The result of the CEO survey puts numbers to a reality that we have all felt on the street, that of the growing voting intention of many people towards Aliança Catalana. What happens is that these numbers are -or would be, rather- a political tsunami and would represent a new page in the history of Catalan society.Going from the two deputies they have now to 23-25 as the CEO says is a tsunami. And for Junts, going from 35 to 13-18 is also one.When a party's main message is as basic as “Save Catalonia” and it is formulated by a leader who is not at all empathetic, at the head of an unknown team, and, even so, their electoral expectations skyrocket, it means that they have connected with the real or suggested discontents of many people, in relation to insecurity in the streets, Islamic radicalism, “massive” immigration, the emigration of well-prepared young Catalans, the decline of the language or fiscal plunder. Many Catalans feel – and what is worse, notice – that the country is slipping through their fingers. And pay attention, because the diagnosis has found a new centrality in which voters from the integrating Catalanism of Junts and Convergència to the bullfighting and Vox Legion Spanish nationalists have come to coincide. 1 out of every 3 votes that Aliança Catalana would win would come from Junts, and 1 out of every 4 votes would come from Vox, united by the flag of Islamophobia. The current parliamentary majority of PSC, Esquerra, Comuns would barely hold on, with the PSC dropping from 42 to 36-38. The government of appeasement, the one of management, is not being sufficient, among other things because the management is clearly improvable.That Aliança Catalana has detected the causes of discontent does not mean it has the capacity to remedy them. In fact, far-right parties are specialists in identifying culprits, but they are not as effective when it comes to finding solutions; on the contrary, because there can be a very short step from harshness to hatred that breaks societies. And with hatred, we are heading towards a new social fracture. Look at the report by Sebastián Marín, about how about 400 people of Moroccan origin gathered last night in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat to follow France-Morocco in the World Cup, in a meeting organized by the Moroccan consulate in Barcelona. Let's take it as a phenomenon: we cannot confuse the effects of radical Islamism, or the crime associated with the poverty of some immigrants, with living alongside neighbors of the Islamic faith. And the far-right, as we know, mixes everything up.The CEO's survey implicates Junts and within Junts, President Puigdemont. He should have been able to live in Catalonia for months now, under the amnesty law, but the judiciary has blocked it. This harms the expectations of a party that heavily relies on the almost iconic figure of the president in exile. At the same time, it is evident that we have gone from a Puigdemont with political initiative, who moved around Europe and overcame arrests and was very present in the media to direct the message, to a Puigdemont who basically only speaks on social media, with an often resentful tone, marked by the almost nine years of exile, the poor results of the negotiation with the PSOE, which conveys the idea that he doesn't care about the PP or the PSOE, because for Catalonia's purposes they are the same. Puigdemont had the status of a political rock star. Today, Aliança Catalana is acting as a substitute for the interest in politics, for the emotional vote, that the Process represented. And Junts will not be able to address it effectively if it does not stop being a party angry with the world (for whatever reason it may have) and begins to generate confidence and pride among the people.

Hours before the initial whistle, in the streets of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat there was no room for doubt regarding the World Cup quarter-final duel between France and Morocco. Minute by minute, the red jerseys of the Atlas Lions colored the neighborhoods of Florida and Torrassa, where Hakimi and Brahim Díaz competed to occupy the backs of the youngest, who imitated their idols with a ball at their feet. Among all these jerseys, some from the Spanish national team with the name of Lamine Yamal, also of Moroccan origin, also stood out.

The round of 16 of the World Cup has seen two of the tournament's biggest surprises with the eliminations of Germany and the Netherlands. Paraguay has beaten the mannschaft on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes of play between regulation time and extra time, and Morocco also forced extra time with a goal in added time against the Dutch and also ended up winning from eleven meters, which unleashed euphoria among North African fans.

"The other day a photo of him came up on Facebook and I told my wife: ‘This is the boy I was telling you about. He was here with us and look how far he’s come.’ For us it’s a pride, an immense joy. I remember when he used to arrive at the field with the ball under his arm,’ says Paco Garzón (Segovia, 1955) with a smile. For many years he was the president of Club Deportivo Can Parellada, the team from the Terrassa neighborhood that saw one of the protagonists of this World Cup grow up. It’s Ismael Saibari (Terrassa, 2001), scorer of Morocco’s two goals. He has been the MVP of the Eredivisie with PSV Eindhoven and his move to Bayern Munich for 50 million euros is already a done deal.

Throughout her life, writer Laila Karrouch (Nador, Morocco, 1977) has had to unlearn and relearn a series of things that were instilled in her from childhood. "I come from a culture where we have learned things that don't fit with the life I have here. Over time, I have sought forgiveness from the people I have constantly judged. I've spent many years shedding labels, and it's unfair for me to put them on others," reflects Karrouch. Around this intimate exercise, the writer has built the novel Swear You'll Return (Univers), a love story between two women in the Rif in the 80s and 90s. "Homosexuality between women in the Muslim world is taboo, it's not talked about. But different love has always existed and will always exist. Denying it is absurd," argues the author.

Between April and May 1954, one of the most ambitious expeditions of the Ethnological Museum of Barcelona, inaugurated in 1949, was organized in the protectorate of Morocco. The sculptor Eudald Serra, who was part of the expedition, wanted to model a nude bust, but local law and morals made it impossible to find any woman who would pose. Serra did not give up; he simply looked where colonial power was absolute. With the collaboration of the Spanish authorities, he visited prisons, reformatories, and "public houses." The use of sex workers as models was systematic and deliberate in many campaigns, taking advantage of their extreme vulnerability in a context of colonial domination.

Scandal in African football. The Appeals Board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ruled today that Senegal is no longer the champion of the last African Nations Cup. Morocco, the team that lost the final, is now the new champion. The Board declared Senegal forfeited the final, which they had won 1-0 in extra time, considering that the team abandoned the match and therefore lost 3-0.

Pedro Sánchez embarked on a tour of West Africa in August 2024 with a stated objective: to combat irregular immigration. He held bilateral meetings with the presidents of Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania, after having strengthened ties with Morocco. At that time, migratory pressure on the Canary Islands had increased substantially, and the Spanish government took action to address the situation. A year and a half later, the figures have changed. While there was a peak in arrivals via the Canary Islands in 2023 and 2024, the numbers began to decline from 2025 onward. However, the decrease in arrivals via the Canary Islands coincided with an increase in arrivals via the Balearic Islands.

The decisive goal in the men's Africa Cup of Nations could be scored by a boy born in Terrassa: Ismael Saibari. This Sunday night, Senegal and Morocco will play a first-ever final in this competition, which began in 1957 when only three countries were independent. Today, as then, the Africa Cup of Nations serves to illustrate what is happening on the continent.

2025 was a record-breaking year for the Catalan labor market, thanks in part to the influx of foreign workers. This group ended the year with a total of 697,103 registered with Social Security, the highest figure ever recorded for a year-end and 4.2% higher than in 2024. According to figures published this Friday by the Spanish Ministry of Labor, the number of these workers has increased by 368,406 over the last decade (+88.9%).

As soon as the decisive penalty kick by a Moroccan player found the back of the net, pandemonium erupted in downtown Rabat. Morocco had defeated Nigeria in the semifinals and, after a 50-year drought, could once again be crowned champions of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN). Moreover, this time the title could be won in front of their home crowd, as the final against Senegal is this Sunday in Rabat. Within minutes, thousands of euphoric fans gathered on Mohamed V Avenue in the capital to celebrate the victory. Amidst the honking of car horns and the blaring of trumpets, the noise was deafening. the social protests of the GenZ 212 movement that shook the country last October

At the beginning of the century, the Casal dels InfantsCasal, a well-established institution in the metropolitan area, recognized the need to have eyes and hands in Morocco to work in collaboration with local organizations, children intending to emigrate, and their families. Claire Trichot, from France, heads the Casal delegation in the North African country, based in Tangier.

Spain and Morocco recently held their thirteenth high-level meeting. The encounter confirmed that we are witnessing a shift in the center of gravity of border tensions between the two countries. Traditionally, media attention and political rhetoric have tended to focus on territorial disputes surrounding the cities of Ceuta and Melilla and, tangentially, on the surrounding islands, islets, and rocks (Chafarinas Islands, Vélez de la Gomera, Perejil, etc.). Migration dynamics have often served as a spark to reignite tensions that hang over these territories and that, intermittently, have been on the bilateral negotiating table since Morocco's independence in 1956. Meanwhile, the lack of official delimitation of maritime borders had remained discreetly in the background.

At least 22 people died and 16 others were injured, some seriously, after two residential buildings collapsed in the city of Fez, in central Morocco. The disaster occurred Wednesday night in the Mostaqbal neighborhood when two four-story buildings collapsed, local authorities reported. The death toll is a "preliminary count," according to the same sources, who explained that a total of eight families lived in the two buildings. "After receiving notification of the incident, local and security authorities, as well as Civil Protection personnel, immediately went to the scene to begin search and rescue operations," they reported. Authorities have taken measures to secure the perimeter of the collapsed buildings and evacuate residents from surrounding homes. The injured have been taken to the University Hospital Center of Fez to receive the necessary medical attention, while operations continue to search for any other victims in the rubble.

Bilateral relations between Spain and Morocco are going through "an excellent moment," according to both governments. Pedro Sánchez demonstrated this harmony with the Alawite kingdom at a high-level summit held this Thursday at the Moncloa Palace. The Spanish Prime Minister received his Moroccan counterpart, Aziz Akhannouch, with military honors and subsequently met with him, while six Socialist ministers also met in parallel with their Moroccan counterparts. The result was the signing of fourteen agreements on matters such as the digital transition of public administrations, natural disaster prevention, agriculture and fisheries, and the fight against extremism. In a joint statement released afterward, the Spanish president reaffirmed the controversial position that explains this rapprochement, which has been consolidating over the last three years, namely the Moncloa Palace's shift on Western Sahara. In the eighth point of the document, Sánchez "welcomes" that The UN Security Council will approve a resolution at the end of October supporting Morocco's plan. for the former Spanish colony. This text has been his only statement, as the Spanish president has avoided questions from the press - there has been no appearance whatsoever - which has prompted a complaint from professional associations about this "lack of transparency".

The UN Security Council on Friday approved a resolution on Western Sahara that represents a major diplomatic victory for Morocco. The text (adopted with 11 votes in favor, none against, and 3 abstentions: China, Russia, and Pakistan, while Algeria refused to participate in the vote) validates the autonomy plan proposed by Rabat as the central basis for negotiations to resolve the conflict with the Polisario Front, which demands independence for the territory. The resolution, sponsored by the United States with the support of France, marks a significant shift in the UN's approach, traditionally based on the right to self-determination and holding a referendum to decide the fate of the former Spanish colony.

These are not easy times in Morocco. A group of anonymous young people called GenZ 212 is leading the protests against the inequality that exists in the country, which has even provoked a reaction from King Mohammed VI, who has presented a series of proposals and an increase in education and healthcare budgets to counteract it. The lack of investment in basic needs, coupled with corruption and a high unemployment rate, contrasts with the investment in sports facilities with an eye toward the Africa Cup of Nations, which will begin in December, and the 2030 World Cup, of which Morocco will be one of the hosts. Angry people in the streets shout: "The stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?"

Born in Rabat in 1981, Leila Slimani She has dedicated three books to exploring family history. The writer, who moved to Paris at 18 and currently resides in Lisbon, explores the complexity of Morocco's recent history and, at the same time, many issues that affect us all, such as the passage of time, loss, identity, freedom, utopia, and the futures we imagined as young people. She has published the novel I'll take the fire (Ángulo / Cabaret Voltaire), translated into Catalan by Joan Casas.

Between vertigo and hope, we follow the great shock that shakes Morocco. The protests of the last week, led by the young people of GenZ212, merely reflect the cries of rural communities in the Atlas Mountains in recent months; the indignation of public hospital users, battered by a lack of resources and personnel; of students and teachers, who must work in conditions that make learning very difficult; of a country stifled by inflation and the destruction of precarious subsistence jobs, bulldozed by the government itself, determined only by one thing: to clean up its act to become a "modern" country and pompously host the 2030 World Cup, the dream of major investors. The coveted global showcase that commands a budget of €3.95 billion. The official narrative, as recently echoed by the Prime Minister at the United Nations General Assembly, is that the World Cup will serve to showcase Africa's "radiant face" to the world. This money, so necessary to address the most basic deficiencies in health, education, and employment promotion, will be used for certain infrastructure projects, which have certainly been improving in many parts of the country (but not everywhere) for a few years: the renovation of five football stadiums and the €459 million construction of the largest stadium in Casablanca. The politics of window dressing. While Rabat's new stadium, Moulay Hassan, transports you to what could be Dubai or Qatar, and while the Boraq (TGV) train takes you like lightning from Tangier to Casablanca, on regional trains people travel packed like cattle, and shantytowns still exist in the big cities and poorer ones.

The streets of several Moroccan cities witnessed the fifth consecutive day of protests organized through social media by an anonymous youth group called GenZ 212 on Wednesday night. Tensions have escalated over the past two days, with clashes between police and protesters. which resulted in the death of two people, more than 300 injured and 400 arrests, according to the Ministry of the InteriorThe wave of protests comes at an inopportune time for the Moroccan regime, just over two months before the start of the African Cup of Nations football tournament, a sort of rehearsal for the 2030 World Cup, which the North African country is hosting alongside Spain and Portugal.