stating, «There is one people

Netanyahu's map controversy reignites tensions over Israel's stance on Sahara

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparked controversy again after publishing a map of the Arab world that labeled Morocco's northern part as «Morocco» and the southern part as «Western Sahara», without a dividing line between them. Netanyahu appeared at a press conference explaining the importance of controlling the Philadelphia Axis, which separates Egypt from the Gaza Strip. His move ignited a wave of controversy among Moroccans on social media, with many

Morocco police probe threats against anti-normalization body leader

Yesterday morning, the judicial police in Salé questioned Aziz Hennaoui, Secretary General of the Moroccan Observatory Against Normalization, after he received a written summons, according to the observatory. Hennaoui had previously filed a complaint through the Sûreté Nationale's e-blagh platform, reporting an online comment that included a direct death threat, along with a voice note and video containing threats, insults, defamation, and incitement to hatred. The alleged

Azzedine Ounahi joins Panathinaïkós on loan from Marseille with option to buy

Under contract with Olympique de Marseille (OM) from 2023 to 2027, Moroccan international Azzedine Ounahi has left the club to join Panathinaïkós on loan with an option to buy. After making an impact at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and moving to OM last summer, the player has recorded 3 goals and 1 assist in 44 games. Azzedine Ounahi is green ☘️#paofc #Panathinaikos #Ounahi_is_green pic.twitter.com/O3JK0TaZcU — Panathinaikos F.C. (@paofc_) September 4, 2024 The transfer to

Akhannouch represents King Mohammed VI at the FOCAC Summit in Beijing

The Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to represent King Mohammed VI at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit, taking place from September 4 to 6. Upon his arrival at Beijing's international airport, he was welcomed by China's Minister of the State Administration of Financial Regulation, Li Yunze. Akhannouch is accompanied by Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Resident Abroad, and Mohcine Jazouli,

Sahara question absent from Slovenia's Security Council agenda

Slovenia is currently presiding over the United Nations Security Council from September 1 to 30. The Sahara issue is not included on the provisional agenda released by Ljubljana's Permanent Mission to the UN. During his visit to Slovenia on August 29 and 30, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf expressed high praise for the Slovenian presidency of the UN Security Council, even before it officially began. «We are confident that the Slovenian presidency will be exceptional»,

Eid al-Mawlid al-Nabawi to be celebrated on September 16 in Morocco

The Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs announced on Tuesday evening that the month of Rabie al-Awwal 1446 AH will begin on Thursday, September 5, 2024, and Eid al-Mawlid al-Nabawi will be celebrated on Monday, September 16. The Ministry stated that the lunar crescent was not sighted on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, the 29th of Safar 1446 AH, marking the end of the month of Safar. Consequently, the month of Safar will have 30 days, and the first of Rabie al-Awwal 1446 AH will begin on

Morocco's cecifoot team exits Paralympic Games After narrow defeat to Colombia

Morocco's cecifoot team bowed out of the Paralympic Games in Paris on Tuesday after losing 1-0 to Colombia in their third Group B match. The national team finished the group stage in third place with 4 points, behind Colombia, the group leader with 7 points, and Argentina, who increased their tally to 5 points by beating Japan (1-0) on the third day. The national team's coach, Driss Moutaqi, told the press that the players had approached their matches seriously, despite being in a tough group

Morocco's Sofiane Boufal joins Union Saint-Gilloise on two-year deal

Moroccan international Sofiane Boufal has joined Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise (USG) on a two-year deal from Qatari club Al-Rayyan, USG announced on Tuesday. «Boufal is now a Unionist until 2026», the Brussels-based pro league club wrote on its website. The player, who made his international debut for Morocco in 2016, «played seven matches at the 2022 World Cup during the Moroccan national team's impressive run in Qatar, where Morocco advanced to the semi-finals»,

Morocco's Saida Amoudi wins bronze in shot put at Paris Paralympics

Morocco's Saida Amoudi won the bronze medal in the shot put (F34) on Tuesday during the para-athletics competitions at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Amoudi secured her spot on the podium with a throw of 7.80 meters. The gold medal went to China's Zou Lijuan (9.14 meters), the current record holder with a throw of 9.25 meters, while the silver medal was claimed by Poland's Lucyna Kornobys (8.33 meters). This achievement brings Morocco's total medal count at the Paris Paralympic Games to six

After Indonesia, the Polisario excluded from the China-Africa Forum

Beijing has excluded the Polisario Front from the China-Africa summit, which opened on Tuesday, September 3, with a meeting of foreign ministers. In August, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf met with the Chinese ambassador in Algiers to advocate for the Polisario's inclusion in the China-Africa summit. An Algerian media outlet subsequently claimed that the Polisario's presence at the China-Africa summit was a «de facto necessity». Beijing has consistently rejected Algerian

Morocco's National Human Rights Council approves DNA tests for Tazmamart victims

The Association «Victims of Tazmamart and Their Friends» announced that the National Council for Human Rights has contacted some families of the victims to conduct DNA tests on the remains of those who died unjustly in Tazmamart prison. While acknowledging the significant delay, the association commended the National Council for Human Rights for finally responding to their request. In a statement, the association expressed appreciation for the response but emphasized that it was

Inwi partners with Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali

Moroccan telecommunications company Inwi has announced a partnership with Soufiane El Bakkali, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion. The partnership aims to celebrate El Bakkali's extraordinary achievements and inspire young people to push their limits and believe in their potential, Inwi said Tuesday in a statement. Inwi stated that the partnership with El Bakkali embodies its desire to promote successful role models who can inspire young Moroccans to achieve their

Heavy thunderstorms expected in Morocco Tuesday

The Directorate General of Meteorology (DGM) has issued an orange alert warning of thunderstorms, hail, and gusty winds in several Moroccan provinces on Tuesday. The affected provinces include Midelt, Ifrane, Béni Mellal, Al Haouz, Tinghir, Azilal, Khénifra, and Boulemane. Thunderstorms are expected to bring 15-25 millimeters of rainfall between 2 PM and 11 PM on Tuesday.